Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter http://ezezine.com
Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
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September 21, 2005
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http://www.freewillastrology.com.
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PUBLIC APPEARANCES:
My next gig will be at the Booksmith bookstore in San Francisco.
Tuesday, October 11
7 pm
1644 Haight Street
San Francisco
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Listen to a recent radio interview with me at:
http://www.ourmedia.org/node/60735
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Here's an excerpt from my book
"PRONOIA IS THE ANTIDOTE FOR PARANOIA:
How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings"
RADICAL EVERYTHING
"I've been practicing radical authenticity lately," my friend Brandon told
me. "I'm revealing the blunt truth about unmentionable subjects to
everyone I know. It's been pretty hellish-no one likes having the social
masks stripped away-but it's been ultimately rewarding."
"I admire your boldness in naming the currents flowing beneath the
surface," I replied, "but I'm curious as to why you imply they're all
negative. To practice radical authenticity, shouldn't you also express the
raw truth about what's right, good, and beautiful? Shouldn't you unleash
the praise and gratitude that normally go unspoken?"
Brandon sneered. He thought my version of radical authenticity was
wimpy. I hope you don't. As a budding pronoiac, you have a mandate to
be honest in both ways.
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To read other pieces from the book, go here:
http://freewillastrology.com/beauty/beauty.main145.shtml
To buy the book, use the links to Amazon.com and Powells, which are on
my homepage at http://www.freewillastrology.com
Or cut and paste the direct links below:
AMAZON
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-
/1583941231/qid=1123690660/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-1737423-
7631942?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
POWELLS
http://www.powells.com/biblio/2-1583941231-2
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OTHER PRONOIA RESOURCES:
WEBSITE & CONFERENCE
Bioneers, October 14-16
Visionary and Practical Solutions for Restoring the Earth
http://www.bioneers.org
BOOKS:
*Field Notes on the Compassionate Life: A Search for the Soul of
Kindness* by Marc Ian Barasc
*A Big New Free Happy Unusual Life: Self Expression and Spiritual Practice
for Those Who Have Time for Neither* by Nina Wise
MUSIC
*Floetic* by Floetry
FILM:
*Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain*
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0211915
(Note: I endorse these because I like them. They're not advertisements,
and I get no kickbacks.)
Please tell me your own personal nominations for PRONOIA RESOURCES.
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Check out two stories about me and the book.
From the Good Times:
http://freewillastrology.com/beauty/pronoia.shtml
(originally published at http://www.gdtimes.com)
From the Santa Fe Reporter:
http://sfreporter.com/articles/publish/pa-books-090705-pronoia.php
Excerpts:
"Like some voluble combination of HL Mencken and a Sufi whirling dervish,
Brezsny writes with disarming fluidity while still remaining acerbic.
PRONOIA's style is too sinuous, too wriggly and difficult to classify, edgy
and uncomfortable and literally kick-ass (he advocates the athletic kicking
of one's own ass with some regularity). He's not just spouting
'sentimental tales of generic hope [or] contrived happy endings,' nor
regurgitating the orthodoxy of that yogini-in-a-Range-Rover 'Commit
Random Acts of Kindness' bumper sticker. Each chapter of the book
contains suggested 'Pronoia Therapy,' which is reasonably tough stuff:
'Push hard to get better, become smarter…cure your ignorance, shed
your pettiness, heighten your drive to look for the best in people and
soften your heart.'" -Jennifer Lowe, Santa Fe Reporter
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"On the surface, astrologer-writer-musician-philosopher Rob Brezsny
seems as peaceful as they come. Longhaired, affable, he speaks in a calm
voice that sounds perpetually on the brink of a chuckle. His horoscopes in
the syndicated column Free Will Astrology are delicate, playfully crafted
bits of word-origami. As distinct from a terrorist, he calls himself a
'rapturist': one who commits 'acts of outrageous beauty and kindness,'
be they building a shrine to love and truth in a barren PG&E yard, handing
out money to passersby or simply offering a stranger a sincere
compliment.
"Don't be fooled. Behind Brezsny's benevolent words and deeds lurks the
mind of a cunning combat strategist. His particular brand of
entertainment, a psychedelic meld of camp, spirituality and performance
art that he calls 'psychic slapstick,' is a crusade against the fashionable
cynicism currently polluting the collective mindstream-an artistic war
against the barnacled, Pleistocene values of domination and one-
upmanship." -Damon Orion, Good Times, http://www.gtweekly.com/
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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Week beginning September 22
Copyright 2005 by Rob Brezsny
http://www.freewillastrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Your adversaries may have a tough time of it
in the coming days. I bet their schemes will backfire, their bad hair days
will be frequent, their ignorance will be glaringly visible, and the trouble
they've caused will be punished. How should you react? You're allowed
exactly one hour of gloating. Anything more will put you at risk of
becoming more like them, which would be costly. In fact, I urge you to
take this opportunity to disengage from them completely. Summon as
much love and forgiveness as you can, beam it their way, and then do all
you can to free yourself forever of their hold on your emotions and their
influence on your actions.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The Johor Baru prison in Malaysia has begun
offering thrill-seekers the opportunity to stay overnight. For a mere $17,
a curious traveler can experience the adventure of getting locked in a
dank cell, eating bad food, and having no pillow while sleeping on a wormy
mattress. I sincerely hope that none of you will travel to this new tourist
attraction in the coming week. For that matter, I trust you won't check
into a metaphorical version of the place, either. There is absolutely no
reason for you to visit other people's hells or mistake ordeals for
adventures.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In the song "We Are Nowhere and It's Now,"
Bright Eyes' lead singer Conor Oberst croons, "I'm always lost in thought
as I walk a block to my favorite neon sign." I love the fact that he has a
favorite neon sign. Many people have a beloved tree or mountain or
beach, but they would never deign to have a special fondness for a
functional human-made object like a neon sign. Let his eccentric
tenderness be an inspiration to you, Gemini. Look for beauty in people,
places, and things you normally consider bereft of it.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): In his book *1491: New Revelations of the
Americas before Columbus,* Charles C. Mann says that much of what we
thought we knew is wrong. For example, civilization in the New World was
in some ways more advanced than in Europe. Cities like the Aztec capital
of Tenochtitlan had large populations that enjoyed clean streets,
botanical gardens, and running water. Farmers in the Amazon exploited
the resources of the rain forest without damaging it. Indigenous American
philosophers developed sophisticated forms of democracy, while
scientists developed ingenious techniques for breeding corn. I hope you'll
do a similar revisioning of your own past in the coming weeks, Cancerian.
It's a perfect time to come to a fresh understanding of your personal
history.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): "Dear Rob: I was watching TV coverage of New
Orleans in the aftermath of the hurricane. At one point the helicopter's
camera focused on a casino whose roof was on fire even though it was
surrounded by floodwater. In a burst of recognition I thought, that's
exactly how I feel right now--the lower part of me soaked, the top half of
me blazing, and yet I'm unable to douse the fire with the water or
evaporate the water with the fire. That was a while ago, but I still find
myself in the same fix. Any advice? -Leo in Tucson." Dear Leo: In the
coming week I suspect you will locate a resource or secret that will help
you get the fire and water to work together synergistically.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Your homework assignment for this week,
should you choose to accept it, is to write an essay entitled "What I
Didn't Do This Summer." In it, I'd like you to describe the exploits and
projects you could have embarked on but never got around to, the
changes you might have initiated but didn't, and the relationships you
wished you would have deepened and enriched but instead neglected. The
purpose is not so much to make you feel guilty but rather to get you
motivated to do in the next few weeks what you missed doing the last
three months. (To Virgos living in the Southern Hemisphere: Write an
essay on "What I Didn't Do This Winter.")
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EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES
In addition to the written horoscopes you get in this newsletter, I offer
Expanded Audio Horoscopes. They're $6 if you access them on the Web,
or $1.99 per minute over the phone.
For Web access, go here:
http://www.relationshipnetwork.com/horo/index.asp?client_id=50700
From the United States, call
1-900-950-7700
or if you prefer to pay by credit card
1-877-873-4888
If you live in Canada, call 1-888-499-4425 to purchase a Block of Time
with your credit card.
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LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): There are still unexplored areas of the world--
Antarctica, New Guinea, and the Amazon, for instance--but every square
foot of Europe and North America has been charted, right? Wrong. Dick
McDermott, a 92-year-old hiker, recently discovered a previously unknown
400-foot waterfall in the California wilderness. It's not on the map, and
even the rangers of the Whiskeytown National Recreation Area were
unaware of it. I predict you will soon enjoy a comparable find, Libra. Turf
you thought you had all figured out will reveal hidden wonders.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In a series of articles about the Burning Man
festival a few weeks ago, the *San Francisco Chronicle* included brief
profiles of selected revelers. One woman named Mai testified that she
planned to do things differently in this, her third visit to the annual week-
long party in the Nevada desert. "I'm gonna try to remember more this
time," she promised. That would be an excellent approach for you to use
in the coming days, Scorpio. The adventures will be arriving in fast and
furious abundance, and though it may be a challenge for you to recall
every single one of their many valuable teachings, you should try to do
just that.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): German theologian Martin Luther (1483-
1546) loved the Christian tradition but developed a deep dissatisfaction
with what he regarded as the mistaken policies of the Church. In 1517 he
wrote his famous "95 Theses," a manifesto of his complaints, and nailed
the document to the door of a church in Wittenberg. The uproar that
ensued eventually led to fundamental shifts in the practice of Christianity.
I call on you to create your own version of the "95 Theses" in the coming
weeks, Sagittarius. Articulate your critiques of an institution that you
value and respect, and bring them to the attention of people who would
be willing to work with you to initiate reform.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Psychologist Rollo May spoke of how
important it is not to be drowned in the grungy flow of everyday life. To
stay sane, let alone be healthy, we need influences that captivate our
imaginations and remind us how we're more than the thousands of details
that demand our attention from minute to minute. That's why he
recommended that we seek out inspiring symbols and myths. They take
us out of and beyond ourselves, evoking a purifying release. I bring this to
your attention, Capricorn, because it's a great time for you to go
shopping for fresh symbols and myths. To stimulate your imagination,
here's a motif to consider: "Open sesame," the magical formula that Ali
Baba used to unseal the door to a cave full of treasure in *Arabian
Nights.*
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): "Ninety-nine percent of the world is asleep,"
Meg Ryan's character tells Tom Hanks' character in the film, *Joe Versus
the Volcano.* "The one percent that is awake remains in a constant state
of amazement." I nominate you Aquarians to be the ringleaders of that
one percent in the coming week. The astrological omens suggest you will
be shocked awake (but in a friendly way!) by a minor miracle, whereupon
you will be visited by a steady surge of beguiling ephemera, curious
teachings, and changes that inspire quiet awe, not to mention sudden
deliverances from boring evils and enigmatic delights generated by
unseen presences.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): "Belief is the end of intelligence," says
philosopher Robert Anton Wilson. The moment you become attached to
an opinion or theory, no matter how good or true or beautiful it might
seem, you're no longer fully open to the mysteries that life brings you.
Your perceptiveness wanes and your understanding shrinks. This is always
important to keep in mind, of course, but especially so this week. A wave
of raw truth is headed your way, and yet you will miss it completely
unless you take a vacation from your beliefs about the way the world
works.
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HOMEWORK:
Do you have a liability that could be turned into an asset with a little (or a
lot of) work? Testify by going to http://www.freewillastrology.com and
clicking on "Email Rob."
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WANT TO GET YOUR CHART DONE?
I'm not doing charts these days. In addition to writing my weekly column
and expanded audio horoscopes, I'm also working on a CD and promoting
my new book.
But I can recommend a colleague whose astro-aesthetics closely match
my own. She's RO LOUGHRAN.
Ro utilizes a blend of well-trained intuition, emotional warmth, and a high
degree of technical proficiency in horoscope interpretation; she is skilled
at exploring the mysteries of your life's purpose and nurturing your
connection with your own inner wisdom.
Ro is based in California, but can do phone consultations and otherwise
work with you regardless of geographic boundaries.
Ro's website is at
http://www.astrology-psychotherapy.com/
She can also be reached at roloughran@comcast.net
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If my emails don't reach your inbox, you should also look in your "Bulk
Mail" or "Junk Mail" folder.
I totally respect your privacy. I'll never sell or give away your address to
anyone.
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Submissions sent to the Free Will Astrology Weekly Newsletter
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Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2005 Rob Brezsny
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