Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter http://ezezine.com
Rob Brezsny's Free Will Astrology Newsletter
"The basis of freedom is recognition of the unconscious; the invisible
dimension; not yet realized; leaving a space for the new."
—Norman O. Brown, *Love's Body*
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October 26, 2005
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http://www.freewillastrology.com.
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HERE ARE MY UPCOMING PUBLIC APPEARANCES.
Open Secret Bookstore
Thursday, October 27
7 pm
923 C Street
San Rafael, CA
415.457.4191
http://www.opensecretbookstore.com
Sunday, November 6
2 pm
Regulator Bookshop
Durham, North Carolina
720 Ninth Street
Durham, NC 27705
Tel: 919-286-2700
http://www.regbook.com
Saturday, November 12
8 pm
Chapel of Sacred Mirrors
540 West 27th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10001
212 564 4253
http://www.cosm.org
Sunday, November 20
8 pm
Continental
25 Third Avenue (between St. Marks Place & 9th St.)
New York, NY 10003.
(212) 529-6924
http://www.continentalnyc.com
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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"
available at
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1583941231/qid=1117646708/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-0132506-6764676?v=glance&s=books
PRONOIA NEWS NETWORK
These are our top stories.
WAR, GENOCIDE, ARMS SALES IN PRECIPITOUS DECLINE
The world has become dramatically more peaceful in recent years. The
number of wars, coups, and acts of genocide has declined by 40 percent.
In 1991, there were 51 wars at various places on the planet. Now there
are 29.
Weapons sales between countries have dropped 33 percent during the same
time, and the number of refugees has diminished by 45 percent.
The data comes from the Human Security Report, written by the
University of British Columbia's Andrew Mack and his team.
For a full report:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/10/19/wsafe19.xml&sSheet=/portal/2005/10/19/ixportal.html
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CRIME RATE IN STEEP DECLINE
The nation's murder rate keeps dropping, and is now at its lowest level
in 40 years. Meanwhile, the rates for all seven major crimes are down
and the overall violent crime rate reached a 30-year low. This is
according to the FBI.
For a full report:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051018/ap_on_re_us/crime_rates
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GENDER REVOLUTION LEGALIZED
Sweden has been a pioneer in bringing gender balance into government.
Forty-five percent of its parliament is female.
Other nations have finally begun to follow its lead. In 2003, the Welsh
assembly became the first legislative body in history to have as many
women as men. Meanwhile, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Iceland, the
Netherlands, Germany, Argentina, Costa Rica, South Africa, and
Mozambique have at least 30 percent of their parliamentary seats filled
by women, largely due to legally mandated quotas.
Rwanda's new constitution calls for 30 percent of decision-making
positions to be held by women. In the parliamentary elections of 2003,
that quota was exceeded, as women captured 49 percent of the
legislative seats.
The corporate domain is proceeding toward equality more slowly. Norway
is the first and only nation to pass laws mandating female
representation on corporate boards, requiring a 40 percent quota.
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SACRED GENIUS OF GENEROSITY
"The Sun, each second, transforms four million tons of itself into
light, giving itself over to become energy that we, with every meal,
partake of. For four million years, humans have been feasting on the
Sun's energy stored in the form of wheat or reindeer, as each day the
Sun dies as Sun and is reborn as the vitality of Earth. Every child of
ours needs to learn the simple truth: She is the energy of the Sun. And
we adults should organize things so her face shines with the same
radiant joy.
"Human generosity is possible only because at the center of the solar
system a magnificent stellar generosity pours forth free energy day and
night without stop and without complaint and without the slightest
hesitation. This is the way of the universe. This is the way of life.
And this is the way in which each of us joins this cosmological lineage
when we accept the Sun's gift of energy and transform it into creative
action that will enable the community to flourish." —Brian Swimme, *The
Hidden Heart of the Cosmos,* video
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URBAN RENEWAL
At a concert in California, devotional singer Krishna Das told a story
of escorting his revered teachers, a frail old Indian couple, to an
acupuncturist in New York. They had to walk through a neighborhood
dominated by strip clubs, prostitutes, and drug dealers. Every few
feet, a new salesperson approached with an offer of crack, weed, crank,
or sexual adventures.
Krishna Das worried about subjecting his beloved guides to such a
degrading experience, but they were unfazed. "This is heaven," said the
woman. When a surprised Krishna Das asked what she meant, she replied,
"Heaven is any place where one's needs can be met."
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BLASPHEMOUS OPTIMISM
"The biggest event of the last 20 years—the collapse of the Soviet
Union—occurred without violence: the first nonviolent revolution of
that size in all of human history, extending from Berlin to Siberia.
"Nelson Mandela went from a prison cell to the President's office in a
country that evolved from white supremacy to power-sharing in only
seven years.
"The Internet more and more evolves toward the planetary brain once
only imagined by visionary scientists like Tielhard de Chardin and
Arthur Clarke.
"What some call my ‘blasphemous cheerfulness' or my ‘cockeyed optimism'
just depends on my basic agnosticism. We don't know the outcome of the
current worldwide transformation, so it seems sick and decadent (in the
Nietzschean sense) when fashionable opinion harps on all the gloomy
alternatives and resolutely ignores the utopian possibilities that seem
equally likely (and, on the basis of past evolution, perhaps a little
more likely)." —Robert Anton Wilson, http://www.rawilson.com
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DANCING THE REVOLUTION
Black South Africans fought for 40 years to dismantle the oppressive
system of apartheid. One of their most potent weapons was toyi-toyi, a
militantly exuberant form of singing and dancing. It served to mobilize
the energy of crowds at the large protest demonstrations that
ultimately broke the will of the white minority rulers. Imagine how
confounded their authoritarian minds must have been when confronted by
thousands of high-spirited activists passionately singing and dancing
in unison.
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SACRED ADVERTISEMENT
PNN is brought to you by the renegade Sufis who say they're as likely
to bask in the sweetness of enlightenment while cooking a frozen
burrito in a microwave oven under the fluorescent lights of a
convenience store as when they're meditating on a straw mat in a remote
mountain sanctuary.
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THIS WEEK IN PRONOIAC HISTORY
Lady Godiva was more than a seminal performance artist. She was also a
humanitarian and patron of the arts. When she doffed her clothes and
rode a white horse through the English town of Coventry in 1057, her
purpose was philanthropic. Her husband, the local assessor, had
promised to abolish all taxes on the local folk if she did the daring
deed.
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There are hundreds more stories like this in *PRONOIA Is the Antidote
for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with
Blessings*
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
Integral Naked
http://www.integralnaked.org/
Videos of provocative thinkers
ARTICLE
"Are Progressives the New Traditionalists?" by Scott McKeown
http://www.harmonyfestival.com/NewTraditionalists.shtml
SPOKEN WORD CD
*Spiritual Madness: The Necessity of Meeting God in Darkness* by
Caroline Myss
MUSIC
*Call of the Valley*
Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, Hari Prasad Chaurasia
PLACE
Archipelago of Los Roques, Venezuela
(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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Dear Beauty and Truth Fans,
I'm changing my delivery system for the Free Will Astrology newsletter.
If you want to keep receiving my free weekly message every Wednesday,
please go to the URL below and resubscribe:
http://www.freewillastrology.com/newsletter/
Most of you have already made the shift. Thanks!
I'll be shutting down the old system for good soon. If you
want to stay connected to this regular dose of beauty and truth,
migrate over to the new one.
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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Week beginning October 27
Copyright 2005 by Rob Brezsny
http://www.freewillastrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Some of the most confounding enigmas about
the human condition might be explained if the theory of reincarnation
were valid. I invite you to spend the next week trying it on for size.
There's no need to become a true believer. Just experiment with the
possibility. Imagine that you've lived many times before and will
return to Earth in fresh bodies in future centuries. How might a belief
in your own immortality change the way you live from day to day?
Analyze your recurring dreams, your curious obsessions, and your
favorite historical eras for clues to other identities you may have
inhabited these last 10,000 years. Halloween costume suggestion: the
person you were in a previous incarnation.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Astronomers have recently discovered four
objects beyond the orbit of Pluto that might be considered planets.
Only one, Sedna, has a formal name thus far. While awaiting their
official designation from the International Astronomical Union, the
others are being referred to as Santa, Easterbunny, and Xena (as in
TV's "Warrior Princess"). According to my meditations, these three are
in cahoots with the sign of the Bull right now, meaning that you might
have maximum success if you blend the qualities inherent in their
archetypes. So be fiercely generous, Taurus. Unleash your instinctual
fertility. Fight hard for abundance. Celebrate strong versions of the
feminine. Draw inspiration from playful myths. Halloween costume
suggestions: Ninja Santa, Xena Claus, Samurai Easter Bunny.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In Greek mythology, Achilles was a great
warrior who, through magic, became almost completely impervious to
injury. When he was a baby, his mother dipped him upside-down into the
River Styx, making him superhuman except in the one part of his body
that did not get immersed: his heel, by which his mom held him. To this
day, the term "Achilles heel" refers to a person's unique vulnerability
or weakness. Pay special attention to your personal Achilles heel in
the coming weeks, Gemini. Take vigorous measures to heal, protect, and
strengthen it. Halloween costume suggestions: Achilles wearing armored
boots or Athena shod with platform shoes that resemble small army
tanks.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): According to an old Tibetan saying, "It is
better to live one year in the life of a tiger than 100 years in the
life of a sheep." I'm not saying you're a sheep, Cancerian, but I do
believe you haven't allowed yourself to enjoy nearly enough experiences
as a tiger. It so happens that it's a perfect astrological time to make
up for lost time. May I suggest that you turn into the human equivalent
of a big, fast, wild feline? Halloween costume recommendations: tiger,
panther, leopard, lion.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The old days and old ways are still subtly
influencing every move you make, both for better and for worse. I urge
you, therefore, to revisit the life you left behind and try to recall
the language you used to speak back then. Find out if there's
unfinished business that's preventing you from claiming the freedom you
need in order to pursue a future dream. Halloween costume suggestions:
a time traveler, a ghost buster, an Indiana Jones-like adventurer in
quest of ancient treasure.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): "There are nine different words in Maya for
the color blue, but just three Spanish translations," wrote Earl
Shorris in *Harper's,* "leaving six butterflies that can be seen only
by the Maya." This idea suggests two important implications that you
should take to heart in the coming weeks. First, the words you use can
actually shape your perceptions. Second, as your vocabulary expands,
you become aware of aspects of reality that have been hidden from you,
and you develop a greater capacity to distinguish between experiences
that are superficially alike. Halloween costume suggestion: a butterfly
colored nine different shades of blue.
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AUDIO LOVE LETTERS
In addition to the horoscopes that come to you in this newsletter, I
create more in-depth audio horoscopes for your inspiration. I think of
them as my love letters to you. 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.
"Your expanded astrology thingees help me remember who I really am."
-Gareth N., Toronto
"I never knew it was possible to get my butt kicked and my head patted
at the same time -- until I listened to you, Rob." -Kristi P.,
Portland, OR
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LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Even though Americans comprise five percent
of the world's population, they use one-third of its resources and
generate half of its hazardous waste. Canadians, Australians, and New
Zealanders are a little less extravagant, but not so much that they can
brag. Profligacy on this scale is not only terrible for the planet and
our descendants, but also bad for the perpetrators. Your first
assignment this week, Libra, is to identify ways in which you
personally participate in this greed and excess. Your second assignment
is to analyze how it might be damaging to your mental and physical
health. Your third task: Do something about it! You now have an
unusually high potential for drawing deep satisfaction from simple,
inexpensive pleasures. Halloween costume suggestions: monk, nun,
garbage collector, Greenpeace activist.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): I was sitting in the dingy restaurant of a
bus station in Washington, D.C. A burned-out speed freak at the next
table looked at me with a lunatic smile and said, "I'm King of the
Universe. I don't know what the hell I'm doing in a place like this."
The dude was obviously not a Scorpio, because you Scorpios rarely
suffer from delusions about your own excellence. You may imagine you're
*worse* than you really are, but not the reverse. According to my
reading of the astrological omens, then, your growing confidence in
your own capacities is almost certainly based on objective truth.
Halloween costume suggestion: King or Queen of the Universe.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Every one of us has a monstrous side--a
part of the psyche that snarls and bites, that's ugly and irrational,
that is motivated by ill will and twisted passions. That's the bad
news. The good news is that you're in a phase when you have exceptional
power to soothe and pacify the beast within you. Your first step, in my
opinion, should be to get it to express its preternatural vigor in a
safe setting where it can't hurt anyone, not even you. That's why I
suggest you encourage it to dance. Put on music it likes, give it a
wide berth, and let it flail and careen and whirl until it has vented
all of its aggression. Halloween costume suggestion: your inner
monster.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): "Happy the person who can endure both the
highest and the lowest fortune," said the Roman writer and orator
Seneca. "He who weathers such vicissitudes with equanimity has deprived
misfortune of its power." According to my analysis of the astrological
omens, Capricorn, you are currently having an encounter with the first
thing mentioned in Seneca's formula--the highest fortune. May you
navigate your way through this phase of lucky abundance without falling
victim to arrogance, carelessness, or insensitivity. Halloween costume
suggestion: a lottery winner doling out gifts.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): "Any serious writer hopes that the best of
his or her product will contribute to the larger store of hope that has
continually been accruing in this form, the written word, since the
dawn of literate civilization," wrote Dennis Holt in his newsletter,
"Operation Green Candle." "Good writing is hopeful," he concluded. Your
next assignment is inspired by this theory, Aquarius. Whatever your
special talents are, act as if you have a duty to use them to inspire
hope--to feed people's dreams, engender visions of glorious
possibilities, and honor everything that's working really well.
Halloween costume suggestions: Johnny Appleseed, Oprah, Mahatma Gandhi,
Martin Luther King Jr., Helen Keller.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In *The Mastery of Awareness,* Kristopher
Raphael writes that the old Toltec word *mitote* was used to describe a
chaotic marketplace where scores of people jabber at each other without
listening. He says the same term also referred to the state of the
average person's mind: a multitude of voices with different agendas,
each promoting its own desires while barely acknowledging the others.
If you are even partially caught in the throes of this kind of
*mitote,* Pisces, it's an excellent time to take corrective action. I
suggest you convene a summit meeting of all your various selves. Give
each a respectful hearing, and find a goal or two they can all agree
on. Halloween costume suggestion: Be Siamese twins (or triplets), with
each character embodying one of your subpersonalities.
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HOMEWORK:
Meditate on death not as the end of physical life, but as a metaphor
for shedding what's outworn. In that light, what's the best death
you've ever experienced? Testify by going to
http://www.freewillastrology.com and clicking on "Email Rob."
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address to anyone.
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Submissions sent to the Free Will Astrology Weekly Newsletter
or in response to "homework assignments" may be
published in a variety of formats at Rob Brezsny's discretion,
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Astrology column, and Free Will Astrology website. We reserve
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Requests for anonymity will be honored with submissions;
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Please be sure to note your preference when sending to us. We
are not responsible for unsolicited submission of any creative
material.
Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2005 Rob Brezsny
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