Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter http://ezezine.com
Rob Brezsny's Free Will Astrology Newsletter
"Everything we shut our eyes to, everything we run away from,
everything we deny, denigrate, or despise, serves to defeat us in the
end. What seems nasty, painful, evil, can become a source of beauty,
joy, and strength, if faced with an open mind. Every moment is a golden
one for him who has the vision to recognize it." —Henry Miller
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November 9, 2005
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http://www.freewillastrology.com
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SEE YOU IN NEW YORK!
Here's where I'll be this week:
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
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Thursday, November 10
Dirty Laundry: Loads of Prose
I'll be reading at a laundromat
along with the magical realist short-story writer Kelly Link
Avenue C Laundromat
at 69 Avenue C at 5th Street
in the heart of the East Village
9:30
Everyone who attends receives a free box of laundry detergent
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Here's where I'll be next week:
West Coast Live
Syndicated radio show
Saturday, November 19
10 am - noon
http://www.wcl.org/
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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
Also on the November 20 bill
is the Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping
http://www.revbilly.com/
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There's an interview with me by Rob McConnell of the X-Zone Radio Show.
It's at http://www.xzone-radio.com/archives. When you reach the link,
scroll down to the "Tuesday, November 1" listing and click on "Play
Now." The interview with me starts about 15:30 minutes into the
program.
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Read story about me from the Indy Week at
http://www.freewillastrology.com/beauty/pagan.shtml
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Excerpts from my book appear in this month's issue of *The Sun,* a fine
pronoiac magazine. To read a selection of some of the pieces that
appeared, go to http://www.thesunmagazine.org/november2005.html and
click on "Secrets of Pronoia."
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
or get direct links at http://www.freewillastrology.com
PRONOIA NEWS NETWORK
These are our top stories.
ROOTS OF HUMAN NATURE
Bonobo apes and humans share 98 percent of the same genes, leading some
biologists to suggest that they, along with chimpanzees, should be
reclassified as members of the human genus. While their gestures,
postures, walk, and facial expressions have remarkable similarities to
ours, however, their social behavior is quite different.
Bonobos live in a peaceful matriarchy characterized by egalitarian
relationships. Power and status are of minimal concern. They build and
maintain social rapport with frequent erotic exchanges of every
variety, from intercourse to mutual masturbation to oral sex.
Homosexual and cross-generational contact is common.
"Bonobos use sex to appease, to bond, to make up after a fight, to ease
tensions, to cement alliances," writes Natalie Angier in The New York
Times. Because it's their social glue, says primatologist Dr. Frans de
Waal, author of *Bonobo: The Forgotten Ape,* sex is casual and free of
elaborate taboos. Unlike humans, bonobos are not obsessed with orgasm.
Their reproductive rate is similar to that of other primates.
"All of this has relevance for understanding the roots of human
nature," concludes Angier. "De Waal corrects the image of humanity's
ancestors as driven by aggression, hierarchical machinations, hunting,
warfare, and male dominance."
(Source: Natalie Angier, *The New York Times,* April 22, 1997)
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PLAY IS THE THING
Psychiatrist Stuart Brown has proposed this simple definition: "Play is
spontaneous behavior that has no clear-cut goal and does not conform to
a stereotypical pattern. The purpose of play is simply play itself; it
appears to be pleasurable."
In a study of 26 convicted murderers, Brown discovered that as
children, most of them had suffered either "from the absence of play or
abnormal play like bullying, sadism, extreme teasing, or cruelty to
animals."
Brown's work led him to explore the biological roots of play. "New and
exciting studies of the brain, evolution, and animal behavior," he
wrote, "suggest that play may be as important to life—for us and other
animals—as sleeping and dreaming."
—Stuart L. Brown, "Animals at Play," *National Geographic,* December
1994. Brown's website is http://www.instituteforplay.com.
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MOTHER'S MILK REVOLUTION
In 1967, only 25 percent of American infants were breast-fed. Today,
the rate is seven out of 10. That's excellent news, says the American
Academy of Pediatrics, citing research that suggests children are far
healthier when they're breast-fed.
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"Aborigines openly and unaffectedly converse with everything in their
surroundings—trees, tools, animals, rocks—as if all things have an
intelligence deserving of respect."
—Robert Lawlor, *Voices of the First Day*
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LOWER OCTAVE COURSTHIP
"Why is it so hard to find a soulmate?" asks psychologist Carolyn
Godschild Miller in her book *Soulmates: Following Inner Guidance to
the Relationship of Your Dreams.*
Her answer: "Because most of us are actually searching for egomates
instead. We place the most limited and unloving aspect of our minds in
charge of our search for love, and then wonder why we aren't
succeeding. To the degree that we identify with this false sense of
self, and operate on the basis of its limited point of view, we aren't
looking for someone to love so much as recruiting fellow actors to take
on supporting roles in a favorite melodrama."
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ALTERNATIVE HEROES' JOURNEY
In Joseph Campbell's vision of myth, the hero is typically a solitary
male who renounces intimate companionship to pursue his glorious,
arduous quest. Along the way, sporadic help may arrive from an
ineffable muse or deity.
There are alternative scenarios for the hero's journey, but Campbell
underplayed them. In the tantric tradition, for instance, a seeker's
connection with a beloved human companion is essential to his or her
spiritual inquiry. Some early Christians described Jesus and Mary
Magdalene as equal collaborators. Sufi mystic poet Rumi may not have
actually made love with his teacher Shams (then again, he might have),
but it's clear the two men sought divine communion together, not
through lonely solo work.
Some modern teachers have broken from Campbell's narrow perspective.
The quest for illumination, they say, can thrive on the challenges of
loving and living with an actual person. In John Welwood's Love and
Awakening, the author reimagines relationship as an "alliance of
warriors" devoted to awakening each other's "holy longing."
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THIS EON IN PRONOIAC HISTORY
More than three billion years ago, the Earth's original single-cell
organisms thrived in a carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere that contained no
free oxygen. As a byproduct of their metabolism, however, they released
an abundant amount of oxygen. It was a pollutant that ultimately made
the environment uninhabitable for them, though it prepared the way for
the oxygen-breathers who now dominate the planet
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PNN is brought to you by the way writer George Sand made love with
composer Frédérick Chopin on Christmas Day, 1839.
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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:
BOOK
*Pursuit of Happiness* by David G. Myers
BLOG
White Gold
http://whiteg.com/
WEBSITE
Institute for Play
http://www.instituteforplay.com
MUSIC
Som'ma
www.sommamusic.com
MOVIE
*To Be and to Have* (*Être et avoir* in the original French, directed
by Nicolas Philibert
POLITICAL WORK
The United Nations' Global Compact, which invites corporations around
the world to pledge that they will include respect for human rights and
the environment in their business practices.
http://www.unglobalcompact.org
(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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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Week beginning November 10
Copyright 2005 by Rob Brezsny
http://www.freewillastrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
ARIES (March 21-April 19): I don't think you'll become the equivalent
of a king or queen in the coming weeks, but you could be instrumental
in determining who becomes a king or queen. And that would ultimately
be fun for you. Likewise, I doubt that you yourself will be the
beneficiary of a windfall or a stroke of uncanny luck, but there's a
chance that someone close to you will, and his or her good fortune will
rub off on you. Are you sufficiently confident in your own worth to let
an ally bask in the glory, even though you've played a part in creating
that glory? If you are, your rewards will be substantial.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Ready for a sweet revolution? At the very
moment when the polarities are at the extremity of their opposition,
they will mutate into a state of dynamic unity. The struggle between
the light and dark will dissolve in the face of a rejuvenating
catharsis, becoming more like a collaboration. There'll be a
breathtaking cessation of the conflict between logic and intuition,
civilization and nature, and masculine and feminine. The truce will not
only be fascinating; it will also spawn a synergistic brainchild that
has enormous healing potential. The end of strife has rarely had such
great potential for generating high adventure.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): We refer to the time between the 5th and 11th
centuries as the Dark Ages, but in reality the chaotic, backward
conditions were a localized phenomenon confined to Western Europe.
Meanwhile, civilizations were flourishing in many other places,
including China, the Byzantine Empire, central Africa, and the Mayan
and Arab worlds. In a similar way, Gemini, parts of your life may now
be going through a Dark Age even as other parts are thriving. I beg you
not to put undue emphasis on what's not working.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Bob Johnston is the music producer who worked
with Bob Dylan on some of his brilliant breakthrough albums of the
1960s. "I believe in giving credit where credit's due," he testified in
Martin Scorsese's movie about Dylan's life. "I don't think Dylan had a
lot to do with it. Instead of touching him on the shoulder, I think God
kicked him in the ass." I mention this, Cancerian, because I believe
you're about to receive a few divine boots in the butt yourself. Are
you ready, willing, and able to be moved and moved and moved?
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): This is a perfect astrological moment to take an
inventory of your relationship with everything that nurtures you and
keeps you alive. For instance, do you have a smart, balanced
relationship with food? If not, what could you change about it? Do a
similar analysis of the roles that other basic forms of sustenance
play. Do you drink enough water? Should you learn the habit of
breathing more deeply? Is there anything about the way you sleep that
could be altered to enhance your overall vitality? Are you happy with
how you obtain love and sex? Don't forget to think about your
relationship with the substance that fuels so many of the good things
you rely on: oil.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Your assignment is to be as agile in your
dealings with people as a circus contortionist is in the way she
manipulates her body. In other words, bend over backwards to promote
harmony in your social circle and energize the ambiance at work. Try to
be all things to all people without turning into a phony suck-up. When
someone's left hand doesn't know what his right hand is doing, gently
correct the disconnect. What's in it for you? The unity you sow now
will bring you unforeseeable benefits in 2006.
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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): In the 18th century, Horace Walpole coined
the word "serendipity" after reading an old fairy tale entitled *The
Three Princes of Serendip.* The heroes of the story, he wrote, "were
always making accidental discoveries of things they were not in quest
of." Today "serendipity" has a broader meaning, but I'd like to invoke
its original sense in order to provide a preview of what's ahead for
you. I believe you're about to benefit from a lucky fluke or two. While
looking for a certain treasure or revelation, you'll find a different
one.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): "Dear Rob: Thanks for your ongoing attempts
to burn away negative stereotypes about us Scorpios. Here's more fuel
for your fire: I'm not perfect, nor do I aspire to be so. Perfection is
a form of death. I'm grateful for my demons because in the worst of
times they're my allies, and in the best of times they're the measure
of my accomplishments. I don't seek truth, I seek reason. Truth is
relative and found only by consensus, while reason is irreducible and
adamantine. When in the presence of other people, I try to locate the
soul essence I can't see with my eyes. It's good practice for my main
hobby, which is to locate the soul essence in myself. If these habits
make me obsessed, intense, and inscrutable, so be it. -Scorpio to the
Nth Degree." Dear Scorpio: I'm publishing your letter because it's an
ideal time for all Scorpios to meditate on your wild ideas.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): It's official. In part because of rising
gas prices, consumers are now buying more bicycles than cars. Some
observers are alarmed at this development, regarding it as a sign that
our culture is being forced to regress to a more primitive state.
Others celebrate the trend, seeing it as a big step forward. In their
eyes, the loss of convenience and mobility is more than made up for by
the gains that will ultimately accrue to our physical health and the
environment. I foresee a similar theme about to unfold in your life,
Sagittarius. A short-term loss will lead to a long-term gain.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): "The obscure we see eventually," said
journalist Edward R. Murrow. "The completely obvious, it seems, takes
longer." You have recently taken care of the obscure stuff, Capricorn.
Through a blend of lucky accidents and your dogged intelligence, you
got to the bottom of a stuffy old mystery and ripped away the veils
that were hiding a crippled old truth. Now you're finally primed to
notice an open secret that has been right in front of you for quite
some time.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): On Sept. 17, 1859, businessman Joshua
Norton crowned himself Emperor of the United States. He quickly issued
an edict that dissolved the U.S. Congress, citing its fraud and
corruption, and later abolished the Democratic and Republican parties.
He created his own money to pay his debts, and called for the creation
of a League of Nations decades before that institution came into being.
Though most people in power ignored him, he was a celebrated figure in
his hometown of San Francisco, appreciated for his brazen deeds and
humor. When he died after a 21-year reign, 30,000 people attended his
funeral. I urge you to make Emperor Norton your role model in the
coming weeks, Aquarius. May he inspire you to declare yourself
protector and guide of a domain that desperately needs more of your
leadership. May you rule with a velvet hand, not an iron hand,
dispensing witty wisdom as you promote your vision of utopia.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In my astrological opinion, you really need
to kiss the mist on the grass at dawn. For your life to be a complete
success, you should also gaze at the tops of trees regularly, make a
wish as you spit into a pond where the moon is reflected, and arrange
for the sun to shine on the back of your neck as you sing an improvised
ballad about your future. And if you'd like to earn some extra credit
with the deities, making it impossible for them to resist sending you a
bolt of brilliant cosmic juju, I advise you to eat a cookie while
imagining it's the body of your favorite god or goddess.
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HOMEWORK:
Name ten items from among your personal possessions that you would put
in a time capsule to be dug up by your descendants in 500 years.
Testify by going to http://www.freewillastrology.com and clicking on
"Email Rob."
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Submissions sent to the Free Will Astrology Weekly Newsletter
or in response to "homework assignments" may be
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material.
Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2005 Rob Brezsny
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