Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter http://ezezine.com
Rob Brezsny's Free Will Astrology Newsletter
"The task of genius, and humanity is nothing if not genius, is to keep the
miracle alive, to live always in the miracle, to make the miracle more and
more miraculous, to swear allegiance to nothing, but live only
miraculously, think only miraculously, die miraculously."
-Henry Miller, The Colossus of Maroussi
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December 28, 2005
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http://www.freewillastrology.com
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EXPLORE THE BIG PICTURE OF YOUR LIFE
with my Expanded Audio Horoscopes for the Coming Year
How can you best cooperate with the opportunities and challenges that
2006 will bring you? What are the blessings that life is likely to offer you
as a spur to your growth? Would you like some inspiration as you survey
your destiny from the mountaintop perspective?
This week, last week, and next week, I'm exploring the BIG PICTURE of
your life in my Expanded Audio Horoscopes. If, like most of us, you slip
into a philosophical, visionary mood at the end of each year, you might
appreciate my meditations on your long-term destiny.
Your BIG PICTURE horoscopes are available here:
http://snipurl.com/krjm
For Part Two, click on "Hear This Week's Horoscope."
For Part One, click on "Last Week."
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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://snipurl.com/krjj
or find out more at http://www.freewillastrology.com
THE UNIVERSE IS MADE OF STORIES
The poet Muriel Rukeyser said the universe is composed of stories, not of
atoms. The physicist Werner Heisenberg declared that the universe is
made of music, not of matter.
And we believe that if you habitually expose yourself to toxic stories and
music, you could wind up living in the wrong universe, where it's
impossible to become the gorgeous genius you were born to be.
That's why we implore you to nourish yourself with delicious, nutritious
tales and tunes that inspire you to exercise your willpower for your
highest good.
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"The only war that matters is the war against the imagination.
All other wars are subsumed by it."
-Diane DiPrima, "Rant," from *Pieces of a Song*
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Astrologer Caroline Casey offers an apt metaphor to illustrate how crucial
it is for us to hear and read good stories. She notes that if we don't have
enough of the normal, healthy kind of iodine in our bodies, we absorb
radioactive iodine, which has entered the food chain through nuclear test
explosions conducted in the atmosphere. Similarly, unless we fill ourselves
up with stories that invigorate us, we're more susceptible to sopping up
the poisonous, degenerative narratives.
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How did it come to be that what we call the news is reported solely by
journalists? There are so many other kinds of events besides the narrow
band favored by that highly specialized brand of storytellers. Indeed,
there are many phenomena that can literally not even
be perceived by journalists. Their training, their temperament, and their
ambitions make vast areas of human experience invisible to them.
"Ninety-six percent of the cosmos puzzles astronomers." I loved reading
that headline on the CNN website. It showed that at least some of our
culture's equivalents of high priests, the scientists, are humble enough to
acknowledge that the universe is made mostly of stuff they can't even
detect, let alone study.
If only the journalists were equally modest. Since they're not, we'll say it:
The majority of everything that happens on this planet is invisible to
them.
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"The news flies down its beam of dusted light." -Osip Mandelstam
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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 Barnes and Noble,
which are on my homepage at http://www.freewillastrology.com
Or cut and paste the direct links below:
AMAZON
http://snipurl.com/krjj
BARNES & NOBLE
http://snipurl.com/krjn
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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Week beginning December 29
Copyright 2005 by Rob Brezsny
http://www.freewillastrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Thai coffee salesman Prayoon Thongiorn owns
a pet crocodile. So thoroughly has he tamed the creature that he lets it
sleeps in his bed with him, even resting his head on it as if it were a pillow.
I predict that you will make a comparable conquest in 2006, Aries. Some
dragonish influence that would be risky for most people to harbor will
become your ally. Congratulations in advance on both your courage and
the ingenuity you will summon to wrestle that beast into submission.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): "We live in a world with too much music,"
writes Joe Nickell at Missoulian.com. He's bothered by the fact that
everywhere he goes, there are tunes pouring from cell phones and mp3
players and TVs and radios and live bands. As far as you're concerned,
though, Nickell is utterly off-base. In 2006, you should take advantage of
the profusion; you should immerse yourself in music more than you ever
have before. To do so will be instrumental in helping you accomplish your
top assignment in the coming months, which is to feel deep, rich,
interesting emotions as often as possible.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Many Geminis fit the description of a class of
people that *Wired* magazine calls "yeppies," or "young experimenting
perfection seekers." Overwhelmed by a profusion of conflicting
opportunities, they are restless and insatiable. They treat life "as an
exercise in comparison shopping, refusing to commit for fear of missing a
better offer." While this approach is pretty normal for your tribe, I
suspect it won't work as well in 2006 as it has for you in the past. That's
why I urge you to try out some very different attitudes: a tolerance for
imperfection, a respect for limits, an appreciation for the value of peace
of mind, and a willingness to concentrate on just two or three possibilities
instead of 17.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): The coming months will not be a time for less
talk and more action, my fellow Cancerian, but for *more* talk and more
action. Here are other prescriptions to help you get the most out of
2006: Go on wilder adventures and entertain fewer superstitions. Indulge
in fewer mood swings and invest in an experience that will serve as the
best anchor you've ever had. Explore your secrets more aggressively, but
keep fewer secrets. Work harder to know the difference between true
intuitions and fearful delusions. Feel less remorse and more forgiveness.
Cultivate wetter love and dryer humor. Commit yourself to faster
promise-keeping and slower fault-finding.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): I know people who love the feeling of family but
who don't have much contact with their parents and siblings and haven't
started their own broods. Instead, they quench their longing for an
intimate network by hooking up with a spiritual family--a tribe of like-
minded people who share their values. The coming months will be prime
time for you to either find a group like that or, if you already have one, to
deepen and expand your web of connections. You don't have to sacrifice
your relations with your biological kin to do so. The more family you have,
the better your mental health will be.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In her book *Women Who Run With the
Wolves,* Clarissa Pinkola Estes talks a lot about fairy tales. As a
psychotherapist, she recognizes that the conditions they depict are
similar to how the deepest part of the psyche works. A central theme of
fairy tale justice, she says, is that it's always a good idea to be kind to
people who don't seem important or beautiful or cool. Characters who
honor that principle are invariably rewarded, while those who spurn it are
punished. This will be a key idea for you in 2006, Virgo. You can't afford
to dismiss those you consider your inferiors, nor should you demonize the
less attractive aspects of your own nature. Your success will hinge on the
care you take with underdogs.
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YOUR FORECAST FOR 2006
Normally my Expanded Audio Horoscopes cover just a week at a time. But
this week, last week, and next week, I am offering explorations of the
entire year ahead. To hear part one (or last week's part two) of my IN-
DEPTH, LONG-TERM FORECAST FOR YOUR LIFE IN 2006, check out your
Expanded Audio Horoscope. The reading costs $6.
For Web access, go here:
http://snipurl.com/krjm
You can also get the readings by phone.
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 audio horoscopes help me tune in to my own inner wisdom. It's like
you're the UNteacher teaching me how to teach myself." —Rose F.,
Ypsilanti, MI
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LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): I have selected a quote by Irish playwright
Brendan Behan to serve as your motto in 2006. I suggest that you write
it out on a piece of red paper and place it in a prominent place like your
bathroom mirror or computer monitor. "If you have a talent, use it in
every which way possible," said Behan. "Don't hoard it. Don't dole it out
like a miser. Spend it lavishly like a millionaire intent on going broke."
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Widely regarded as a top military historian,
Martin van Creveld has written books that have been influential in shaping
modern theories of warfare. The U.S. Army makes his work required
reading for its officers. That's why it was so remarkable when he
described America's invasion of Iraq in 2003 as "the most foolish war
since Emperor Augustus in 9 BC sent his legions into Germany and lost
them." I urge you to regularly imitate Creveld's example in 2006, Scorpio:
Speak out in dramatic fashion against the follies that your expertise gives
you the right to critique. Drawing on your special experience and
knowledge, make rigorous evaluations of the authorities and institutions
whose decisions affect your life.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): "Dear Rob: I'm a very analytical person,
with a doctorate in nuclear physics and a high-tech job. All my training
and business savvy tell me that your astrology column is superstitious
bullshit, yet every time I've faced a crisis in the last ten years, your
horoscopes have provided accurate wisdom and counsel when things
seemed darkest. On the one hand this makes no sense, and on the other
hand I don't care that it doesn't make any sense. Somehow I'm able to
draw sustenance from something whose power I don't understand or even
believe in. In any case, thank you! -Humble Sagittarian Genius." Dear
Sagittarius: In 2006, you Sagittarians will have the chance to benefit from
many phenomena that fit the description you applied to my column. Open
yourself wide to mystery.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Germany and the Soviet Union failed to
sign a peace treaty after the global hostilities of the mid-20th century.
Technically, then, World War II never officially ended. This lack of closure
doesn't seem to have had any lingering repercussions, though, so I won't
worry about it. On the other hand, there are unresolved situations from
your past that are still causing you problems. In my astrological opinion,
2006 is an ideal time to finally wrap up all the unfinished business that
has been subtly draining you. It's a perfect opportunity for the ultimate
karmic cleansing, preferably carried out with grace, gratitude, and
generosity.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In 1503, wealthy silk merchant Francesco
del Giocondo commissioned Leonardo da Vinci to paint a portrait of his
wife Lisa. But when Leonardo finished the work, now known as the "Mona
Lisa," del Giocondo was so dissatisfied with it that he refused to pay for
it. It seems he didn't recognize its value. I offer this as a teaching story
for you, Aquarius. Please make sure that when you get what you ask for
in 2006, you don't make the same mistake del Giocondo did. Eagerly
welcome your dream-come-true, even if it's different from what you
expected.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In his book *The Disappearance of the
Universe,* Gary Renard quotes the counsel of his teacher: "A jet airliner is
always going off course, but through constant correction it arrives at its
destination. So will you arrive at yours." Remember that advice
throughout 2006, Pisces. My analysis of the astrological omens suggests
that you will be frequently straying from the path of your highest destiny,
and yet that's exactly what needs to happen in order for you to reach
your highest destiny. Forced to keep making regular adjustments, you will
tone and strengthen your willpower, which is essential to you achieving
the goals that really matter.
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HOMEWORK:
Make a guess about what kind of person you'll be and what you'll be doing
on January 1, 2016. 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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I totally respect your privacy. I'll never sell or give away your address to
anyone.
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Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2005 Rob Brezsny
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