Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter http://ezezine.com
Rob Brezsny's Free Will Astrology Newsletter
"The Eleventh Commandment: Thou Shalt Not Bore God"
-Rob Brezsny
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January 25, 2006
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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?
To access my IN-DEPTH, LONG-TERM AUDIO FORECASTS FOR YOUR LIFE IN
2006, go here:
http://snipurl.com/krjm
Click on your astrological sign, then choose either part 1, part 2, or part 3
of my BIG PICTURE look at your future--or even all three parts, if you're
feeling adventurous.
You can also choose to listen to my short-range outlook for the coming
week.
The Expanded Audio Horoscopes cost $6 apiece if you access them on
the Web via RealAudio.
You can also hear them over the phone for $1.99 per minute.
From the United States, call
1-900-950-7700
or
1-877-873-4888.
If you live in Canada, call
1-888-499-4425.
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Here are my upcoming public appearances.
BODHI TREE Bookstore
Friday, February 3
7:30 PM
8585 Melrose Avenue
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(310) 659-1733
http://www.bodhitree.com
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COPPERFIELD'S Bookstore
Thursday, February 9
7:00 PM
Montgomery Village
2316 Montgomery Dr.
Santa Rosa, CA 95405
(707) 578-8938
http://copperfields.booksense.com
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*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
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Below is an essay that I didn't include in my book, but it's in close
alignment with the book's spirit.
PRAYER OF GRATITUDE
TO THE TRICKY GODDESS OF BENEVOLENT MISCHIEF
All hail the Tricky Goddess of Benevolent Mischief, also known as the
Cosmic Instigator of Healing Trouble. Let us praise and ratify her
ingenious plan to turn the status quo upside-down.
The vivid exposure of corruption and delusion among the top echelons of
the American hierarchy is a blessing on all of humanity. We celebrate the
increasingly transparent collusion of the media with government leaders
to present propaganda disguised as information.
The eruption of fertile chaos is making it difficult to carry on with political
business as usual, and we could not have received a more energizing gift.
A prayer:
Oh Wise Trickster Goddess, You Compassionate Conjurer of Relentless
Change, You Righteous Rascal in Charge of Keeping a Steady Flow of
Sacred Uproar Pouring into Our Lives:
Please continue to influence the masters of wars and their media minions
to be ever-more obvious as they spin out their perversions of your
glorious creation, so that more and more of our sleeping tribe will wake up
to the Open Secret.
Inspire the enforcers of mass hallucination to display their hypocrisy in an
ever-escalating melodrama of spittle flecks and sour faces, as in a
slapstick morality play from the Middle Ages, so that we, their captive
audience, may convulse with purgative guffaws that shatter the mass
hallucination.
And if you don't mind, Sweet Divine Rebel Goddess, please allow us to
nurture a spark of hope that this breakdown in the Way Things Have
Always Been Done will lead to fresh, hot, tidal-wave breakthroughs of
beauty, truth, justice, equality and love everywhere we turn.
And now, in my capacity as Sacred Janitor of the the Invisible Government
of Sweaty Meditation, I hereby declare the entire United States of
America a Temporary Autonomous Zone.
As formulated by writer Hakim Bey, a Temporary Autonomous Zone (TAZ)
is any festive event that liberates the imaginations of everyone present,
thereby making it possible for life to be penetrated by the Marvelous.
Authority and dignity and routine have no place at a TAZ; an uninhibited
quest for rabble-rousing conviviality must be the only guideline. (See
Bey's website: http://www.hermetic.com/bey/)
Here are a few suggestions, mostly from Bey, to get you started in
creating your own local celebration of TAZ. Feel free to dream up your
own, and make sure to tell me about them.
Organize a strike in your school or workplace on the grounds that it does
not satisfy your need for indolence and spiritual beauty. Burglarize
houses, but instead of stealing, leave behind beautiful and confusing gifts.
Bolt up brass commemorative plaques in places (public or private) where
you have experienced a revelation or had a particularly fulfilling sexual
experience. Take a few friends and a boombox to an all-night grocery
store and dance like crazy saints in the aisles until you're thrown out.
Pick someone at random and convince them that they're the heir to an
enormous, useless, and amazing fortune -- say, 5000 square miles of
Antarctica, or an aging circus elephant, or an orphanage in Bombay, or a
collection of alchemical manuscripts. Later they will come to realize that
for a few moments they believed in something extraordinary, and will
perhaps be driven as a result to seek some more intense mode of
existence.
Scrawl the following poem by Hafiz (translated by Daniel Ladinsky) in
courthouse lavatories, on playground walls, and through e-mail lists:
AT THIS PARTY
I don't want to be the only one here
Telling all the secrets --
Filling up all the bowls at this party,
Taking all the laughs.
I would like you
To start putting things on the table
That can also feed the soul
The way I do.
That way
We can invite
A hell of a lot more
Friends.
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To read related pieces from my book, go here:
http://snipurl.com/l9o3
or
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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OTHER PRONOIA RESOURCES:
POETRY
Daniel Ladinsky
http://snipurl.com/lwti
INSTITUTION
Institute of Noetic Sciences
http://www.noetic.org
"Exploring the frontiers of consciousness to advance individual, social, and
global transformation."
PHOTOGRAPHY
Ashes and Snpw
http://www.ashesandsnow.org
"The photographic artworks of Gregory Colbert explore the poetic
sensibilities of animals in their natural habitat as they interact with human
beings."
SCIENCE
Top 10 Science breakthroughs of the year
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4552466.stm
MUSIC
*The Essence* by Deva Premal
(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 January 26
Copyright 2006 by Rob Brezsny
http://www.freewillastrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
ARIES (March 21-April 19): I don't take drugs or alcohol, but I love to get
high. Astrologer Caroline Casey states my belief perfectly when she says
that we all need regular doses of vastness. So how do I crack open the
doors of perception? Engaging in extreme horseplay is one way. Recently,
for instance, three friends and I radically altered our consciousness in the
middle of a cold night on the sidewalks of New York City's Chelsea
district. Oblivious to the taxis roaring by, we drove ourselves cheerfully
insane as we did Appalachian square dances, channeled slapstick
imitations of dead comedians Lenny Bruce and Bill Hicks, and taught each
other chaotic meditation techniques we'd learned from various fake
shamans. I urge you to be inspired by this example, Aries. You're overdue
for a dose of vastness that's unleashed by raucous fun.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Taurus philosopher Bertrand Russell gave this
testimony about what motivated him: "Three passions, simple but
overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the
search for knowledge, and an unbearable pity for the suffering of
humanity." To be in maximum alignment with cosmic rhythms, Taurus, I
suggest that you boil down your desires to a slightly altered version of
Russell's: a longing to both give and receive love, a hunger for knowledge,
and a yearning to alleviate the suffering of your fellow humans.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Only about 20 percent of the population is
capable of deriving the full benefit of my horoscopes. That's because
most people don't speak the language of metaphor, which is a staple of
my writing. Luckily, you're among the minority that appreciates the
symbolic approach to communication, and so you'll be able to use the
following oracle: *You can't possibly defeat or outmaneuver the ogre
who's monopolizing the treasure you covet. If you're smart, you'll realize
that you should transfer your longing to a different treasure.*
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Physics instructor David Willey can safely walk
barefoot across fields of broken glass. He can also dip his fingers into vats
of molten lead and lie sandwiched between two beds of nails without
incurring injury. There's no magic involved, he says. He relies solely on his
understanding of science. Metaphorically speaking, these are the kinds of
feats you'll be able to pull off in the coming week, Cancerian. Like Willey,
you shouldn't depend on guesswork or luck. Do as he has done, which is
research the laws of nature and use them to accomplish seemingly
impossible tricks.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The federal government of the United States has
been dominated by rightwingers for years. But an opposite trend is now
sweeping through the other America. Leftist leaders have recently come
into power in Chile, Bolivia, Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina, and Uruguay. This
bears a certain resemblance to an adjustment that will soon be taking
place in your life. Wherever you have become too one-sided, the other
side will begin exerting a strong counterpoint. If any of your beliefs have
become too dogmatic or unilateral, evidence will pour in to shake up your
certainty. Don't worry: This is a good and healthy thing. You'll feel more
flexible and free when the revolution comes.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): *The New York Times'* Deborah Solomon
interviewed Peter Watson, author of *Ideas: A History of Thought and
Invention, from Fire to Freud.* "What is the single worst idea in history?"
she asked him. "Without question, ethical monotheism," he replied. "The
idea of one true god. The idea that our life and ethical conduct on earth
determines how we will go in the next world. This has been responsible for
most of the wars and bigotry in history." Personally, I disagree with his
curious assessment. I think history's most terrible idea is the theory that
some groups of people are smarter and better and deserve more rights
than others. The coming week is a good time for you to meditate on
these themes, Virgo. Which ideas do you consider bad ones, both those
on a global scale and those that have at one time or another infected
your belief system? (P.S. It's also a perfect moment to fight those bad
ideas.)
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To access my IN-DEPTH, LONG-TERM AUDIO FORECASTS FOR YOUR LIFE IN
2006, go here:
http://snipurl.com/krjm
Click on your astrological sign, then choose either part 1, part 2, or part 3
of my BIG PICTURE look at your future--or even all three parts, if you're
feeling adventurous.
You can also choose to listen to my short-range outlook for the coming
week.
The Expanded Audio Horoscopes cost $6 apiece if you access them on
the Web via RealAudio.
You can also hear them over the phone for $1.99 per minute.
From the United States, call
1-900-950-7700
or
1-877-873-4888.
If you live in Canada, call
1-888-499-4425.
**********************************************
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): I was meditating on your horoscope as I rode
my bike up a trail to the top of a hill. "Give me a sign," I asked the great
mysterious intelligence known as nature. "Bless me with a symbol that will
illuminate Libra's imminent future." My request was soon answered. I
came upon a bare oak tree in whose low-hanging branches was nestled a
radio-controlled toy airplane. Why was it there? Its flight path had
obviously gone astray, but it didn't seem damaged. There was no one in
sight. Why had its operator abandoned it? Here's how I interpreted the
omen's meaning for you and your life, Libra: You experienced a minor
glitch while engaged in some amusing activity, and that caused you to
give up on the fun prematurely. It's time to go back and solve the
problem, then resume your enjoyment.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): "At the innermost core of all loneliness is a
deep and powerful yearning for union with one's lost self," wrote Irish
playwright Brendan Francis Behan. Let these words serve as your guiding
light in the coming weeks, Scorpio. They should inspire you to be brave
enough to confront the feelings of isolation that fester in your depths.
That will in turn motivate you to reconnect with the parts of your psyche
you were cut off from during times of trauma and unconsciousness in the
past.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Professor Robert Crease asked
physicists to name the ten most beautiful experiments of all time. The
winners were elegant and simple. They required minimal apparatus, few or
no assistants, and little computational power. One was Galileo's legendary
proof of the nature of gravity, in which he dropped two objects of
different weights from the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Another was the
brainchild of Isaac Newton, who used a prism to decompose sunlight into
a spectrum of hues. I invite you to be inspired by the spirit of these
beautiful experiments, Sagittarius. Come up with a lucid, ingenious
hypothesis that will help you gather useful data about a question that's
crucial for you to explore.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Right before Christmas, the U.S. Senate
passed a bill that slashed funding for student loans, child care, and health
benefits for the elderly and poor. Vice-President Dick Cheney aborted his
trip abroad in order to race home and cast the tie-breaking vote. I
suggest that you regard the 51 Scrooges who committed this sin as your
anti-role models in the coming days, Capricorn. You can't afford to be
anything but generous to the deprived and disadvantaged--including the
underprivileged parts of your own psyche that you sometimes neglect.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Marie and Pierre Curie discovered radium.
Chemist John Walker invented the match. Physicist Wilhelm Roentgen was
the first person to find out about X-rays. What do these great minds have
in common? They all refused to take out any patents in connection with
their innovations, believing that they shouldn't make any profit on
something that rightfully belongs to everyone. They're your role models
right now, Aquarius. Let them inspire you to give away your brilliance for
free. (P.S. I probably shouldn't tell you this, but there'll be a big reward
for you if you do what I suggest.)
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): You've entered the most shadowy and
enigmatic phase of your astrological cycle, which is why I think you're
about to have a lot of interesting fun. You should look forward to your
travels in the abyss with exuberant anticipation. Here are some guidelines
to help you get the most out of the coming days. (1) Do the things that
are hardest to do, but do them gladly and with grace, as if they were a
great privilege. (2) Stay in intimate connection with your dark side, but
don't let that turn into an endorsement of your dark side's fantasies. (3)
Brainstorm about how to disarm and neutralize your adversaries without
fighting them.
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HOMEWORK:
Write a short story about a great adventure that you will have one day.
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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NEED TO CHANGE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS?
To subscribe or unsubscribe to this newsletter, or to change the address
where you receive it, go to:
http://www.freewillastrology.com/newsletter/
Once you do subscribe, be sure to add my address,
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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
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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Please be sure to note your preference when sending to us. We
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material.
Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2006 Rob Brezsny
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