Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter http://ezezine.com
Rob Brezsny's Free Will Astrology Newsletter
"Brainwash yourself before somebody nasty beats you to it."
-Rob Brezsny
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February 1, 2006
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http://www.freewillastrology.com
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I'll be speaking at the BODHI TREE bookstore in West Hollywood this
Friday. Details below.
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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.
IN THE MENSTRUAL HUT
I wrote a letter to America's wealthiest woman, Oprah Winfrey.
"Dear Oprah," I began. "Please buy up all the Pizza Huts and convert
them into a network of Menstrual Huts. Create 10,000 or 100,000 local
neighborhood sanctuaries where women can retreat while they're in the
throes of their monthly appointment with dying and purification. Let the
men come, too. They need sabbaticals. We're all desperate for regular
chances to drop out of the crazy-making 9-5, to find respite from the
grind's crimes against the rhythms of sleep and love and play.
"The men may actually need the Menstrual Huts even more than the
women. They mistakenly imagine that they can drive themselves on and
on and on. Their bodies don't have a built-in menstrual mechanism to
cyclically slow them down. And so they mostly never stop to peer into
the heart of their own darkness. Which is why they tend to find evil
everywhere else except in themselves, and fight it everywhere else
except in themselves.
"Just a theory to consider: If men got a chance to have periodic
breakdowns and negotiate in a safe place with the toxic feelings that just
naturally build up inside everyone over time, maybe they wouldn't wreak
so much havoc out in the world. Maybe Menstrual Huts would save the
world."
My letter to Oprah went on for two more pages, but you get the gist.
Sadly, she has not yet responded to my plea. Unless and until she does,
we'll have to do the best we can on our own. And so I propose the
creation of a virtual network of Menstrual Huts under the auspices of the
Beauty and Truth Laboratory.
What exactly would that entail? What secret rites might we conduct?
What constructive madness could we unleash?
Here's my suggestion: Let's make our Menstrual Huts a Free Bitch
Zone—a place to bitch and moan without apology. To cry and complain
without guilt. To rant and accuse. To dive into our pain and obsess on
the jerks who have done us wrong. To hone our paranoid fantasies and
hostile political theories with the intricate ferocity of a mad scientist.
If you'd like to hunker down in our Menstrual Hut during your time of the
month and share the fruits of your catharsis, send your rants to
zenpride@earthlink.net. In the future I may publish them in the Menstrual
Hut section of the Beauty and Truth Laboratory website. I reserve the
right to edit your mess of stuff for length, style, and content. For that
matter, I might tack on my own whines and fulminations. Your requests
for anonymity will be honored; otherwise, your name, alias, or initials will
be used. Please be sure to note your preference.
After taking advantage of the Free Bitch Zone to unleash the toxins that
have built up in you, you may find that you're in a more reflective mood.
You could even feel inclined to engage in some radical introspection. It's
fine, of course, if you don't. There's no pressure. But if you're drawn to
take an inventory, the Beauty and Truth Laboratory has developed a set
of questions to guide you. Here they are.
1. What feelings and intuitions have you been trying to ignore lately?
2. Which parts of your life are overdue for death?
3. What messages has life been trying to convey to you but which
you've chosen to ignore?
4. What red herrings, straw men, and scapegoats have you chased after
obsessively in order to avoid dissolving your most well-rationalized
delusions?
5. What unripe parts of yourself are you most ashamed or fearful of?
How can you give those parts more ingenious love?
6. What parts of yourself have the least integrity and don't act in
harmony with what you regard as your highest values? How can you
bring them into alignment with your true desires?
7. Is it possible that in repressing things about yourself that you don't
like, you have also disowned potentially strong and beautiful aspects of
yourself? What are they?
8. Are those really flaws that are bugging you about the people whose
destinies are entwined with yours, or just incompletely developed
talents? Are those really flaws that are bugging you about yourself, or
merely incompletely developed talents?
9. Some people try to deny their portion of the world's darkness and
project it onto individuals or groups they dislike. Others acknowledge its
power so readily that they allow themselves to be overwhelmed by it. We
believe in taking an in-between position, accepting it as an unworked gift
that can serve our liberation. Where do you stand?
10. It's easy to see fanaticism, rigidity, and intolerance in other people,
but harder to acknowledge them in yourself. Do you dare?
11. Would you be willing to compose a Menstrual Hut mission
statement? Speak the following sample as if it were yours and see how it
feels: "I'm ready to stop the world. I need some extended leave time. A
sabbatical from life. I'm not going to wash any dishes, do any laundry,
make any small talk, pay any bills. I will follow every weird train of
thought or vagrant emotion that captures my imagination. Will lower the
barrier between my conscious and unconscious minds. Will follow the
smells I like. Listen to my body. Celebrate what's not so beautiful but
really interesting about myself and anyone else. Keep my eyes out for
surprising new intuitions and teachings. Have wild patience. Smash a
clock with a hammer. Actually kiss the earth. Fall out of my chair from
laughing so hard at nothing in particular. Listen to music I don't
understand. Call out to the sky, 'I defy you, stars.' Give my whole heart
or else not offer it at all."
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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:
ARTICLE
"We Are the Web" by Kevin Kelly
http://snipurl.com/m43z
BOOKS
*Daimonic Reality: A Field Guide to the Otherworld* by Patrick Harpur
*The Philosophers' Secret Fire: A History of the Imagination* by Patrick
Harpur
ARTICLE
"A Heretic for Our Times" by Jay Walljasper
http://www.alternet.org/story/31009/
BOOK
*The Left Hand of God: Taking Back our Country from the Religious Right*
by Rabbi Michael Lerner
(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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From KEVIN KELLY'S "WE ARE THE WEB":
"The scope of the Web today is hard to fathom. The total number of Web
pages, including those that are dynamically created upon request and
document files available through links, exceeds 600 billion. That's 100
pages per person alive.
"How could we create so much, so fast, so well? In fewer than 4,000
days, we have encoded half a trillion versions of our collective story and
put them in front of 1 billion people, or one-sixth of the world's
population. That remarkable achievement was not in anyone's 10-year
plan.
"The accretion of tiny marvels can numb us to the arrival of the
stupendous. Today, at any Net terminal, you can get: an amazing variety
of music and video, an evolving encyclopedia, weather forecasts, help
wanted ads, satellite images of anyplace on Earth, up-to-the-minute news
from around the globe, tax forms, TV guides, road maps with driving
directions, real-time stock quotes, telephone numbers, real estate listings
with virtual walk-throughs, pictures of just about anything, sports scores,
places to buy almost anything, records of political contributions, library
catalogs, appliance manuals, live traffic reports, archives to major
newspapers—all wrapped up in an interactive index that really works.
"This view is spookily godlike. You can switch your gaze of a spot in the
world from map to satellite to 3-D just by clicking. Recall the past? It's
there. Or listen to the daily complaints and travails of almost anyone who
blogs (and doesn't everyone?). I doubt angels have a better view of
humanity.
"Why aren't we more amazed by this fullness? Kings of old would have
gone to war to win such abilities. Only small children would have dreamed
such a magic window could be real. I have reviewed the expectations of
waking adults and wise experts, and I can affirm that this comprehensive
wealth of material, available on demand and free of charge, was not in
anyone's scenario. Ten years ago, anyone silly enough to trumpet the
above list as a vision of the near future would have been confronted by
the evidence: There wasn't enough money in all the investment firms in
the entire world to fund such a cornucopia. The success of the Web at
this scale was impossible.
"But if we have learned anything in the past decade, it is the plausibility
of the impossible . . . . "
TO READ THE REST OF KEVIN KELLY'S "WE ARE THE WEB," GO HERE:
http://snipurl.com/m43z
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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Week beginning February 2
Copyright 2006 by Rob Brezsny
http://www.freewillastrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
ARIES (March 21-April 19): My friend Rose comes from a large extended
family that does not include a single millionaire. There's no chance she will
inherit a windfall from a dead relative. On the other hand, many religious
devotees, humanitarians, and do-gooders have graced both sides of her
family line. She regards her own idealistic aspirations as being a result of
the legacy they left her; she thinks of herself as having received an
inheritance composed of spiritual wealth. What about you, Aries? What
are the special gifts of your heritage? What talents and capacities have
you been blessed with by your ancestors? It's time to intensify your
efforts to make use of them.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Do you have a forbidden fantasy? Is there
some adventure you wish you could let yourself have, but you lack the
money or spunk to attempt it? Have you been nursing an impossible
dream that is no closer to fulfillment now than it was when you first
conjured it up years ago? If so, Taurus, the time has come to resolve your
relationship with it. Either renounce it and forget it forever, or else take a
bold, practical step toward making it come true. P.S. You have more
courage than you realize.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Fashion designer Rick Owens toiled in relative
obscurity for years while perfecting his "glunge" look, which mixes
glamour with grunge. Now he has his own acclaimed clothing line in Paris.
Recently an interviewer asked him, "What is the most important lesson
you've learned?" His reply: "We're all freaks." I'd like you to take that idea
to heart, Gemini. According to my reading of the astrological omens,
you'll benefit from fully acknowledging how odd, idiosyncratic, irregular,
and mysterious you really are--and learning to love that fact. This week's
second assignment is also spurred by Owens. "What's your definition of
beauty?" he was asked. "With fitness, grooming and an open heart," he
said, "absolutely anyone can be wildly attractive." Work on that, too.
Revel in your wildly attractive freakiness.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): After torrential rains caused flooding in the
small town where I live, the Thai restaurant was one of the few downtown
businesses that was spared catastrophic damage. The maitre d' explained
to me why as I ordered my to-go dinner tonight. "We've always hated our
tile floor. It makes the place feel sterile, and it's slippery. People lose their
footing if there's even a little wet spot. But when the three feet of
floodwater poured in, our tile floor held up. All the stores around us had
wooden floors that were destroyed." This is your metaphor of the week,
Cancerian. Something in your life that you have regarded as a problem will
become a saving grace.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): You may not realize how significant a role that
architecture plays in shaping your moods, ideas, and decisions. I'm here to
remind you that it does. The quality of the indoor space you regularly
inhabit deeply influences what goes on inside your mind and body. It's not
just the structure of the buildings I'm talking about, of course, but also
the decor, the furniture, the carpets, and the colors. In 2006, it will be
important for you to become more aware of this fact, and to be
aggressive about putting yourself into environments that bring out the
best in you. As a gift to yourself, spend some time inside the most
uplifting building you know.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): I decided to work on your horoscope while out
in nature today. Armed with my notebook of astrology data, I found a
fallen tree to use as a chair on the muddy bank of Ross Creek. As I gazed
into the rain-swollen torrent and thought about you, a little voice in my
head said I should give you the following message: To invoke the
awareness that will help you formulate this week's most important
questions, spend quality time watching water flow through the earth,
watching clouds stream through the sky, and watching thoughts glide
across your mind's eye.
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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): "Though the human body is born complete in
one moment, the birth of the human heart is an ongoing process," writes
John O'Donohue in his book *Anam Cara.* In other words, your capacity
for love is forever on the brink of expanding. Your potential to be
transformed by compassionate intimacy is inexhaustible. Your emotional
intelligence is always ready to awaken more thoroughly, to ripen more
brilliantly. Of course you can resist the ongoing pressure to give birth to
more heart wisdom. Shrinking back from the relentless upheaval, you can
reject the demanding bliss you're offered and retreat into safe numbness.
Which way will you choose, Libra? This week will be a turning point.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): This isn't always the case, Scorpio, but right
now you have a certain resemblance to that type of wild iris known as
blue-eyed grass. Its stem isn't hardy enough to hold up more than one
flower blossom at a time; before a new bloom sprouts, therefore, the old
one has to wither. Similarly, you can't and shouldn't try to work on more
than a single labor of love, at least for the next week. Devote all your
concentration and care to it, ignoring the other possibilities. And don't
worry: This narrowing of your focus is a good thing.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): The American Dialect Society has
chosen the best new words of 2005. Winning in the "most creative"
category was "whale tail," which refers to the top of a thong showing
above the waistband of pants or a skirt. But the fresh coinage that's most
meaningful to you right now, Sagittarius, is "truthiness." It's the quality
people embody when they assert concepts that they wish to be true
instead of sticking to the facts. In his TV show on Comedy Central,
Stephen Colbert articulated a perfect example: "Who's Britannica to tell
me the Panama Canal was finished in 1914? If I want to say it happened in
1941, that's my right. I don't trust books. They're all fact, no heart." It's
always important for you to avoid truthiness yourself and protest it when
it spills from others. But it's especially crucial now. Arm yourself with
factiness.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Good news, Capricorn. Right now your
financial prospects look almost as bright as those of the oil industry,
whose earnings grew 42 percent in the last three months of 2005. There
is a caveat, however. If, like the companies that sell gasoline, you attempt
to capitalize on bad news and profit at the expense of the collective well-
being, your money situation will suffer. To gather all of the good
economic fortune that's available, you've got to redouble your efforts to
maintain high levels of integrity.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Several of my friends have given names to
their cars, and I know many other people who have bestowed appellations
on their homes, their vacuum cleaners, their favorite trees, and their
genitals. In Norse mythology, the god Thor affectionately called his magic
golden hammer by the name Mjollnir. It so happens that this would be a
ripe time for you to experiment with this approach, Aquarius. I think you'll
find that as you name your home and car as well as every plant, toaster,
traffic light, crow, and cloud, that the whole world will become more alive
and friendly and helpful.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): "We are what we pretend to be," wrote
author Kurt Vonnegut, "so we must be careful about what we pretend to
be." This is excellent advice to keep at the forefront of your awareness
during the coming weeks, Pisces. Here's how I interpret his statement:
There's not necessarily anything wrong with playing a role if that role is in
alignment with your highest values. In fact, to make believe that you are
the person you want to be is an excellent strategy for actually becoming
the person you want to be.
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HOMEWORK:
Everyone alive fudges the truth and hides the whole story from time to
time. What are your own personal top three deceptions? 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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LOOKING FOR A PSYCHIC?
From time to time, readers ask me if I recommend any intuitive
counselors. There may be a lot of good ones out there, but I personally
know only one. She's a friend whom I've known for years. I myself have
benefited from her psychic talents, her practical wisdom, and her high
level of integrity.
Her name is Aza. You can contact her at azazaz@mcn.org for a phone or
in-person appointment.
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To subscribe or unsubscribe to this newsletter, or to change the address
where you receive it, go to:
http://www.freewillastrology.com/newsletter/
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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,
including but not limited to newsletters, books, the Free Will
Astrology column, and Free Will Astrology website. We reserve
the right to edit such submissions for length, style, and content.
Requests for anonymity will be honored with submissions;
otherwise, reader names, screen names, or initials will be used.
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
2006 Rob Brezsny
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