Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter http://ezezine.com
Rob Brezsny's Free Will Astrology Newsletter
"Irregularity and unpredictability are important features of health. On the
other hand, decreased variability and accentuated periodicities are
associated with disease. Healthy systems don't want homeostasis. They
want chaos."
--John R. Van Eenwyk, "The Chaotic Dynamics of Everyday Life," *Quest
magazine*
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March 22, 2006
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http://www.freewillastrology.com
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Here are my upcoming public appearances:
NEW DIMENSIONS RADIO
My interview program on New Dimensions Radio will air this week.
Listen it on the New Dimensions website:
http://snipurl.com/nigm
or go to http://snipurl.com/nigh for local station listings.
To sign up for the New Dimensions newsletter, go here:
http://snipurl.com/nsxj
EAST WEST BOOKSTORE
Saturday, April 1
7:30 pm
324 Castro Street
Mountain View, CA 94041
800-909-6161
http://www.eastwest.com/
WNYC
Thursday, March 23
On Thursday morning March 23rd, radio station WNYC in New York will
feature a performance I did as part of the series of readings at New York
City laundromats. It's called "Dirty Laundry: Loads of Prose."
You can also listen live at http://www.wnyc.org
93.9 FM
820 AM
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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
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THE OUTLAW CATALOG OF CAGEY OPTIMISM
Psychiatry and psychotherapy obsess on what's wrong with people and
give short shrift to what's right. The manual of these professions is a
943-page textbook called the DSM-IV. It identifies scores of pathological
states but no healthy ones.
In 2002, I began to complain about this fact, and asked readers to help
me compile material for a proposed antidote, the Anti-DSM--a
compendium of healthy, exalted, positive states of being. As their entries
came in, we at the Beauty and Truth Laboratory were inspired to dream
up some of our own. Below is part one of our initial attempt at creating
an Anti-DSM-IV, or as we also like to call it, The Outlaw Catalog of Cagey
Optimism.
* ACUTE FLUENCY. Happily immersed in artistic creation or scientific
exploration; lost in a trance-like state of inventiveness that's both blissful
and taxing; surrendered to a state of grace in which you're fully engaged
in a productive, compelling, and delightful activity. The joy of this
demanding, rewarding state is intensified by a sense that time has been
suspended, and is rounder and deeper than usual. (Suggested by H. H.
Holiday, who reports that extensive studies in this state have been done
by Mihaly Cziscenmihaliy in his book, *Flow: The Psychology of Optimal
Experience.*)
* AESTHETIC BLISS. Vividly experiencing the colors, textures, tones,
scents, and rhythms of the world around you, creating a symbiotic
intimacy that dissolves the psychological barriers between you and what
you observe. (Suggested by Jeanne Grossetti.)
* AGGRESSIVE SENSITIVITY. Animated by a strong determination to be
receptive and empathetic.
* ALIGNMENT WITH THE INFINITY OF THE MOMENT. Reveling in the
liberating realization that we are all exactly where we need to be at all
times, even if some of us are temporarily in the midst of trial or
tribulation, and that human evolution is proceeding exactly as it should,
even if we can't see the big picture of the puzzle that would clarify how
all the pieces fit together perfectly. (Suggested by Meredith Jones.)
* AUTONOMOUS NURTURING. Not waiting for someone to give you what
you can give yourself. (Suggested by Shannen Davis.)
* BASKING IN ELDER WISDOM. A state of expansive ripeness achieved
through listening to the stories of elders. (Suggested by Annabelle
Aavard.)
* BIBLIOBLISS. Transported into states of transcendent pleasure while
immersed in reading a favorite book. (Suggested by Catherine Kaikowska.)
* BLASPHEMOUS REVERENCE. Acting on the knowledge that the most
efficacious form of devotion to the Divine Wow is tinctured with playful or
mischievous behavior that prevents the buildup of fanaticism.
* BOO-DUH NATURE. Dwelling in the blithe understanding of the fact that
worry is useless because most of what we worry about never happens.
(Suggested by Timothy S. Wallace.)
* COMIC INTROSPECTION. Being fully aware of your own foibles while still
loving yourself tenderly and maintaining confidence in your ability to give
your specific genius to the world. To paraphrase Alan Jones, Dean of
Grace Cathedral: following the Byzantine ploys of your ego with
compassion and humor as it tries to make itself the center of everything,
even of its own suffering and struggle.
* COMPASSIONATE DISCRIMINATION. Having astute judgment without
being scornfully judgmental; seeing difficult truths about a situation or
person without closing your heart or feeling superior. In the words of Alan
Jones: having the ability "to smell a rat without allowing your ability to
discern deception sour your vision of the glory and joy that is everyone's
birthright."
* CRAZED KINDNESS. Having frequent, overpowering urges to bestow
gifts, disseminate inspiration, and perpetrate random acts of benevolence.
* ECSTATIC GRATITUDE. Feeling genuine thankfulness with such
resplendent intensity that you generate a surge of endorphins in your
body and slip into a full-scale outbreak of euphoria.
* EMANCIPATED SURRENDER. Letting go of an attachment without
harboring resentment toward the stimuli that led to the necessity of
letting go. (Suggested by Timothy S. Wallace.)
* FRIENDLY SHOCK. Welcoming a surprise that will ultimately have
benevolent effects.
* HIGHWAY EQUANIMITY. Feeling serene, polite, and benevolent while
driving in heavy traffic. (Suggested by Shannen Davis.)
* HOLY LISTENING. Hearing the words of another human being as if they
were a direct communication from the Divine Wow to you.
* IMAGINATIVE TRUTH-TELLING. Conveying the truth of any specific
situation from multiple angles, thereby mitigating the distortions that
result from assuming the truth can be told from a single viewpoint.
* IMPULSIVE LOVE SPREADING. Characterized by a fierce determination to
never withhold well-deserved praise, inspirational encouragement, positive
feedback, or loving thoughts; often includes a tendency to write love
letters on the spur of the moment and on any medium, including napkins,
grocery bags, and skin. (Suggested by Laurie Burton.)
* INADVERTENT NATURE WORSHIP. Experiencing the rapture that comes
from being outside for extended periods of time. (Suggested by Sue Carol
Robinson.)
* INGENIOUS INTIMACY. Having an ability to consistently create deep
connections with other human beings, and to use the lush, reverential
excitement stimulated by such exchanges to further deepen the
connections. A well-crafted talent for dissolving your sense of
separateness and enjoying the innocent exultation that erupts in the wake
of the dissolution. (Suggested by Sue Carol Robinson.)
* JOYFUL POIGNANCE. Feeling buoyantly joyful about the beauty and
mystery of life while remaining aware of the sadness, injustices, wounds,
and future fears that form the challenges in an examined life. (Suggested
by Alka Bhargava.)
* LATE LATE-BLOOMING. Having a capacity for growth spurts well into old
age, long past the time that conventional wisdom says they're possible.
* LEARNING DELIGHT. Experiencing the brain-reeling pleasure that comes
from learning something new. (Suggested by Sue Carol Robinson.)
* LUCID DREAM PATRIOTISM. A love of country rooted in the fact that it
provides the ideal conditions for learning lucid dreaming. (Suggested by
Kenneth Kelzer, aithor of *The Sun and the Shadow: My Experiment With
Lucid Dreaming.*)
* LYRICAL CONSONANCE. Experiencing the visceral yet also cerebral
excitement that comes from listening to live music played impeccably by
skilled musicians. (Suggested by Susan E. Nace.)
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To read other 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
"Awakening pinch from a mysterious new crustacean" by Mark Morford
http://snipurl.com/nuig
WEBSITE
Extropy Institute: Transhumanism
http://www.extropy.org/
WEBSITE
Transhumanism
http://www.aleph.se/Trans/
BOOK REVIEW
"Before the Fall: Evidence of a Golden Age"
http://snipurl.com/nuij
WEBSITE
Ray Kurzweil
http://snipurl.com/ny9t
"Levels of intelligence far greater than our own are going to evolve within
this century. We will ultimately saturate all of the matter and energy in
our area of the universe with our intelligence."
(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 March 23
Copyright 2006 by Rob Brezsny
http://www.freewillastrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Seventh grader Michael Kawa's poem is about
the official face he shows the world. "My mask helps me when I am scared
and when I am embarrassed," he writes. "My mask tells me to act like
someone else when I want to act like myself. My mask tells me I should go
on the Big Dipper roller coaster when I really want to go on the little rides.
My mask hides me from girls and fights. My mask hides my mad mind."
Now I invite you to write about your own mask, Aries. It's the perfect
time to take inventory of your persona--the official face you show the
world--and to make changes to get it into closer alignment with the
person you actually are in your depths.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The Season of Dreams begins now. While
you're sleeping, you'll be working harder than usual as you dive deeper
into your subconscious mind in quest of mythic stories that can transform
your waking life. Here's a list of some of the dream themes you might
encounter, along with possible interpretations. Dreams of the circus
coming to town mean that maybe you should indulge a barely
acknowledged need to do something that seems out of character. Dreams
of having a picnic in a tree house may mean you'd benefit from not having
your feet planted so firmly on the ground. Dreams of doing something
unethical that makes everyone mad mean that you should explore ethical,
constructive ways to express your rebellious urges. Dreams of fighting a
king or queen who stole money from you might mean you should fight
back against an authority that ripped you off.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): If you're doing work you love, Gemini, your
prestige will rise in the next six months. If you're doing work you merely
tolerate, you'll experience a sharp increase in inspirations about how to
remedy the situation. In the event that you actually hate your current
form of employment, I believe you'll face a crisis that will force you to
either quit or negotiate significant changes. But whether your gig suits
you pretty well or not so much, I encourage you to start whipping up
some magic that will move you closer to your dream job.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Many of us who were born under the sign of
Cancer have always felt trepidation about the fact that we're stuck with
the same name as a disease. A while back I asked my readers to suggest
alternate possibilities. One of the best ideas came from amateur
astronomer Michael Bird. He said that within the constellation of Cancer
the Crab there is a batch of 350 close-knit stars that are collectively
known as the Beehive Cluster, and also as Praesepe, which is the Latin
word for "manger." Either "Beehive" or "Manger" would serve our tribe
well in the coming weeks. The astrological omens say it's time to give
birth to and nurture a new brainchild, preferably with the support of an
organized hive of our busy, buzzing allies.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Even if you don't literally take a journey to a
distant place in the coming weeks, you will nevertheless be like a stranger
in a strange land. I suggest that you adopt an attitude similar to that of
an explorer. Here's a list of traveling instructions from Patrick Harpur,
author of *The Philosophers' Secret Fire: A History of the Imagination.*
"Don't believe everything you have been told, either for good or ill.
Observe local customs; respect local gods. Talk less than you listen. Don't
expect the inhabitants to speak your language; rather, try and speak
theirs. Try to see as well as sightsee. Be polite but firm; take advice but
do not be gullible. If in doubt, smile. Do not laugh at the natives, but do
not be afraid to laugh. Do not be superior or aloof, but don't try to dress
like a native. Don't join in the dancing unless you have learned the steps."
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The paradoxes are coming! The paradoxes are
coming! It won't be enough merely to solve a few amusing brainteasers.
You'll have to find a way to feel perfectly fine as you get squeezed by
industrial-strength contradictions that might make a less intelligent
person feel crazy. Can you do it? Is it possible for you to remain poised
and magnanimous in the face of the pressure to think impossible thoughts
and feel indescribable feelings? Can you see how all three sides of every
story are equally valid? The potential rewards are substantial: a crispy
epiphany, a funky treasure, and the equivalent of a "Get Out of Jail Free"
card.
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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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LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): If you own a Jaguar luxury automobile, it's an
excellent time to redo the leather interior. If you live in a trailer park on
the other side of the railroad tracks, the moment is right to cover up the
faux wood paneling with fancy wallpaper. And if you don't fall into either
of those categories, meditate on how you might redecorate the inside of
your world, from the physical environments you frequent to the interior
walls of your imagination.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): I wear my hair long, like Benjamin Franklin,
Isaac Newton, Jesus Christ, and the majority of the men who have lived in
the Western world during the last two millennia. So even though I'm at
odds with the cultural trends of the last 100 years, I'm right in alignment
with more enduring ideas about masculine fashion. Try something similar,
Scorpio: Meditate on how it might benefit you to get out of sync with
prevailing attitudes about what's right and good and true and cool, and
instead be in style with more timeless and abiding modes.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): "Neoteny" is a biological term that
means the retention of juvenile characteristics into adulthood. For
instance, certain small dogs with big eyes and shortened muzzles have a
resemblance to puppies even after they're full-grown. Most of us humans
have personality characteristics that are for all intents and purposes
neotenous. They're throwbacks that may make us appear cute and
cuddly, but that on the other hand keep us in a state of arrested
development. It's prime time to ask yourself if you have qualities like that,
Sagittarius. If so, do you really want to keep cultivating them?
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): It's the Introspection Season, Capricorn. I
encourage you to write copiously in a journal. Here are several themes
that would be fruitful to explore: (1) Your most amazing qualities and
your worst qualities. (2) The hundred things you want to accomplish in
the next 30 years. (3) Your bitter complaints, horrendous pain, and lost
dreams. (4) Everything you love and everything that's beautiful and
everything that works. In addition to writing your heart out and your ass
off, paste in cut-out pictures from magazines, draw pictures, and ask
friends to write messages to you.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Once the software and brain implants are
developed, we'll all be able to benefit from the kind of instant education
that was at the disposal of the dissident heroes of the three films
collectively known as *The Matrix.* Want to learn how to pilot a
helicopter? The entire skill set will be downloaded into you in a few
minutes. Planning a journey to Tanzania? You'll become a fluent speaker
of Swahili in time for your departure. The technology is still years away,
Aquarius, but in the coming weeks you'll be able to enjoy the closest
current approximation to it. You've entered the super-learning season.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): "I don't know why we are here," wrote
philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, "but I'm pretty sure that it is not in
order to enjoy ourselves." His feelings contrast sharply with that of the
poet Robert Bly, who edited a book of sacred poems entitled *The Soul Is
Here for Its Own Joy.* Which of these two approaches are you inclined to
follow, Pisces? I believe you're at a crossroads: The direction you choose
to endorse and emphasize now will shape your destiny for a long time.
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HOMEWORK:
What is the thing you're so ignorant about that you barely know you're
ignorant about it? 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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To subscribe or unsubscribe to this newsletter, or to change the address
where you receive it, go to:
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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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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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