Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter http://ezezine.com
Rob Brezsny's Free Will Astrology Newsletter
"We are experiencing the initiation of the human race into a new level of
consciousness, and that is a very terrifying experience. It does no good to
turn and run from the terror of our darkness into light; we must sit it out:
zazen. We must take our counsel from The Tibetan Book of the Dead and
realize that these frightening projections of famines, economic disasters,
ecological catastrophes, floods, earthquakes, and wars are all only the
malevolent aspects of beneficent deities. If we sit and observe them, do
not identify with them, but remember our Buddha-nature, we will not be
dragged down by them into an incarnation of the hell they prefigure. If we
run from them, we validate them; we give the projections the very
psychic energy they need to overtake us. Then, as Jung has pointed out,
the situation will happen outside as fate."
-William Irwin Thompson, *Evil and World Order*
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April 19, 2006
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http://www.freewillastrology.com
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Local public radio stations are currently airing a piece me on me and
PRONOIA. It's done by TO THE BEST OF OUR KNOWLEDGE, a syndicated
show that's produced by Wisconsin Public Radio and distributed by Public
Radio International.
Check the website for where it will appear on a station near you:
http://www.wpr.org/book/
Or listen to it on the Web: http://snipurl.com/pci7
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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 SCIENCE OF THE INVISIBLE
"Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going?" Biologist E.O.
Wilson says that philosophers long ago stopped addressing these
questions, believing them to be unanswerable. Scientists stepped forward
to fill the vacuum, and now act as supreme arbiters of the mysteries that
were once the province of philosophers.
I'm saddened by the loss. The scientific method is a tremendous tool for
understanding the world, but most scientists refuse to use it to study
phenomena that can't be repeated under controlled conditions and that
can't be explained by current models of reality. I think it's impossible to
explore the Big Three Questions without taking into account all that
elusive, enigmatic, unrepeatable stuff. The more accidental, the more
true.
I can at least hope the scientists won't object if the Beauty and Truth
Laboratory borrows their disciplined objectivity and incisive reasoning to
explore areas they regard as off-limits.
Two groups that may not mind are the astronomers and astrophysicists.
More than other scientists, they've been compelled to develop an intimate
relationship with invisible realms. In fact, they've come to a conclusion
that's eerily similar to the assessment of shamans and mystics from
virtually every culture throughout history: Most of reality is hidden from
our five senses.
"Ninety-six percent of the universe is stuff we've never seen,"
cosmologist Michael Turner told Geoff Brumfiel in the March 13, 2003
issue of the journal *Nature.* To be exact, the cosmos is 23 percent dark
matter and 73 percent dark energy, both of which are missing. All the
stars and planets and moons and asteroids and comets and nebulas and
gas clouds together comprise the visible four percent.
So where is the other 96 percent? No one knows. It's not only concealed
from humans, it's imperceptible to the instruments humans have devised,
and its whereabouts can't be predicted by any existing theories.
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What will happen as the implications of these data filter down to the
other sciences? Maybe there will be a reversal of a long-term trend
documented by Nature. In 1914, the magazine found that 30 percent of
the world's top scientists believed in God. In a second survey in 1934, the
number dropped to 15 percent, and by 1998 it was seven percent.
If the fact that most of reality is hidden doesn't spur them to reconsider
the possibility of a divine presence working behind the scenes, maybe it
will move them to become more sympathetic to a project like ours, which
has the intention of adopting the scientific approach to an exploration of
the invisible.
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The 17th-century Church fathers wouldn't look through Galileo's
telescope. Why bother? Catholic doctrine was clear that moons could not
possibly circle Jupiter.
Likewise, most of today's scientists refuse to consider the possibility that
there have been unidentified craft flying around our skies for years. "It's
absurd to think that beings from other star systems could traverse the
vast distances between them and us," they declare, "so why should we
even examine the so-called evidence?" Their certainty contains a giant
bias: that creatures from other worlds can only have ships that are limited
to the means of propulsion we have thus far discovered here on Earth.
Arthur Koestler said that to the ancient Greeks, electricity was as bizarre
and unfathomable as telepathy is to us in the modern era. Yet electricity
existed before it was believed in. It's just that there was no theory that
proposed its existence and no mechanism to gather evidence for it.
Culture had to change in order for people to be able to know where and
how to look.
Today we're aware of electricity as well as black holes, X-rays, radio
waves, and infrared light because we have instruments to extend our
senses. But is it wise to assume that we have finally developed every
sense-extending technology that will ever be invented?
When Columbus's ships first appeared on the horizon, the Arawaks on the
island of Guanahaní saw them as floating monsters. They didn't have the
conceptual framework to know them for what they literally were. You
can't perceive what you can't conceive. An adult who has been blind all
his life and through surgery is suddenly given the power of sight takes
quite a while to be able to learn to interpret what he's looking at. The eye
alone doesn't see. The mind and the cultural biases it has internalized
interpret and shape the raw data.
Modern science is a fabulous way of understanding reality, but it's not the
crown of creation. Just as meteors, dinosaurs, and electricity (and dark
matter and neutrinos and gamma rays) were inconceivable and therefore
not real to earlier generations, there may be phenomena here with us now
that won't be real until our culture and minds and instruments evolve
further. Will they include events we now call UFOs and angels? Maybe.
Maybe not. Let's remain curious.
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"Ancient stars in their death throes spat out atoms like iron which this
universe had never known. The novel tidbits of debris were sucked up by
infant suns which, in turn, created yet more atoms when their race was
run. Now the iron of old nova coughings vivifies the redness of our blood.
"If stars step constantly upward, why should the global interlace of
humans, microbes, plants, and animals not move upward steadily as well?
The horizons toward which we must soar are within us, anxious to break
free, to emerge from our imaginings, then to beckon us forward into fresh
realities.
"We have a mission to create, for we are evolution incarnate. We are her
self-awareness, her frontal lobes and fingertips. We are second-generation
star stuff come alive. We are parts of something 3.5 billion years old, but
pubertal in cosmic time. We are neurons of this planet's interspecies
mind." —Howard Bloom, *Global Brain: The Evolution of Mass Mind from
the Big Bang to the 21st Century*
*
Physicist Roger Penrose, who helped to develop the theories about black
holes, has said that the chance of an ordered universe happening at
random is nil: one in 10 to the 10th to the 30th, a number so large that if
you programmed a computer to write a million zeros per second, it would
take a million times the age of the universe just to write the number
down.
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"The big bang is so preposterous," says renowned astronomer Allan
Sandage, co-discoverer of the quasar, "and the chain of events it set off
so unlikely, that it makes most sense when thought of as a 'miracle.'"
For the sake of argument, let's assume Sandage is right. If the very
beginning of the universe itself was a miracle, then everything in it is
impregnated with the possibility of smaller but equally marvelous miracles.
*
"When a scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly
right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably
wrong," said Arthur C. Clarke, who, due to his contributions to science,
has had an asteroid and dinosaur species named after him.
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"The laws of physics appear 'fine tuned' for our existence. Even slight
deviations in the laws would result in a universe devoid of stars and life. If,
for instance, the force of gravity were just a few percent weaker it could
not squeeze and heat the matter inside stars to the millions of degrees
that are necessary to trigger sunlight generating nuclear reactions. If
gravity were only a few percent stronger, however, it would heat up stars,
causing them to consume their fuel faster. They would not exist for the
billions of years needed for evolution to produce intelligence. This kind of
fine tuning is widespread." —Marcus Chown, "Radical Science: Did Angels
Create the Universe?," *The Independent,* March 15, 2002
*
"Something unknown is doing we don't know what." —Astrophysicist
Arthur Eddington, "one of three persons in the world who understood
Einstein's theory of general relativity"
. . . TO READ THE REST OF THIS PIECE, GO HERE:
http://www.freewillastrology.com/beauty/
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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
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
OTHER PRONOIA RESOURCES:
WEBSITE
Mirth as a Path to Enlightenment
http://oaks.nvg.org/se6ra3.html
AUDIO
The Earth's Imagination
http://deoxy.org/mckenna.htm
Scroll down to and click on "McKenna/Trialogues-Metamorphosis"
BOOK
*Coming Into Being: Artifacts and Texts in the Evolution of
Consciousness* by William Irwin Thompson
ESSAY
Smiling Wisdom
http://snipurl.com/paxh
NEWS
Can Algae (Partially) Save the World?
http://snipurl.com/llfc
(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 April 20
Copyright 2006 by Rob Brezsny
http://www.freewillastrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
ARIES (March 21-April 19): "When the only tool you have is a hammer,"
said psychologist Abraham Maslow, "you tend to treat everything as if it
were a nail." Since it will be crucial for you not to regard everything as if it
were a nail in the coming weeks, Aries, I suggest you make sure your
toolbox is filled with screwdrivers, wrenches, drills, crowbars, and chisels,
as well as hammers. If you want to nudge your craftsmanship even further
outside of the box, you might also want to expand your definition of what
a tool is. Remember that old TV show *MacGyver*? The hero used a paper
clip to short-circuit the launch of a missile and a candy bar to plug up a
leak of corrosive acid.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): It's perfectly fine for you to have dreamy
eyes in the coming days--wistful, hopeful, liquid eyes that are more
focused on the fantasies within than on the sights without. Muse to your
heart's content, Taurus. Wander over to paradise in your imagination.
Entertain utopian visions. As much as is practical, give yourself permission
to visit LaLa land, where you can explore infinite possibilities, imaginary
adventures, and "forbidden" topics that up until now you haven't dared
to play with.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Poet Kay Ryan told the *Christian Science
Monitor* how she cultivates the inspiration to write. She rouses the sense
of a "self-imposed emergency," thereby calling forth psychic resources
that usually materialize only in response to a crisis. Please note that she
doesn't provoke an actual emergency: She doesn't arrange, for instance,
to have a loved one get pinned beneath the wheels of a car. Instead, she
visualizes hypothetical situations that galvanize her to shift into a
dramatically heightened state of awareness. This would be an excellent
technique for you to try, Gemini. It's quite possible that simulating an
imaginary crunch will prevent a real crunch. So picture yourself rescuing a
talking parrot from a burning pet store; envision yourself making a snappy
comeback that halts the abusive behavior of an out-of-control authority;
imagine a nightmare in which you save the world.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Psychotherapist James Hillman and essayist
Michael Ventura wrote the book *We've Had a Hundred Years of
Psychotherapy and the World's Getting Worse.* In it, they propose that
resolving our problems may not necessarily come from sitting in a room
talking about our deep, private feelings with a trusted counselor. Instead,
the best approach might be to go out into the world and do good works
like helping the underprivileged or fighting for social justice. That happens
to be the right prescription for you in the coming weeks, Cancerian. As
you marshal your moral force and collaborate with other people who are
motivated by altruism, you'll heal your own personal pain.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): It may be a good idea for you to hang around a
blacksmith or pay a visit to a foundry. You would benefit from gathering
firsthand evidence of how metals can be melted, bent, cut, and worked.
That might boost your confidence as you seek to reshape a certain
situation in your life that to the naked eye seems utterly fixed and
impossible to change. You have more power than you know, Leo, but in
order to use it you'll have to believe in it more zealously.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In early spring, some of our forebears made
love in newly seeded fields, hoping to magically propitiate the growth of
the crops. Right now would be an excellent time for you to perform a
similar ritual on behalf of what you love. If you're game, find a secluded
outdoor spot on a warm day. Bring a partner if one's available, or take the
earth or sky as your lover. Then carry out a rite of pleasure in which you
offer up the spiritual essence of your bliss to the health and success of a
beloved person or creature or situation that you want to thrive in the
coming months.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): The spirits of some of your dead ancestors are
in your psychic vicinity, eager to make appearances in your dreams and
waking visions. They're hoping to fill you in on a number of subjects that
will help you navigate your way through the labyrinthine terrain ahead.
They have interesting speculations about what might work and not work
for someone of your genetic make-up, and they also have perspectives
that will help you put your upcoming decisions in a richer historical
context. Even if you're a materialistic, scientific person and scoff at the
idea of dead ancestors providing useful information, I urge you to
temporarily suspend your disbelief. Adopt a playful open-mindedness and
at least pretend it's possible.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): As you enter the Season of Unleashed Desire,
here are a few guidelines to help you navigate your way through the
interesting complexities ahead. (1) Consider the possibility that you have
a lot to learn about what you really want. (2) Find out whether your
chronic anger is obstructing the full bloom of a potentially beautiful
desire. (3) Be careful about desiring experiences you don't understand.
(4) Meditate on the likelihood that some of your desires are superior to
others, and that maybe you should cultivate those superior desires with
more determination that you do the mediocre ones.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In contemplating your astrological
omens, I'm reminded of Terence McKenna's comment about a friend who
"hurled herself into the abyss and discovered that it was a feather bed." If
you can summon the courage to dive into the scary depths, Sagittarius, I
do believe you'll be pleasantly surprised at the comfy, luxurious digs that
await you at the end of your descent. Now go ahead and yell "Geronimo!",
which the dictionary defines as an exclamation used to express
exhilaration when leaping from a great height.
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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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CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In his book *False Alarm: The Truth About
the Epidemic of Fear,* Dr. Marc K. Siegel argues that our circumstances
are far better than we've been conditioned to believe. In fact, only a
fraction of our culture's histrionic pessimism is justified. Alas, the
collective delusion that life is totally messed up has seeped into your
personal life (as it has into mine and everyone's), tainting even your most
intimate moments. But in the coming weeks, it's crucial that you fight to
undo the brainwashing. Opportunities will be coming your way that will
remain inaccessible if you're too busy indulging in knee-jerk cynicism. So
please resist the hypnotic temptation to look for the worst in everything.
Be a fiercely buoyant nonconformist. Make this Nietzschean principle your
watchword: Optimism tends to engender good health, while pessimism
leads to morbidity.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Two friends of mine teach elementary
school. They agreed to help me conduct a survey to determine how many
first-graders eat worms, and what astrological signs they are. Among the
68 kids whom my buddies asked, seven boys enthusiastically bragged
about their odd culinary habit. One girl also confessed, though with a little
embarrassment. Of these eight, five were--you guessed it--Aquarians. I
wasn't surprised, seeing as how your sign is renowned for being the most
eccentric. I was also quite pleased at the results. It made it easier for me
to broach the unusual suggestion I have for you, which is that maybe you,
too, should eat worms. This is the most direct way I can think of for you
to carry out your current cosmic assignment, which is to come *way*
down to earth.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Some people imagine that I'm a bohemian
mystic who lives outside the system and disdains conventional wisdom.
That's half-true. I'm also a disciplined artist with a fondness for analytical
thinking and a commitment to self-mastery. In accordance with your
current astrological omens, I will emphasize the latter approach in your
horoscope this week. No matter how flowing and unbound you love to be,
it's high time for you to inject more organization and logic and self-
regulation into your rhythm. Your Tarot card is the Emperor, "he who sets
in order."
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HOMEWORK:
Tell me the homework question you'd like me to assign you--the question
that would force you to dig deeper into your unexamined assumptions
than you've previously dared. Going to http://www.freewillastrology.com
and click 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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anyone.
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Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2006 Rob Brezsny
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