Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter http://ezezine.com
Rob Brezsny's Free Will Astrology Newsletter
"Let the mind be warned that though the flesh be bugged, the
circumstances of existence are pretty glorious." - Jack Kerouac
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May 17, 2006
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http://www.freewillastrology.com
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ROB'S UPCOMING PERFORMANCES
Harmony Festival
in Santa Rosa, CA
June 9, 10, 11
http://www.harmonyfestival.com
Oregon Country Fair
near Eugene, Oregon
July 7, 8, 9
http://www.oregoncountryfair.org
Elliott Bay Bookstore
Seattle
Wednesday, July 12
6 p.m.
101 South Main Street
Seattle, Washington 98104
http://www.elliottbaybook.com
23rd Avenue Books
Portland
Thursday, July 13
7:30
1015 NW 23rd Avenue
Portland, OR 97210
http://www.23rdavebooks.com
Boulder Book Store
Wednesday, August 16
7:30
1107 Pearl Street
Boulder, CO 80302
http://www.boulderbookstore.com
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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 following fragment is from the piece "Crimes That Don't Break Any
Laws"
I heard an interview with the German film actor Udo Kier. He specializes in
playing villains. "Evil has no limit," he sneered, blustering like a naughty
genius. "Good has a limit. It is simply not as interesting."
How many times have I heard that idiotic cliché? Most everyone
everywhere seems to agree with Udo Kier. And I'm in a tiny minority in my
belief that evil is boring. There seem to be few thinkers, communicators,
and creators who share my curiosity about exploring the frontiers of
righteous pleasure and amusing truth and boisterous integrity.
Some pretenders do make counterfeit attempts: Hollywood producers
who produce sentimental fantasies with artificially happy endings, Madison
Avenue advertising executives who sell the pseudo-positivity of
narcissistic comfort, and New Age gurus who ignore the darkness with
their one-dimensional appeals to sweetness and light.
Where do you stand? Do you think that evil is more interesting than
goodness? Or would you prefer to explore the frontiers of righteous
pleasure and amusing truth and boisterous integrity?
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To read other news and features 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:
VISIONARY PHILOSOPHY
"Intelligent Life Is the Architect of the Universe"
http://snipurl.com/qkkl
"Why is the universe life-friendly? Columbia physicist Brian Greene says
it's the deepest question in all of science. Cosmologist Paul Davies agrees,
calling it the biggest of the Big Questions."
ALTERNATIVE NEWS
The Great News Network
http://www.greatnewsnetwork.org/
CURIOSITIES
The Lint Museum
http://www.lintmuseum.com
NEWS
You Make Your Own Luck
http://snipurl.com/q8sb
(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 May 18
Copyright 2006 by Rob Brezsny
http://www.freewillastrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
ARIES (March 21-April 19): The general consensus is that Americans are
getting dumber. A recent study, for instance, reported that more people
can name the characters in *The Simpsons* TV show than know the rights
guaranteed by the First Amendment. Yet an article by Malcolm Gladwell in
*The New Yorker* notes that Americans' I.Q. scores have been steadily
rising for a long time--so much so that a person whose I.Q. placed her in
the top ten percent of the population in 1920 would be in the bottom
third today. One possible explanation: Our "growing stupidity" may better
be described as a difficulty keeping up with the ever-growing mass of
facts, whereas we're actually becoming better at solving problems. That's
a key issue in my advice to you, Aries. You're in a phase that's favorable
for upgrading your intelligence--by which I mean improving your problem-
solving skills, not accumulating more facts.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): This is a time when you must put one concern
above all others: being true to yourself. Don't you dare elevate other
people's needs above your own. Don't you dare let their guilt trips
manipulate you into watering down your interesting quirks. You have
simply got to devote yourself exuberantly to your idiosyncratic dreams.
You owe it to yourself to learn all you can about your innermost secrets
and ripening mysteries. You need to be ingeniously obsessed with serving
your deepest, wildest, most noble longings.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): "It is not possible to get the blessing without
the madness," wrote Norman O. Brown in his book *Apocalypse and/or
Metamorphosis.* "It is not possible to get the illuminations without the
derangement." His words ring true for you right now, Gemini. Lately
you've been pursuing (and getting pursued by) wickedly twisted yet
fertile opportunities, and now you're near the climax of the madness and
derangement. Next stop: blessings and illuminations.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): According to the Bible, Jehovah gave Adam
the job of bestowing names on everything. But in Ursula Le Guin's story
"She Unnames Them," Eve decides to reverse her mate's work. She
yearns to return to a primordial state when the misunderstandings caused
by words no longer stand between her and the rest of creation. So she
unnames all the animals, from the sea otters to the bees. When she's
done, she marvels on how they feel "far closer than when their names had
stood between myself and them like a clear barrier." Take your inspiration
from Eve, Cancerian. Bypass the ideas and language you use to cage your
raw experience, and instead commune with the primal essence of
everything.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Even if you're in your twenties or thirties or
forties now, someday you'll be an elder. At that time you will be in a
position to guide and inspire younger people with the wisdom you've
gathered. Obsessions that motivated you at an earlier age will have
become irrelevant to you. You will have learned to move with relative
grace in and out of periods of darkness and uncertainty. You'll be less
inclined to look back toward your own personal childhood and more
oriented toward the future of your immortal soul, of your family, and of
the human race. In the coming days, you have an excellent opportunity to
tune in to the elder you will ultimately become. The veils between now
and then are lifting. You have the power to prophesy your own evolution.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): When lightning strikes a human being, it's
usually bad news. Not so in the case of a man from Maine named John
Corson. After experiencing a whitish-blue bolt shoot through his body
during a thunderstorm, he testified that his health became better than it
had been in a long time. "I feel lighter and 100 years younger," he
marveled. I predict a comparable (though less shocking) rejuvenation for
you, Virgo. What you're going through or about to go through might
cause a breakdown in some people, but for you it will lead to a
breakthrough.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): "Dear Rob: In my dream last night, it was my
wedding day and I was flying like a superhero over hills made of millions of
jewels and jelly beans. My superhero sweetie was soaring alongside me,
and we were headed toward an ocean-side amusement park with a
futuristic theme. Unfortunately, we overshot our landing and ended up
plunging into the sea. Fortunately, we could breathe underwater just fine.
We swam down to a superhero convention that was taking place in a
museum on the ocean floor. When we arrived, we were given a wedding
cake shaped like a giant key. What does my dream mean? -Mind-Boggled
Libra." Dear Boggled: Like many members of the Libran tribe, you're
currently enjoying tremendous opportunities to blend adventure and
intimacy. Your dream reflects how wide open your imagination is to the
possibilities.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): "We should take astrology seriously," says
zoologist Richard Dawkins. "No, I don't mean we should believe in it. I am
talking about fighting it seriously instead of humoring it as harmless fun."
In his view, astrology is a bogus discipline that fosters superstition and
undermines clear thinking. Opposing Dawkins' perspective was that of
seminal psychologist Carl Jung, one of the 20th century's greatest
thinkers. "Astrology represents the summation of all the psychological
knowledge of antiquity," he wrote. He routinely used astrological birth
charts to help understand his psychotherapy patients. Dawkins and Jung
can't both be right, can they? I suggest you entertain the possibility that
they are, Scorpio. In fact, try this dual approach with every major idea you
care about. Experiment with what happens when you assume that both
sides of every story have a piece of the truth.
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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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SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Did you know there are about 200 mass
protests in China every day? The Chinese people's enthusiasm for
righteous complaining puts the rest of us to shame. How could we have
become so passive in the face of all the crazy injustices that are going on
in the world? I exhort you Sagittarians to rouse us out of our collective
apathy. According to my reading of the astrological omens, you're
currently the astrological sign with the most potential to unleash
constructive criticism.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): An old African proverb says that cattle are
wealth, and there are no cattle without dung. This idea is applicable to
you right now. The source of your greatest riches has produced some
waste matter that needs to be cleaned up. Ironically, if you act
expeditiously, the waste matter could be turned into more riches. Take a
hint from the Masai people, who use cattle dung as plaster in building
their homes. The scent helps repel lions, who dislike it, from venturing too
close.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Albert Lexie has shined shoes at
Pittsburgh's Children's Hospital since 1982. From the beginning, he has
taken portions of his meager earnings and contributed them to a fund for
sick kids who are poor. Recently his donations topped the $100,000
mark. He's your role model, Aquarius. The astrological omens reveal you
will have everything going for you if you choose this time to launch a
long, slow ascent toward a goal that may now seem improbable.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Excessive consumption of junk food has
contributed to rising obesity levels in humans. Now wildlife experts report
that bears are suffering a similar fate. The animals are so fond of the
greasy, sugary scraps they scrounge at campsites and dumpsters that
many are getting fat. The weight gain has had a surprising side effect:
Many female bears are giving birth to three cubs at a time instead of one
or two. You can draw metaphorical guidance from this vignette as you
meditate on your own life, Pisces. Is there an instinctual part of you that
has become overly fond of artificial sustenance and clever but worthless
confections? If so, has this caused changes in your creative expression?
I'm not accusing, just asking. In any case, it's high time to give the wild
woman or wild man within you some gourmet soul food.
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HOMEWORK:
Talk about the things you'd do if you lived for a week without consuming
any TV, videos, websites, radio, films, newspapers, or magazines. 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.yoursouljourney.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
2006 Rob Brezsny
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