Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter http://ezezine.com
Rob Brezsny's Free Will Astrology Newsletter
"In teaching my students, I try to figure out what questions I can ask that
have no right answer. I seek to frame paradoxes, to force students to
develop original thought." -Meg Gorman, Waldorf teacher
July 12, 2006
http://www.freewillastrology.com
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
ROB'S UPCOMING PERFORMANCES
KUOW: Interview on the radio
Public Radio
94.9 FM
Seattle
Wednesday, July 12
2:30
http://www.kuow.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
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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
+
YOUR BRAND NEW NAME
In some spiritual traditions, devotees attempt an arduous process of self-
transformation as they retrain themselves to perceive the world from
God's point of view. If they succeed, they're honored with an initiation
ritual and given a new name to consecrate their altered state.
I have the same problem with this custom that I have with the idea of
enlightenment: Once isn't enough. Just as anyone in his or her right
spiritual mind has a duty to keep claiming fresh varieties of enlightenment
until the end of time, so should the initiations and renamings continue
forever.
In my opinion, these considerations apply to you. You may not have
sequestered yourself for years in a mountaintop monastery, and you may
not have risen every morning at 5 a.m. to say prayers for hours, but you
are an authentic devotee who has undergone equivalent ordeals. Your
spiritual transformation has unfolded as you've dealt with the challenges
of daily life during our epic moment in history, when unprecedented levels
of annihilation and resurrection are the norm.
You have earned the right, therefore, to enjoy enlightenment after
enlightenment and initiation after initiation and renaming after renaming.
I invite you to get started with a do-it-yourself initiation ceremony. It
doesn't have to be long and complicated, and you can create it yourself.
As an example of what you might do, here's a ritual that some Beauty and
Truth Laboratory's initiates have performed: 1. Eat a pinch of dirt to
declare your solidarity with Mother Earth. 2. Burn a five-dollar bill to purify
your relationship with symbols of wealth. 3. Kick yourself in the ass to
affirm your ongoing intention to discipline your shadow.
As one of your initiatory rewards, consider adopting a fresh alias during
this and every initiation you carry out in the future. You can abandon your
existing name if you want, or simply add your new tag to the current mix.
To celebrate the occasion, I invoke on your behalf the inspiration of all
shedding things. Your tree of power will be the eucalyptus, whose bark
peels away to reveal fresh layers beneath. Your lucky symbol will be the
molting snake. Your sacred insect will be the silverfish, which bursts
through its exoskeleton as it grows a new and bigger one. Your role model
will be Japanese artist Hokusai (1760–1849), who had such a passionate
commitment to reinventing himself that he celebrated 60 births, each
time giving himself a new name.
Below is a list of titles and names you might want to steal for your own
use. Feel free to dream up your own, of course.
Wild Face
Shadow Wrestler
Kiss Genius
Goal Thwacker
Boink Worthy
Fizzy Nectar
Rumbler
Thrill Witch
Rowdy Gusto
Bliss Mutator
Silky Banger
Phoenix Nectar
Mucho Gusto Coco Loco
Mango Sucker
Pain Killer
Fire Keeper
Wobble Binder
Earthshaker
Wish Crayon
Pearly Thunder
Thumper
Gut Stormer
Storm Tamer
Free Sigh
++++++++++++++++++++++++
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
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
OTHER PRONOIA RESOURCES:
BOOK
*The Twilight of the Clockwork God: Conversations on Science and
Spirituality at the End of an Age* by John David Ebert
http://snipurl.com/skdk
SCULPTURE
Boxes by Joseph Cornell
http://snipurl.com/jto2
CARTOONS
"Krazy Kat" by George Herriman
"Sublime, inventive, endlessly rich and unparalleled in comic art."
-Daniel Aloi
http://www.krazy.com/coconino.htm
(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.
**********************************************
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Week beginning July 13
Copyright 2006 by Rob Brezsny
http://www.freewillastrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Yawning often occurs during the time we're
transitioning from a passive state to a more active one, like when we're
waking up in the morning or when we've decided to stop watching TV,
get up off the couch, and head out for a jog. Psychology professor Robert
Provine, an expert on the subject, says that concert pianists and Olympic
athletes typically yawn as they gear up for their moments in the limelight.
Judging from these facts, Aries, I imagine you'll soon be indulging in more
yawns than usual. You're about to go from a phase of relative inertness to
one of mind-jiggling adventure.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Surveys show that two out of every ten
people have bought stuff they found out about through e-mail spam.
While you're no doubt too sophisticated to be among that number, you
might want to open your mind a bit to the possibility. That's because the
astrological omens suggest you may soon receive useful information and
out-of-the-blue inspiration from sources you've ignored in the past--even
chattering gossipers and questionable teachers and TV news shows. Don't
be too sure you already know where your juiciest clues will be coming
from.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Florida's Pensacola Christian College has a
strict code of conduct that regulates the interaction of male and female
students. One of the forbidden acts is "optical intercourse," also known
as "making eye babies." This occurs when two people gaze into each
other's eyes too long and too deeply. Luckily, you don't attend Pensacola
Christian College, and will thus face no prohibitions if you choose to carry
out my astrological advice: Make eye babies in abundance during the
coming week. This is the best time in eons for you to build soul-to-soul
intimacy with those who've earned your exuberant trust. P.S. If you don't
have a lover with whom you want to make eye babies, do it with a good
friend, with a favorite animal, or with yourself in a mirror.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): A literature professor told me an amazing
fact: Many of Emily Dickinson's poems can be sung to the tune of the
traditional folk song "The Yellow Rose of Texas." (Try it with the poem
that begins "The soul should always stand ajar," which you can read at
http://snipurl.com/sjrh. To hear the music, go here:
http://snipurl.com/sjla.) I like this unexpected resonance between high
art and rustic style, between subtleness of mind and earthy feelings,
between elite ideas and populist execution. Furthermore, I recommend
that you yourself try similar blends in the coming week.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): "Nature loves courage," said visionary philosopher
Terence McKenna. "It shows you it loves courage because it will respond
to your brave commitment by removing impossible obstacles." While I
believe this is always true, Leo, it's especially apropos for you right now.
You've fallen short of your potential because you have not yet summoned
more than a fraction of the boldness that lies within you. But this is a
turning point when you finally have what it takes to tap into your dormant
reserves. I hope you rise to the occasion, and so does nature.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): "What this country needs is a good five-cent
reverie," philanthropist Paul Mellon once said. I completely agree. There
are more than enough dreams that tempt us to spend a fortune . . .
fantasies that cost a hundred million dollars to make . . . expensive head
trips that distract us from enjoying the simple things in life. The
astrological omens suggest that you keep this theme uppermost in your
mind, Virgo. Focus on a marvelous reverie that will set you free for free.
Daydream about a pearl of great price that you can have for a song.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): *Mother Jones* magazine reports that the
widow of Black Panther founder Huey Newton is trademarking his slogan
"Burn, baby, burn" for use in marketing her new barbecue sauce.
Meanwhile, the insurance company AFLAC has trademarked the quacking
of the duck in its TV commercial, MGM has trademarked the roaring of its
lion, and Pillsbury has trademarked the giggling of the Pillsbury Doughboy.
Do you have a signature phrase, gesture, noise, trick, service, or product,
Libra? This would be an excellent time for you to shelter it with a
trademark, patent, copyright or other kind of protection.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
MID-YEAR PREVIEW OF YOUR DESTINY
In addition to hearing my fresh batch of Expanded Audio Horoscopes for
the coming week, you can listen to my long-term look at your destiny for
the coming four and a half months.
For Web access:
1. Go to http://snipurl.com/krjm
2. Click on your sign
3. If you want to hear this week's Expanded Audio Horoscope, click on the
link that says:
"Hear This Week's Horoscope (07/11/2006 - 07/17/2006)"
4. Or if you want to hear your long-term forecast for the period between
now and December 1, click on the link that says:
"3 Weeks Ago (06/20/2006 - 06/26/2006)"
The Expanded Audio horoscopes cost $6 apiece if you access them on
the Web via RealAudio. Discounts are available for multiple purchases.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In his book *Cosmos and Psyche,* Richard
Tarnas says the planets don't emit invisible forces that shape our
destinies as if we were puppets. Rather, they are signals of the unfolding
evolutionary pattern. Just as clocks tell time but don't create it, the
heavenly bodies show us the big picture but don't cause it. Quoting
ancient Greek philosopher Plotinus, Tarnas writes "the stars are like
letters that inscribe themselves at every moment in the sky. Everything in
the world is full of signs. All events are coordinated. All things depend on
each other. Everything breathes together." Can you work yourself into a
state in which you perceive this sublime interconnectedness, Scorpio? You
desperately need to. If you can, you won't have to be an astrologer to
catch profound glimpses of the overarching purpose and meaning of your
life. Everything in the world, not just the planets' positions, will be full of
signs for you to read.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): As I take my daily bike ride into the hills,
I pass a place where a beer-truck driver named Elijah lives. It's a trailer
with old tires and rusty tools littering the driveway. Today there was a
new addition: a 1975 Chevy El Camino, a vehicle that's like a car up front
and a pick-up truck in back. It had a bumper sticker that read "Theresa
and Johnny's Comfort Food -- Live Free or Die." The whole scene
reminded me of the message I want to convey to you, Sagittarius. First, I
believe you should bring into your sphere a fresh old thing that's an
amalgam of two different categories, akin to Elijah acquiring a brand new
31-year-old vehicle that's half-car and half-truck. Second, I think you
should make sure you feel extremely secure--stocking up on the
equivalent of "comfort food"--as you initiate a major push for liberation.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You: difficult to push around, more hungry
for intimacy than you let on, smarter than 85 percent of the people you
know. Me: provider of friendly shocks, fond of playing a didgeridoo in the
rain at dusk and dawn, outrageously tolerant of other people's
eccentricities. So is there any hope of a relationship between us? Well of
course there is. We're having a relationship right now, aren't we? Maybe
it's not the exact kind of connection you'd like to have with me, but
you've got to admit there's value in it. Now please apply that lesson to
your thinking about all your close alliances: Love them for what they are,
and don't criticize them for what they're not.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In one of his poems, the late, great Charles
Olson praised "lovers of the difficult." He didn't mean that in some
sadomasochistic sense; he wasn't cheering on people who perversely
enjoy suffering. Rather, he meant to express his admiration for those
whose lust for life drives them to seek answers to the knottiest
questions. He was recommending that we wrestle with intractable
problems whose solutions unleash blessings on the world. In the coming
week, Aquarius, I encourage you to be one of these lovers of the difficult.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): The dance called the waltz is regarded as
schmaltzy, but it was originally the punk music of its era. After its first
appearance in England in 1816, an editorial in *The Times* called it
obscene, a dance worthy only of prostitutes, because of its "voluptuous
intertwining of the limbs and close compressure on the bodies." Religious
authorities in Europe thought it was vulgar and sinful. My prediction is
that you're currently entertaining a new trend that will have a history not
unlike that of the waltz. It may cause a ruckus in the beginning, but will
eventually become the pinnacle of normalcy.
**********************************************
HOMEWORK:
Even if you don't send it, write a letter to the person you admire most.
Share it with me by going to http://www.freewillastrology.com and
clicking on "Email Rob."
*********************************************
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,
televisionary@comcast.net, to your address book or spam filter
"whitelist" so that my newsletter won't be treated as spam and filtered
out. Or tell your company's IT group to allow this address to pass through
any filtering software they may have set up.
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.
*********************************************
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
********************************************