Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter http://ezezine.com
Rob Brezsny's Free Will Astrology Newsletter
"Humans cannot come to Truth through any organization, through any
creed, through any dogma, priest, or ritual, not through any philosophic
knowledge or psychological technique. They have to find it through the
understanding of the contents of their own minds, through observation
and not through intellectual analysis or introspective dissection."
-J. Krishnamurti
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November 8, 2006
http://freewillastrology.com
http://realastrology.com
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The first text below is excerpted from my book
"PRONOIA IS THE ANTIDOTE FOR PARANOIA:
How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings"
available at http://tinyurl.com/qaj62
or find out more at http://www.freewillastrology.com
The second and third texts below were cut from PRONOIA at the last
minute.
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SACRED UPROAR
As much as we might be dismayed at the actions of our political leaders,
pronoia says that toppling any particular junta, clique, or elite is irrelevant
unless we overthrow the sour, crippled mass hallucination that is
mistakenly called "reality" -- including the part of that hallucination we
foster in ourselves.
The revolution begins at home. If you overthrow yourself again and again,
you might earn the right to help overthrow the rest of us.
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PALIMPSEST: THE BEAUTY AND TRUTH LAB PLAGIARIZES HAKIM BEY
I laughed appreciatively when I first learned that ancient Hawaiian poets
used to gather together to compose poems by committee. Someone
would suggest a line, and the others would either nix it or refine it. Can
you imagine a similar miracle occurring among the raging artistic egos of
Western culture? Even for us share-and-share-alike Libertarian Socialists
here at the Beauty and Truth Lab, it can sometimes be hard to drop our
attachment to being inviolably special.
As a favor to pronoia, however -- as proof of our devotion to the joy of
undoing our fixations -- we decided to enlist one of our crazy heroes,
Hakim Bey, to commit a collaboration with us. Of course he was too busy
to satisfy our request, so we decided simply to take matters into our own
hands. We lifted one of his published works, stripped it down, and used it
as the skeleton for our own musings. The essay below amounts to an odd
kind of plagiarism, then. Very few of our words are repeats of his, but his
thought process is the underpinning. Think of it as a palimpsest.
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PRONOIAC SORCERY
by Rob Brezsny and the Beauty and Truth Lab under the influence and
inspiration of Hakim Bey
THE UNIVERSE WANTS TO PLAY. Pity the educated cynics who refuse to
enjoy the fun, choosing instead to remain faithful to their numb logical
anguish.
THE UNIVERSE WANTS TO PLAY. Mourn for the humorless devotees who
refuse to join in the raucous unpredictable game so that they might feed
their spiritual greed, pretzeled up motionless on prayer mats with the
torment of grave meditations.
THE UNIVERSE WANTS TO PLAY. Have compassion for the imagination-
dead heroes who cling so tightly to the masks they've forged for
themselves that they're dead to the delight of molting.
PRONOIAC SORCERY is the daily cultivation of playfully altered states of
awareness for the purpose of accomplishing practical miracles.
PRONOIAC SORCERY begins with your hunger for ingenious beauty and
ever-fresh truth. It thrives and ripens as you discover that everything you
behold is bursting with conscious intelligence.
PRONOIAC SORCERY is not about reading auras or divining past lives. It's
not the corrupt shamanism of teachers who soar adeptly through astral
realms but treat the people in their daily lives like crap. Goddess forbid
that PRONOIAC SORCERY might be confused with the dry lust for
supernatural power and a godlike ego offered through the occult magic of
Crowley's Golden Dawn. If it's elitist hocus-pocus you want, go for the
real thing -- political power, the accumulation of financial wealth, or
becoming one of the media mind-controllers.
Your perceptions gradually open under the quiet, steady, friendly shock of
PRONOIAC SORCERY. As they do, they kill off your false will and banish
your artificial self.
Real PRONOIAC SORCERY breaks holes in the consensual hallucination
called "reality," allowing you to escape to your lost home. It
metamorphoses the place where you actually live, right here and now --
wild, messy heaven brought kicking and screaming with delight into this
eternally virgin planet Earth. Here amazement is normal; sudden mutations
-- actual transformations of things you've never before been able to
change -- are possible.
As a pronoiac sorcerer, you prove the taboo truth that all of reality is
inherently designed to bring about our liberation. Best of all, you do it not
only for yourself. The enhanced perceptions you enjoy, the altered states
you craft, are not just for your own use in the silence of your selfish
needs. As a pronoiac sorcerer, you yearn to awaken the gift in other
people, to expand the intoxication through benevolent contagion.
PRONOIAC SORCERY: Let it spread. May it multiply. Unleash it and unmask
it -- not just in exotic once-in-a-blue-moon dreams, but in the throb of the
simple dramas you live from day to day.
Everything in the universe is alive with playful intelligence and wants to
improvise with us.
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Hakim Bey's original version of "The Universe Wants to Play" can be found
here:
http://tinyurl.com/y485hd
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To read other news and features from my book, go here:
http://snipurl.com/l9o3
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:
BOOK
*The Unfolding Self: Varieties of Transformative Experience* by Ralph
Metzner
http://tinyurl.com/swglf
BOOK
*Shadows of the Sacred: Seeing Through Spiritual Illusions*
by Frances Vaughan
http://tinyurl.com/y74tx7
FILM
*Favela Rising*
"An important reminder of how human beings can unite to effect grass-
roots social change." - BBC
http://favelarising.com/
BOOK
*Awakening Intuition* by Frances E. Vaughan
http://tinyurl.com/y68n46
(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 November 9
Copyright 2006 by Rob Brezsny
http://www.freewillastrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
ARIES (March 21-April 19): When George W. Bush replaced Bill Clinton as
U.S. president, Bush's advisor Karl Rove decided to take extraordinary
measures in cleansing the White House of the previous occupants'
energy. Rove was especially obsessed with banishing the "evil spirits" in
Hillary Clinton's office, which is why he summoned three Catholic priests
to perform an exorcism. I urge you to do something equally vivid in order
to purge the lingering vibes of people and things that you know are no
good for you, Aries. Remember, though, that this has nothing to do with
perpetrating revenge or harm. It's all about cleansing and reprogramming
those parts of you that are still emotionally entangled with the bad
influences.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Early in his film career, actor Oliver Hardy
often played the parts of bad guys. But when he joined with Stan Laurel
to collaborate on their series of comedic movies, he became a likable
buffoon. I predict you'll soon be the beneficiary of a comparable
conversion, Taurus. Some troubling or adversarial influence in your life will
become warmer and fuzzier, maybe even downright helpful and amusing.
The psychological term for a conversion this dramatic is enantiodromia. It
refers to the process whereby something changes into its opposite. It
won't be as freakish as it might initially appear. The unexpected
transformation will be the result of an organic process.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): My colleague Ro Loughran
(www.yoursouljourney.com) has an interesting theory about astrology.
She starts with the hypothesis that some version of reincarnation is true.
Then she proposes that in each lifetime, a soul chooses a particular
astrological sign because the qualities of that sign are what the soul
wants to learn about. In other words, being born a Gemini doesn't mean
you're automatically a wizard at being a Gemini. On the contrary, in this
lifetime you've become a Gemini in order to master the art of being one.
You're here to get the hang of what it's like to be smart and versatile and
precise and witty. Your assignment is to keep yourself endlessly
entertained and build a strong center of gravity as you juggle a variety of
activities and ideas and friends. This week is a perfect time to meditate
on how lucky you are to have been given this gift, and to recommit
yourself to using it to the fullest.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): If you're ever in your life going to be hired to
model underwear or get invited by a magazine to expound on your love-
making secrets, it will happen soon. If you ever thought it might be fun to
see what might happen if you tried to hypnotize someone with your
animal magnetism or seduce someone with your telepathic magic, give it
a go now. If you've been waiting for the perfect moment to gather rosary
beads, the Torah, a Buddhist prayer wheel, a five-pointed silver star, and a
statue of the Hindu goddess Shakti, and then unleash a sexy prayer for
your supreme dream in the direction of every deity that might listen, this
would be a good time.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The time is right to send out a big "Hey!" and
"Thank you!" to all the little voices in your head. Start with the still, small
voice that's always ready to provide concise responses to the ingenious
questions you come up with. But please also acknowledge every one of
the other little voices as well--even the crabby, reactive naysayer that's
forever on the lookout for insults to your dignity, however tiny or
unintentional; even the worrywart that wakes you up in the middle of the
night to pester you with doubts and fears. Love all the little voices in your
head, Leo. Celebrate their vitality, their persistence, their attentiveness.
You're lucky to have such a zealous group of advisors, even if all but one
of them are off the mark a lot of the time.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Sometimes, Virgo, you're too damn smart for
your own good. You may describe a problem so brilliantly, for instance,
that you think you've solved it merely by talking about it, and never get
around to actually fixing it. On other occasions your fine mind runs amuck
in an orgy of razor-sharp analysis, cutting things apart in order to
understand them but not putting them back together again. I beg you not
to indulge in these excesses during the coming week. Your intelligence will
be soaring beyond even its usual exceptional levels, and it would be a
shame for you not to capitalize on it momentously.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): "Dear Rob: Most of the Librans I know,
including me, are adept at creating opportunities and generating energy
out of humbling experiences, which they seem to have plenty of. But is it
too much to ask that we might someday come into contact with bright
new possibilities that emerge from empowering experiences? Just
wondering. -Overly Patient Libra." Dear Overly Patient: Funny you should
bring this up. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you're
due to receive an unexpected gift that will prime your ambitions. To
encourage its arrival, I suggest you ask clearly and playfully for a
boisterous inspiration that will fuel your lusty courage.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): "Talent hits a target no one else can hit,"
said German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer. "Genius hits a target no
one else can see." That could and should apply to you, Scorpio, at least
during the month of November. I believe that you have a heightened
ability to access special talents that have been partially dormant up till
now. If you summon the gall to be almost crazily confident, you'll soon be
scoring bull's-eyes on targets that no one else can see, let alone hit.
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My EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES are weekly spoken-word reports on
your destiny. They're three to four minutes long, and are available at
http://realastrology.com. The cost is $6 per reading, or $20 if you buy
four readings, and $60 if you buy 16 readings.
The audio horoscopes are also available by phone at 1-877-873-4888 or
1-900-950-7700 for $1.99 per minute.
My DAILY TEXT MESSAGE HOROSCOPES are short, sweet bursts of
illumination delivered seven days a week to your cell phone or other
mobile device. You can sign up for them at http://realastrology.com. The
cost is $6.99 per week (billed monthly), or $4.99 per week (billed
monthly) if you choose to automatically renew your account.
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SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Your soul's epic journey is in the midst
of a plot twist that's so complicated and beautiful, it would be impossible
to exhaust our discussion about its meaning. But I have to start
somewhere, so here goes. Among the many opportunities you now have,
these are among the most spectacular: (1) the possibility of making your
existing problems more interesting than they've ever been; (2) the
possibility of attracting fresh challenges that are more stimulating and
useful than your same old predictable dilemmas.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Climbing Mt. Everest bored the renowned
mountaineer Alex Lowe, even when he did it solo without any
supplemental oxygen. "Everest held none of the riddles he delighted in
solving on remote walls and unnamed ice smears," wrote *Outside*
magazine. "He preferred places that offered 'serious consequences' and
little in the way of record-book glory." One of Lowe's colleagues added,
"It was astonishing what Alex was able to do. And do alone, without
bragging." Lowe himself once said, "The best climber is the one who has
the most fun." I recommend his attitude for you right now, Capricorn. Go
after the accomplishments that make your heart sing rather than those
that make your ego swell.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In 1945, violinist Yehudi Menuhin and pianist
Benjamin Britten played their music for the recently freed inmates of the
Belsen concentration camp in Germany. I urge you to make them your role
models in the coming week. Give a generous sampling of your finest
talents to those less fortunate than you, or to someone who has just
escaped a harrowing ordeal. Aside from the blessing that will bestow on
the recipient, it will also set in motion beneficial developments in your
own life.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Everyone has about 1,500 dreams a year. Of
those, maybe 1,420 are confusing, indecipherable, and can't be mined for
valuable revelations about the inner workings of your psyche by even the
most skilled dream interpreter. That leaves 80 intensely useful letters to
your conscious self from your deep unconscious. Any one of them could
break you out of self-defeating patterns and transform your life forever.
This week there's an especially high likelihood that your nightly
adventures will be beautiful teachings that are coherent enough to recall.
What do you plan to do about it?
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HOMEWORK:
Which of your dead ancestors would you most like to talk to? Imagine
conversations with them. Describe them by going to by going to
http://www.realastrology.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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Submissions sent to the Free Will Astrology Weekly Newsletter
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Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2006 Rob Brezsny
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