Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter http://ezezine.com
Rob Brezsny's Free Will Astrology Newsletter
March 15, 2007
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
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"The only war that matters is the war against the imagination.
All other wars are subsumed by it."
--Diane DiPrima, "Rant," from *Pieces of a Song*
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
ROB PERFORMS "SACRED UPROAR" IN SAN FRANCISCO
Wednesday, March 28
The Marsh
1062 Valencia Street (near 22nd Street)
8 pm
To buy tickets, go here: http://tinyurl.com/ys68zb
More info about The Marsh is here: http://themarsh.org
For a review of one of my New York performances of "Sacred Uproar," go
here:
http://tinyurl.com/2mrfuo
I'll also be giving away five free books on March 28. To be eligible, look for
the secret word I'll be providing in this week's newsletter, as well as last
week's and the next two weeks' newsletters. This week's secret word:
gossamer.
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THE ORIGINS OF THE SACRED UPROAR
In 2000, I did performances in 23 cities to support the publication of my
book *The Televisionary Oracle.* About five minutes after I got home, I
started working on my next book, *PRONOIA Is the Antidote for Paranoia.*
Or rather *PRONOIA* began working on me. I took dictation while the
book told me exactly what it wanted to be and how it wanted to get
created.
Sometimes I wasn't smart enough to catch on to the growing book's style
and message, and so it had to encourage me to ripen. Often that meant I
was compelled to go out and have experiences in my actual life that
changed me in such a way that I wised up to what the book already knew.
It was for the sake of becoming a better servant of *PRONOIA,* for
instance, that I had to fall in love with the wrong woman and lose
$20,000 on a bad investment. The lessons I was taught thereby made me
far more intelligent, or at least far less stupid, about pronoia.
One of the most insistent demands the book made was that I NOT
barricade myself in my hermit's cell and indulge in 16-hour-a-day writing
marathons for weeks at a time. (A path I've been prone to pursue during
past writing projects.) Instead, the book wanted me to develop and
perform this thing called "Sacred Uproar," a show built around its
obsessions. I obeyed.
And so I found myself at the Burning Man festival in 2001, launching a lab
experiment in living pronoia way the hell out in a desert wasteland
crammed with 26,000 Dionysian revelers. Over the course of a week, I did
four sprawling two-hour mutations of Sacred Uproar for half-naked
audiences under dusty big-top circus tents.
The fifth and culminating event I did was a ritual at the Plastic Chapel, a
two-story-high place of crazy worship cobbled together from crayon-
colored pieces of plastic that had been salvaged from dumps and
junkyards all over Nevada. There, in a benevolent inversion of the bizarre
mass marriages conducted by cult leader Sun Myung Moon, I sanctified
the conjugal union of every audience member to himself or herself: a
mass SELF-WEDDING.
The text of that marriage ceremony eventually became a piece in the
book, as did a description of my own extended rite of passage there at
Burning Man.
In the ensuing years, the book fed the show and the show fed the book.
The times of hermetic retreat inspired the phases of intimate communion
with the audience, and vice versa. I did multiple shows at the Health and
Harmony Festival, the Cosmic Convent, and Burning Man, meeting and
greeting the beautiful, cracked, intriguing people whose bright influences I
would take back with me as my co-creators into the solo silence.
*PRONOIA,* the book, was born in the summer of 2005. Since then I've
performed "Sacred Uproar" at festivals, bookstores, courtyards,
laundromats, salons, punk nightclubs, and the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors.
March 28 will be the first time "Sacred Uproar" has had the honor of
unfolding in an actual theater. Thank you to The Marsh!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
My book
"PRONOIA IS THE ANTIDOTE FOR PARANOIA:
How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings"
is available for sale at http://tinyurl.com/qaj62
or find out more at http://www.freewillastrology.com
To read news and features from the book, go here:
http://tinyurl.com/2uhvjl
Here's an excerpt from the book:
THE UNIVERSE IS MADE OF STORIES
The poet Muriel Rukeyser said the universe is composed of stories, not of
atoms. The physicist Werner Heisenberg declared that the universe is
made of music, not of matter.
And we believe that if you habitually expose yourself to toxic stories and
music, you could wind up living in the wrong universe, where it's
impossible to become the gorgeous genius you were born to be.
That's why we implore you to nourish yourself with delicious, nutritious
tales and tunes that inspire you to exercise your willpower for your
highest good.
*
How did it come to be that what we call the news is reported solely by
journalists? There are so many other kinds of events besides the narrow
band favored by that highly specialized brand of storytellers. Indeed,
there are many phenomena that can literally not even
be perceived by journalists. Their training, their temperament, and their
ambitions make vast areas of human experience invisible to them.
"Ninety-six percent of the cosmos puzzles astronomers." I loved reading
that headline on the CNN website. It showed that our culture's
equivalents of high priests, the scientists, are humble enough to
acknowledge that the universe is made mostly of stuff they can't even
detect, let alone study.
If only the journalists were equally modest. Since they're not, we'll say it:
The majority of everything that happens on this planet is invisible to
them.
*
The Beauty and Truth Laboratory is gathering a network of seers to
report the news that journalists miss and ignore. We're tempted to call
them "spies," since they've got to be on the lookout for what has
become secret. They don't necessarily have to be covert in their
operations, but they do have to be attentive to stories unfolding below
the media threshold. Maybe it's better if we don't give them a title yet.
That way we won't limit the kinds of people who can serve in this role.
*
In the early years of Christianity, there were hundreds of books
interpreting the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. But by 325 A.D., a
group backed by the political and military might of the Roman Empire had
determined which few of the stories about Christ would thereafter be
considered the canonical New Testament, and which would be regarded as
heretical bilge. No better evidence exists for the saying, "History is a tale
told by the victors." Keep this in mind as you strategize your way through
your personal War of the Stories. Your account of events may have more
truth in it than everyone else's conflicting tales, but that won't carry
much weight unless you obtain the power to enforce your version.
*
Novelist Ursula K. Le Guin decries the linear perspective that dominates
modern storytelling. She says it's "like an arrow, starting here and going
straight there and THOK! hitting its mark." Furthermore, she complains,
plots are usually advanced through conflict, as if interesting action can't
possibly arise from any other catalyst.
I invite you to rebel against these oppressive conventions. Wean yourself
from stories that have a reductive plot line fueled primarily by painful
events. More importantly, celebrate the luminous mysteries that have
shaped your life story: the meandering fascinations that didn't lead to
tidy conclusions, the wobbly joys that fed your soul but didn't do a thing
to serve your ego's ambitions, the adventures whose success revolved
around brain-teasing breakthroughs instead of exhausting triumphs over
suffering.
*
"It is difficult
to get the news from poems
yet men die miserably every day
for lack
of what is found there."
--William Carlos Williams, from "Asphodel, That Greeny Flower"
*
In *The White Goddess: A Historical Grammar of Poetic Myth,* Robert
Graves tells us that "In ancient Ireland, the ollave, or master-poet, sat
next to the king and was privileged, as none but the queen was, to wear
six different colors in his clothes." The ollave, he adds, was also a judge
and seer, and tutored the king in morality.
In contrast, our culture relegates poets to the margins of every debate.
After September 2001, for example, only Maya Angelou, in an ephemeral
appearance on ABC-TV's Nightline, and Robert Pinsky on The MacNeil
News Hour, managed to crack the procession of pundits, politicians, and
lawyers that dominated the airwaves and shaped our experience of what
had happened.
During the same period, leftist radio stations KPFA, WBAI, KPFK, KPFT,
and KBOO, which define themselves as alternatives to the corporate news
media, also offered newscasts monopolized by political analysis. It was
rare to hear commentary from anyone who specialized in psychological,
spiritual, or imaginal modes of perception.
If we of the rabble-rouser persuasion don't champion the ollave, how can
we expect the culture of the living dead to do so?
*
"The world is composed of rival gangs of hypnotists, each competing for
your entranced attention." --graffiti on the wall of a public restroom at
Northgate Mall, San Rafael, California
*
"The news flies down its beam of dusted light." --Osip Mandelstam
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
OTHER PRONOIA RESOURCES:
FLOWER GOSSIP
The Human Flower Project
http://www.humanflowerproject.com/
"A discussion of how people live through flowers"
NEW SCIENCE
"Radical Science: Did Angels Create the Universe?"
http://tinyurl.com/2nhonn
DISSIDENT BLISS
*A Thousand Names for Joy: Living in Harmony with the Way Things Are*
by Byron Katie and Stephen Mitchell
http://tinyurl.com/3y56lk
Please tell me your own personal nominations for PRONOIA RESOURCES.
**********************************************
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Week beginning March 15
Copyright 2007 by Rob Brezsny
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Here you come dragging your exhausted but
redeemed ass out of the deep dark forest of symbols. The red-eyed
monkey demons fall off your back as you straggle toward the light. Your
sunken eyes see wonders they were blind to before your ordeal. Your
heart rages with a wild angelic love you've never tapped into before. And
as you realize the magnitude of your tough miracle, you feel glimmers of
gratitude for the rude tests you had to endure. Maybe you should get
totally lost in limbo more often.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): On the Internet's Leonard Cohen Forum, Lizzy
says she once thought that making "a joyful noise unto the Lord" was the
highest expression of spiritual praise. Now she feels that *whispering*
one's appreciation for the majesty of creation is just as valid. Diane, going
a step further, suggests that even silence can be a powerful form of
homage--maybe even more so than raucous celebration. My opinion? I
think Diane might be right when it comes to plants and animals, with
which you can achieve easy telepathic communion. But when dealing with
the divine works of art known as human beings, the best way to express
praise is loud and clear. Your assignment in the coming week is to do that
for everyone you care about. More than ever before, you need to
dispense vociferous approval and articulate adoration.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): "Lord, grant that I may always desire more
than I can accomplish," prayed Michelangelo. He exulted in the feeling of
having too much to express. He thrived on the stimulus of his delicious
frustration, and used the inspiring sting of his nagging inadequacy as a
fuel for his boundless creativity. Are you willing to experiment with this
approach, Gemini? Do you have the nerve to love what's imperfect about
your life? Are you brave enough to laugh at the probability that your
yearning will never be completely fulfilled?
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
This weekly newsletter, which includes my written horoscopes and
excerpts from my books, is always free.
Here are the services I provide that cost money:
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 audio horoscopes are also available by phone at 1-877-873-4888 or
1-900-950-7700.
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.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
CANCER (June 21-July 22): What were those square LED devices that
suddenly appeared at random outdoor locations around nine American
urban areas in January? They turned out to be the main ingredients of a
silly promotional campaign for the TV show "Aqua Teen Hunger Force."
The citizens of New York, L. A., Chicago, Atlanta, Seattle, Portland,
Austin, San Francisco, and Philadelphia took the prank in stride, but
Boston officials saw it as a terrorist threat. Is it any coincidence that this
horoscope column, Free Will Astrology, has long appeared in newspapers
published in all the above cities *except* Boston? I think not. It's evidence
that the advice contained herein raises intelligence levels and helps users
know the difference between real and imagined threats. So maybe you'll
believe me when I tell you, Cancerian, that the only threat you face right
now is from the part of you that thinks a certain imagined threat is real.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Here are the blessings I wish for you in the coming
week: (1) not a sudden evacuation from a pitch-dark tunnel into a blinding
light, but rather a gradual transition from the frigid blackness to cool
grayness to warm brightness; (2) not an eruption out of a claustrophobic
squeeze into the middle of nowhere, but rather a natural evolution from
an interesting limitation to an expansive possibility; (3) not a stressful
rocket launch from the bottomless abyss to a scary peak, but rather an
exhilarating joyride from the lower depths to the ringing heights.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): High-level financial officials from the U.S.
government recently visited their Chinese counterparts, scolding them for
having a booming economy and strong currency that's threatening the
American economy. Here's what Alan Abelson wrote about the meeting in
*Barron's.* "There's something hilarious about the world's biggest debtor,
whose currency is sagging, lecturing a country that runs a humongous
trade surplus and boasts a cool trillion in foreign reserves." You may soon
get metaphorically similar pressure, Virgo. People with a fraction of your
savvy and resources may try to manipulate you into serving their aims.
Politely ignore their pressure. This is a time when you should be enjoying
your hard-earned goodies with pure relish, not worrying about them or
defending them or trying to adjust them to fit anyone else's
specifications.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Activists in the Pacific Northwest have
sometimes resorted to extreme measures in their efforts to end the clear-
cutting of old-growth forests. Among the most creative has been a
woman named Dona Nieto, also known as La Tigresa. She has on occasion
planted herself half-naked in front of marauding lumberjacks bearing
chainsaws and bulldozers, stopping them in their tracks with the sight of
her bare breasts and regaling them with her "Goddess-based, nude
Buddhist guerrilla poetry." She's your role model, Libra. Let her inspire
you to be original, experimental, and funny as you fight for a righteous
cause that rouses your zealous idealism. It could be political in nature, as
in La Tigresa's case, or it could be personal, as in lobbying a loved one for
more focus and intensity.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You've entered an Oscar Wilde-type phase. I
urge you to get a sense of how the British author's paradoxical brilliance
worked so you can put yourself in a similar frame of mind. Study the
following Wilde-isms. (1) "I can believe anything provided it is incredible."
(2) "Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative." (3) "If you want
to tell people the truth, make them laugh; otherwise they'll kill you." (4)
"Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess." (5) "Always
forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much." (6) "Nothing can
cure the soul but the senses, just as nothing can cure the senses but the
soul."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
AUDIO LOVE LETTERS
In addition to the horoscopes that you're reading here, I create more in-
depth audio horoscopes for your inspiration. Find out more at
http://RealAstrology.com.
The audio horoscopes are also available by phone at 1-877-873-4888 or
1-900-950-7700.
"You told me the truth when no one else in my life would." -Darren H.,
Minneapolis
"Your wake-up calls keep me from getting stale." -Arris T., Aspen, CO
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Sagittarian philosopher Jonathan Zap
reports that the typical adult has a mood change once every 90 minutes.
According to my reading of the omens, you've been below that average
for the past few weeks, lumbering along at only a few emotional shifts per
day. But that will soon be history, as your hormones conspire with cosmic
rhythms to send you spiraling upwards to the levels usually experienced
only by people in the 13-18 age range: one mutation every 20 minutes or
so. Don't worry. It won't last forever. And it could even be great fun if
you love, respect, and celebrate your inner teenager.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): "It's more fun to be the painter than the
paint," mused actor George Clooney in *Esquire* magazine. Usually I
agree. I much prefer to be a creator who shapes raw material into a
beautiful artifact than the raw material itself. But for the next couple of
weeks, Capricorn, I'm recommending the opposite tack for you. I think
you'll have more fun being the paint than the painter.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): It's not completely dumb to sell your soul to
the highest bidder for a while. And it's an all-right time to entertain iffy
prospects for increasing your cash flow or to work hard to make your
boss rich (as long as you get a percentage). But just because it's an OK
time to do these things doesn't mean you *should* do them. Consider
this: It's an even more favorable time for you to temporarily *rent* your
good ideas to the highest bidder, to strike a deal with proven
powerhouses that you *know* can increase your earnings, and to work
your ass off in behalf of your *own* dreams.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): "The fastest way to succeed is to look as if
you're playing by other people's rules," says novelist Michael Korda,
"while quietly playing by your own." That strategy works for many of the
happiest people I know. It ain't easy, though. You've got to figure out
how to be honest and genuine even though you're constantly performing;
you've got to make your life a work of art that continually allows you to
reinvent your innocent enjoyment of the game you're playing. You
Pisceans are probably better suited for this cagey approach than any
other sign. And it's currently a favorable time to get the hang of pulling it
off.
*************************************************
HOMEWORK: Name your greatest unnecessary taboo and how you would
violate it if it didn't hurt anyone. Testify by going to
http://RealAstrology.com and clicking on "Email Rob."
*********************************************
WANT TO GET YOUR CHART DONE?
I'm not doing personal charts these days, but I highly recommend my
favorite astrological colleague, RO LOUGHRAN. Her approach closely
matches my own. In our many discussions about astrology over the years,
we've had a major influence on each other's work.
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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Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2007 Rob Brezsny
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