Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter http://ezezine.com
Rob Brezsny's Free Will Astrology Newsletter
May 2, 2007
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
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"Belief is the death of intelligence."
-Robert Anton Wilson
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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
To read news and features from the book, go here:
http://tinyurl.com/2uhvjl
Now here's an excerpt from
PRONOIA IS THE ANTIDOTE FOR PARANOIA:
WHAT IS THE BEAUTY AND TRUTH LABORATORY?
The Beauty and Truth Laboratory is an ever-expanding web of think tanks
and mystery schools devoted to exploring pronoia. Since I launched the
prototype in October 2001, 12 other branches have sprung up in
basements, barns, and bedrooms all over the world: eight in North
America and others in Amsterdam, London, Florence, Italy, and Sydney,
Australia.
All of these, including my own in Marin County, California, are similar in
spirit to pirate radio stations. They're not registered, incorporated, or
licensed, and Goddess forbid that they should ever become the canonical
hubs of a franchise.
That doesn't mean I eschew power, authority, and wealth. My own branch
of the Beauty and Truth Laboratory is stationed in a garage next to the
house I rent on the seedy outskirts of suburbia, but I'd have no problem
moving to a more expansive location, like say, a conference center on a
100-acre compound in an idyllic place that the original inhabitants of this
continent regarded as a power spot. And I'd love it if this book sold a
million copies, or if Beauty and Truth Laboratories were as common as 7-
Elevens in 10 years.
On the other hand, I'm happy with whatever blessings life conspires to
bring me. If it's to my and your ultimate benefit that this book reaches no
more than 10,000 wise guys and riot grrrls, I will celebrate that outcome.
And my garage-based laboratory is fine just the way it is, with its sloping
floor and row of tiny windows darkened by the exuberant persimmon tree
outside. The modesty of its structure is a constant reminder that the
most important aspect of my work is building the Beauty and Truth
Laboratory within me. As I prod my imagination to nurture ever-more
detailed visions of love, compassion, joy, freedom, beauty, and truth, I'm
better able to spot and name all those good things in the world around
me. I also become more skilled at creating them.
My humble headquarters brings another advantage. It encourages me to
regard everywhere I go as a potential extension of the Beauty and Truth
Laboratory. My experiments aren't confined to the hours I spend in the
solitude of my ivory tower, but also spill out into the fertile chaos of daily
life.
On one epiphanic occasion, an eight-lane highway at rush hour turned into
a temporary Beauty and Truth Laboratory. It was just a few days after my
return from the Burning Man festival, where the dream of the Laboratory
had hatched. I was driving on 101, the artery that bisects Marin County
just north of San Francisco.
As I cruised at 65 mph between Larkspur and Corte Madera, a blonde in a
Jaguar convertible with the top down passed me on the right. Perhaps
distracted by the chat she was enjoying on her cell phone, she suddenly
zipped in front of me. After hitting my brakes to avoid rear-ending her, I
honked my horn to express my annoyance.
In response, she careened back over to the lane she'd been in before
cutting me off, then slowed down and waited for me to catch up. I
avoided eye contact at first, but finally looked over. Quaking with
agitation, she was flashing me a middle-finger salute and a mad face as
fierce as a Tibetan demon. Her car was veering closer to mine. I wondered
if she might she actually crash into me on purpose . . . .
. . . To read the rest of
"WHAT IS THE BEAUTY AND TRUTH LABORATORY?"
go here:
http://tinyurl.com/24ckbr
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To read other news and features from my book, go here:
http://tinyurl.com/lhwx2
You can buy the book here:
AMAZON
http://tinyurl.com/qaj62
POWELLS
http://tinyurl.com/3dsx6q
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OTHER PRONOIA RESOURCES:
BOOK
*Blessed Unrest, How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being
and Why No One Saw It Coming* by Paul Hawken
"Hawken describes a convergence of the environmental and social justice
movements as the largest social movement in history, and the fastest
growing movement, comprising over 1 million organizations in every
country in the world."
MUSIC
*Glorious Peasant* by Keith Greeninger
http://tinyurl.com/2bnwrd
BETTER QUESTIONS
How to Use Everyday Ingenuity to Solve Problems Big and Small
http://www.whynot.net/
(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 3
Copyright 2007 by Rob Brezsny
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
ARIES (March 21-April 19): To manufacture one penny, the U.S. Treasury
spends 1.4 cents. To process petroleum for use in operating a car, the oil
industry expends 20 percent more energy than the gasoline yields. These
are the kinds of situations you've urgently got to avoid in the coming
week, Aries. You need to get substantially more out of any project than
what you put into it. So choose your fuel wisely. Be resourceful in your
push for greater efficiency.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The outsourcing of fortune-telling is well
underway. Psychics and astrologers from India have been showering me
with email invitations to take advantage of their services. "By the grace
of the towering flames of goodness that burn the roof of our temple,"
said one, "we have pledged to slave away our lives to cause the happy
encroachment of bubbling karma on your masterful head. We will coax and
guide the effects of various planets on the living accidents of your health
so as to ease your slippery ride." I suspect you'll soon get puzzling offers
of help like this, Taurus. You may even be given gifts you can barely make
sense of and receive blessings that seem irrelevant or unlike anything you
imagined you needed. My advice: Don't ignore them. They will ultimately
turn out to be quite useful.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): If I were you, I'd pursue other adventures
besides hanging from a cliff by my fingernails and sweating bullets. But if
that kind of thing really gets you off and teaches you the lessons you
think you need, I'll give you my grudging astrological permission to
continue--providing that you stop no later than May 20. But if you'd
consider trying some less manic and more constructive ways to explore
your heroic urges, I have a few suggestions. You could wrestle the angels
who will only give you their gifts if you fight for them. You could break off
relations with green-eyed monsters and yellow-bellied soul-suckers. Or
you could dive into the abyss and try to retrieve the treasure that got
hurled down into the muck some time back.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): What is the holiest river in the world? Some
might say the Ganges in India. Others would propose the Jordan River or
the River Nile. But in accordance with current astrological omens, I say the
holiest river is the one that's closest to where you are right now. Your
assignment is to go to that river and commune with it. Throw something
valuable into it as an offering, and ask it to teach you how to feel more
reverence and amazement and curiosity for everything in your life. By the
time we meet here next week, I hope you will have walked on holy streets,
praised holy people, hugged holy trees, kissed holy ground, and even
shopped at holy stores.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In the game of bowling, a score of 300 is called a
perfect game. It used to be rare, but in the last two decades it has
become far more common. The change is due more to technological
advances in balls, pins, and lanes than because of a rise in players'
athleticism. Make this your metaphor of the week, Leo. How might you be
able to upgrade your chances for success by getting better equipment?
How could you get more value out of your existing skills by calling on the
help of machines, props, and tools?
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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
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): "Have you heard of the 'Nine Pregnant
Women' rule?" asks businessman Scott Mills. "It takes nine months to
have a baby--but you can't get the job done in one month with nine
pregnant women. That rule applies to any project: As you think about
managing the time that's available to complete a project, it's critical that
you identify which steps you must complete sequentially." I suggest you
install the Nine Pregnant Women rule at the center of your meditations
right now, Virgo. The time is right for you to gaze at the big picture of
your life from on high, and then formulate a revised set of long-term
plans.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Through a tip from one of my readers, I
discovered that the California State Division of Unclaimed Property was
holding $405.85 for me from a class action lawsuit settled 15 years ago.
The agency had a very old address on file, and didn't know how to get in
touch with me. I contacted them, and am now a bit richer. I predict you
will experience a comparable event in the coming week. It's possible that
like me, you'll gain possession of a resource you didn't even know has
been yours. Or maybe you'll inherit your great-uncle's coin collection or
be reunited with a dream you lost track of. In one way or another, Libra, I
believe the past will give you a gift.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): "The artist is a receptacle for emotions that
come from all over the place," said Pablo Picasso, "from the sky, from the
earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing stranger, from a spider's
web." Now substitute your own name for "the artist" in the above
statement, Scorpio, and you'll have your assignment for the coming week.
In other words, be alert for and open to the feelings flooding toward you
from every direction. Regard the whole world as a giant classroom where
you'll be taking a crash course to upgrade your emotional intelligence.
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This weekly newsletter, which includes my written horoscopes and
excerpts from my books, is always free.
Here are the paid services I provide:
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.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Many of us have a superficial notion of
the nature of healing, writes Peter Kingsley in his book *In the Dark Places
of Wisdom.* We think that "healing is what makes us comfortable and
eases the pain." But the truth is, "what we want to be healed of is often
what will heal us if we can stand the discomfort and the pain." Make this
your central theme for now, Sagittarius. See if you can stave off your
urge for ease as you marinate longer in the aching confusion. "If we really
face our sadness," says Kingsley, "we find it speaks with the voice of our
deepest longing. And if we face it a little longer we find that it teaches us
the way to attain what we long for."
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You're growing almost too fast, Capricorn.
You know almost too much and you're almost too attractive.
Furthermore, you're on the verge of being ridiculously smart, absurdly
popular, and outlandishly creative. To avoid having any of this spawn
jealousy in others, you should probably go overboard in expressing
humility--even if you have to fake it a little. Another step you could take
to minimize any problems people might have with your amazing beauty is
to be extravagantly generous in sharing your wealth.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): The Chinese government has 100,000 spies
checking up on the Internet habits of its 1.3 billion people. Meanwhile, 42
U.S. federal agencies are busy mining the personal data of Americans, and
the Canadian government has bestowed law enforcement officials with
sweeping powers to eavesdrop on its citizens. There is unfortunately next
to nothing you can do about these invasions. You can, however, fight
back effectively against another kind of thought police: the little voices in
your head that love to monitor and judge your activities. It is now an
excellent time to turn down the volume of the loud people from your past
(and present!) whose expectations you have internalized.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Math-whiz Ian Fieggen has determined that
there are 1.96 trillion ways to lace up your shoes. On his website, Ian's
Shoelace Site (tinyurl.com/5gh4p), you can get instructions for 47 of
those methods, as well as 17 different approaches for tying your shoes.
You currently have a capacity for mastering detail that rivals Fieggen's,
Pisces. I just hope you use it to accomplish more useful and ennobling
projects than his. Be a stickler with a higher purpose.
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HOMEWORK: Take one of your favorite fantasies and add two elements
that make it even more thrilling. Tell me about it by going to by going to
http://RealAstrology.com and clicking on "Email Rob."
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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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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
2007 Rob Brezsny
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