Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter http://ezezine.com
Rob Brezsny's Free Will Astrology Newsletter
May 30, 2007
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
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"We live in a world of theophanies. Holiness comes wrapped in the
ordinary. There are burning bushes all around you. Every tree is full of
angels. Hidden beauty is waiting in every crumb. Life wants to lead you
from crumbs to angels, but this can happen only if you are willing to
unwrap the ordinary by staying with it long enough to harvest its
treasure."
-Macrina Wiederkehr
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ROB'S UPCOMING PERFORMANCES
Harmony Festival
in Santa Rosa, CA
http://www.harmonyfestival.com
I will appear with the Shamanic Cheerleaders, performing parts of my
revival show, the Sacred Uproar.
Sunday, June 10, 4:15-5:15 -- Earthdance Dome
Other speakers at the Harmony Festival include Daniel Pinchbeck,
Amy Goodman, Arianna Huffington, and Rabbi Michael Lerner
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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 the book:
UNABASHED PRONOIA THERAPY, Part One
1. Go to the ugliest or most forlorn place you know—a drugstore parking
lot, the front porch of a crack house, a toxic waste dump, or the place
that symbolizes your secret shame—and build a shrine devoted to beauty,
truth, and love.
Here are some suggestions about what to put in your shrine: a silk scarf; a
smooth rock on which you've inscribed a haiku or joke with a felt-tip pen;
coconut cookies or ginger candy; pumpkin seeds and an origami crane; a
green kite shaped like a dragon; a music CD you love; a photo of your
hero; a votive candle carved with your word of power; a rubber ducky; a
bouquet of fresh beets; a print of Van Gogh's Starry Night.
2. Late at night when there's no traffic, stride down the middle of an
empty road that by day is crawling with cars. Dance, careen, and sing
songs that fill you with pleasurable emotions. Splay your arms
triumphantly as you extemporize prayers in which you make extravagant
demands and promises. Give pet names to the trees you pass, declare
your admiration for the workers who made the road, and celebrate your
sovereignty over a territory that usually belongs to heavy machines and
their operators.
3. Where exactly does happiness come from? That's the riddle posed by
David Meyers and Ed Diener in their article, "The Science of Happiness,"
published in *The Futurist* magazine.
Write your answers to their question. Map out the foundations of your
own science of happiness. Get serious about defining what makes you feel
good. What specific experiences arouse your deepest gratification?
Physical pleasure? Seeking the truth? Being a good person?
Contemplating the meaning of life? Enjoying the fruits of your
accomplishments? Purging pent-up emotion?
4. Have you ever seen the game called "Playing the Dozens?" Participants
compete in the exercise of hurling witty insults at each other. Here are
some examples: "You're so dumb, if you spoke your mind you'd be
speechless." "Your mother is so old, she was a waitress at the Last
Supper." "You're so ugly, you couldn't get laid if you were a brick."
I invite you to rebel against any impulse in you that resonates with the
spirit of "Playing the Dozens." Instead, try a new game, "Paying the
Tributes." Choose worthy targets and ransack your imagination to come
up with smart, true, and amusing praise about them. The best stuff will be
specific to the person you're addressing, not generic, but here are some
prototypes: "You're so far-seeing, you can probably catch a glimpse of
the back of your own head." "You're so ingenious, you could use your
nightmares to get rich and famous." "Your mastery of pronoia is so artful,
you could convince me to love my worst enemy."
5. Salvador Dali once staged a party in which guests were told to come
disguised as characters from their nightmares. Do the reverse. Throw a
bash in which everyone is invited to arrive dressed as a character from
the best dream they remember.
6. "The messiah will come when we don't need him any more," wrote
Franz Kafka. Give your interpretation of his remark . . . .
7. On a big piece of cardboard, make a sign that says, "I love to help; I
need to give; please take some money." Then go out and stand on a
traffic island while wearing your best clothes, and give away money to
passing motorists. Offer a little more to drivers in rusty brown Pinto
station wagons and 1976 El Camino Classics than those in a late-model
Lexus or Jaguar.
8. In response to our culture's ever-rising levels of noise and frenzy, rites
of purification have become more popular. Many people now recognize
the value of taking periodic retreats. Withdrawing from their usual
compulsions, they go on fasts, avoid mass media, practice celibacy, or
even abstain from speaking. While we applaud cleansing ceremonies like
this, we recommend balancing them with periodic outbreaks of an equal
and opposite custom: the Bliss Blitz.
During this celebration, you tune out the numbing banality of the daily
grind. But instead of shrinking into asceticism, you indulge in uninhibited
explorations of joy, release, and expansion. Turning away from the mildly
stimulating distractions you seek out when you're bored or worried, you
become inexhaustibly resourceful as you search for unsurpassable sources
of cathartic pleasure. Try it for a day or a week: the Bliss Blitz.
9. When many people talk about their childhoods, they emphasize the
alienating, traumatic experiences they had. It has become fashionable to
avoid reporting memories of the good times in one's past. This seems
dishonest—a testament to the popularity of cynicism rather than a
reflection of objective truth.
I don't mean to downplay the way your early encounters with pain
demoralized your spirit. But as you reconnoiter the promise of pronoia,
it's crucial for you to extol the gifts you were given in your early years: all
the helpful encounters, kind teachings, and simple acts of grace that
helped you bloom.
In Homer's epic tale, The Odyssey, he described nepenthe, a mythical
drug that induced the forgetfulness of pain and trouble. Modern culture
has turned the myth into reality: There are now many stimuli serving that
purpose.
If Homer were alive today, we wonder if he'd write about a potion that
stirs up memories of delight, serenity, and fulfillment? Imagine that you
have taken such a tonic. Spend an hour or two remembering the glorious
moments from your past.
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To read other news and features from my book, go here:
http://snipurl.com/l9o3
You can buy the book here:
AMAZON
http://tinyurl.com/qaj62
POWELLS
http://tinyurl.com/3dsx6q
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OTHER PRONOIA RESOURCES:
REVOLUTION IN HUMAN EVOLUTION
http://tinyurl.com/2x3u7o
"Over the past 300 years, and particularly during the 20th century,
human biology has changed. People in the industrialized world are taller,
heavier, stronger. They're more resistant to disease and more likely to
overcome it when they do get sick. They live longer, their lives less
fraught with chronic ailments. We're just not falling apart like we used to.
Even our internal organs are stronger and better formed."
NATURAL PRONOIA
The most beautiful Zen gardens
http://tinyurl.com/26sqjb
PRONOIAC USE OF MONEY
http://www.kiva.org/
"You, Too, Can Be a Banker to the Poor"
Lend a little money to a specific entrepreneur in the developing world,
empowering them to lift themselves out of poverty
(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 31
Copyright 2007 by Rob Brezsny
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Though one of the closest stars to our sun,
Teegarden's star was unknown to astronomers until 2003. Located in the
constellation of Aries, it's a red dwarf with relatively modest heat and
luminosity, and moves very fast compared to other stars. Let's make
Teegarden's star your metaphor of the month for June. I predict that
you'll discover and engage with a major presence that has always been
close to you but low-key--a quick, understated influence that has never
before captivated your attention.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The editors of Harper's magazine took a
survey of American organizations devoted to bigotry. They counted 151
different neo-Nazi groups, 163 chapters of the KKK, 62 congregations of
Christian Identity, 48 skinhead cults, and 29 black separatist movements.
But five states harbored none of these groups at all--Iowa, Alaska, Maine,
and North and South Dakota. Racism undoubtedly exists there, but not so
much that anyone feels a burning drive to formally organize the hatred.
Take your cue from these relatively enlightened oases in the coming
week, Taurus. Be a master of peace, acceptance, compassion, and
optimism--especially when you brush up against people who are exuding
derisive, judgmental cynicism. Do it for your own health as much as for
your environment's.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): This week's horoscope draws on the wisdom of
Gemini philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson. His soaring perspective is a
perfect fit for your current astrological omens. Here's the first: "All life is
an experiment. The more experiments you make the better." Emerson #2:
"What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have never been discovered."
Here's your third Emersonian clue: "He who is not every day conquering
some fear has not learned the secret of life." Let's finish up with this
battle cry, Emerson #4: "Do not go where the path may lead. Go instead
where there is no path and leave a trail."
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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.
"Listening to your calming yet exciting audio horoscopes is sort of like
French-kissing Jesus." -Ariana B., Baltmore, MD
"I love the way you help me wake up from the daily trance." -Amy G.,
Sacramento
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
CANCER (June 21-July 22): In her CD *Spiritual Madness: The Necessity of
Meeting God in Darkness,* Caroline Myss tells us that wading through
messy darkness is an essential part of our search for meaning. She
doesn't recommend that we avoid chaos at all costs, or even just accept
it with resignation. Rather, we should welcome it as a gift that can teach
us crucial secrets about how to become ourselves. I agree with Myss.
That's why I advise you not to resent the confusion before you. And don't
just mindlessly clean it up as fast as you can, either. Instead, dive into it.
Celebrate it. Allow it to change you into a riper, wiser, more beautiful soul.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): "Dear Rob: Thanks for writing your horoscopes.
You make me laugh even when life is pelting me with stones. You comfort
me, teach me, bring me back from deluded daydreams, give me realistic
goals to daydream about, kick my butt into gear when I need it, and tell
me when it's safe to kick others' butts when they need it. You rock the
foundations of my world! -Grateful Leo." Dear Grateful: What's amazing is
that your allies and loved ones need you to bestow on them the exact
blessings you've just ascribed to me. It's prime time for you to be a
towering role model, a servant of the greater good, the feisty leader of
your tribe.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Your relationship with time seems to be one of
your biggest problems. There's never enough of it. You're always fighting
against the limitations it imposes. It frustrates you and even hurts you.
But let me ask you this: Can you imagine yourself cultivating a more
friendly and cunning relationship with time? Are you able to visualize the
prospect of you and time becoming more like allies than adversaries? How
would it feel to regard time as a loving taskmaster that compels you to
realize you can't do everything and must therefore focus on only your
brightest dreams and truest pleasures? This is a perfect moment,
astrologically speaking, for you to attempt this magic.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Do you think you could arrange to drive a car
equipped with a jet engine through desert salt flats at 200 miles per
hour? Given the current astrological omens, that would be my first
recommendation for you. If that's not possible, would you consider
enrolling in circus school and learning how to be safely and elegantly shot
out of a cannon? And if neither of those two alternatives are likely, Libra,
please somehow stir up a visceral sense of moving speedily toward the
future.
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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.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): "Dear Rob: Can you give me a rational
explanation for why Scorpio is the most hated and feared sign of the
zodiac? When I tell someone I'm a member of that tribe, the usual
reaction is along the lines of 'Ooohhh, a Scorpio,' in the same way
someone would say 'Ooohhh, a horribly disfigured, compulsively evil,
sexually deviant sideshow freak.' -Sick of Being Dissed." Dear Gorgeous
Crafty Rebel Lover: I have some good news for you. 2007 is Scorpio
Rehabilitation Year, and June is Scorpio Glorification Month. To take
advantage of these milestones, all you need to do is vividly express your
most beautiful qualities. Leave the rest to the universe.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Here are a few of the fine improvements
I expect you to have accomplished by the end of June: tips on how to live
well in two worlds; an addition to the reasons why people find you
attractive; a crash course that helps you become more fluent in the
language of intimacy; richer, more interesting feelings than you've
experienced in a long time; and practical insights into how to avoid being
flustered by paradoxes that have driven you crazy in the past.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): "If you make people think they're
thinking," said author Don Marquis, "they'll love you; but if you *really*
make them think, they'll hate you." My objective in this week's horoscope
is to prove him wrong: I want you to love me for making you really think.
In the hope of accomplishing this goal, I'm giving you the assignment of
revising two of your long-standing opinions or theories about the way the
world works. As you aggressively seek out the information that will help
you change your mind, try to feel tender compassion for me, the wise guy
who's asking you to undertake such an arduous and potentially rewarding
task.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): When my friend Keith and I were in college
in the early 1980s, we were extravagant ambassadors for poetry. On
weekends we'd roam from party to party, reciting Neruda poems to
audiences of drunk punks and declaiming Ginsberg verses as we teetered
on the tops of cars. On occasion we'd scrawl our own poems on the walls
of strange living rooms or improvise surrealistic spoken-word rants in the
streets, begging for alms. Years later, I write a syndicated astrology
column that might be described as a stealth poetry invasion, and Keith is
a producer for a national news broadcast, onto which he sometimes
brings noted poets to close the show with a lyrical splash. So now I ask
you, Aquarius: What raw passion would you like to turn into a polished gig
in the future? Now is a good time to make a deep commitment to it.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): "I usually solve problems by letting them
devour me," wrote Franz Kafka. That's an interesting approach, I guess,
and though it *might* work for a fire sign or air sign, it's not a wise policy
for you Pisceans. In fact, I urge you to fervently resist any temptation you
might have to allow your problems to gobble you up. On the contrary, be
like a gargantuan sea monster in the midst of the perfect storm. Rise up
as high as the dark sky and growl back at the thunder. Shoot flames from
your mouth at the lightning. Become too big and ancient and wild to ever
be devoured.
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HOMEWORK: What does this mean to you: "In the same way that you
judge others, you will be judged." Comment 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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Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2007 Rob Brezsny
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