Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter http://ezezine.com
Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
August 8, 2007
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http://FreeWillAstrology.com
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Listen to and download free mp3's of my music here:
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Again and again
Some people in the crowd wake up.
They have no ground in the crowd
And they emerge according to broader laws.
They carry strange customs with them,
And demand room for bold gestures.
The future speaks ruthlessly through them.
- Rainer Maria Rilke, translated by Stephen Mitchell
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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/lhwx2
Below is an essay that I didn't include in my book, but it's in close
alignment with the book's spirit.
WAR! FAMINE! PESTILENCE! EARTHQUAKES! CRIME! SCANDAL!
The ubiquity of headlines like these suggests that nihilism is the pet
philosophy of the storytellers known as "journalists." But they're not the
only fabulists to thrive on dread and despair. A majority of the prophets
down through the ages have been allergic to the possibility that the
future might hold anything besides endlessly tragedy and disaster.
The sixteenth century's creepy horror-meister Nostradamus wasn't the
first, but he has been one of the most enduring. Ghoulish modern
soothsayers have refined and expanded the scare-the-crap-out-of-'em
tradition. For instance, in the last 40 years, hundreds of self-proclaimed
prophets have foreseen cataclysmic "earth changes" that will flush away
America's West Coast and create beach-front property in Nebraska.
A multitude of their colleagues agree that most of humanity will be wiped
out any minute now, but they see the death blow coming via other
means. Lethal solar flares, nuclear war, and fresh plagues are old
standbys, though newcomers worm their way onto the list periodically,
including my personal favorite: an evil artificial intelligence that achieves
sentience on the Internet.
As entertaining as modern prognosticators' curses can be, however, their
track record is as abysmal as Nostradamus's. The fact that Nebraska is
still without a seacoast should be enough evidence to send many of them
into disgraced hiding.
Amazingly, the ineptitude of the frightful omen-slingers has not
diminished their appeal. Their newsletters and websites proliferate. They
have spawned the runaway popularity of syndicated radio shows rooted in
edge-of-the-seat invocations of imminent global disasters. Tally up the
New Age devotees of spooky woo-woo and the Christian fundamentalist
worshipers of divine uh-oh and you've got a cast of millions.
Cultured, rational folks like you and I chuckle. How can so many people
believe in so much nonsense? And yet as the tears of ridicule splash down
from my cheeks onto today's *New York Times,* a heretical theory
bubbles up into view. Maybe the boogie-man prophets captivate so many
imaginations because there are far more influential minds constantly at
work nurturing the conditions necessary for apocalyptic thinking to
bloom.
In our culture, cynicism has come to be regarded as a sign of intellectual
vigor. It's smart to expect and look for the worst in everything. Optimism
is thought to be the province of sentimental fools with no talent for
critical thinking. Entropy and disintegration are inherently more interesting
subjects to explore than redemption and renewal, availing greater
opportunities to show off one's acumen.
And soothsayers are really just bit players in the spreading of these
memes. The most potent disseminators are the storytellers known as
journalists. They comprise the engine of the myth-making machinery.
"The universe is not made of molecules," said the poet Muriel Rukyser. "It
is made of stories." Subtly and relentlessly, the journalists weave our
universe from narratives of turbulence, loss, decay, and corruption. The
poet John Keats said that if something is not beautiful, it is probably not
true, but our chief storytellers suggest the opposite: If something is not
ugly, it is probably not true.
The Nostradamus wannabes are easy to dismiss. Their spectacularly
idiotic fantasies are laughable. But journalists churn out measured,
seemingly believable doses of doom and gloom. No single mini-
armageddon is too much to swallow, but the sum total of their agitated
drone adds up in the long run to a far more powerful prophetic vision than
the silly New Age and fundamentalist seers: MEDIAPOCALYPSE.
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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
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
OTHER PRONOIA RESOURCES:
THE SCIENCE OF FEELING GOOD
Meditation Makes You Happier
http://tinyurl.com/3yt33v
"Scientists have evidence that Buddhists really are happier and calmer
than other people. Tests on their brains show that the parts associated
with good moods and positive feelings are more active, because of all the
meditation they do. Researchers say that the type of meditation done by
Buddhists can change the amygdala, an area of the brain which controls
fear memory, which is why Buddhists are less likely to be as shocked,
surprised or angry as other people. Reseacher Paul Ekman says, "The
most reasonable hypothesis is that there is something about
conscientious Buddhist practice that results in the kind of happiness we
all seek."
YOU'RE LUCKY TO BE ALIVE AT THIS HISTORICAL TURNING POINT
*The 11th Hour," an upcoming film
http://www.11thhourfilm.com
"The most powerful element of the film *The 11th Hour* is not a portrait
of a planet in crisis, but the offering of hope and solutions. Scientists and
environmental advocates such as David Orr and Gloria Flora paint a
portrait for a radically new and exciting future in which humanity seeks
not to dominate the earth's life systems, but to mimic them and coexist."
(Note: I endorse these because I like them. These are 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 August 9
Copyright 2007 by Rob Brezsny
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): I predict you will dream about at least three of
the following things in the coming week: a flying carpet, a genie's lamp,
the food of the gods, a wizard's wand, healing ointment, a silver chalice,
and enchanted mud. "So what?" you might be saying. "What do dreams,
no matter how fun they might be, have to do with my pursuit of
happiness in the cold, cruel world of my waking life?" And I say unto you,
Leo, that these dreams will mysteriously transform your psyche in such a
way that you'll be able to accomplish magic that may have seemed
impossible before.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Why fight for rights that are already yours,
Virgo? Why sacrifice yourself for the benefit of people who wouldn't fully
appreciate your gifts? And why are you even thinking about dividing when
you should be multiplying? Any of these acts would be a crime against
yourself. So listen up: You just have to hold out a little longer. If you can
avoid running up a big karmic debt in the next few days, if you can refrain
from hurting yourself in a misguided attempt to fix situations that can't
be fixed, you'll be home free. Soon the whole cast of monsters, demons,
and goons will pack up their inane torture devices and go trundling back
to the hells where they came from.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): When you see a shooting star, you're usually
looking at a piece of cosmic debris that's 30 to 60 miles away and no
bigger than a grain of rice. As it streaks through the atmosphere, the
compression of air in front of it creates a shock wave, generating enough
heat to send a bright light to your eyes. Sound like something you want
to emulate, Libra? I believe that in the coming weeks, your smallest
actions, like those of shooting stars, could produce dramatic, far-reaching
effects.
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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
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): "Dear Rob: In the past few weeks, life has
been opening me up over and over again, as if I were a rose that couldn't
stop blooming. Every perception hits me with a soothing bolt of clarity.
Every conversation is gracefully sculpted, as if composed by a higher
power. I'm listening and actually hearing what people really mean. I feel
accountable for each word that comes out of my mouth. It's amazing. Do
you have any tips for keeping this state going on forever? I'm afraid I'll
slip back into a duller, more self-absorbed state. - Scorpio On Fire." Dear
Scorpio: Don't cling. Don't be grasping or anxious. Instead, do what is
potentially every Scorpio's specialty: Die and be reborn every day. Again
and again, kill off the magic that's working so well and artfully resurrect it
in a transformed version.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In *Infinite Jest,* novelist David Foster
Wallace imagines what life will be like in the future. One big change is that
the years will no longer be known by numbers. The naming rights will have
been sold to corporate sponsors. What might have been 2013 and 2014,
for instance, will be the Year of Dairy Products from the American
Heartland and the Year of the Depend Adult Undergarment. I thought it
might be fun to borrow that idea for your horoscope, especially in light of
the fact that imminent events may play a big role in defining the main
themes of 2007. Will this turn out to be your Year of Fertility Rites in the
Wild Frontier? Or maybe the Year of Your Inner Animal's Intelligence
Upgrade? Or the Year of Your Fantastic Voyage to the Cosmic Lost and
Found? We'll soon find out.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Certain religions whose names I won't
mention have given prayer a bad name. It has come to be associated with
sentimentality, desperation, delusion, greed, and wishful thinking. But I
prefer to define prayer as an intention to align your emotions and
thoughts with the highest possible good. Can you give that definition a
whirl? I hope so. It's Big Wild Prayer Week, a time when you will have an
extraordinary ability to get in sync with almost unimaginably catalytic
currents of cosmic beauty and truth.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): "Desire is not an occupation," croons the
lead singer of the industrial rock band KMFDM. But I beg to differ, at least
as far as you're concerned. For the immediate future, it would definitely
not be totally crazy for you to play hooky from your job and stop doing
all the busy work you usually do so that you could fully devote yourself to
exploring the riddles of your deepest longings. I'm not just talking about
the yearning for love and sex, but every single one of your bone-aching,
abyss-tempting, reality-crunching hungers.
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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.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): I'd like to see you permanently lose at least
50 percent of your chronic aggravation. And I have an idea about how
you might do that. Choose a day when you've got the leisure time to
spend one intense half hour cursing about everything that annoys,
frustrates, and upsets you. For those 30 minutes, you'll allow yourself to
unleash tremendous ferocity as you commune with visions of your
outrage. Giving yourself that permission -- so my theory goes -- would
drain the backlog of vexation you've been carrying around. If you do it
right, your spirit will be purged of the sour heaviness of background rage
for at least eight weeks, probably longer.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): "The face is the most erotic part of the
body," says fashion designer Vivienne Westwood. Try out that
perspective for a while, Aries. Your assignment in the coming week is to
enjoy getting excited by faces that captivate your imagination. This isn't
just about pure physical beauty, of course. You should also be alert to the
titillating wisdom and arousing compassion that are revealed in their
features . . . as well as the ripples of inscrutable emotions and the flows
of secret knowings.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Lately, it's as if you've been riding a roller
coaster on which you're forbidden to scream. It's as if you've been trying
to suppress your laughter as you watch a series of the funniest stand-up
comedians on the planet. It's like you've been ordered to sit stiffly in a
chair and keep your feet motionless while your favorite band plays the
dance music you love best. I hope you won't put up with this predicament
any longer, Taurus. Either scream, laugh, and dance, or else escape any
situation that's keeping you clamped down.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): "I do not wish to hear about the moon from
someone who has not been there," wrote 19th-century wit Mark Twain.
That's an extreme statement of how important it is to formulate
conclusions based on first-hand knowledge rather than on hearsay and
random opinions. In the coming weeks, this principle will be even more
crucial to your mental health than it usually is. In my astrological opinion,
you need to significantly increase the proportion of information you
acquire through your direct perceptions, as well as from people who've
had intimate contact with the things you're curious about.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): "Dear Rob: Do you have any tips on dealing
with fear that paralyzes you? Like say I need to tell a certain someone
how I really feel. My heart keeps telling me to do it. My mind keeps telling
me to do it. But my fear makes me put it off again and again. And I don't
have much time before the window of opportunity closes. Please help! I
don't want to miss out! - Cowardly Cancerian." Dear Soon-To-Be-
Courageous Cancerian: In accordance with cosmic rhythms, which are
conspiring to assist you in summoning hidden reserves of chutzpah, I
hereby assign you to actually do the thing you fear at one of these times:
Friday, August 10 between 7 and 9 pm; Saturday, August 11 between
noon and 2; Sunday, August 12 between 3:30 and 6 pm; or Monday,
August 13 between 6 and 8 pm.
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HOMEWORK: If you knew you were going to live to 100 in good health,
what three additional careers would you pursue? Testify by going to
http://FreeWillAstrology.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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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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