Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter http://ezezine.com
Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
May 21, 2008
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http://FreeWillAstrology.com
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"By means of all created things, without exception, the divine assails us,
penetrates us, and molds us. We imagined it as distant and inaccessible,
whereas in fact we live steeped in its burning layers . . . This palpable
world, which we are used to treating with the boredom and disrespect
with which we habitually regard places with no sacred association, is a
holy place."
-Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, *The Divine Milieu*
"Let the body think of the spirit as streaming, pouring, rushing and
shining into it from all aides."
-Plotinus
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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
Here's a look at PRONOIA
by the *San Francisco Chronicle's* Mark Morford
http://tinyurl.com/4ks7gt
GET YOUR PRONOIA ON
Read it, learn it, lick it
by Mark Morford
Just to reassure you that there is a sort of luscious divine symmetry to
the universe, Rob Brezsny's fabulously weird workbook/reader/throbbing
compendium of astounding factoids and breathtaking verbal uppers and
orgasmic intellectual sighs, called *Pronoia* (or, more completely,
*Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring
to Shower You with Blessings*), Rob's book just got a relatively massive
excerpting in the equally radiant *Sun* magazine (http://tinyurl.com/4cfy53),
thus bringing together two forces of light and heat and joy in a divine
cataclysm of literary flora that is simply not to be missed.
Do you subscribe to *The Sun* yet? Do you have a copy of Pronoia yet?
Why the hell not? Do you read Brezsny's famed and beloved Free Will
Astrology site (or newsletter) already? Then you know: the guy writes like
he's been dipped in chocolate and rolled in electric candy sprinkles and is
being licked all over by Shiva's cheerleaders. What, you'd rather skim
through Architectural Digest and stare numbly at the $75,000 kitchens
that make you feel ugly and small? Please. Get this book. Get this
magazine. Up your vibration. Do it now.
Pronoia has so many fascinating interglobal tidbits of cool information, so
many gleaming slices of cultural/spiritual commentary per square
paragraph, it makes The Farmer's Almanac shudder and sigh. It ain't no
linear read. It's a messy cosmic workbook written by horny elves drunk on
Laudanum and clouds. I cannot possibly excerpt it sufficiently here,
though I do have a favorite line. It is this: "Gravity f--ks me, and I f--k it
right back." You have to read it in context, in the flow, with the swear
words nicely intact, naked.
Look, it's only 13 bucks at Amazon or 19 at Cody's or Powell's (where
your buck does a lot more). And The Sun is only 36 bucks a year for
some of the most beautiful and elegant and hype-less and happily ad-free
writing you've ever read. You can find the PDF file for Brezsny's *Pronoia*
excerpt on this page: http://tinyurl.com/4cfy53.
Download it now. Read it. Then buy the book and subscribe to the
magazine and wonder how the hell you ever lived without either and then
email me and tell me how good it all is and buy me a nice tube of
L'Occitane honey incense as a thank-you and let us all swoon in
interconnected Yes-ness. Plus, they make amazing gifts. Duh.
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To read news and features from my book, go here:
http://tinyurl.com/lhwx2
or here:
http://tinyurl.com/4cfy53
You can buy the book here:
AMAZON
http://tinyurl.com/qaj62
POWELLS
http://tinyurl.com/3dsx6q
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THE DRIVETIME
In 1995, I helped Antero Alli make a movie called *THE DRIVETIME,* a
cyber-fi feature exploring the interface between daytime and dreamtime
realities.
*THE DRIVETIME* follows a time-traveling librarian named Flux from the
serenity of 2023 to the chaos of Seattle in 1999, where he uncovers
video footage from a riot that triggered the city's collapse.
The soundtrack includes several of my band's songs, and I wrote some of
the script.
This movie has only screened three times in the San Francisco Bay area
since 1995 and will probably not screen again here for a while. You can
catch this time around on:
Wednesday, May 21, 2008 at 7:30 PM
Humanist Hall, 390 27th Street in Oakland
http://tinyurl.com/6jswnc
$5. donation. Filmmaker Antero Alli in person.
Info: 510-681-8699.
MEDIA HYPE
"Alli's cautionary tale portrays a convincing technocratic future by
submerging the story in a tantalizing visual scrap heap. A saturated mix of
nomadic broadcast tags, hyper-layered audio detritus, and graphically
fractured images conveys the smothering grip of dystopia. Provocative
visuals aside, *The Drivetime* is at its best when plying its 'televisionary'
speculations about a spiritual resurgence that will overwhelm virtuality." -
STEVE SEID, *Pacific Film Archive*
"One of the most chilling yet innovative cinematic essays on the flaws
of today's technology-obsessed society, this iconoclastic view of a
future world projects a dazzling stream-of-consciousness skein of
technical wizardry and provocative wordplay." - *WIRED*
Written and Produced by Antero Alli and Rob Brezsny
Directed by Antero Alli
Credits at:
http://tinyurl.com/47a7ry
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To listen to and get a free download of "Pagan Jake's Dream Girl," a song
from my band's CD *Give Too Much,* go here:
http://tinyurl.com/6opbv7
To buy the CD, go here:
http://tinyurl.com/yqy42p
All the lyrics on the CD are here:
http://tinyurl.com/6s5ymz
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OTHER PRONOIA RESOURCES:
BREAK ON THROUGH TO THE OTHER SIDE
Neural Buddhists
Neither the fundamentalist atheists nor the fundamentalist religionists
have a clue about what's really going on
http://tinyurl.com/5qoho8
THE SAVIOR COMES IN MANY GUISES
Six Ways Mushrooms Can Save the World
http://tinyurl.com/5qd9jw
MIRACLES COME IN MANY SHAPES AND SIZES
It's all connected!
http://www.clustarack.com/
(Note: I endorse these because I like them. They 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 May 22
Copyright 2008 by Rob Brezsny
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Giuseppe Rebaudi and Silvie Basain started
dating in 1952. This year they finally decided to take the next step. After
a 56-year courtship, the 101-year-old Italian man wed his 98-year-old
girlfriend. I predict that a comparable event will bless your love life in the
second half of 2008, Gemini. Some romantic development that has been
in the works for a long time will finally ripen into its full expression. Expect
news about this soon.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): If you're normal, you periodically feel little
surges of anger that you don't express. Over time they may accumulate
into a mass of blind rage that can hurt innocent bystanders, damage your
relationships, and tempt you to punch holes in walls. Is there a way to
keep this from happening? Yes, there is: It's my patented Laughing
Tantrum Release Therapy, a five-minute ritual that you perform once a
week in a private place with no witnesses. For four minutes, you fume,
seethe, curse, and yell. For the final 60 seconds, you compel yourself to
laugh uncontrollably. This week would be an excellent time to start
integrating Laughing Tantrum Release Therapy into your routine.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Guerrilla gardening is my favorite kind of prank: a
benevolent one. The practitioners of this growing global movement are
fertility agitators who sneak onto unused fields under cover of broad
daylight, often in urban landscapes, and cultivate flowers, herbs, and food
crops. In accordance with the astrological omens, I recommend that you
experiment with a metaphorically similar project in the upcoming weeks.
Without necessarily seeking permission or expecting appreciation,
cultivate beauty and value in a place that's neglected or going to waste.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): "Dear Star-Reader Brezsny: You are the only
wizard who can save me. I have a bad job -- just $72,000 a year -- plus a
lover who's not all that cute and a home that's not worth as much as it
used to be. My health is good but I hate my nose and ass. Can't afford a
BMW or a vacation to Spain. My world is unraveling! Hope is fading! Please
tell me what to do! - Virgo on the Verge." Dear On the Verge: I suggest
that you temporarily suspend your strident yearning. This is one time
when it's important to cultivate more appreciation for what you actually
have. I urge you and all Virgos to turn your attention away from what you
think you lack, and devote your psychic energy to loving what is.
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AUDIO LOVE LETTERS
In addition to the horoscopes that come to you in this newsletter, I create
more in-depth audio horoscopes for your inspiration. I think of them as
my love letters to you. They're $6 if you access them on the Web, or
$1.99 per minute over the phone.
Try them at http://RealAstrology.com.
They're available by phone at 1-877-873-4888
or 1-900-950-7700.
"Your expanded astrology thingees help me remember who I really am." -
Gareth N., Toronto
"I never knew it was possible to get my butt kicked and my head patted
at the same time -- until I listened to you, Rob." -Kristi P., Portland, OR
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LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Even if you're not sick, you need some
medicine. What kind of medicine? The kind that can transform what's
pretty good about your life into something that's really great; the kind
that will super-animate your merely average efforts and blast you free of
any lackadaisical attitudes you've come to accept as reasonable. This
medicine won't come in the form of a pill or a potion, but rather will be
produced by your own body if and when you slip away from your comfort
zone and go out to play in the frontier. Be your own doctor, Libra. Break
your own trance. Crack your own code. Escape your own mind games.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Your life in the coming weeks may resemble a
dream of sailing deep beneath the waves in a yellow submarine where a
nonstop party is going on. It'll be as if you're plowing through deep,
heavy, murky waters inside a brightly-lit high-tech vessel that is
controlled by slightly chaotic connoisseurs of fun. You may feel a bit
claustrophobic, but that could encourage your imagination to run wild,
which will be a good thing as long as you don't believe everything it tells
you. In conclusion, Scorpio, get ready for entertaining adventures that will
range from being a bit creepy to totally delicious.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): During America's first war on Iraq in
1991, I prophesied that one day there'd be a Disneyland in Baghdad. It
was a surrealistically sardonic send-up of my native country's imperialism.
But now, 17 years later, my absurd prediction is coming true. The same
American company that designed the original Disneyland has announced
plans to build the Baghdad Zoo and Entertainment Experience. If workers
survive bombing, looting, and sniper fire, the first part of the 50-acre
amusement park will open this year. While I question whether building a
monument to fun is a good idea in an actual war zone, it's an excellent
metaphor for you to apply to your personal life. Even if you can't
extinguish a certain conflict that has been raging, try to introduce a spirit
of play into the proceedings.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): I'm issuing a too-much-of-a-good-thing
warning. Soaking up too much pleasure could dilute the value of your
bliss. Expressing too much personal power could scare away valuable allies
who are competent but not entirely confident. Pushing too hard on behalf
of your creative pragmatism could subtly undermine the labor of love
you've worked so hard on. Therefore, Capricorn, please accept my
invitation to enjoy a period of rest and assimilation. You can return later
for another round of pure intensity.
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AUDIO HOROSCOPES
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
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AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Studies show that at least half the
population would give up sex for a few months if they'd be rewarded for
their abstinence with a free 60-inch plasma TV. But if you're offered a
deal like that anytime soon, Aquarius, I suggest you reject it. According
to my analysis of the omens, it will be crucial to your mental, physical,
and spiritual health to have regular erotic experiences during the coming
weeks. If you don't have a partner, have fun with your invisible muse, the
angel in your dreams, or your personal version of God or Goddess.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): A professional dominatrix I know says that
many of her clients are men whose jobs give them excessive authority
over other people. When she's bossing around these honchos, she sees
herself as an agent of karmic correction, counteracting a dangerous
lopsidedness in their psyches. I bring this up, Pisces, because you're in a
phase when you should rectify any imbalance of power that exists in your
own sphere. If you're a swaggering alpha male or female, put in a stint as
a humble servant. If you're normally a timid soul, flex your willpower with
feisty abandon. If you're neither a control freak nor a doormat -- and thus
have no karma to balance -- spend quality time meditating on how to gain
more power over the wild ebbs and flows of your imagination.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): After working for years in various jobs at San
Francisco TV station KTVU, Frank Sommerville was promoted to the top
of the heap -- lead anchorman of the 10 o'clock news program. He
promised that his new power wouldn't make him lazy or complacent.
"Nobody will out-curious me," he bragged. I hope you will adopt the same
motto for the foreseeable future, Aries. Your world needs you to be
intensely inquisitive about what's transpiring. Uncoincidentally, asking lots
of smart questions (and even some dumb ones) will also be the best
possible thing you can do for your mental health.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): "The Irish don't know what they want and are
prepared to fight for it," said British attorney Sidney Littlewood. I don't
endorse that assertion, since it's an offensive ethnic stereotype, but I do
want to borrow it to create a cautionary message for you. Please make
sure that in the upcoming weeks no one can say to you, "You don't know
what you want and yet you are prepared to fight for it." I definitely hope
you aggressively champion an idea you believe in or a dream you care
about, but you should get clearer about what exactly it is.
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HOMEWORK: Create a list of five words you consider bad and five words
you consider good. Then make up a little chant using them all, and speak
the chant aloud 10 times. 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, but I highly recommend my 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://YourSoulJourney.com
She can also be reached at roloughran@comcast.net
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To join or leave the email list for this newsletter, or to change the address
where you receive it, go to:
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Once you do join, check all the below points to make sure you'll actually
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5. The problems may not have to do with anything you do, but may
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that's the case, complain. Tell your email provider to stop blocking my
newsletter from reaching you.
P.S. 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
or in response to "homework assignments" may be
published in a variety of formats at Rob Brezsny's discretion,
including but not limited to newsletters, books, the Free Will
Astrology column, and Free Will Astrology website. We reserve
the right to edit such submissions for length, style, and content.
Requests for anonymity will be honored with submissions;
otherwise, reader names, screen names, or initials will be used.
Please be sure to note your preference when sending to us. We
are not responsible for unsolicited submission of any creative
material.
Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2008 Rob Brezsny
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