Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter http://ezezine.com
Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
August 20, 2008
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http://FreeWillAstrology.com
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"If you need to visualize the soul, think of it as a cross between a wolf
howl, a photon, and a dribble of dark molasses. But what it really is, as
near as I can tell, is a packet of information. It's a program, a piece of
hyperspatial software designed explicitly to interface with the Mystery.
Not a mystery, mind you, the Mystery. The one that can never be solved.
"To one degree or another, everybody is connected to the Mystery, and
everybody secretly yearns to expand the connection. That requires
expanding the soul. These things can enlarge the soul: laughter, danger,
imagination, meditation, wild nature, passion, compassion, psychedelics,
beauty, iconoclasm, and driving around in the rain with the top down.
These things can diminish it: fear, bitterness, blandness, trendiness,
egotism, violence, corruption, ignorance, grasping, shining, and eating
ketchup on cottage cheese.
"Data in our psychic program is often nonlinear, nonhierarchical, archaic,
alive, and teeming with paradox. Simply booting up is a challenge, if not
for no other reason than that most of us find acknowledging the
unknowable and monitoring its intrusions upon the familiar and mundane
more than a little embarrassing. More immediately, by waxing soulful you
will have granted yourself the possibility of ecstatic participation in what
the ancients considered a divinely animated universe. And on a day to day
basis, folks, it doesn't get any better than that."
- Tom Robbins, *Esquire* magazine, October 1993
To read Tom Robbins' whole passage about soul, go here:
http://tinyurl.com/5waydp
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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 an excerpt:
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.
*
"The only war that matters is the war against the imagination.
All other wars are subsumed by it."
—Diane Di Prima, "Rant," from Pieces of a Song
*
Astrologer Caroline Casey offers an apt metaphor to illustrate how crucial
it is for us to hear and read good stories. She notes that if we don't have
enough of the normal, healthy kind of iodine in our bodies, we absorb
radioactive iodine, which has entered the food chain through nuclear test
explosions conducted in the atmosphere. Similarly, unless we fill ourselves
up with stories that invigorate us, we're more susceptible to sopping up
the poisonous, degenerative narratives.
*
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 tales that have reductive plot lines fueled primarily by painful
events. Celebrate the luminous mysteries that have shaped your own life
story: the meandering fascinations that didn't lead to tidy conclusions,
the wobbly joys that fed your soul but didn't serve your ego's ambitions,
the adventures whose success revolved around brain-teasing
breakthroughs instead of exhausting triumphs over suffering.
*
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 at least some of 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.
*
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.
. . . To read the rest of
"THE UNIVERSE IS MADE OF STORIES," go here:
http://tinyurl.com/2vx6wb
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To read 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:
Hero of the Planet! Person of the Year! Genius of the Tribe!
William McDonough
Listen to his speech at Bioneers here: http://tinyurl.com/2tdx88
*Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things*
by William McDonough and Michael Braungart
http://tinyurl.com/64ldo2
"Paper or plastic? Neither, say William McDonough and Michael Braungart.
Why settle for the least harmful alternative when we could have
something that is better -- say, edible grocery bags! In *Cradle to Cradle,*
the authors present a manifesto calling for a new industrial revolution,
one that would render both traditional manufacturing and traditional
environmentalism obsolete. Recycling, for instance, is actually
'downcycling,' creating hybrids of biological and technical 'nutrients'
which are then unrecoverable and unusable. The authors, an architect and
a chemist, want to eliminate the concept of waste altogether, while
preserving commerce and allowing for human nature. They offer several
compelling examples of corporations that are not just doing less harm --
they're actually doing some good for the environment and their
neighborhoods, and making more money in the process." - Therese
Littleton
SOME PROPHETS AREN'T DOOM AND GLOOMERS, THEY'RE ZOOM AND
BLOOMERS
The Law of Accelerating Returns
http://tinyurl.com/4hrkp7
THE SCIENCE OF HAPPINESS
"How To Win the Metaphorical Happiness Lottery" by Karen Salmansohn
http://tinyurl.com/64s5m3
(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 August 21
Copyright 2008 by Rob Brezsny
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): "The advantage of the incomprehensible is
that it never loses its freshness," wrote French poet Paul Valery. From
that perspective, Virgo, I bet you'll be sparkling and brisk in the coming
days. You will be cheeky and saucy, crisp and rosy, bright and well-
ventilated. There'll be so much delightfully hard-to-understand novelty
flowing your way that you will be awakened again and again and again,
rising to a higher level of awareness each time.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): The 19th-century American philosopher Henry
David Thoreau accomplished a lot. Among his voluminous body of work
was *Civil Disobedience,* a book that inspired Tolstoy, Gandhi, and Martin
Luther King Jr. In the two-million-word journal he kept for over two
decades, he wrote about nature with a precision and care that prefigured
modern-day environmentalism. But Thoreau also knew how to relax, and
he was free of anxiety about living up to other people's standards of
success. One passage in his journal reads, "For many years I was a self-
appointed inspector of snowstorms and rainstorms and did my duty
faithfully, though I never received payment for it." He's your role model
for the rest of 2008, Libra. May he inspire you to give yourself the slack
you need and compete with no one but yourself as you become more of
the unique work of art you were born to be.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Everyone's life is a hero's journey, yours
included. You have been on an epic quest ever since you first realized that
your destiny is unlike anyone else's, and that you have specific tasks to
master as you pursue the long-term dreams that are uniquely meaningful
to you. But like all the rest of us, you sometimes lose sight of this big-
picture view for months at a time. You may even be fairly happy as you
focus on your daily details without any thought of where your you'll be
years from now. If that's the rhythm you've been in lately, Scorpio -- and I
suspect it is -- it's about to change. Your immersion in the next major
phase of your hero's journey will begin soon.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Michelangelo never finished two-thirds
of the sculptures he started. Basketball mega-star Michael Jordan failed
on 26 different occasions when he was given the ball to try the game-
winning shot as time ran out. Of Bob Dylan's 57 albums, maybe only 15
of them are masterpieces. I bring these facts to your attention,
Sagittarius, in the hope that they will give you some perspective on the
down times in your own track record. More importantly, I want to let you
know that in the coming weeks you should have access to the kind of
energy that Michelangelo, Jordan, and Dylan had when they were creating
their legends.
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LISTEN TO AN EXPANDED HOROSCOPE
In addition to the horoscopes that you read here, I create additional in-
depth audio horoscopes for your inspiration.
They're not repeats or elaborations of the stuff you find here, but entirely
fresh explorations of your astrological omens, designed to help you tune
in to your soul's code.
Try them at http://RealAstrology.com.
They're available by phone at 1-877-873-4888
or 1-900-950-7700.
They're $6 if you access them on the Web, or $1.99 per minute over the
phone.
"Your audio horoscopes help me love myself better, and I mean that in a
non-narcissistic way."
-Deva P., Indianapolis
"I'm really grateful for the way you pick up my telepathic requests and
answer them in your expanded audio 'scopes."
-Marion H., Birmingham, AL
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CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): "The bewilderments of the eyes are of two
kinds, and arise from two causes," wrote Plato in *The Republic,* "either
from coming out of the light or from going into the light, which is true of
the mind's eye quite as much as of the bodily eye." He goes on to say
that when a person leaves the light and enters into the shadows, his
vision in perplexed, being unaccustomed to the dark. And when he moves
from the murk into the brightness, it takes a while for his sight to adjust
to the dazzle. According to my analysis of the astrological omens,
Capricorn, you had to deal with the first kind of temporary blindness
about three weeks ago, and will begin experiencing the second kind any
day now.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In addition to food, air, water, sleep, and
love, every human being needs stories. No one can psychically survive
without the continuous flow of narrative through his or her imagination.
And just as there is a big difference between the physical nourishment
provided by a salad or by a candy bar, so is there a wide range of quality
in the stories you expose yourself to. Soaking up the adventures of über-
playboy Hugh Hefner and his three girlfriends on the TV show "The Girls
Next Door" will probably deplete your energy and lower your intelligence,
while reading Tom Robbins' novel *Jitterbug Perfume* may enhance your
mental hygiene and sharpen your perceptions. What I'm saying here is
always true, of course, but it's especially important for you to keep in
mind right now. From what I can tell, you're ravenous for beautiful,
uncanny, uplifting stories.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): "The uncreative mind can spot wrong
answers, but it takes a very creative mind to spot wrong questions," said
British writer Antony Jay. If you'd like to be in close alignment with
cosmic rhythms, Pisces, you will keep that meditation in the foreground of
your awareness. Your imagination will be extraordinarily fertile in the
coming week, and I can't think of a better way to deploy it than to smoke
out and lovingly annihilate the lazy, useless, and just plain bad questions
that are threatening to lead you and others astray.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Your next assignment is to inject more fun
into your job -- or into anything that feels like work, for that matter.
You've got a head start because lately you've been playing harder than
usual. That should give you creative momentum as you reinvent your
approach to activities that push you to your limits and test your resolve.
For best results, be open to the possibility that you really don't have to
keep being bored and cranky in places where you've assumed you will
always be bored and cranky.
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LISTEN TO AN EXPANDED HOROSCOPE
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.
"The best part about your audio horoscopes is that they pat me on the
head and kick me in the ass at the same time." - Rita L., San Diego
"Your audio oracles go beyond helping me find the truth -- they inspire
me to find the WILD truth." - Patrick K., Montreal
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TAURUS (April 20-May 20): After studying your astrological omens, I
closed my eyes and asked the spirits for a psychic vision that would
symbolize your imminent future. The scenario that came up was a pair of
toddlers dressed in fine purple satin garments and wearing golden hats.
They looked like a prince and princess, and were wandering around inside
a ritual circle about ten yards in diameter, drawn with white chalk in a
green meadow. Vases of cut flowers and statues of gods and goddesses
ringed the circle. So what does my vision mean? Maybe this: Two
magnificent possibilities have recently been born or will soon be born. You
should cast a protective spell around them, letting them amble and dally
within a proscribed area as their magic ripens.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Some spas are now offering their clients "butt
facials." The cost for smoothing and toning your skin in the lower realms
can range up to $800 per session. At that steep price, I can't in good
conscience mandate the procedure for you. But the astrological omens
*are* favorable for you to take special care of things at the bottom of
your life, even if they are more metaphorical in nature. So please
brainstorm about how you could upgrade your ballast, strengthen your
foundation, and give your center of gravity a boost.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Studies show that 58 percent of us think our
IQs are higher than average. That can't be true, of course. But maybe one
sign of a person with a below-average IQ is the delusion that he's pretty
intelligent. Having said that, however, I confidently predict that at least
58 percent of all Cancerians will exceed the mediocre norm in the coming
weeks. The figure may even rise as high as 75 percent. The astrological
omens suggest you have the potential to be smarter than you've ever
been. Use your acuity constructively!
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Was there a dream that you abandoned some
time ago? Was there a power you recklessly gave up? Do you ever think
longingly about a knack or skill that withered away because you stopped
wielding it with the regularity and excellence it demanded? It's time to
revisit defeats like those, Leo. According to my analysis of the
astrological omens, you're in good shape to reimagine the original
experiences in ways that could help you recover what was lost.
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HOMEWORK: Do you remember the last time you loved yourself with
consummate artfulness and grace? See if you can recreate that golden
age. 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 anyone.
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Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2008 Rob Brezsny
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