Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter http://ezezine.com
Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
September 24, 2008
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http://FreeWillAstrology.com
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Check out this week's podcast here:
http://tinyurl.com/4wx8kh
You can also subscribe to future podcasts at that URL.
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Podcasts from previous weeks are available here:
http://tinyurl.com/3ln72p
http://tinyurl.com/3pf7al
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Here are the iTunes links for the podcasts:
http://tinyurl.com/45w6x2
http://tinyurl.com/45hjzz
http://tinyurl.com/4tkny4
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"Though human industry in the past 150 years has resorted to brute
force rather than elegant design, the making and trading of goods can still
be a wellspring of creativity, productivity, and pleasure. Think of the
thriving marketplaces that have enlivened the world's great cities, the
cherished objects and materials that transform shelter into soulful
dwelling. These need not be sacrificed to protect our forests, rivers, soil
and air.
"Indeed, human industry and habitations can be designed to celebrate
interdependence with other living systems, transforming the making and
consumption of things into a regenerative force. Design can perform and
preserve the extravagant gesture -- in the marketplace, in the human
community, and in the natural world."
- William McDonough and Michael Braungart, *Cradle to Cradle: Remaking
the Way We Make Things*
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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:
PRONOIA NEWS NETWORK
These are our top stories.
WAR, GENOCIDE, ARMS SALES IN PRECIPITOUS DECLINE
The world has become dramatically more peaceful since 1992. The
number of wars, coups, and acts of genocide has declined by 40 percent.
In 1991, there were 51 wars at various places on the planet. Now there
are 30.
Weapons sales between countries have dropped 33 percent during the
same time, and the number of refugees has diminished by 45 percent.
The cause of these shocking developments is the unprecedented upsurge
of international activism, spearheaded by the United Nations.
The data comes from the Human Security Report, written by the
University of British Columbia's Andrew Mack and his team.
For a full report: http://tinyurl.com/cl8j5
And see the Human Security Report's website at
http://www.humansecurityreport.info/
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GENDER REVOLUTION LEGALIZED
Sweden has been a pioneer in bringing gender balance into government.
Forty-five percent of its parliament is female.
Other nations have finally begun to follow its lead. In 2003, the Welsh
assembly became the first legislative body in history to have as many
women as men. Meanwhile, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Iceland, the
Netherlands, Germany, Argentina, Costa Rica, South Africa, and
Mozambique have at least 30 percent of their parliamentary seats filled
by women, largely due to legally mandated quotas.
Rwanda's new constitution calls for 30 percent of decision-making
positions to be held by women. In the parliamentary elections of 2003,
that quota was exceeded, as women captured 49 percent of the
legislative seats.
The corporate domain is proceeding toward equality more slowly. Norway
is the first and only nation to pass laws mandating female representation
on corporate boards, requiring a 40 percent quota.
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SACRED GENIUS OF GENEROSITY
"The Sun, each second, transforms four million tons of itself into light,
giving itself over to become energy that we, with every meal, partake of.
For four million years, humans have been feasting on the Sun's energy
stored in the form of wheat or reindeer, as each day the Sun dies as Sun
and is reborn as the vitality of Earth. Every child of ours needs to learn
the simple truth: She is the energy of the Sun. And we adults should
organize things so her face shines with the same radiant joy.
"Human generosity is possible only because at the center of the solar
system a magnificent stellar generosity pours forth free energy day and
night without stop and without complaint and without the slightest
hesitation. This is the way of the universe. This is the way of life. And this
is the way in which each of us joins this cosmological lineage when we
accept the Sun's gift of energy and transform it into creative action that
will enable the community to flourish." —Brian Swimme, *The Hidden
Heart of the Cosmos,* video
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BLASPHEMOUS OPTIMISM
"The biggest event of the last 20 years—the collapse of the Soviet
Union—occurred without violence: the first nonviolent revolution of that
size in all of human history, extending from Berlin to Siberia.
"Nelson Mandela went from a prison cell to the President's office in a
country that evolved from white supremacy to power-sharing in only
seven years.
"The Internet more and more evolves toward the planetary brain once
only imagined by visionary scientists like Tielhard de Chardin and Arthur
Clarke.
"What some call my 'blasphemous cheerfulness' or my 'cockeyed
optimism' just depends on my basic agnosticism. We don't know the
outcome of the current worldwide transformation, so it seems sick and
decadent (in the Nietzschean sense) when fashionable opinion harps on all
the gloomy alternatives and resolutely ignores the utopian possibilities
that seem equally likely (and, on the basis of past evolution, perhaps a
little more likely)." —Robert Anton Wilson, http://www.rawilson.com
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DANCING THE REVOLUTION
Black South Africans fought for 40 years to dismantle the oppressive
system of apartheid. One of their most potent weapons was toyi-toyi, a
militantly exuberant form of singing and dancing. It served to mobilize the
energy of crowds at the large protest demonstrations that ultimately
broke the will of the white minority rulers. Imagine how confounded their
authoritarian minds must have been when confronted by thousands of
high-spirited activists passionately singing and dancing in unison.
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SACRED ADVERTISEMENT
PNN is brought to you by the renegade Sufis who say they're as likely to
bask in the sweetness of enlightenment while cooking a frozen burrito in a
microwave oven under the fluorescent lights of a convenience store as
when they're meditating on a straw mat in a remote mountain sanctuary.
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NEWS IN BRIEF
In the next 24 hours, 200 million people will make love on this planet, as
they do every day of every year.
*Wired* magazine reports that vast supplies of frozen natural gas lie
beneath the oceans, harboring more potential energy than all of the
world's oil reserves.
China and India, which comprise one-third of the earth's population, have
more than twice the wealth they had in 1989.
Rising rates of intermarriage are helping to dissipate ethnic and religious
strife worldwide.
Death rates from cancer are shrinking.
Acreage devoted to organic farming is increasing rapidly.
Levels of literacy and education and political freedom are steadily growing
all over the world.
If forced to decide between having a bigger penis and living in a world
where there was no war, 90 percent of all men would pick universal
peace.
With every dawn, when first light penetrates the sea, many seahorse
colonies perform a dance to the sun.
An average cloud is the same weight as 100 elephants.
There are always so many fragments of spider legs floating in the air that
you are constantly inhaling them wherever you go.
A river requires a million years to move a grain of sand 100 miles.
Diamonds rain from the skies on the planets Uranus and Neptune.
The five most beautiful words in the English language are luminous,
crucible, melody, undulates, and gratitude.
THIS WEEK IN PRONOIAC HISTORY
Lady Godiva was more than a seminal performance artist. She was also a
humanitarian and patron of the arts. When she doffed her clothes and
rode a white horse through the English town of Coventry in 1057, her
purpose was philanthropic. Her husband, the local assessor, had promised
to abolish all taxes on the local folk if she did the daring deed.
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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:
SPIRITUAL REVOLUTION, PLEASE!
*Vote for Hope*
Free download of an artful Obama anthem by MC Yogi
http://tinyurl.com/5uz2fo
You can listen to a snippet of the song here:
http://www.freewillastrology.com/Hope.mp3
SOUL VOTING
WiseUSA is a global non-partisan program working to invoke an
outpouring of wisdom during the election season.
http://gaiafield.net/
"We the people call forth the deepest wisdom and the highest
compassion from the heart and soul of America, for the benefit of the
entire Earth community and the next seven generations. May Wisdom
Prevail in the USA. May Peace Prevail on Earth."
ADD SOME DIRT TO YOUR PURITY, SOME GRIT TO YOUR OPTIMISM
http://tinyurl.com/6zdrhg
*The Extraordinary Healing Power of Ordinary Things: Fourteen Natural
Steps to Health and Happiness* by Larry Dossey
"It may seem odd that a book promising to reveal the keys to happiness
as well as health lists unhappiness as one of those keys, but Dossey
contends that unhappiness is as necessary for the preservation of good
health as, say, periodic tetanus shots. Add healthy doses of such other
common but oft-overlooked good things as optimism, novelty, music,
plants, and miracles, and one can expect a longer, happier life, Dossey
says. Going further than promoting the obvious, Dossey also believes that
including a bit of dirt, some bugs, a few tears, and a certain amount of
forgetfulness can also significantly add to life's length and breadth." -
Donna Chavez
(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 September 25
Copyright 2008 by Rob Brezsny
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Against all odds, you are finally finding a way to
quit that nagging "addiction." You're shedding a dependency that isn't
worthy of you. You're weaning yourself from a passion that hasn't
brought out the best in you. Congratulations on your hard, meticulous
work, you epic hero, you. In the aftermath of your exacting struggle,
please don't immediately initiate another obsessive relationship with a
new mania. Enjoy the benefits of being blank and clean and empty for a
while.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): What reasons might you have to celebrate
your own private holy day? Why might you want to go off by yourself or
in the company of special people and conduct a reverent ritual that
reinvigorates your knack for having fun? Here are some possible answers:
1. You're overdue for a break from everything you usually do. 2. You're
hungry for the magic that happens when you take refuge in the sacred. 3.
It's time to stop the world and jump off long enough to break the trance
you're in. 4. You would generate uncanny blessings by paying tender
attention to your origins, returning to your sources, and examining the
foundations of your life.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Many Americans regard the Pledge of
Allegiance as a supreme oath of loyalty to the United States. When I was
a kid, we used to recite it to start each school day. Members of Congress
still make it their opening salutation at every session. It's not well-known,
though, that the Pledge was composed by a Socialist, Baptist minister
Francis Bellamy. Republicans might swoon in apoplexy if you presented
them with this proof that an extreme left-winger was a fervent patriot.
But doing that would be right in alignment with your assignment in the
coming week, Sagittarius. You will receive encouragement from the
cosmos whenever you seek out and express facts that disprove prevailing
biases and mistaken beliefs.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Norepinephrine is a hormone that can
make you feel good even when it's generated by stress. According to a
study by the Positive Health Center in London, successful women produce
that hormone in abundance. I have no medical research, just astrological
guesswork, to back up my claim that you Capricorns will have a special
relationship with norepinephrine in the coming weeks. As a result, high-
pressure situations that might have sapped your energy or frayed your
nerves in the past may actually energize you. You could find yourself
having a blast as you push harder to foster excellence.
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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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AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Aquarian hockey mom and Vice-Presidential
candidate Sarah Palin is a "cocky wacko," according to former Republican
Senator Lincoln Chafee. While it's no surprise that a member of your tribe
would be referred to as a wacko, the "cocky" designation is atypical.
Many Aquarians never build a strong enough ego structure to feel as
confident as they'd like, let alone slip into the realm of having too damn
much confidence. So even though I disagree with most of Palin's political
positions, and harbor a deep sadness that a more thoughtful and
compassionate person didn't make it onto the Republican ticket, I urge
you to cop some of her attitude in the coming days. Conduct experiments
that will help you feel what it's like to cruise around with more than your
usual amount of pride.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Here's one way to reduce global warming:
inject huge amounts of sulfur into the atmosphere. So says Professor Tim
Flannery, an Australian sustainability activist. What's the best way to
accomplish that? Add sulfur to jet fuel. The atmosphere would then repel
a portion of the sun's rays, leading to an effect called "solar dimming."
Oh, by the way: As a side effect, the planet's sky would probably turn
yellow -- a rather extreme shift, Flannery acknowledges, but necessary if
we want to save the environment. Are you contemplating an equally
drastic step in your own personal sphere, Pisces? Before you decide to go
in that direction, why not try a series of smaller, incremental actions with
less dramatic consequences?
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Every day for 44 years, the German writer Karl
Wilhelm von Humboldt composed a poem for his wife, the lively and
brilliant Karoline von Dachroden. In accordance with your astrological
potentials, Aries, I will ask you to briefly imitate his prodigious outpouring
of creative love. Every day for the next two weeks, please find it in your
wild heart to make a sublime, or at least gorgeous, offering to someone
or something you adore.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): A recent *National Geographic* article
reported on nudibranches: colorful, oddly shaped slugs that live in the
sea. The members of a typical species, *Nembrotha kubaryana,* are
whimsical blobs of neon green swirled with orange and purple. The slugs
are "blind to their own beauty," however, because their eyes can only
register the difference between light and dark. The "blind to their own
beauty" thing reminds me of you, Taurus -- especially these days. Would
you do me a favor and acknowledge your own charms more aggressively?
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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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GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Jack Kerouac made a "list of 30 essentials,"
themes that guided him as a writer. To mark your entry into the most
expressive phase of your astrological cycle, I offer you a few of his
guidelines. Even if you're not a writer, they can be applied to how you
create your life. 1. Submissive to everything, open, listening. 2. Be in love
with yr life. 3. Something that you feel will find its own form. 4. Be crazy
dumbsaint of the mind. 5. Blow as deep as you want to blow. 6. Visionary
tics shivering in the chest. 7. Write what you want bottomless from
bottom of the mind. 8. Telling the true story of the world in interior
monolog. 9. Accept loss forever. 10. Believe in the holy contour of life.
11. No fear or shame in the dignity of yr experience, language &
knowledge. 12. You're a Genius all the time. (The whole list is here:
tinyurl.com/6e93sm.)
CANCER (June 21-July 22): The tabloids report that Cancerian Tom Cruise
has plans to build a $10 million bunker designed to save him and his
family when the evil alien overlord Xenu attacks Earth, fulfilling a prophecy
of his religion, Scientology. If the reports do have a grain of truth, and
Cruise has in fact been considering the project, now would be an excellent
time for him to begin construction. I'm not saying that I believe Xenu's on
his way. My point is that you Crabs will place yourself in harmony with
cosmic rhythms if you attend to matters that will bolster your security,
help you feel safe and peaceful, and foster domestic bliss.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): "I do not seek, I find." Pablo Picasso said that
many years ago, and I hope you will use it as your motto in the coming
days. It could help you keep your conscious mind out of the way while
your unconscious mind works to bring you what you really require. In
other words, Leo, you may miss the point if you're obsessed with a
specific answer or goal. It'll be more important to stay alert for what you
don't even realize you need to know. Here's a corollary to add to your
main theme. "The true worth of an experimenter," wrote physiologist
Claude Bernard, "consists in his pursuing not only what he seeks, but also
what he did not seek."
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Many people who pray don't limit their
conversations with God to purely spiritual and ethical matters. In fact,
money is one of the main subjects the Divine Wow is asked to address. If
you've never had the chutzpah to do this yourself, I suggest you try it
soon. Higher powers of all kinds, from your boss to the loan officer at the
bank to the Creator Herself, may be unusually receptive to your pleas. I'm
guessing you'll be able to tap into financial help "from above," or that you
will make a connection with an elevated source of wealth that has
previously been out of your reach.
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HOMEWORK: True or false: Your deep psyche knows exactly what to do to
transform your biggest problem into a mysterious teaching. 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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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,
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Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2008 Rob Brezsny
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