Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter http://ezezine.com
Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
November 12, 2008
+
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
+
To hear my podcasts, go here:
http://tinyurl.com/5v9rxb
They include "This is a Perfect Moment" and "Fear Versus Intuition."
+
"The best political, social, and spiritual work we can do is to withdraw the
projection of our shadow onto others."
- Carl Jung
+
Dear Readers,
Every week, the newsletter you're reading goes out to a community of
35,500 subscribers all over the world. I love our relationship. You feel like
my extended family. And if you know the importance that family often
holds for people born under the sign of Cancer, like me, you're aware of
how evocative it is for me to make a statement like that.
A substantial minority of you aren't Americans, and so have had only a
marginal interest in the electoral spectacle that we Americans were
enthralled by for so long. I hope that my writing about the Obama-versus-
McCain showdown (and its parallel theme, the Uranus-versus-Saturn
showdown) has yielded some useful fodder for your personal evolution,
even if you haven't been riveted by the specific details of the unfolding
drama.
Among the American part of my readership, there have been a few
outcries and uproars about my involvement with the political process.
Those of you who are McCain supporters or Nader devotees haven't been
happy with my tilt toward Obama. Other readers don't think I should sully
myself with any kind of political meditations, but should remain above it
all. One of the most interesting emails I got about this issue is here:
http://tinyurl.com/2etg3c.
I've welcomed your dissidence and complaints, as I do any time my writing
piques your desire to speak out. One of my favorite tasks is to inspire you
to liberate your imagination. To do that well, you have to be eternally
primed to question the ideas and motivations of any so-called authority,
expert, leader, or teacher -- including me.
And besides that, I love the fact that my extended family is a diverse
group of wildly different characters. I certainly don't want to hang around
exclusively with people who are like me.
+
With all that as a preface, I'll go ahead and express my joy in Obama's
ascendancy:
BRAVO! VIVA! HALLELUJAH! EUREKA! ABRACADABRA!
More than a vindication of a particular ideology or political agenda, his
selection by a majority of American voters (ratified by an even vaster
majority of the world's citizens) is a triumph of emotional intelligence,
integrity, reasonableness, compassion, and the higher powers of human
consciousness. It is a profound sign that Americans are growing up.
Obama invites us to be motivated not by fear and hatred but by the
"better angels of our nature," in Abraham Lincoln's phrase.
What's especially thrilling to me is that Obama's spirituality is the soulful,
thoughtful kind. His humble, rational relationship with the divine mysteries
suggests that fundamentalists, whether they're the religious right or the
new atheists, will no longer be able to frame the mainstream debate
about spiritual matters. Here's a good essay about the issue:
http://tinyurl.com/6ekpv3
I think the rise of Obama also vividly demonstrates an important point
about pronoia. Many of us have been convinced that we've been living
through the New Dark Ages; we've been entranced by the belief that the
world is in terrible trouble and we're all on the brink of disaster. Even
those of us who don't swallow that cynical meme have had to
acknowledge that some crazy bad stuff has been happening.
But the way I see it, the election of a smart, spiritual black man who is a
good listener with a flexible mind is not some impossible miracle, not
some inexplicable escape from certain doom. The truth is that many of us
have been preparing the way for this outbreak of pronoia for years.
Obama's emergence as a prime leader is a natural evolution of the work
we've all been doing behind the scenes and outside of the media's
spotlight -- both on ourselves and on our local institutions.
As Sam Smith has written: "Obama is not a catalyst of change, but rather
its beneficiary."
+
Here are two essays that capture some of the essence of other important
themes in Obama's victory:
"Obama is the first postmodern president": http://tinyurl.com/68yyb8
"Very smart people are thinking and talking in serious conversations from
which narrow ideologues have been rigorously excluded":
http://tinyurl.com/68dsrh
+
Now I want to mention two big caveats about this monumental shift in
the collective destiny of America.
First, Obama and his team have a lot of work to do. That's why I endorse
many of the points listed on these two websites:
http://tinyurl.com/6qb3vm
The first 100 days: What Obama can do to address the cratering
economy, broken healthcare system, two wars, poverty and inequality,
and the stained US reputation in the world.
and here:
http://fixthisbarack.com
Fix This, Barack
Second we Americans have a lot of work to do. The resuscitation of our
country will have to be accomplished primarily by we-the-people, and as
much on the local level as in the federal realm.
This won't just be a matter of political organization. It will also require us
to be continually at work on ourselves, purging the parts of us that
resonate in harmony with the dying world and feeding the parts of
ourselves that are capable of creating a paradise-on-earth.
Here's a quote from my book:
As much as we might be dismayed at the actions of our political leaders,
pronoia says that toppling any particular junta, clique, or elite is irrelevant
unless we overthrow the sour, crippled mass hallucination that is
mistakenly called "reality" -- including the part of that hallucination we
foster in ourselves. We can't change the world unless we change
ourselves.
The revolution begins at home. If you overthrow yourself again and again,
you might earn the right to help overthrow the rest of us.
Here's a quote from Carl Jung:
"The best political, social, and spiritual work we can do is to withdraw the
projection of our shadow onto others."
Finally, a quote from Tom Robbins:
"Political activism is seductive because it seems to offer the possibility
that one can improve society, make things better, without going through
the personal ordeal of rearranging one's perceptions and transforming
one's self."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
To read news and features from my book, *PRONOIA IS THE ANTIDOTE
FOR PARANOIA: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with
Blessings,*
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 WORLD IS RICHER THAN WE IMAGINE
The Ten Best Inventions of 2008
http://tinyurl.com/6palq5
LIFE IS BETTER THAN WE THINK
Top 10 Environmental Successes of 2008
http://tinyurl.com/68arwq
HUMANS ARE SMARTER THAN WE REALIZE
Top 10 New World-Changing Innovations of the Year
http://tinyurl.com/3uhm49
(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.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Week beginning November 13
Copyright 2008 by Rob Brezsny
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): *The New York Times* ran a story about
philosopher Nick Bostrom. He believes there's a significant chance our
world is actually a computer simulation. In his scenario, you and I are living
in a version of The Matrix. Our "brains" are merely webs of computer
circuits created by our post-human descendants, who are studying
"ancestor simulations" of their past. I bring this to your attention,
Scorpio, because it's an excellent time for you to find out, one way or
another, whether Bostrom is correct. Right now you have a special talent
for knowing what's real and what's not. You've also got a knack for
escaping what's illusory and gravitating toward what's authentic. So even
if you do find out that we're living in The Matrix, you could become a kind
of messiah with resemblances to the character that Keanu Reaves played
in the film trilogy.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In his book *Signs of Success,*
astrologer Steven Weiss says "The question 'Do you believe in astrology?'
is like asking someone if they believe in art." I agree. Picture a no-
nonsense physicist gazing at a Kandinsky painting, with its teeming blobs
of mad color and exuberant shapes, and declaring it to be a superstitious
eruption of delusion that's not based on a logical understanding of the
world. Like Kandinsky's perspective, astrology at its best roots us in the
poetic language of the soul, and isn't blindly submissive to the values of
the rational ego. It's here to liberate our imaginations and encourage us
to think less literally and to visualize our lives as mythic quests. I bring
this to your attention, Sagittarius, because right now it's crucial that you
spend some quality time in modes of awareness akin to Kandinsky's and
astrology's.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Check out this excerpt from "Those Who
Do Not Dance," by Chilean poet Gabriel Mistral: "God asked from on high,
/ 'How do I come down from this blueness?' / We told Him: /come dance
with us in the light." I love this passage because it reminds me that
nothing is ever set in stone: Everything is always up for grabs. Even God
needs to be open to change and eager for fresh truths. Furthermore, even
we puny humans may on occasion need to be God's teacher and helper.
Likewise, we can never be sure about what lowly or unexpected sources
may bring us the influences we require. What do Mistral's words mean to
you, Capricorn? Imagine you're the "God" referenced in the poem. What
blueness are you ready to come down from, and who might invite you to
dance in their light?
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): All of the good works you do in the coming
week will send ripples far and wide, but not all of them will be recognized
and appreciated. I hope that's OK with you; I hope you won't get
obsessed with trying to get all the credit you deserve. The fact is, your
influences will be more effective and enduring if they are at least partially
anonymous. Ironically, your power will be greater if it's not fully noticed.
##########################################
Want to get an idea of what my EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES are like?
Tune in to my free podcast, "Fear Versus Intuition."
It's at http://tinyurl.com/5bt9ng
My approach there has a close resemblance to the style of my weekly
pay-for-view offerings.
Find out more about how to buy my EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES at
http://RealAstrology.com.
##########################################
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Describing his writing class at Sarah Lawrence
College, Jeffrey McDaniel says: "There are two kinds of humor: ha-ha
humor that is light and airy and floats into the sky like a balloon, vanishing
as the giggling subsides; and then there is a darker, heavier humor that is
still there when the laughter stops, a humor that must be reckoned with,
a humor with teeth." I suggest, Pisces, that you make the latter your
specialty, your passion, and your medicine. Consort with belly laughs and
sublime guffaws that rouse the ferocity you need in order to penetrate
deeper into the heart of the Great Mystery.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): "You can't know fire unless you play with it,"
says Mark Finney, a math whiz who develops computer models for fighting
forest fires. I offer that as a motto for you in the coming week, Aries. I'm
not saying you should purposely ignite a conflagration for the sake of
impulsive experimentation. I'm not saying you should kick smoldering
embers around like soccer balls or light a cigarette while you're pumping
gasoline or buy yourself a flame-thrower. What I am saying is that it will
be in your interest to learn more about how to play safely with intriguing,
useful fires. (Finney's quote comes from the July 2008 issue of *National
Geographic.*)
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The time for keeping the doors closed is
passing. But it is not yet the right moment to fling them wide open.
According to my reading of the omens, your best strategy is to keep
doors ajar -- open just a crack, letting some air in and allowing a hint of
your light to trickle out. This will discourage unfocused wanderers from
barging in, while at the same time it encourages worthy candidates with a
healthy curiosity to sneak peeks inside.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): "There is a rose in Spanish Harlem," sings Ben
E. King in his old pop ballad. "It is a special one/ It's never seen the sun/
It only comes out when the moon is on the run." King is fantasizing with
longing about an alluring woman from a hardscrabble neighborhood. The
rose is "growing in the street/ right up through the concrete" -- a
delicate beauty blooming amidst tough conditions. Your assignment,
Gemini, is to cultivate a connection with your equivalent of that rose.
##########################################
Want to get an idea of what my EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES are like?
Tune in to my free podcast, "Fear Versus Intuition."
It's at http://tinyurl.com/3j8huc.
My approach there has a close resemblance to the style of my weekly
pay-for-view offerings.
Find out more about how to buy my EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES at
http://RealAstrology.com.
##########################################
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Every second of your life, your bone marrow
produces 100 trillion molecules of hemoglobin, the stuff that carries
oxygen from your lungs to the rest of you. Meanwhile, every minute, your
immune system begets 10 million lymphocytes, which are key players in
your body's defenses. These are just two examples of the endless marvels
you produce, Cancerian. You are a creator of the first order. You're a
supreme maker and a generative genius. Remember that in the coming
days. It will help you be confident and purposeful as you birth minor
miracles and intimate wonders.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): For decades the U.S. government has handed out
far more welfare benefits to big corporations than to poor people.
Companies like IBM, General Electric, Boeing, and others rake in over 100
billion dollars of subsidies each year. In other words, socialism has been a
prominent feature of our so-called capitalist system for a long time.
Recently, Karl Marx's influence has made even deeper inroads into the
American way, with the government becoming part-owner of many banks
in order to keep them solvent. Will any of this fantastic largesse be
extended to us regular citizens, like maybe in the form of nationalized
health care? I can't answer that. But I do know this, Leo: In the coming
months, you will get help from powers that you regard as above and
beyond you.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): For many people, 10:30 a.m. is the single best
time of day to come up with fresh insights and new ideas. But that won't
exactly be true for you in the coming week. I mean, 10:30 *will* be a time
when you're likely to be really smart, but then so will 11:30, 1:05, 2:37,
3:46, and 4:20. For that matter, 6:35 may also bring a gush of high
intelligence, as well as 7:27, 8:19, and the last ten minutes before
bedtime. What I'm trying to tell you, Virgo, is that you're in a phase when
being brilliant should come pretty naturally.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Ruminate a minute about the people who don't
see you for who you really are. Some of them are enemies, but others
may be loved ones or allies. Consider the possibility that you have
unconsciously bought in to their beliefs about you; that you are at least
partially trapped in the habit of acting like the person they think you are.
Now visualize what it would be like to free yourself from the images and
expectations they have of you. Imagine the exhilaration you'd feel if you
answered only to the still, small voice of your own lucid intuition. The
coming weeks will be a good time for you to practice this high art.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
HOMEWORK: Name two ways you think that everyone should be more like
you. Go to http://FreeWillAstrology.com and click on "Email Rob."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
NEED TO CHANGE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS?
To join or leave the email list for this newsletter, or to change the address
where you receive it, go to:
http://www.freewillastrology.com/newsletter/
Once you do join, check all the below points to make sure you'll actually
receive the newsletter:
1. Add my address, televisionary@comcast.net, to your address book so
that the newsletter won't be treated as spam and filtered out.
2. Adjust your spam filter so it doesn't treat my address as a source of
spam.
3. Tell your company's IT group to allow my address to pass through any
filtering software they may have set up.
4. If my newsletters don't reach your inbox, look in your "Bulk Mail" or
"Junk Mail" folder.
5. The problems may not have to do with anything you do, but may
originate with your email provider. It may be using a "content filter" that
prevents my newsletter from ever reaching you at all. If you suspect
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.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++