Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter http://ezezine.com
Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
September 16, 2009
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http://FreeWillAstrology.com
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"Everything on earth is beautiful, everything -- except what we ourselves
think and do when we forget the higher purposes of life and our own
human dignity."
- Anton Chekhov
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PRONOIA NEWS
The revised and expanded version of my book *PRONOIA IS THE
ANTIDOTE FOR PARANOIA* will be available beginning next week. You can
pre-order it here:
Amazon:
http://tinyurl.com/lxpnyt
Barnes and Noble:
http://tinyurl.com/kkadtb
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On his blog, singer-songwriter JASON MRAZ talked about me and my book:
"Meet Rob Brezsny. He writes everybody's favorite astrology column, Free
Will Astrology. I dig him for his powerful yet playful insights, his poetry
and his humor. I recently got turned onto his book, *Pronoia is the
Antidote for Paranoia.* Believing not that the world is out to get you, but
rather, the world is there to GIVE you, takes you to a powerful place. His
website alone can give you a lift just by smelling it. Today I salute him for
his dedication to inspiration."
You can read the whole thing on his blog:
http://tinyurl.com/ldcwpb
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Go to Youtube to see Mraz talk about the concept of pronoia during one
of his live shows:
http://tinyurl.com/m3m69p
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Jason Mraz is one of the most famous agents of pronoia. More than any
other big celebrity I know of, he's out there feeding the conspiracy to
shower blessings on all of creation. In his blog
(http://tinyurl.com/nxu88f), he encourages his readers to view the world
as a fount of glory; he urges them to be sources of goodness and
gratitude.
I'm glad to see that Mraz's song "I'm Yours" is now officially the longest
running hit in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, having been
there for over 70 weeks.
What does it say about the current state of reality when an intelligent
optimist like Mraz has such mainstream popularity? Here's what I suspect:
The media may relentlessly wallow in news about what's wrong and bad
and rotting, but a lot of people are resisting that hypnotic hum as they
wake up to the glorious other side of the story.
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Interesting fodder for pronoiac conspiracy theorists: Jason Mraz and I
were both born on June 23.
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"The next time you don't understand someone's style, language, or way
of being, I invite you to pause and be grateful for having eyes and ears to
see and hear them. Then take a moment to celebrate their interests the
way you would hope they celebrate yours. You don't have to share their
beliefs to be genuinely stoked for them. The world is a party waiting to
happen. All you have to do is shout SURPRISE and give them some
applause for doing their best with what they've been given." – Jason Mraz
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
AN EXAMPLE OF PRONOIA IN ACTION ON A LARGE SCALE
Burning Man is a temporary autonomous zone where self-expression is
more important and interesting than self-aggrandizement, and where
nothing is bought and sold.
"Once you are free," said Baudrillard, "you are forced to ask who you
are."
http://tinyurl.com/ncgwso
CAN YOU HANDLE THIS MUCH GOOD NEWS?
*Spontaneous Evolution: Our Positive Future (and a Way to Get There
from Here)* by Bruce H. Lipton and Steve Bhaerman
"We've all heard stories of people who've experienced seemingly
miraculous recoveries from illness, but can the same thing happen for our
world? According to pioneering biologist Bruce H. Lipton and philosopher
Steve Bhaerman, it's not only possible, it's already occurring."
http://tinyurl.com/ntagtc
SOMETIMES ILLUSIONS ARE BEAUTIFUL
Uncanny chalk murals by street artist Kurt Wenner
http://tinyurl.com/dlpflk
(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 17
Copyright 2009 by Rob Brezsny
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): There's a device on the market that claims to
age wine very quickly. The makers of "Clef du Vin" say that by using their
simple technology, you can "accelerate the aromatic development of the
wine's flavor and soften its structure." So dramatic is the supposed effect
that "one second of the device in the wine is equal to one year's age." I
believe that you now have the metaphorical equivalent of this marvel,
Virgo. This temporary talent won't work on wine, but it could perform
wonders with other processes that would benefit from having their
evolution expedited.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): "The soft-minded person always fears change,"
said one of my favorite transformers, Martin Luther King Jr. "For him, the
greatest pain is the pain of a new idea." The corollary to King's
pronouncement is that changes are less likely to be painful if you're not
afraid of them. According to my astrological analysis, Libra, none of that
stuff will be an issue for you in the coming weeks. As you slip into a phase
of riotous growth, I expect you will have abundant access to previously
dormant reserves of courage and tough-mindedness.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Studies show that many people believe their
attendance at a sports event impacts the outcome of the game. They are
obviously suffering from a ridiculous delusion, right? They're enthralled by
the kind of magical thinking that our primitive ancestors engaged in,
right? Normally I'd say yes, but not right now, not for you Scorpios. For a
limited time only, your presence at events where people congregate may
exert an uncanny influence far beyond the power of logic to explain. Your
opinions will carry more weight than usual, and your power to shape
group dynamics will be at a peak.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): If I'm reading the astrological omens
correctly, you're now ensconced in a smooth groove and not even close
to being stuck in a cluttered rut. You're making the right moves for the
best reasons, and never trying to get ahead at the expense of others.
During a grace period like this, I think you'd be wise to convene what I call
a problem team. A problem team is a posse of smart allies whose task it is
to dream up every possible glitch that could threaten to undermine your
efforts in the coming weeks. They lead you through dry runs that test
your reflexes and prime your resourcefulness, thereby making those
glitches unlikely to occur.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): While I'm pretty much a genius when it
comes to the meaning of Kurt Cobain's lyrics, the art of cooking perfect
scrambled eggs, and the secrets of being a good listener, I'm an absolute
idiot about how a car engine works, how to make money on eBay, and
how to craft a foreign policy that would deal effectively with Pakistan.
What about you, Capricorn? What are you dumb about? This is an
excellent time to cure your ignorance about any subject that will be
important for you to be smarter about in the future.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): The following projects would be excellent
ways for you to spend your time in the coming weeks: 1. Attend a
fantasy camp where you learn rodeo tricks. (They might come in handy
during committee meetings and collaborative efforts in the next six
months.) 2. Teach a worthy candidate the intricacies of licking your
nuzzle spots. (It no longer makes sense to expect people to read your
mind). 3. Scratch an itch that has been subliminally bugging you. (Unless
of course you find some value in being subliminally bugged.) 4. Solicit
lively information from a devil's advocate, a sexy mother, and a world
traveler. (You need exposure to people whose perspectives will pry open a
couple of the closed areas of your mind).
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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.
"Your expanded horoscopes get more personal and intimate with me than
some of my closest friends. Thanks for the loving reflections."
- Ari S., Ann Arbor, MI
"Your audio 'scopes have a knack for waking me up from whatever
random dream has sneaked into my brain and rendered me half-blind."
- Teresa F., Boston, MA
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PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Your quest has come to a fork, Pisces. Down
one path lies a tumultuous obsession -- a compulsive, tormented hunt like
Captain Ahab's pursuit of Moby Dick. In the other direction, a graceful
chase beckons, more in the manner of Sir Galahad's pure-hearted search
for the Holy Grail. Choose one fork and your quarry will be beastly,
impossible, and frustrating. If you choose the other fork, your quarry will
be magical, earthy, and transformative.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): To the thug who stole my Chevy Malibu from
its parking place while I was recording an album in San Francisco back in
1991: I forgive you. To the lovely and talented Artemisia, who couldn't
bring herself to fall in love with me as we partied at the Burning Man
festival back in 2001: I forgive you. To the agent who helped my writing
career so much but also cheated me out of thousands of dollars: I forgive
you. To any Aries readers who hate it when I refer to my personal life in
their horoscopes, and would much rather I confine myself to talking about
them: I forgive you, and recommend that you engage in a more thorough
and profound version of the cleansing I just illustrated.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The old saying "You can't have your cake and
eat it too" suggests that maybe it's not a good idea to go out on dates
with a variety of lovers while you're engaged to be married. Nostradamus
scholar John Hogue has taken the spirit of this idea and created a
variation that I think applies to you right now, Taurus. "You can't have
your past and your future, too," he says. In other words, you cannot fully
embrace the exciting and daunting possibilities that loom ahead of you if
you also insist on immersing yourself in the pleasures of the past. You can
either have the old ways or the new ways, but not both.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): According to my astrological analysis, you
currently have a certain resemblance to a vacuum cleaner or a hungry
baby or a min-black hole. Every time I've turned my meditations to the
Gemini tribe, I've been hearing a psychic version of a giant sucking sound.
What does it all mean? I sense that you're especially voracious right now,
almost insatiable -- as if you're inclined to engorge and absorb any old
thing that you happen to find in front of you. Are my speculations true? If
so, I hope and pray that all the things you're finding in front of you are
healthy for you. But just in case some of them are not: Would you
consider exercising some discrimination about what you allow to enter
into the sacred temple of your body and mind?
CANCER (June 21-July 22): These days, your gods can kick the butts of
everyone else's gods. Likewise, your lawyers and agents and sidekicks can
most likely outwit, outdo, and out-wrestle everyone else's. But it's crucial
to note that if you try to work alone, you will not be able to kick other
people's butts, let alone the butts of their gods, lawyers, agents, and
sidekicks. The skills of your allies will be indispensable. The way I see it,
your test in the coming days will be to overcome any tendency you might
have to indulge in pathological levels of self-sufficiency as you cultivate a
greater capacity to ask for and receive help.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): "We're all mutants," read the headline of a report
on the latest genetic research. It turns out that like everyone else, you
have between 100 and 200 mutations in your DNA -- absolutely new
characteristics that were not passed down to you by your parents. To
gather the evidence for this revelation, scientists had to sort through
huge amounts of data; there are thousands of genes but only a few
mutations. A Chinese scientist who was a member of the research team
said that "finding this tiny number of mutations was more difficult than
finding an ant's egg in an emperor's rice store." I predict that you will
soon have a comparable experience, Leo: From an overwhelming array of
choices, you'll be able to locate the rare catalysts you need.
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HOMEWORK: What's the most selfish, narcissistic thing about you? Do
you think that maybe you should transform it? 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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Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2009 Rob Brezsny
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