Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter http://ezezine.com
Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
April 14, 2010
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New song: "World Kiss":
http://bit.ly/WorldKiss
Expanded Audio Horoscopes:
http://RealAstrology.com
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There's a new release from the soundtrack for my book
*PRONOIA IS THE ANTIDOTE FOR PARANOIA.*
It's called "World Kiss."
You can access it here:
http://bit.ly/WorldKiss
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The revised and expanded version of my book
*PRONOIA IS THE ANTIDOTE FOR PARANOIA*
is available at Amazon: http://bit.ly/Pronoia
and also at Powells:
http://bit.ly/PronoiaPowells
An excerpt is below. If you'd like to read the whole thing, go here:
http://bit.ly/ChangeBlessing
THE BLESSINGS OF CHANGE
One of life's great bounties is its changeableness, which ensures that
boredom will never last very long. You may underestimate the intensity of
your longing for continual transformation, but the universe doesn't.
That's why it provides you with the boundless entertainment of your
ever-shifting story. That's why it is always revising the challenges it sends
your way, providing your curious soul with a rich variety of unpredictable
teachings.
Neuroscientists have turned up evidence that suggests you love this
aspect of the universe's behavior. They say that you are literally addicted
to learning. At the moment when you grasp a lesson you've been
grappling with, your brain experiences a rush of a natural opium-like
chemical, boosting your pleasure levels. You crave this experience. You
thrive on it.
So the universe is built in such a way as to discourage boredom. It does
this not just by generating an endless stream of interesting novelty, and
not only by giving you an instinctive lust to keep learning, but also by
making available an abundance of ways to break free of your habitual
thoughts. You can go to school, travel, read, listen to experts, converse
with people who think differently from you, and absorb the works of
creative artists. You can replenish and stretch your mind through
exercise, sex, psychotherapy, spiritual practices, and self-expression. You
can take drugs and medicines that alter your perspectives.
And here's the best part of this excellent news: Every method that exists
for expanding your consciousness is more lavishly available right now than
it has been at any previous time in history.
Never before have there been so many schools, educational programs,
workshops, and enrichment courses. Virtually any subject or skill you want
to study, you can. You don't even have to leave your home to do it. The
number of online classes is steadily mounting.
Travel is easier and faster than ever before. A few days from now, you
could be white-water rafting along the Franklin River in Tasmania, or riding
on "the train at the end of the world" in Tierra del Fuego, or observing
Golden Bamboo lemurs in the rainforest of southeastern Madagascar. If
you're on a budget, you can jet to exotic locales for free as an air courier,
or you can travel cheaply as an eco-tourist, enjoying the natural pleasures
of distant climes without demanding luxurious accommodations or
expensive night life.
Let's talk about the Internet's role in helping the universe discourage
boredom. Remember, it's still very early in the evolution of this budding
global brain. But already it provides you with instant access to a
substantial amount of all the information, images, and music ever created.
And in another few years, the sheer entirety of the human mind's riches
will be spread before you like a gargantuan feast. It's not yet true that
every book ever written and every song ever recorded and every film ever
made are accessible online, but it will be true sooner rather than later.
Today, without leaving your chair or spending any money, you can enjoy
Kandinsky's painting "Improvisation No. 30" or archives of the Krazy Kat
comic strips. You can listen to a Vivaldi concerto or a Black Sabbath
heavy metal anthem, and you can read the history of the Peloponnesian
War or the myths of the Tlingit Indians. You can hear Martin Luther King's
"I Have a Dream" speech or watch a short film of the Three Stooges
throwing pies in the faces of high society matrons or pore over every
poem Emily Dickinson ever wrote.
For many of us, few freshly minted glories are more glorious than the
Internet's prodigious gift of song. Thanks to the magic of electronic file
transfer, there has never before been so much great music available, and
from so many different cultures and genres, and so cheaply.
Enhancing this blessing has been the recent revolution in recording
technology, which has made it possible for musicians all over the world to
record their compositions at low cost. We not only have much better
access to all kinds of music, but have far more new music to enjoy as
well.
One further development has pushed our relationship with music into the
realm of crazy goodness: portable MP3 players that allow us to listen to
the burgeoning abundance of tunes anywhere and anytime we want . . . .
TO READ THE REST OF THIS, go here: http://bit.ly/ChangeBlessing
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
PRONOIA ISN'T JUST A LUXURY FOR RICH PEOPLE
"The healthiest and happiest societies aren't the ones with the highest
incomes, but those with the most equality."
http://tinyurl.com/yznpy8h
YOU HAVE INVISIBLE HELPERS WORKING IN YOUR BEHALF
Watch a white blood cell chase bacteria
http://tinyurl.com/rdns9k
CRUSADERS ARE CONSPIRING BEHIND THE SCENES TO SAVE THE WORLD
A great victory for clean water
http://tinyurl.com/yak257q
(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 April 15
Copyright 2010 by Rob Brezsny
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Photons work hard to get from the heart of
the sun to the surface. They can take up to 160,000 years to complete
the 400,000+-mile journey. And yet once Earth-bound photons get
topside, they travel the 93-million-mile distance to our planet in just over
eight minutes. I foresee a metaphorically similar situation unfolding in your
life in the coming weeks. A development that has been a long time in the
making will accelerate tremendously in its last phase of ripening.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Taurus genius Irving Berlin (1888-1989) has
been called the greatest songwriter who ever lived. Among his 1,500
compositions were iconic tunes like "God Bless America" and "White
Christmas," as well as scores for 18 Hollywood movies and 19 Broadway
shows. And yet he never learned to read or write music. Was he
embarrassed about his handicap? Not at all. He even bragged about it. He
felt that having such a minimal grasp of the conventions of songwriting
was an advantage, giving him the freedom to be extraordinarily original. Is
there any way in which you're like Irving Berlin, Taurus? Do you have a
seeming limitation that is actually an aid to your creativity and
uniqueness? Celebrate it this week.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): "Every changed circumstance contains
opportunities, which accrue to the first people to recognize them," wrote
poet Charles Potts. "Since circumstances are in constant flux, there is a
steady stream of opportunities. Learn to spot them and make them your
own." I offer you this advice, Gemini, because you'll soon be in a prime
position to derive great benefit from it. If you tweak your attitude just
right -- aligning your novelty receptors to be on high alert -- the clattering
commotion of metamorphosis that's headed your way will bring with it a
bustling welter of unforeseen openings.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): First the negatives: Don't be a martyr to what
you've won. Don't let your success oppress you. Don't become a slave to
the useful role you've earned. Don't neglect your own needs as you serve
the needs of those who admire you for what you give. Now let's try a
more positive way to frame the challenges ahead of you: Keep
questioning whether the fruits of your victories are still enjoyable and
fulfilling to you. Make sure the triumphs of the past don't get in the way
of the potential triumphs of the future. Find out how your success may
need to evolve. Push beyond what's good and head in the direction of
what's great.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): My rage against the machine began early. I joined
my first protest march at age 15, led a boycott at 17, and was tear-
gassed by cops at a demonstration when I was 18. In the intervening
years, my anger at injustice has broadened and deepened. I've lent my
rebel yells to hundreds of righteous causes. But in 2006, I decided to
shift my approach. Instead of fighting every single abuse that incited my
ire, I chose three to concentrate on: the obscene militarism of the
American government, the extreme financial disparities between the rich
and poor, and the environmental degradations caused by corporations and
corporate culture. Since then, my crusading energy has been more
focused and effective, and my general mood has brightened. I recommend
you consider a similar change, Leo. It's an excellent time for you to give
more of your passion to fewer causes.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Do you remember the monster that
sometimes lived under your bed when you were a kid? Recently it found
its way back to you, and has been spending time in your closet. It's not as
frightening as it used to be, and I'm not alarmed by its return. In fact, I
think it has an important message for you that would be valuable to
discover. I encourage you to invite it out for a conversation. As you might
suspect, as soon as it delivers its crazy wisdom, it will leave you in peace.
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MY OTHER HOROSCOPES
Factual information and reasonable thinking alone are not sufficient to
guide you through life's labyrinthine tests. You need and deserve regular
deliveries of uncanny revelation.
One of your inalienable rights as a human being should therefore be to
receive mysteriously useful omens on a regular basis. In this spirit, I offer
you the free weekly horoscopes you read here.
If you ever want more, and think it's worth paying for, try my EXPANDED
AUDIO HOROSCOPES. They're available here:
http://RealAstrology.com
You can also access them by phone:
1-877-873-4888
or
1-900-950-7700.
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LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Present the following dare to a person or
persons with whom you would like to go deeper: "You think you know me,
but you really know just a tantalizing fraction. Would you like to
experience the rest of the story?" And if anyone expresses interest, take
him or her on a magical tour they won't forget. Reveal the sides of you
that are too mysteriously interesting to show the general public, or too
intimate to reveal to anyone you don't trust, or so potent they might
intimidate those who don't have a lot of self-possession.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In North America, California Condors are the
biggest flying birds that live on land. Their wingspans are up to ten feet.
Once sacred to certain Native Americans, these members of the vulture
family can live for 60 years and soar as high as 15,000 feet. But they
came close to extinction in the 20th century, mostly because of human
activity. In 1987, conservationists intervened. In the hope of replenishing
the population in captivity, they captured every last one of the 22
remaining wild condors. Painstaking efforts gradually yielded results, and
today there are 348 birds, including 187 in the wild. I bring this to your
attention, Scorpio, because I believe now is an excellent time to begin a
project to save your own metaphorical version of an "endangered
species."
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): According to *Us Weekly,* baseball star
Alex Rodriguez owns two paintings of himself in which he's portrayed as
half-man, half-horse. This is an excellent time for you to be inspired by his
example. Gazing at a picture of a mythical centaur who looks like you
would speak to your subconscious mind in just the right way. Bypassing
your rational ego, that stirring icon would animate and cultivate the wise
animal in you. It would stimulate the sweet spot where your physical
vitality overlaps your visionary intelligence. Do you know anyone who
could Photoshop this powerful image for you?
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Here's my startling prediction: More
Capricorn spiritual seekers will become enlightened in the next five weeks
than in any comparable period of history. Hell, there'll be so much infinity
mixed with eternity available for your tribe that even a lot of you non-
seekers could get a lightning bolt of illumination or two. That's not to say
that you *have* to accept the uplifting revelations, or even tune in to
them, for that matter. If you'd prefer to ignore the sacred hubbub and go
about your practical business without having to hassle with the
consequences of a divine download, that's fine.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Can you imagine what it would be like to
venture into the opposite of the Bermuda Triangle? You know, a zone
where wonderfully odd things occur rather than bad strange things? I
think that such a place exists, and I think you'll soon find it. The luck that
unfolds for you will be a blend of dumb and brilliant. The discoveries you
make may be useless on the outside but valuable on the inside. Lost keys
may reappear and missing links will materialize out of nowhere. Here's the
piece de resistance: An apparent memory of the future could provide a
secret passageway to a previously hidden enclave that contains "magic
garbage."
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In honor of the new identity you're evolving
into, I hereby give you the nickname of "Miracle Player," or else -- if you
like one of these better -- "Sleek Cat" or "Giant Step" or "Fate
Whisperer." You may hereafter also use any of the following titles to refer
to yourself: "CEO of My Own Life" or "Self-Teacher of Jubilance and
Serenity" or "Fertile Blur of Supple Strength." Feel free, as well, to anoint
your head with pure organic virgin olive oil, fashion a crown for yourself
out of roses and shredded masks, and come up with a wordless sound
that is a secret sign you'll give to yourself whenever you need to
remember the marvelous creature you are on your way to becoming.
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HOMEWORK: Comment on Nietzsche's belief that "One must have chaos
within oneself if one is to be a dancing star." Testify by going to
www.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
2010 Rob Brezsny
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