Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter http://ezezine.com
Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
April 21, 2010
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There's another release from the soundtrack for my book
*PRONOIA IS THE ANTIDOTE FOR PARANOIA.* You may have heard it
before, but it's got a new page with a link that makes it easy to download
and that includes the lyrics and credits.
It's called "This Is a Perfect Moment."
You can access it here:
http://bit.ly/ThisIsaPerfectMoment
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Main website: http://FreeWillAstrology.com
Expanded Audio Horoscopes: http://RealAstrology.com
Facebook fan page: http://bit.ly/BrezFB
Sign up for the RSS feed: http://bit.ly/AstroRSS
See a pretty version of this newsletter: http://bit.ly/ceJPde
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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
Here's an excerpt:
LETTERS TO THE BEAUTY AND TRUTH LAB, Part 1
We who are devoted to pronoia created the Beauty and Truth Lab and
not the Beauty and Truth Think Tank because we want to put our ideas to
the test in the field -- to apply them in unpredictable situations beyond
our control and see whether they're useful to people who aren't
necessarily steeped in the mystique of pronoia.
One way we've gone about that is to encourage the public to testify and
ask questions about their practical experiences with pronoia. Below is Part
1 of a collection of exchanges that have unfolded since we began
discussing pronoiac themes on the BeautyandTruth.com website and in
the weekly astrology newsletter.
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DEAR BEAUTY AND TRUTH LAB: I'm a very analytical person, with a
doctorate in nuclear physics and a high-tech job. All my training and
business savvy tell me that Rob Brezsny's astrology column is
superstitious mumbo jumbo, yet every time I've faced a crisis in the last
10 years, his horoscopes have provided accurate wisdom and counsel
when things seemed darkest.
The same is true about the book *Pronoia.* The scientist in me knows
that you Beauty and Truth Lab people are utopian nutcases. It's
absolutely demented to regard the universe as friendly and to fantasize
that there's some vast, invisible conspiracy of blessing-bestowers. And
yet I have to confess that whenever I try the pronoiac strategies you
describe, my life veers in the direction of synchronicity and delight.
On the one hand, none of this makes any sense. On the other hand, I
don't care that it doesn't make any sense. Somehow I'm able to draw
sustenance from something whose power I don't understand or even
believe in. In any case, thank you! - Humble Genius
DEAR HUMBLE GENIUS: You've described a quality that we aspire to in our
efforts to cultivate pronoia: the ability to be helped by powers that are
beyond our understanding.
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DEAR BEAUTY AND TRUTH LAB: Does pronoia make you feel like you're
falling in love? Not just with a person but with life itself? And can that be
scary? Is it possible that you might feel a chord of gorgeous terror
resound in your gut when you entertain the thought that every person
and even every animal and plant and rock in the world is ganging up to
make your life interesting -- almost more brilliantly interesting than you
can bear? Does pronoia threaten to cause all perceptions, all sensations,
all interactions to verge on being orgasmic?
I've been heading in this direction lately and it's freaking me out. Can
extreme happiness be dangerous to my well-being? - Butchtastic
DEAR BUTCHTASTIC: First thing we'll say is that while pronoia inevitably
feeds the soul, it doesn't necessarily further the agendas of the ego. The
anxiety that's welling up may be the result of your old self-image clinging
to the shrunken expectations it had gotten used to thinking of as
essential to its identity.
The second thing is that when people invite pronoia to take over their
perceptual filters, they often feel as if they're falling in love with a Scary
Yet Friendly Vastness that kicks their butts until they wake up to the
secret beauty they've been ignoring.
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DEAR BEAUTY AND TRUTH LAB: I'm battling mixed emotions. On the one
hand, I have frequent surges of intense compassion that make me want to
build houses for poor folks. On the other hand, I'm beset by flashes of
vanity that make me want to spend my money on Prada shoes and
expensive jewelry rather than on trips to Third World countries to help
Habitat for Humanity. Is it crazy and self-defeating to want both things?
- Torn and Guilty
DEAR TORN AND GUILTY: Try honoring both your urge to express beauty
and your desire to aid your fellow humans. We have a vision of you
wearing a gold tiara and Prada's Sculpted d'Orsay pumps as you wield
your hammer, framing a wall for a new house in Haiti.
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DEAR BEAUTY AND TRUTH LAB: In your book *Pronoia,* you say, 'The
universe always gives us exactly what we need, exactly when we need it.'
I have a different view. I often find that I disagree with what the Universe
decides is best for me. But that usually turns out to be a good thing. It's
fun for me to always be arguing with God! I learn a lot and generate a lot
of high energy from trying to outmaneuver the divine will. What do you
think about that? - Cagey Dissident
DEAR CAGEY: Congratulations! You are the thousandth dissident to testify
that pronoia is not, in fact, the One Truth and the Only Way -- thereby
proving to our satisfaction that we have successfully prevented our
beloved Beauty and Truth Lab from being a shill for a fundamentalist
ideology. Please accept our most fantastic thanks. Your prize will be on its
way to you soon!
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DEAR BEAUTY AND TRUTH LAB: The chemo treatments burned out all the
math skills in my brain, which were already pretty meager. On the other
hand, they awakened my ability to feel perfectly at ease while in the midst
of paradoxical situations that everyone else finds maddening and
uncomfortable.
The chemo also made me ridiculously tolerant of people's contradictions,
sometimes even their hypocrisies, and freed me to enjoy life as an
entertaining movie with lots of interesting plot twists rather than as a
pitched battle between everything I like and everything I don't like. I
guess I could say that my cancer helped turn me into a pronoiac! - The
Chaos Artist Formerly Known as Risa Kline
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TUNE IN NEXT WEEK FOR MORE "LETTERS TO THE BEAUTY AND TRUTH
LAB"
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
YOU DON'T HAVE TO ABANDON YOUR LIFE IN ORDER TO GET HAPPY
*The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the
Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have
More Fun* by Gretchen Rubin
http://tinyurl.com/yd5573l
NON-FAMOUS PEOPLE ARE CONSPIRING TO HELP OTHER NON-FAMOUS
PEOPLE
"How to Fix Everything"
The Fixers' Collective gets together every Thursday night in Brooklyn to
mend things.
http://tinyurl.com/yfawu4r
SOMETIMES EVEN CAPITALISM CARES
The book about the company that guarantees its workers jobs for life.
http://tinyurl.com/yzh2q4j
A compendium of these pronoia resources
http://pronoiaresources.com
(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 22
Copyright 2010 by Rob Brezsny
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Yes, I know that the bull is your totem animal.
But I'm hoping you're willing to expand your repertoire, because it's a ripe
time for you to take on some of the attitudes of the king of beasts.
Consider this. The naturalist and shaman Virginia Carper notes that lions
have strong personalities but cooperate well. They're powerful as
individuals but engage in constructive group dynamics. In many cultures,
they have been symbols of nobility, dignity, and spiritual prowess. To
adopt the lion as a protective guardian spirit builds one's ability to know
and hunt down exactly what one wants. Would you like more courage?
Visualize your lion self.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In 2011, I may do a tour of North America,
performing my show "Sacred Uproar." But for the foreseeable future I
need to shut up and listen. I've got to make myself available to learn fresh
truths I don't even realize I need to know. So, yeah, next year I might be
ready to express the extroverted side of my personality in a celebration
of self-expression. But for now I have a sacred duty to forget everything I
supposedly believe in and gratefully shuck my self-importance. By the
way, Gemini, everything I just described would be a good approach for
you to consider taking in the next three weeks.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Is it true what they say -- that you can never
have too many friends? If you don't think so, it's a good time to re-
evaluate your position. And if you do agree, then you should go out and
get busy. According to my reading of the astrological omens, you're likely
to be extra lucky in attracting new connections and deepening existing
alliances in the coming weeks. The friendships you strike up are likely to
be unusually stimulating and especially productive. To take maximum
advantage of the favorable cosmic rhythms, do whatever you can to
spruce up your inner beauty.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): I have compiled a set of four affirmations that I
think will keep you on the right track in the coming weeks. Try saying
them at least twice a day. 1. "I am cultivating Relaxed Alertness, because
that will make me receptive to high-quality clues about how to proceed."
2. "I am expressing Casual Perfectionism, because that way I will
thoroughly enjoy being excellent, and not stress about it." 3. "I am full of
Diligent Indifference, working hard out of love for the work and not being
attached to the outcome." 4. "I am practicing Serene Debauchery,
because if I'm not manically obsessed with looking for opportunities to
cut loose, those opportunities will present themselves to me with grace
and frequency."
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The Great Wall of China is the largest human
construction in the world, stretching for almost 3,900 miles. But contrary
to legend, it is not visible from the moon. According to most astronauts,
the Wall isn't even visible from low Earth orbit. Keep this in mind as you
carry out your assignment in the coming week, Virgo. First, imagine that
your biggest obstacle is the size of the Great Wall of China. Second,
imagine yourself soaring so high above it, so thoroughly beyond it, that it
disappears. If performed regularly, I think this exercise will give you a new
power to deal with your own personal Great Wall of China.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In the early 1990s, actors Johnny Depp and
Winona Ryder were engaged to be married. In honor of their love, Depp
got a tattoo that read "Winona Forever." After the relationship fell apart,
though, he had it altered to "Wino Forever." If you're faced with a
comparable need to change a tattoo or shift your emphasis or transform
a message anytime soon, Libra, I suggest putting a more positive and
upbeat spin on it -- something akin to "Winner Forever."
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LISTEN TO AN EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPE
In addition to the horoscopes 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.
"I don't much believe in astrology. But that doesn't seem to get in the
way of me deriving a whole lot of benefits from your expanded audio
horoscopes."
- A. Arrosto, Indianapolis
"You have an amazing aptitude for cutting through the lies I tell myself.
Thanks for the gentle shocks."
- T. Preneris, Toronto
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SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In the Bering Strait, Russia and America are
2.5 miles apart. The International Date Line runs through the gap,
meaning that it's always a day later on the Russian side than it is on the
American. I suggest you identify a metaphorically similar place in your own
life, Scorpio: a zone where two wildly different influences almost touch.
According to my reading of the omens, it's an excellent time for you to
foster more interaction and harmony between them.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I have a group of colleagues who half-
jokingly, half-sincerely refer to themselves as the Shamanic Hackers of
Karmic Justice. The joking part of it is that the title is so over-the-top
ostentatious that it keeps them from taking themselves too seriously.
The sincere part is that they really do engage in shamanic work designed
to help free their clients from complications generated by old mistakes.
Since you're entering the season of adjustment and atonement, I asked
them to do some corrective intervention in your behalf. They agreed, with
one provision: that you aid and abet their work by doing what you can to
liberate yourself from the consequences of wrong turns you made in the
past.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The *Weekly World News* reported that a
blues singer sued his psychiatrist for turning him into a more cheerful
person. Gloomy Gus Johnson claimed he was so thoroughly cured of his
depression that he could no longer perform his dismal tales with mournful
sincerity. His popularity declined as he lost fans who had become
attached to his despondent persona. I suspect you may soon be arriving
at a similar crossroads, Capricorn. Through the intervention of uplifting
influences and outbreaks of benevolence, you will find it harder to
cultivate a cynical attitude. Are you prepared to accept the consequences
that may come from being deprived of some of your reasons to moan and
groan?
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Educational specialist Dr. Howard Gardner
believes I.Q. tests evaluate only a fraction of human intelligence. He
describes eight different kinds of astuteness. They include the traditional
measures -- being good at math and language -- as well as six others:
being smart about music, the body, other people, one's own inner state,
nature, and spatiality. (More here: bit.ly/Shrewd.) I bring this to your
attention, Aquarius, because you're entering a phase when you could
dramatically enhance your intelligence about your own inner state. Take
advantage of this fantastic opportunity to know yourself much, much
better.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): South Carolina now requires subversive
people to register with the state if they have the stated intention of
overthrowing the government of the United States. I have no such goal,
so I remain free to operate unlicensed in South Carolina. I am, however,
participating in a movement to overthrow reality -- or rather, the sour and
crippled mass hallucination that is mistakenly called "reality." This crusade
requires no guns or political agitation, but is instead waged by the forces
of the liberated imagination using words, music, and images to counteract
those who paralyze and deaden the imagination. I invite you to join us.
You're entering a phase when you may feel an almost ecstatic longing to
free yourself from the delusions that constitute the fake "reality."
ARIES (March 21-April 19): "Although obstacles and difficulties frighten
ordinary people," wrote French painter Théodore Géricault, "they are the
necessary food of genius. They cause it to mature, and raise it up . . . All
that obstructs the path of genius inspires a state of feverish agitation,
upsetting and overturning those obstacles, and producing masterpieces."
I'd like to make this idea one of your guiding principles, Aries. In order for
it to serve you well, however, you'll have to believe that there is a sense
in which you do have some genius within you. It's not necessarily
something that will make you rich, famous, popular, or powerful. For
example, you may have a genius at washing dogs or giving thoughtful
gifts or doing yoga when you're sad. Whatever your unique brilliance
consists of, the challenges just ahead will be highly useful in helping it
grow.
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HOMEWORK: Listen to a welcoming message from the Beauty and Truth
Lab: http://bit.ly/TruthLab. Then tell us what you want more than
anything else: Truthrooster@gmail.com.
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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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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
2010 Rob Brezsny
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
EVOLUTION FAVORS COOPERATION AS MUCH AS COMPETITION
Elinor Ostrom, the newest Nobel laureate in economics, has built her
career on the science of cooperation.
"The 8 keys to a successful commons"
http://tinyurl.com/y97psjz
BEAUTY SURROUNDS YOU
100 epic images of the universe
http://tinyurl.com/ylqjuw6
BLESSINGS AREN'T JUST FOR COMFORTABLE RICH PEOPLE
World's most useful tree provides low-cost water purification method for
developing world
http://tinyurl.com/yl3kwwg
(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 22
Copyright 2010 by Rob Brezsny
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
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HOMEWORK:
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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
2010 Rob Brezsny
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++