Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter http://ezezine.com
Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
October 6, 2010
+
For a pretty version of this newsletter, go here:
http://bit.ly/FWA-10-06
+
There's a new release from the soundtrack for my book. It's called
PRONOIA IS A DANGEROUS TABOO
You can listen to it and read it in its entirety here:
http://bit.ly/DangerousTaboo
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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:
IS PRONOIA JUST FOR RICH, COMFORTABLE PEOPLE? Part 1
All of creation is conspiring to shower us with blessings. Life is crazily in
love with us -- brazenly and innocently in love with us. The universe
always gives us exactly what we need, exactly when we need it.
But wait a minute. What about all the people in Africa, Asia, Latin
America, the Arab world, and Oceania who don't have enough to eat and
a comfortable place to sleep? How about the victims of war and
epidemics, and the oppressed who live under the rule of tyrants, and the
innocents whose lives are distorted by bigotry? Where's their glory in the
highest? Why should they feel grateful?
To answer that in full, I need the entire book this piece is excerpted from
as well as my next two books. But I'll begin the process by taking an
inventory of the ways that life in the developing countries may be less
than horrendous. In doing so, I don't mean to downplay the immensity and
intensity of suffering there. We still have a long way to go before we
reach the only reasonable goal, which is to create a world in which
everyone alive is a healthy, free, self-actualized, spiritually enlightened
millionaire dedicated to living sustainably.
In this week's excerpt from *PRONOIA,* as well as the next few weeks, I'll
be seeing if we can dig up any decent excuses to shout hallelujah about
the way the world is evolving outside of the privileged enclaves of the
West.
*
In the developing world, too many children are suffering terribly. On the
other hand, fewer and fewer are suffering terribly every year. In 2006,
UNICEF (the United Nations Children's Fund) reported that the death rate
among young children had declined dramatically since 1960. Back then,
184 of every 1,000 kids expired before age five. More recently, the
number is 72 per 1,000.
Everyone in the developing world is living longer, too, according to a
study published in 2005 by Noble Prize-winning economist Gary Becker.
He reported that between 1960 and 2000, life expectancy in the poorest
nations on the planet increased from 41 to 64 years.
This miraculous progress has happened in part because the world's wealth
has been steadily increasing. In a blog he writes on *The New York Times*
website (http://tinyurl.com/q4glr6), economist Steve Radelet reported
that one of the most crucial shifts in human history began around 1980.
The number of people living in poverty began to diminish then, and has
continued to do so ever since. He waxed dramatic: "That's right: After
rising steadily since the beginning of time, the number of people in the
world living in absolute poverty has fallen by nearly one-third in less than
three decades."
The World Bank issued a report in late 2008 that differed slightly in its
details, but confirmed the general trend. It said that the number of people
surviving on less than $1.25 per day had dropped by 500 million since
1981, even though the world's population increased by over two billion
during that time. A United Nations' Human Development Report released
in 2004 measured the progress from yet another angle, revealing that
real per capita income in the developing world had more than doubled
since 1975.
A further reason for the sharp reduction in child mortality has been
improved medical treatments. These include immunizations against
measles, rehydration therapy to combat diarrhea, vitamin A
supplementation, and the widespread use of bed nets to foil mosquitoes
bearing malaria.
Measles has been one of the most virulent diseases for children in Africa
and Asia. But it's easily preventable through vaccination, which is why, in
2001, public health organizations launched the Measles Initiative, a
campaign to provide mass vaccination. Since their work began, more than
600 million children have gotten the precious injections, and the death
rate from measles has dropped 74 percent globally and 89 percent in
Africa.
Of all the world's parasitic diseases, malaria is the deadliest. In second
place is black fever, which takes 500,000 lives every year, mostly in India
and Africa. In the 1960s, researchers identified the drug paromomyocin
as an effective treatment against black fever, but pharmaceutical
companies refused to make it. Why? There was little profit in the
enterprise, since most victims were poor people. Forty years later, a not-
for-profit drug company began doing business, and one of its first actions
was to resurrect the use of paromomyocin. The Institute for One World
Health has now mass-_produced the life-saver, and offers it at a low price.
There's still much work to be done to eradicate preventable disease in the
developing world. But thanks to widespread vaccination, two other
success stories stand out: the final defeat of smallpox in 1977, and the
looming victory over polio, which is very close to completion.
Steve Radelet says that an essential factor in the war against child
mortality and global poverty has been the generosity of rich nations.
While acknowledging that some criticisms of foreign aid are warranted, he
unequivocally asserts that "foreign assistance programs have helped
saved millions of lives over the last several decades."
This largesse is a recent development in the history of international
relations. The voluntary transfer of wealth from one country to another
was rare and meager from the beginning of recorded history until the end
of World War II. Now it is routine and abundant, and flows not only from
governments but also from numerous private organizations.
TUNE IN NEXT WEEK TO PART 2 OF THE SERIES,
"Is Pronoia just for Rich, Comfortable People?"
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
WHETHER YOU THINK THE WORLD'S GETTING WORSE OR BETTER
PROBABLY DEPENDS ON WHICH SET OF FACTS YOU CHOOSE TO BELIEVE
Best. Decade. Ever.
http://tinyurl.com/2f2npah
SOME GREAT BENEFITS REMAIN UNUSED
"If Barack Obama were to marshal America's vast scientific and strategic
resources behind a new Manhattan Project, he might reasonably hope to
reinvent the global energy landscape and sketch an end to our
dependence on fossil fuels within three to five years. "
http://tinyurl.com/3y3ypqr
NOT QUITE AS GOOD AS THE LION LYING DOWN WITH THE LAMB, BUT
CLOSE
Baby hippo licks crocodile
http://tinyurl.com/2wqp2qd
(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 October 7
Copyright 2010 by Rob Brezsny
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): "Dear Rob: A professional astrologer who read
my chart told me that I have no willpower and that there is basically
nothing I can do to change that. Any suggestions? I'm feeling helpless and
passive at a time when I could really benefit from standing up for myself. -
Listless Libra." Dear Libra: What the supposedly professional astrologer
told you is totally inaccurate. No one's chart, ever, in the history of the
world, indicates that they have no willpower. Astrology doesn't speak in
such stupid ways. Besides that, you and the Libran tribe will soon have an
excellent window of opportunity to bolster your willpower. The fun begins
now and lasts until at least November 18. Get ready!
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): "Is it a dragonfly or a maple leaf / That
settles softly down upon the water?" asks Amy Lowell in "Autumn Haze,"
a poem from her book *Pictures of the Floating World.* She doesn't need
to know the answer to her question; either would be fine. In fact, the
luxuriance of the moment lies in its ambiguity. The lolling sweetness
thrives because of her freedom from having to define its origins. She is
simultaneously alert and relaxed; attentive to the scene in front of her but
content to let it be whatever it is. I highly recommend that you enjoy
extended excursions into this state of being several times in the coming
week.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): This morning I had to interrupt my
meditation on your horoscope. I'd studied the astrological configurations
and said my usual prayer, asking for guidance to come up with the oracle
you need most. But nothing had occurred to me yet, and it was time to
leave the house for an appointment. As I closed the door behind me, I was
still in deep thought about you. Then my face hit something gauzy, and I
pulled back. Overnight, a spider had spun a huge web spanning the entire
porch frame. I'd knocked it a bit off-kilter, but it was still intact. "That's
got to be an omen," I thought to myself as I stooped under it and
continued on my way. An omen of what? A little voice in my head gave
the answer: Sagittarius is ready to merge more directly with the great
web of life.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): If you have been in tune with the cosmic
rhythms these past ten months, you've been erecting bridges like a
master builder. Your careful planning and guidance have conquered an
abyss or two. Seemingly irreconcilable differences are no longer
irreconcilable. Unlikely connections have bloomed. You've combined
ingredients that no one thought could be blended. Between now and your
birthday, your good work should reach a climax. It's time to inspect your
craftsmanship, polish any rough edges, and be sure that your creations
will last.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): I have no financial interest in the product
known as Bacon Air Freshener (tinyurl.com/BaconAroma). When I urge
you to consider buying it and placing it in your favorite environment, it's
not because I'll get a kickback, but only because I suspect you'll benefit
from its specific aromatherapy effects. In my astrological opinion, your
yearning for delicious fatness needs to be stimulated; certain key
elements in your future require you to feel excited about thick, rich, tasty
sensations. I think this is true even if you're a vegetarian, although maybe
you'd prefer having an avocado, coconut, or chocolate air freshener.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In Germany, people can pay the weather
service to have a storm or weather system named after them. A normal
rainstorm costs just over $250. That's the kind of event I'd want to give
your name to in the coming week, Pisces -- not a full-on destructive
tornado or hurricane, but rather a healthy squall that makes everything
wet and clears the air. You definitely need to release some tension in a
dramatic way, but not in a melodramatic way.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
IT'S NOT NEARLY AS EXPENSIVE AS PSYCHOTHERAPY
What do you want to be when you grow up? Is it possible that you will
eventually develop beautiful capacities and sublime understandings that
you can't even imagine right now?
I might be able to help you move in the direction of becoming more of the
person you were born to be.
Tune in to my EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES
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
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Much of the reader mail I receive is friendly.
But now and then I'll get a message like this: "I've followed your
horoscopes with pleasure for years. But I must say, you've really lost it
lately. I can't stand the garbage you've been slinging. What happened to
you?" My response is to wonder why the person never wrote to me while
he was happy with my efforts. It reminds me of a quote by Leon Uris:
"How often in life it is that we have no time for our friends but all the
time in the world for our enemies." It also reminds me of how tempting it
is to focus on what repels us and scares us, shortchanging the dreams
that excite us. Your assignment in the next four weeks, Aries, is to reward
what you like and pursue what you want. For now, forget about what you
don't like and don't want.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The worst painting in history is hanging in San
Francisco's De Young Museum. It is "Noel and Bob" by Joan Brown. It's so
awkwardly garish and trivially monstrous that I can only conclude Brown
possessed what might be termed "negative genius." It's not just that she
had no talent. She actually had the opposite of brilliant talent. And yet I
must confess I had a good time gazing at this anti-artistic botch. I
thoroughly enjoyed laughing at it, and was quite pleased at the jokes my
companions and I made about it. I suggest that in the coming week you
try something similar: enjoying the entertainment value and educational
merit of clumsy, ungainly, out-of-whack stuff. Doing so will sharpen your
wits for the not-too-distant future, when you will come into proximity to a
lot of understated beauty and elegance and grace.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Is my enjoyment of the Temptations' song "My
Girl" diminished by the fact that it was used in a commercial for Sun Maid
Raisins? Does Jose Gonzalez' tune "Heartbeats" evoke less feeling in me
because I know it was used as the soundtrack for a Sony TV commercial?
Well, yeah, actually. The songs haven't been totally wrecked for me, but
neither do they make my heart soar anymore. Is there anything like that
in your life, Gemini? Some pure and innocent pleasure that has been
tainted or watered down? Believe it or not, you could restore it to its
original state in the coming weeks.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): For the moment, set aside your complaints
about the transgressions of your original family. Cease your laments
about the struggles you had to endure as a child. If you enjoy marinating
yourself in those sorrows, you can always return to them at a later date.
Here are the opportunities that are now available to you: to focus on the
gifts that your early life blessed you with . . . to acknowledge the
resources bequeathed to you by the past . . . to celebrate and access the
primal power that has been yours to draw on since the day you were
born.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Nose jobs are at an all-time high. Every year,
American plastic surgeons cumulatively scrape away more than a mile of
flesh and bone from their patients' sniffers. I predict that in the coming
weeks, the noses of the entire planet's Leo tribe will shrink 10,000 times
that amount, at least metaphorically. Why? Because I expect an epidemic
of truth-telling to break out among you. There's going to be a mass
outbreak of the Pinocchio effect in reverse. Congratulations in advance
for the candor you're about to unleash. Be kind and diplomatic if you can,
but insist on revealing the whole story.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Many American towns with "burg" in their
names used to end as "burgh." In the late 19th century, a federal bureau
demanded that they drop the silent final "h." The people of Pittsburgh
rose, up, however, and demanded the right to retain their precious "h."
Their wish was granted. I strongly advise you to be inspired by
Pittsburgh's adamant insistence on maintaining its identity, Virgo. Don't
let yourself be truncated, abbreviated, or standardized.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
HOMEWORK: If you could change your astrological sign, what would you
change it to and why? Go to Freewillastrology.com and click "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
2010 Rob Brezsny
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++