Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter http://ezezine.com
Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
April 27, 2011
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Jane Heaven of radio station KPFA did an interview with me and played
some of my songs. To listen to the archive, go here:
http://bit.ly/KPFApronoia
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For a pretty version of this newsletter, go here: http://bit.ly/fo3XEx
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THE HONEY AND VINEGAR TASTERS
My long-time mentor and friend Richard Grossinger published what I
consider to be one of the best books of the past few years: *The Bardo of
Waking Life.* It's here: http://amzn.to/ijs2Wh
Everyone has a piece of the truth and no one has more than a piece of
the truth. But Grossinger's masterwork is the biggest chunk of truth I've
read in a long time.
I love it so much, I wrote the foreword for the book. It's Called "The
Honey and Vinegar Tasters."
You can read my foreword in its entirety here:
http://bit.ly/HoneyVinegar
Here's how it begins:
John Keats wrote that "if something is not beautiful, it is probably not
true." I celebrate that hypothesis in my book *Pronoia Is the Antidote for
Paranoia.* I further propose that the universe is inherently friendly to
human beings; that all of creation is set up to liberate us from our
suffering and teach us how to love intelligently; and that life always gives
us exactly what we need, exactly when we need it (though not necessarily
what we want).
Dogmatic cynics are often so mad about my book's title that they can't
bring themselves to explore the inside. Why bother to actually read about
such a preposterous idea? They accuse me of intellectual dishonesty,
disingenuous Pollyannaism, or New Age delusion.
If they do manage to read even a few pages, they find that the blessings I
reference in the title are not materialistic fetishes like luxurious vacation
homes, high status, and a perfect physique. I'm more interested in
fascinating surprises, dizzying adventures, challenging gifts we hardly
know what to do with, and conundrums that compel us to get smarter
and wilder and kinder and trickier.
I also enjoy exposing secret miracles, like the way the sun continually
detonates nuclear explosions in order to convert its own body into heat,
light, and energy for our personal use.
But I don't take the cynics' fury personally. When I suggest that life is a
sublime mystery designed to grow us all into strong, supple messiahs, I
understand that's the equivalent, for them, of denying the Holocaust.
They're addicted to a formulation that's the opposite of Keats': If
something is not ugly, it is probably not true.
Modern storytellers are at the vanguard of promoting this doctrine, which
I refer to as pop nihilism. A majority of journalists, filmmakers, novelists,
critics, talk-show hosts, musicians, and pundits act as if breakdown is far
more common and far more interesting than breakthrough; that painful
twists outnumber redemptive transformations by a wide margin, and are
profoundly more entertaining as well.
Earlier in my life, I too worshiped the religion of pop nihilism. In the 1980s
and 1990s, for example, my band World Entertainment War and I
launched a crusade against what I called "the global genocide of the
imagination." I railed against the "entertainment criminals" who barrage us
with floods of fake information and inane ugliness, decimating and
paralyzing our image-making faculties.
For years, much of my creative work was stoked by my rage against the
machine for its soulless crimes of injustice and greed and rapaciousness
and cruelty.
But as the crazy wisdom of pronoia overtook me in the 1990s, I gradually
weaned myself from the gratuitous gratification that wrath offered.
Against the grain, I experimented with strategies for motivating myself
through crafty joy and purified desire and the longing for freedom. I
played with ideas that helped me shed the habit of seeing the worst in
everything and everyone. In its place I built a new habit of looking for the
best.
But I never formally renounced my affiliation with the religion of cynicism.
I didn't become a fundamentalist apostate preaching the doctrine of
fanatical optimism. In the back of my wild heart, I knew I couldn't thrive
without at least a tincture of the ferocity and outrage that had driven so
much of my earlier self-expression . . . .
READ THE REST OF THIS PIECE HERE:
http://bit.ly/HoneyVinegar
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
GROW, BABY, GROW!
64,000 trees planted in 15 minutes
http://tinyurl.com/4sqgv38
GOODNESS PAYS
Higher Job Performance Linked to People Who Are More Honest and
Humble
http://tinyurl.com/4ef5mqu
WANNA SEE GOD?
Face to face with the central throb
http://tinyurl.com/6dtvgto
(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 28
Copyright 2011 by Rob Brezsny
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Many artists want "to aim for the biggest,
most obvious target, and hit it smack in the bull's eye," says Brian Eno, a
Taurus genius renowned for his innovative music. He prefers a different
approach. He'd rather "shoot his arrow" wherever his creative spirit feels
called to shoot it, then paint the target around the place where it lands.
That's why his compositions don't resemble anyone else's or fit into any
traditional genre -- it's Brian Eno-like music. Can I talk you into trying a
similar strategy in the coming weeks and months, Taurus? I'd love to see
you create a niche for yourself that's tailored to your specific talents and
needs.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): When World War I ended in 1918, the
victorious nations demanded crushing financial reparations from the loser,
Germany. It took 92 years, but the remaining $94 million of the debt was
finally paid last October. I hope this story serves as an inspiration to you,
Gemini. If entities as notoriously inflexible as governments can resolve
their moldering karma, so can you. In the next few weeks, I'd love to see
you finally clean up any messes left over from your old personal conflicts.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): I know how secretive you Cancerians can be
because I'm one of your tribe. Sometimes the secrecy is a bit neurotic,
but more often it serves the purpose of sheltering your vulnerable areas.
I'm also aware of how important it is for you to be self-protective. No one
is better than you at guarding your goodies, ensuring your safety, and
taking care of your well-being. I would never shame you for expressing
these talents and I would never ask you to downplay them. Having said
that, though, I want to make sure that in the coming weeks they don't
interfere with you getting the blessings you deserve. It's crucial that you
allow yourself to be loved to the hilt. You simply must let people in far
enough so they can do that.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): With a fortune of $27 billion, business tycoon
Larry Ellison is the sixth richest person in the world. His monumental
sense of self-importance is legendary. One of his colleagues says, "The
difference between God and Larry is that God does not believe he is
Larry." Ellison seems to be what astrologers call an unevolved Leo -- an
immature soul whose ego is a greedy, monstrous thing. Evolved Leos, on
the other hand, are very different. Are you one? If so, you do a lot of hard
work on your ego. You make sure that in addition to it being strong, it's
beautiful and elegant. It's not just forceful; it's warm and generous. It
gets things done, but in ways that bless those who come in contact with
it. For you evolved Leos, this is Celebrate Your Ego Week.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Seventy-five percent of all adults confess they
would like to have sex in the woods at least once in their lives, and yet
only 16 percent say they have actually enjoyed that thrill. If you're one of
the 59 percent who would like to but haven't, the coming weeks will be
an excellent time to make it happen. Your capacity for pleasure in wild
places will be at a peak, as will your courage for exotic adventures. In
fact, I suggest that between now and May 21 you consider carrying out
three fantasies that have been marinating in your imagination for many
moons.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): It's time for the Big Squeeze. All the
contradictions in your life are coming up for review. You will be asked to
deal more forthrightly with enigmas you've been avoiding, and you will be
invited to try, try again to unravel riddles you've been unable to solve.
Does all that sound a bit daunting? It could be. But the end result should
be evocative, highly educational, and maybe even exhilarating. The
scintillating play of opposites may caress you with such intensity that
you'll experience what we could refer to as a metaphysical orgasm.
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WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES ARE LIKE?
To get an idea of how my EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES might make
you feel, tune in to my podcast, "Fear Versus Intuition."
It's here: http://bit.ly/FearVersusIntuition
"Fear Versus Intuition" is a meditation about the difference between your
fearful fantasies and your authentic, accurate intuitions.
My approach there has a close resemblance to the style of my weekly
EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES. Go here to access them:
http://RealAstrology.com
The weekly forecasts are also available by phone:
1-877-873-4888
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SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In the coming weeks, I would love to see you
get excited about many different people, places, animals, and
experiences. And I hope you will shower them with your smartest, most
interesting blessings. Do you think you can handle that big an outpouring
of well-crafted passion? Are you up for the possibility that you might
blow your cover, lose your dignity, and show how much you care? In my
opinion, the answer is yes. You are definitely ready to go further than
ever before in plumbing the depths of your adoration for the privilege of
being alive.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Here's poet James Schuyler: "It's time
again. Tear up the violets and plant something more difficult to grow." In
my opinion, that's *almost* the right advice for you these days. I'd prefer
it if you didn't actually rip out the violets to make room for the harder-to-
grow blooms. Would it be possible to find a new planting area that will
allow you to keep what you already have in the original planting area? One
way or another, I think you really should give yourself a challenging new
assignment.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): "Dear Dr. Brezsny: For five years my wife
and I have been married but still have made no children. We have
consulted uncountable physicians with no satisfying result. Please predict
a happy outcome for our troubles. When will the stars align with her
womb and my manhood? She: born December 31, 1983 in Chakdaha,
India. Me: born January 7, 1984 in Mathabhanga, India. - Desperate for
Babies." Dear Desperate: I'm happy to report that you Capricorns have
entered a highly fertile period. It's already going strong, and will culminate
between May 16 to May 23. I suggest you jump on this sexy opportunity.
You couldn't ask for a better time to germinate, burgeon, and multiply.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): "Welcome home, beautiful!" I hope you hear
those words or at least experience those feelings very soon. In my
astrological opinion, you need to intensify your sense of belonging to a
special place or community. You've got to grow deeper roots or build a
stronger foundation or surround yourself with more nurturing -- or all of
the above. And that's not all. As you bask and thrive in your enhanced
support system, you also deserve to feel better appreciated for the
wonderful qualities you're working so hard to develop in yourself. Ask and
you shall receive.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Whatever you have been trying to say, it's
time to say it stronger and clearer. You can no longer afford to hope
people will read your mind or guess what you mean. Your communications
must be impeccable and irresistible. A similar principle holds true for the
connections and alliances you've been working to ripen. It's time to raise
your intensity level -- to do everything you can to activate their full
potentials. Starting today, you'd be crazy to tolerate shaky commitments,
either from yourself or others. Be sharp and focused and unswerving,
Pisces -- keen and candid and to the point.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): To convey my vision of how best to proceed
in the coming week, I'll offer the following metaphorical scenario: Imagine
that you are not a professional chef, but you do have a modicum of
cooking skills. Your task is to create a hearty, tasty soup from scratch
without the benefit of a recipe. You will need a variety of ingredients, but
on the other hand you don't want to just throw in a welter of mismatched
ingredients without regard for how they will all work together. To some
degree you will have to use a trial-and-error approach, sampling the
concoction as it brews. You will also want to keep an open mind about the
possibility of adding new ingredients in the latter stages of the process.
One more thing: The final product must not just appeal to you. You
should keep in mind what others would like, too.
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HOMEWORK: What famous historical personage were you in your past life?
If you don't know or weren't really, make something up. Testify at
www.freewillastrology.com.
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Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2011 Rob Brezsny
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