Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter http://ezezine.com
Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
May 11, 2011
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For a pretty version of this newsletter, go here: http://bit.ly/kUzlMA
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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
In the book, I tell the story of how I first began writing a horoscope
column many years ago. You can read that account on my website:
http://bit.ly/GotStarted
Here's an excerpt:
Up until the time I started writing about astrology, I had always despised
horoscope columns. As a serious student of astrology, I had high
standards about how the ancient art form should be used. And I
considered newspaper horoscopes to be an abomination. Without
exception, they were poorly written and dull. They encouraged people to
be superstitious and made the dead-wrong implication that astrology
preaches predetermination and annuls free will.
It was bad enough that their blather fed gullible readers inane advice that
pandered to the least interesting forms of egotism. Worst of all, they
were based in only the most tenuous way on real astrological
understanding . . .
So I set out to create a very different approach to writing a newspaper
horoscope . . . .
READ THE REST OF THE STORY HERE: http://bit.ly/GotStarted
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
HUMAN BEINGS ARE INEXORABLY ENTERPRISING
A sustainable solution to unsafe drinking water in Nepal
http://tinyurl.com/4juv49n
INEXPLICABLE BEAUTY
Wild Moments
http://tinyurl.com/46gb4fc
LET'S RECOGNIZE EVERY TYPE OF GENIUS
Greatest Person Of The Day: Dr. Alwyn Cohall, Harlem Health Advocate
http://tinyurl.com/4p4vnot
(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 May 12
Copyright 2011 by Rob Brezsny
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): I'll quote Wikipedia: "Dawn should not be
confused with sunrise, which is the moment when the leading edge of the
sun itself appears above the horizon." In other words, dawn comes before
the sun has actually showed itself. It's a ghostly foreshadowing -- a pale
light appearing out of nowhere to tinge the blackness. Where you are
right now, Gemini, is comparable to the last hour before the sunrise. When
the pale light first appears, don't mistake it for the sun and take
premature action. Wait until you can actually see the golden rim rising.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): When some readers write to me, they address
me as "Mr. Brezsny." It reminds me of what happens when a check-out
clerk at Whole Foods calls me "sir": I feel as if I've been hit in the face
with a cream pie -- like someone is bashing my breezy, casual self-image
with an unwelcome blast of dignity and decorum. So let's get this
straight, people: I am not a mister and I am not a sir. Never was, never will
be. Now as for your challenges in the coming week, Cancerian: I expect
that you, too, may feel pressure to be overly respectable, uncomfortably
formal, excessively polite, and in too much control. That would be pushing
you in a direction opposite to the one I think you should go.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): At one point in the story "Alice in Wonderland," a
large talking bird known as the Dodo organizes a race with unusual rules.
There is no single course that all the runners must follow. Rather,
everybody scampers around wherever he or she wants, and decides when
to begin and when to end. When the "race" is all over, of course, it's
impossible to sort out who has performed best, so the Dodo declares
everyone to be the winner. I encourage you to organize and participate in
activities like that in the coming weeks, Leo. It's an excellent time to
drum up playful victories and easy successes not only for yourself, but for
everyone else, too.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In his book *The Rough Guide to Climate
Change,* Bob Henson talks about the "five places to go before global
warming messes them up." One such beautiful spot is Colorado's Rocky
Mountain National Park. Vast swatches of its trees are being ravaged by
hordes of pine beetles, whose populations used to be kept under control
by frigid winters before the climate began to change. Australia's Great
Barrier Reef and Switzerland's Alpine glaciers are among the other natural
beauties that are rapidly changing form. I suggest that you apply this line
of thought to icons with a more personal meaning, Virgo. Nothing stays
the same forever, and it's an apt time in your astrological cycle to get all
you can out of useful and wonderful resources that are in the midst of
transformation.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): There's not a whole lot of funny stuff reported
in the Bible, but one notable case occurred when God told Abraham that
he and his wife Sarah would finally be able to conceive their first child.
This made Abraham laugh out loud, since he was 99 years old at the time
and Sarah was 90. It may have been a while since God has delivered any
humorous messages to you, Libra, but my sense is that She's gearing up
for such a transmission even as we speak. To receive this cosmic jest in
the right spirit, make sure you're not taking yourself too damn seriously.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): No one in history has ever drunk the entire
contents of a regulation-size ketchup bottle in less than 39 seconds. So
says the Guinness Book of World Records. However, I believe it's possible
that a Scorpio daredevil will soon break this record. Right now your tribe
has an almost supernaturally enormous power to rapidly extract the
essence of anything you set your mind to extracting. You've got the
instincts of a vacuum cleaner. You're an expert at tapping into the source
and siphoning off exactly what you need. You know how to suck -- in the
best sense of that word -- and you're not shy about sucking.
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THE OTHER VERSION OF FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
In addition to the horoscopes that you read here, I create additional in-
depth audio horoscopes for your inspiration.
They're not repeats or elaborations of the stuff you find here, but entirely
fresh explorations of your astrological omens, designed to help you tune
in to your soul's code.
Try them at http://RealAstrology.com.
They're available by phone at 1-877-873-4888
or 1-900-950-7700.
They're $6 if you access them on the Web, or $1.99 per minute over the
phone.
"Your expanded astrology thingees help me remember who I really am." -
Gareth N., Toronto
"I never knew it was possible to get my butt kicked and my head patted
at the same time -- until I listened to you, Rob." -Kristi P., Portland, OR
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SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): "I'm not superstitious," said Michael
Scott, the former boss in the TV show "The Office." "I'm just a little
stitious." From my perspective, Sagittarius, you shouldn't indulge yourself
in being even a little stitious in the coming weeks. You have a prime
opportunity to free yourself from the grip of at least some of your
irrational fears, unfounded theories, and compulsive fetishes. I'm not
saying that you suffer from more of these delusions than any of the rest
of us. It's just that you now have more power than the rest of us to break
away from their spell.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In Plato's *Republic,* Socrates speaks
derisively about people who are *eu a-mousoi,* an ancient Greek term
that literally means "happily without muses." These are the plodding
materialists who have no hunger for inspiration and no need of spiritual
intelligence. According to my reading of the astrological omens,
Capricorn, you can't afford to be *eu a-mousoi* in the coming weeks.
Mundane satisfactions won't be nearly enough to feed your head and
heart. To even wake up and get out of bed each morning, you've got to
be on fire with a shimmering dream or a beautiful prospect.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In his *Book of Imaginary Beings,*
Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges reports the following: "Chang Tzu
tells us of a persevering man who after three laborious years mastered
the art of dragon-slaying. For the rest of his days, he had not a single
opportunity to test his skills." I bring this to your attention, Aquarius,
because my reading of the astrological omens suggests that you, too,
may be in training to fight a beast that does not exist. Luckily, you're also
in an excellent position to realize that fact, quit the unnecessary quest,
and redirect your martial energy into a more worthy endeavor.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Want to see a rabbit chase a snake up a tree?
Go watch this video on YouTube: tinyurl.com/BunnyWhipsSnake. If for
some reason you don't have access to Youtube, then please close your
eyes and visualize a cute bunny harassing a six-foot-long snake until it
slithers madly away and escapes up a tree. Once you have this sequence
imprinted on your mind's eye you will, I hope, be energized to try a similar
reversal in your own sphere. Don't do anything stupid, like spitting at a
Hell's Angels dude in a biker bar. Rather, try a metaphorical or
psychological version.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): The 16th-century English writer John
Heywood was a prolific creator of epigrams. I know of at least 20 of his
proverbs that are still invoked, including "Haste makes waste," "Out of
sight, out of mind," "Look before you leap," "Beggars shouldn't be
choosers," "Rome wasn't built in a day," and "Do you want to both eat
your cake and have it, too?" I bring this up, Aries, because I suspect
you're in a Heywoodian phase of your long-term cycle. In the coming
weeks, you're likely to unearth a wealth of pithy insights and guiding
principles that will serve you well into the future.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): "If you wish to bake an apple pie from
scratch, you must first invent the universe," said astronomer Carl Sagan
in his book *Cosmos.* In other words, the pie can't exist until there's a
star orbited by a habitable planet that has spawned intelligent creatures
and apples. A lot of preliminaries have to be in place. Keep that in mind,
Taurus, as you start out down the long and winding path toward
manifesting your own personal equivalent of the iconic apple pie. In a
sense, you will have to create an entire world to serve as the womb for
your brainchild. To aid you in your intricate quest, make sure to keep a
glowing vision of the prize always burning in the sacred temple of your
imagination.
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HOMEWORK: Imagine it's 40 years from today. As you look back on your
life, what is the one adventure you regret not trying? Testify at
http://www.freewillastrology.com.
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Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2011 Rob Brezsny
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