Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter http://ezezine.com
Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
September 7, 2011
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Here's a pretty version of this newsletter: http://bit.ly/nrxdqv
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The piece below is excerpted from my book
*PRONOIA IS THE ANTIDOTE FOR PARANOIA*
available at Amazon: http://bit.ly/Pronoia
or Powells: http://bit.ly/PronoiaPowells
RECEPTIVITY REMEDIES, Part 1
To achieve what the Zen Buddhists call "beginner's mind," you dispense
with all preconceptions and enter each situation as if seeing it for the first
time.
"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities," wrote Shunryu
Suzuki in his book *Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind,* "but in the expert's there
are few."
As much as I love beginner's mind, though, I advocate an additional
discipline: cultivating a beginner's heart. That means approaching every
encounter imbued with a freshly invoked wave of love that is as pure as if
you're feeling it for the first time.
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To be the best pronoiac explorer you can be, I suggest you adopt an
outlook that combines the rigorous objectivity of a scientist, the
"beginner's mind" of Zen Buddhism, the "beginner's heart" of pronoia, and
the compassionate friendliness of the Dalai Lama.
Blend a scrupulously dispassionate curiosity with a skepticism driven by
expansiveness, not spleen.
To pull this off, you'll have to be willing to regularly suspend your brilliant
theories about the way the world works. Accept with good humor the
possibility that what you've learned in the past may not be a reliable
guide to understanding the fresh phenomenon that's right in front of you.
Be suspicious of your biases, even the rational and benevolent ones. Open
your heart as you strip away the interpretations that your emotions might
be inclined to impose.
"Before we can receive the unbiased truth about anything," wrote my
teacher Ann Davies, "we have to be ready to ignore what we would like to
be true."
At the same time, don't turn into a hard-ass, poker-faced robot. Keep
your feelings moist and receptive. Remember your natural affection for all
of creation. Enjoy the power of tender sympathy as it drives you to probe
for the unimaginable revelations of every new moment.
"Before we can receive the entire truth about anything," said Ann Davies,
"we have to love it."
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
THE MOST PRACTICAL PRONOIACS OF ALL?
The permaculture movement is growing
http://tinyurl.com/3g7prar
PRONOIA WORKING IN SECRET INSIDE YOU
Life is conspiring to protect you
http://tinyurl.com/3m58xuf
NOW AND THEN IT'S A GOOD IDEA TO ACKNOLWEDGE OUR SUCCESSES
Just another incredible human accomplishment
http://i.imgur.com/57kdo.jpg
(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 September 8
Copyright 2011 by Rob Brezsny
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): "Wheel of Fortune" is a TV game show in
which players vie to guess a mystery phrase that is revealed letter by
letter. On one episode not too long ago, a highly intuitive contestant
solved the puzzle even though just one letter had been unveiled. The
winning answer was "I've got a good feeling about this." From what I can
tell, Virgo, you've got a similar aptitude these days -- an ability to foresee
how things are ultimately going to develop simply by extrapolating from a
few clues. I encourage you to make liberal use of your temporary
superpower. (P.S. I've got a good feeling about this.)
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): You have about 100 billion neurons in your
brain. That also happens to be the approximate number of stars in the
Milky Way Galaxy. Coincidence? I think not. As the mystic dictum reminds
us, "As above, so below." The macrocosm and microcosm are mirrors of
each other. Everything that happens on a collective level has an intimately
personal impact. The better you know yourself, the more likely you are to
understand how the world works -- and vice versa. I urge you to be alert
for concrete evidence of this principle, Libra. Your week will be successful
if you make it your background meditation.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): "By the year 2021, the complete
gratification of sexual desires will be as easy and stress-free as drinking a
glass of water." That was one of 25 prophecies delivered to me by a
polite, well-spoken madman I met on a July morning in a cafe in Earls
Court, London back in 1990. Sixteen of his other predictions have come
true so far (like "America will have a black president by 2010," "You will
become a famous astrologer," "60-year-old women will be able to give
birth"), so I'm thinking that the one about easy sexual gratification could
turn out to be accurate as well. Until then, Scorpio, you may sometimes
have to deal with periodic struggles in getting your needs met. Having
said that, though, I'm happy to announce that the coming weeks are
shaping up as one of your closest approximations to the supposed 2021
levels of erotic bliss.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): The beauty contests in Saudi Arabia
don't judge women on the basis of their physical appearance. A recent
winner, Aya Ali al-Mulla, was crowned "Queen of Beautiful Morals" without
ever revealing the face and form shrouded beneath her black head-to-toe
garment. Instead, her excellence emerged during a series of psychological
and social tests that evaluated her strength of character and service to
family and society. I'd like to borrow this idea and apply it to you.
According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you could and should
be a paragon of moral beauty in the coming week -- a shining example and
inspiration to all the other signs of the zodiac.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Filip Marinovich calls his poetry book *And
If You Don't Go Crazy I'll Meet You Here Tomorrow.* I'm borrowing that
title for this horoscope. So here goes: If you don't go crazy in the coming
days, Capricorn, I'll meet you here again next week. To be clear: There is
an excellent chance you will be able to keep our appointment. The
astrological omens suggest you'll call on reserves of wisdom that haven't
been accessible before, and that alone could prevent you from a brush
with lunacy. You're also primed to be nimble in your dealings with
paradoxes, which, again, should keep you from descending into fairy-tale-
style madness. But even if you do take a partial detour into the land of
kooky, I think it will have an oddly healing effect on you. See you next
time!
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): There's no better way to inform you of your
task right now than to cite Hexagram 18 of the I Ching, the ancient
Chinese book of divination. The title of the oracle is "Work on What Has
Been Spoiled." Here's an interpretation by the I Ching's translator Richard
Wilhelm, with a little help from me: "What has been spoiled through
human mistakes can be made good again through human work. It is not
immutable fate that has caused the state of corruption, but rather the
abuse of human freedom. Toil that is done to correct the situation bodes
well, because it is in harmony with cosmic potentials. Success depends on
diligent deliberation followed by vigorous action."
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ADVICE YOU CAN USE TO CHANGE YOURSELF IN ACCORDANCE WITH
YOUR SOUL'S CODE
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.
"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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PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Breaking the rules could be a boon for your
closest relationships if it's done out of deep caring and not out of anger
or boredom. Can you commit to that high standard, Pisces? I hope so,
because it's prime time to shake up and reinvigorate stale concepts about
togetherness. You will never know how much more interesting your
intimate alliances can be unless you put that vivacious imagination of
yours to work. Would you be willing to buy tickets for a joint excursion to
the frontier? Go hunting for surprises that recalibrate the dynamic
between you and yours? Take a collaborative risk you'd never want to
face alone?
ARIES (March 21-April 19): "Don't be angry with the rain," counseled
author Vladimir Nabokov. "It simply does not know how to fall upward." In
the coming week, I advise you to apply that principle to a host of
phenomena, Aries. Don't get all knotted up about any force of nature that
insists on being itself, and don't waste your time trying to figure out how
to disobey the law of gravity. It's fine if you find it amusing to go against
the flow, but don't expect the flow to follow you in your rebellion.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Where will you be in the latter half of 2016?
What will you be doing? Now would be an excellent time to fantasize and
meditate about questions like those. You're likely to have a good bit of
intuitive foresight in the coming days -- some ability to discern the
embryonic patterns swirling in the mists. But even more importantly, you
will have extra power to dream up potent visions for your best possible
future and plant them as seeds in the fertile bed of your subconscious
mind.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): I believe you're close to getting permanent
immunity from hell, Gemini. Take it as a metaphor if you like, but consider
the possibility that there may soon come a time when you will never again
be susceptible to getting dragged into the bottomless pit. You will receive
the equivalent of a "Get out of jail free" card that forever guarantees you
exemption from the worst of the nightmare realms. Please note: I'm not
saying you will be forever free of all suffering. But if you simply keep
doing the smart things you've been doing lately, you will tap into a
reservoir of stabilizing poise so strong that "the devil" will have no further
claim on your soul.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): In "The Blood," an episode of the TV show
"Seinfeld," George tries to go for "the Trifecta": eating a pastrami
sandwich and watching TV while having sex. His girlfriend isn't pleased
about it, though, so the triple-intense pleasure doesn't materialize in the
way George had hoped. But something akin to this scenario could very
well work for you in the coming week, Cancerian. You will have a knack for
stirring up more fun and pleasure that usual through the inventive use of
multitasking.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In Wiccan circles, a "familiar" is a supernatural
entity or magic animal that serves as a spirit ally. Some witches regard
their cats as their familiars. In Philip Pullman's *His Dark Materials* trilogy
of fantasy books, the "daemon" (very different from a "demon") plays a
similar role: a shapeshifting creature that embodies a person's soul. This
would be an excellent time for you to develop a closer relationship with a
familiar or daemon or any other uncanny helper, Leo. You have more
hidden power at your disposal than you realize, and it's a propitious time
to call on it.
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Homework: Imagine you overhear a whispered conversation that changes
your life for the better. What would it be about? Testify at
Freewillastrology.com.
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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
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Please be sure to note your preference when sending to us. We
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Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2011 Rob Brezsny
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