Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter http://ezezine.com
Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
January 18, 2012
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See a pretty version of this newsletter: http://bit.ly/xJ2awx
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BRAINSTORM ABOUT THE BIG PICTURE OF YOUR LIFE
with the help of my three-part
EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES
for the Coming Year
http://RealAstrology.com
You can still listen to my long-range, in-depth explorations of your destiny
in 2012. Each report in the three-part series is about 7-9 minutes long.
What will be the story of your life in 2012? How can you exert your free
will to create the adventures that will bring out the best in you, even as
you find graceful ways to cooperate with the tides of destiny?
If you'd like a high-octane boost of inspiration to fuel you in your quest
for beauty and truth and love and justice and meaning, tune in to my
meditations on your long-term outlook.
A new short-range forecast for this week is also available.
To find out more about Your BIG PICTURE horoscopes, register or sign in
to http://RealAstrology.com.
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My book
*PRONOIA IS THE ANTIDOTE FOR PARANOIA*
is available at Amazon: http://bit.ly/Pronoia
or Powells: http://bit.ly/PronoiaPowells
Below is an excerpt. (You can read the entire piece at
http://bit.ly/4Zh0Qr.)
LIBERATE YOUR IMAGINATION
Let me remind you who you really are: You're an immortal freedom fighter
who longs to liberate all sentient creatures from their suffering. You're a
fun-loving messiah who devoutly wants to help all of your fellow messiahs
claim the ecstatic awareness that is their birthright.
Try to remember. You're a vortex of fluidic light that has temporarily
taken on the form of a human being, suffering amnesia about your true
origins. And why did you do that? Because it was the best way to forge
the identity that would make you such an elemental force in our 14-
billion-year campaign to bring heaven all the way down to earth.
I'm not speaking metaphorically here. You are a mutant deity in disguise --
not a Buddha or a Christ exactly, but of the same lineage and conjured
from the same fire. You have been around since the beginning of time and
will be here after the end. Every day and in every way, you're getting
better at playing the preposterously amusing master game we all dreamed
up together before the Big Bang bloomed.
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Lately, I must admit, our work has seemed almost comically impossible.
Many of us have given in to the temptation to believe that everything is
upside-down and inside-out. Ignorance and inertia, partially camouflaged
as time-honored morality, seem to surround us. Pessimism is enshrined as
a hallmark of worldliness. Compulsive skepticism masquerades as
perceptiveness. Mean-spirited irony is chic. Stories about treachery and
degradation provoke a visceral thrill in millions of people who think of
themselves as reasonable and smart. Beautiful truths are suspect and ugly
truths are readily believed.
So no, at this peculiar turning point in the evolution of our 14-billion-year-
old master game, it's not easy to carry out our mission. We've got to be
both wrathful insurrectionaries and exuberant lovers of life. We've got to
cultivate cheerful buoyancy even as we resist the temptation to swallow
thousands of delusions that have been carefully crafted and seductively
packaged by those messiahs among us who bravely volunteered to play
the role of know-it-all deceivers.
We have to learn how to stay in a good yet unruly mood as we overthrow
the sour, puckered mass hallucination that is mistakenly referred to as
"reality."
Maybe most importantly, we have to be ferociously and single-mindedly
dedicated to the cause of beauty and truth and love even as we keep our
imaginations wild and hungry and free. We have to be both disciplined and
rowdy.
What can we do to help each other in this work?
TO READ THE REST OF "LIBERATE YOUR IMAGINATION," GO HERE:
http://bit.ly/4Zh0Qr
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
PEOPLE ARE WORKING HARD TO RELIEVE SUFFERING
Trying to Get Safe Water and a Toilet for the 2.5 Billion People Who Lack
Them
http://tinyurl.com/8yytze9
YOUR MINIMUM REQUIREMENT OF BEAUTY
Remember what planet you're on
http://1x.com/photo/34737
"THE IMPOSSIBLE WILL TAKE A LITTLE WHILE"
"The Optimism of Uncertainty" by Howard Zinn
"We don't have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in the
process of change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can
transform the world . . . An optimist isn't necessarily a blithe, slightly
sappy whistler in the dark of our time. To be hopeful in bad times is not
just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a
history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage,
kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will
determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to
do something. If we remember those times and places -- and there are so
many -- where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the
energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a
world in a different direction."
http://tinyurl.com/ygkxes2
(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 January 19
Copyright 2012 by Rob Brezsny
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Here's one of my favorite quotes from
American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson: "I hate quotations. Tell me
what *you* think." The current astrological omens suggest that this is an
excellent message for you to heed. It's crucial for you to know your own
mind and speak your own thoughts. It's smart to trust your own instincts
and draw on your own hard-won epiphanies. For best results, don't just be
skeptical of the conventional wisdom; be cautious about giving too much
credence to every source of sagacity and expertise. Try to define your
own positions rather than relying on theories you've read about and
opinions you've heard.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Why did Mark Gibbons strap a washing
machine to his back and then climb to the top of Mount Snowdown in
Wales? He did it to raise charity money for the Kenyan Orphan Project. If,
in the coming weeks, you try anything as crazy as he did, Pisces, make
sure it's for an equally worthy cause. Don't you dare take on a big
challenge simply to make people feel sorry for you or to demonstrate
what a first-class martyr you can be. On the other hand, I'm happy to say
that you could stir up a lot of good mojo by wandering into previously
off-limits zones as you push past the limitations people expect you to
honor.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): The Macy's ad I saw in the newspaper had a
blaring headline: "Find Your Magic 2.0." The items that were being touted
to help us discover our upgraded and more deluxe sense of magic were
luxurious diamond rings. The cheapest was $2,150. I'm going to try to
steer you in another direction in your quest to get in touch with Magic
2.0, Aries. I do believe you are in an excellent position to do just that, but
only if you take a decidedly non-materialistic approach. What does your
intuition tell you about how to hook up with a higher, wilder version of the
primal mojo?
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The U.S. Constitution has survived 222 years,
longer than the constitution of any other nation on the planet. But one of
America's founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson, might have had a problem
with that. He believed our constitution should be revised every 19 years.
Personally, I share Jefferson's view. And I would apply that same principle
of regular reinvention to all of us as individuals -- although I think it should
be far more frequently than every 19 years. How long has it been since
you've amended or overhauled your own rules to live by, Taurus? Judging
by the astrological omens, I suspect it's high time.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): "It is respectable to have no illusions -- and
safe -- and profitable and dull," said author Joseph Conrad. Taking our cue
from his liberating derision, I propose that we protest the dullness of
having no illusions. Let's decry the blah gray sterility that comes from
entertaining no fantastic fantasies and unreasonable dreams. How boring
it is to have such machine-like mental hygiene! For this one week, Gemini,
I urge you to celebrate your crazy ideas. Treasure and adore your wacky
beliefs. Study all those irrational and insane urges running around your
mind to see what you can learn about your deep, dark unconsciousness.
(P.S.: But I'm not saying you should act on any of those phantasms, at
least not now. Simply be amused by them.)
CANCER (June 21-July 22): If you were a medieval knight going into
battle with a full suit of armor, the advantage you had from the metal's
protection was offset by the extra energy it took to haul around so much
extra weight. In fact, historians say this is one reason that a modest force
of English soldiers defeated a much larger French army at the Battle of
Agincourt in 1415. The Frenchmen's armor was much bulkier, and by the
time they slogged through muddy fields to reach their enemy, they were
too tired to fight at peak intensity. The moral of the story, as far as
you're concerned: To win a great victory in the coming weeks, shed as
many of your defense mechanisms and as much of your emotional
baggage as possible.
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EXPLORING YOUR LONG-RANGE FUTURE
Would you like some inspiration as you muse and wonder about your
upcoming adventures in 2012?
You can still listen to my long-range, in-depth explorations of your destiny
in 2012. Each report in the three-part series is about 7-9 minutes long.
Go to http://RealAstrology.com
to sign in and access the EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES
A new short-range forecast for this week is also available.
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LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): One way or another, you will be more famous in
the coming months than you've ever been before. That might mean you'll
become better known or more popular . . . or it could take a different
turn. To tease out the nuances, let's draw on Naomi Shihab Nye's poem
"Famous." "The river is famous to the fish. // The loud voice is famous to
silence, / which knew it would inherit the earth / before anybody said so.
// The cat sleeping on the fence is famous to the birds / watching him
from the birdhouse. // The tear is famous, briefly, to the cheek. // The
idea you carry close to your bosom / is famous to your bosom." (Read
the whole poem here: bit.ly/FamousToWhom.)
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Three famous actresses formed the British
Anti-Cosmetic Surgery League last year. Rachel Wiesz, Kate Winslet, and
Emma Thompson say they believe people should be happy with the
physical appearance that nature gave them. Is it rude of me to note that
unlike most of the rest of us, those three women were born gorgeous?
It's easy for them to promise not to mess with their looks. Do you ever
do that, Virgo? Urge other people to do what's natural for you but a
challenge for them? I recommend against that this week. For example: If
you want to influence someone to change, be willing to change something
about yourself that's hard to change.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): I predict major breakthroughs in your
relationship to intimacy and togetherness in 2012, Libra -- if, that is, you
keep in mind the following counsel from psychologist Dr. Neil Clark
Warren: "Attraction and chemistry are easily mistaken for love, but they
are far from the same thing. Being attracted to someone is immediate and
largely subconscious. Staying deeply in love with someone happens
gradually and requires conscious decisions, made over and over again."
(Read more by Warren here: tinyurl.com/WiseChoices.)
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Purslane is a plant that's also known
colloquially as pigweed. It's hearty, prolific, and spreads fast. In a short
time, it can grow out-of-control, covering a large area with a thick carpet.
On the other hand, it's a tasty salad green and has a long history of being
used as a cooked vegetable. As a medicinal herb, it's also quite useful,
being rich in omega-3 fatty acids as well as a number of vitamins and
minerals. Moral of the story: Keep pigweed contained -- don't let it grow
out of control -- and it will be your friend. Does anything in your life fit
that description?
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): As he approaches his 70th birthday,
retiree and Michigan resident Michael Nicholson is still hard at work adding
to his education. He's got 27 college degrees so far, including 12
master's degrees and a doctorate. Although he's not an "A" student, he
loves learning for its own sake. I nominate him to be your role model for
the coming weeks, Sagittarius. Your opportunities for absorbing new
lessons will be at a peak. I hope you take full advantage of all the
teachings that will be available.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The Bible addresses the subjects of money
and possessions in about 2,000 verses, but devotes only 500 verses to
prayer and 500 to faith. As you know, my advice in these horoscopes
usually tends to have the opposite emphasis: I concentrate more on
spiritual matters than materialistic concerns. But this time, in
acknowledgment of the specific cosmic influences coming to bear on you,
I'm going to be more like the Bible. Please proceed on the assumption
that you have a mandate to think extra deeply and super creatively about
money and possessions in the coming weeks. Feel free, too, to pray for
financial guidance and meditate on increasing your cash flow.
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Homework: Imagine that one of your heroes comes to you and says,
"Teach me the most important things you know." What would you say?
FreeWillAstrology.com.
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Submissions sent to the Free Will Astrology Weekly Newsletter
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Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2012 Rob Brezsny
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