Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter http://ezezine.com
Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
May 8, 2013
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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
Much of the material below appears in the book:
QUESTION. How can an intelligent, educated person possibly believe
astrology has any merit?
ROB BREZSNY. Many of the debunkers who're responsible for trying to
discredit astrology have done no research on the subject. They haven't
read smart astrological philosophers like Dane Rudhyar, don't know that
seminal astronomer Johannes Kepler was a skilled astrologer, and aren't
aware that eminent psychologist C.G. Jung cast horoscopes and believed
that "astrology represents the summation of all the psychological
knowledge of antiquity." The closest approach the fraudulent "skeptics"
usually make to the ancient art is to glance at a tabloid horoscope
column. To match their carelessness, I might make a drive-by of a strip
mall and declare that the profession of architecture is shallow and
debased.
That's one reason why these ill-informed "skeptics" spread so many
ignorant lies. For instance, they say that astrologers think the stars and
planets emit invisible beams that affect people's lives. The truth is, many
Western astrologers don't believe any such thing. Astrologer Richard
Tarnas says it well: Just as clocks tell time but don't create it, the
heavenly bodies show us the big picture but don't cause it.
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QUESTION. Because you pack your column with doses of humor and wild
imagery, some people think you don't take astrology seriously.
ROB. On the contrary, I think this proves how much respect I have for
astrology -- I mean REAL astrology. Not astrology as a superstitious belief
system that generates boring predictions in dead language about trivial
events that only our neurotic egos are obsessed with; but rather
astrology as a mytho-poetic symbol system that expands your
imagination about the big cycles of your life, liberates you from the
literalistic trance that the daily grind tends to trap you in, and opens you
up to the understanding that you're much more beautiful and full of
potential than you've been taught to believe.
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QUESTION. You have said that you believe in astrology "about 80
percent." What's up with the other 20 percent?
ROB. I use the same 80-20 approach with every belief system I love and
benefit from: science, psychology, feminism, and various religious
traditions like Buddhism and Christianity and paganism. I take what's
useful from each, but am not so deluded as to think that any single
system is the holy grail that the physicists call the "Theory of
Everything." Unconditional, unskeptical faith is the path of the fanatic and
fundamentalist, and I aspire to be a rowdy philosophical anarchist, aflame
with objectivity and committed to the truth that the truth is always
mutating.
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QUESTION. But don't you risk playing the same role the tabloid
astrologers do: enticing people to take on a superstitious approach to life
and seducing them into believing their fate is determined by supernatural
forces beyond the influence of their willpower?
ROB. I call what I do predicting the present, not forecasting the future. My
goal is to awaken my readers to the hidden agendas, unconscious forces,
and long-term cycles at work in their lives so that they can respond to
the totality of what's happening instead of to mere appearances. I want
to be a friendly shocker who helps unleash their imaginations, giving them
the power to create their destinies with the same liberated fertility that
great artists summon to forge their masterpieces.
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QUESTION. How do you write your column? Do you use actual astrological
data, or just go into a trance and let your imagination run wild?
TO READ THE REPLY TO THIS QUESTION, as well as the rest of this Q & A,
go here: http://bit.ly/FWA-QandA
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My book *THE TELEVISIONARY ORACLE* is now available for the first time
in a Kindle Edition:
http://bit.ly/12791ba
"I've seen the future of American literature and its name is Rob Brezsny."
- Tom Robbins, author of *Jitterbug Perfume,* *Still Life with
Woodpecker,* and many more
Read a review of *The Televisionary Oracle* here:
http://bit.ly/BrezsnyReview
Excerpts from the review:
"Brezsny holds his own place next to other cultural shamans such as
Robert Anton Wilson, Timothy Leary, Reverend Ivan Stang, William S.
Burroughs, and Ken Kesey."
"If there is any one thing that stands out in this book above all else, it is
Brezsny's use of imagery. Not only does he bring his characters and
settings to life with a lucid dreaming vividness, but he creates Technicolor
imaginaries out of insane word collages."
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
PRONOIA REBELS AGAINST NORMAL EVERYDAY NUMBNESS
Guerrilla acts of love and kindness:
http://tinyurl.com/camhcpd
PRONOIA REQUIRES ACTS OF WILL
Would we give up burgers to stop climate change? A new study suggests
if we reduce our intake of animal products by 25%, we can halt climate
change.
http://tinyurl.com/d74bou6
PRONOIA PURIFIES PRIORITIES
Principal fires security guards to hire art teachers -- and transforms
elementary school.
http://tinyurl.com/dxk6f9x
(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 9
Copyright 2013 by Rob Brezsny
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You may have only a dim idea about how your
smart phone and computer work, but that doesn't prevent you from using
their many wonderful features. While you're swimming, you know almost
nothing about the physiological processes that are active inside you, and
yet you have no problem making all the necessary movements. In that
spirit, I'm not worried about whether or not you will grasp the deep inner
meaning of events that will be unfolding in the coming week. Complete
understanding isn't absolutely necessary. All you need to do is trust your
intuition to lead you in the direction of what's interesting and educational.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): "I need not sell my soul to buy bliss," says a
character in Charlotte Bronte's 19th-century novel *Jane Eyre.* "I have an
inward treasure born with me, which can keep me alive if all extraneous
delights should be withheld, or offered only at a price I cannot afford to
give." This would be a great speech for you to memorize and periodically
recite in the next two weeks. Do it in front of your mirror at least once a
day to remind yourself of how amazingly resourceful you are. It will also
help you resist the temptation to seek gifts from people who can't or
won't give them to you.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): What is the big adventure you've been
postponing forever because it hasn't been convenient? How about an
intriguing possibility you have always wanted to experiment with but have
consistently denied yourself? Or what about that nagging mystery you've
been wishing you had the time and energy to solve? Wouldn't your life
change for the better if you finally dived in and explored it? In the next
two weeks, Cancerian, I urge you to consider giving yourself permission to
pursue something that fits one of those descriptions.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Right now, Leo, you are a majestic and mysterious
mess of raw power. You are a fresh, flaming fountain of pure charisma.
Irresistible! That's you! Unstoppable! You! Impossible to fool and immune
to the false charms of heartfelt mediocrity! You! You! You! In your current
condition, no one can obstruct you from seeing the naked truth about the
big picture. And that's why I am so sure that victory will soon be yours.
You will overcome the fuzziness of your allies, the bad vibes of your
adversaries, and your own inertia. Not all conquests are important and
meaningful, but you will soon achieve the one that is.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): A character in Herman Hesse's novel *Demian*
says the following: "I live in my dreams. Other people live in dreams, but
not in their own." Whose dreams do you live in, Virgo? What is the source
of the fantasies that dominate your imagination? Are they the authentic
outpourings of your own soul? Or did they originate with your parents and
teachers and lovers? Did they sneak into you from the movies and songs
and books you love? Are they the skewed result of the emotional wounds
you endured or the limitations you've gotten used to? Now is an excellent
time to take inventory. Find out how close you are to living in your own
dreams.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Charles Ives was a renowned American
composer who lived from 1874 to 1954. Because his music was
experimental and idiosyncratic, it took a long time for him to get the
appreciation he deserved. When he was 73 years old, he won the
prestigious Pulitzer Prize for a symphony he had written when he was 30.
I expect that in the near future you might be the beneficiary of a similar
kind of mojo, Libra. A good deed you did or a smart move you made in
the past will finally get at least some of the recognition or response
you've always wanted.
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WANT TO KNOW YOURSELF BETTER?
What new influences are heading your way?
How do you want to create your life story in the coming weeks?
How can you exert your free will to seek out the adventures that'll bring
out the best in you, even as you find graceful ways to cooperate with the
tides of destiny?
If you'd like help in figuring it all out, consider trying my EXPANDED AUDIO
HOROSCOPES. They're four-to-five-minute meditations on the current
state of your destiny and where you're headed.
Go here to register and log in: http://Realastrology.com
You can also listen over the phone by calling
1-877-873-4888
The cost is $6 if you access them on the Web -- with discounts for
multiple purchases -- or $1.99 per minute over the phone.
"I always feel like I know myself better after listening to your audio
'scopes."
-June R., Austin, TX
"Your audio horoscopes calm me down when I'm too manic and pep me up
when I'm down."
-Arthur T., Cleveland, OH
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SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): "There are no right answers to wrong
questions," says science fiction writer Ursula K. Le Guin. And that's why
you must be so conscientious about coming up with the very best
questions. Right, Scorpio? All your efforts to hunt down solutions will be
for naught unless you frame your problems elegantly and accurately. Now
here's the very good news: Your skill at asking pertinent questions is at a
peak. That's why I suggest you make this Focused Inquiry Week. Crisply
define three questions that will be important for you to address in the
next seven months.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Charlie Parker was a great jazz musician.
As a saxophonist and composer, he was an influential innovator.
Unfortunately, he also had an expensive heroin addiction. It interfered
with his ability to achieve financial stability. There's a famous story about
him showing a bystander two veins on his arm as he prepared to shoot
up. "This one's my Cadillac," he confessed. "And this one's my house."
I'm bringing this up, Sagittarius, in the hope that it will provide a healthy
shock. Are you doing anything remotely like Charlie Parker? Are you
pouring time and energy and money into an inferior form of pleasure or a
trivial distraction that is undermining your ability to accomplish higher
goals? If so, fix that glitch, please.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): "I hate a song that makes you think that
you are not any good," said iconic songwriter Woody Guthrie. "I hate a
song that makes you think that you are just born to lose. Because you are
too old or too young or too fat or too slim too ugly or too this or too
that. Songs that run you down or poke fun at you. I am out to sing songs
that will prove to you that this is your world." Amen, brother Woody! I
have the same approach to writing horoscopes. And I'm happy to advise
you, Capricorn, that you should have a similar attitude toward everything
you put out and take in during the coming week. Just for now, reject all
words, ideas, and actions that demoralize and destroy. Treat yourself to a
phase of relentless positivity.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): "I know not what my past still has in store
for me," testified the Indian spiritual poet Tukaram. I believe most of us
can say the same thing, and here's why: The events that happened to us
once upon a time keep transforming as we ripen. They come to have
different meanings in light of the ever-new experiences we have. What
seemed like a setback when it first occurred may eventually reveal itself
to have been the seed of a blessing. A wish fulfilled at a certain point in
our history might come back to haunt us later on. I bring up these ideas,
Aquarius, because I think you're primed to reinterpret your own past.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): According to legend, Jennifer Lopez's butt is
insured for $300 million. Bruce Springsteen has supposedly insured his
voice for $31 million and wine expert Angela Mount is said to have insured
her taste buds for $16 million. In that spirit, Pisces, I encourage you to
consider insuring your imagination. To be clear, I don't anticipate that you
will have occasion to collect any settlement. Nothing bad will happen. But
taking this step could be a fun ritual that might drive home to you just
how important your imagination will be in the coming weeks. Your power
to make pictures in your mind will either make you crazy with unfounded
fantasies and fearful delusions, or else it will help you visualize in detail
the precise nature of the situations you want to create for yourself in the
future.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): The Tarahumara Indians of northwestern
Mexico are renowned for their ability to run long distances. The best
runners can cover 200 miles in two days. The paths they travel are not
paved or smooth, either, but rather the rough canyon trails that stretch
between their settlements. Let's make them your inspirational role models
in the coming week, Aries. I'm hoping that you will be as tough and
tenacious as they are -- that you will pace yourself for the long haul,
calling on your instinctual strength to guide you.
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Homework: In what circumstances do you tend to be smartest? When do
you tend to be dumbest? Testify at 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
2013 Rob Brezsny
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