Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter http://ezezine.com
Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
September 25, 2013
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See a pretty version of this newsletter: http://bit.ly/16WcoFs
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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.
To hear this piece, go here: http://bit.ly/xROwHE
WHAT IS PRONOIA?
OBJECTIVE: To explore the secrets of becoming a wildly disciplined,
fiercely tender, ironically sincere, scrupulously curious, aggressively
sensitive, blasphemously reverent, lyrically logical, lustfully compassionate
Master of Rowdy Bliss.
DEFINITION: Pronoia is the antidote for paranoia. It's the understanding
that the universe is fundamentally friendly. It's a mode of training your
senses and intellect so you're able to perceive the fact that life always
gives you exactly what you need, exactly when you need it.
HYPOTHESES: Evil is boring. Cynicism is idiotic. Fear is a bad habit. Despair
is lazy. Joy is fascinating. Love is an act of heroic genius. Pleasure is your
birthright. Receptivity is a superpower.
PROCEDURE: Act as if the universe is a prodigious miracle created for your
amusement and illumination. Assume that secret helpers are working
behind the scenes to assist you in turning into the gorgeous masterpiece
you were born to be. Join the conspiracy to shower all of creation with
blessings.
GUIDING QUESTION: "The secret of life," said sculptor Henry Moore to
poet Donald Hall, "is to have a task, something you devote your entire life
to, something you bring everything to, every minute of the day for your
whole life. And the most important thing is -- it must be something you
cannot possibly do." What is that task for you?
UNDIGNIFIED MEDITATIONS TO KEEP YOU HONEST: Brag about what you
can't do and don't have. Confess profound secrets to people who aren't
particularly interested. Pray for the success of your enemies while you're
making love. Change your name every day for a thousand days.
TO READ AND HEAR THE REST OF THIS PIECE, go here:
http://bit.ly/xROwHE
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My book *THE TELEVISIONARY ORACLE* is now available in a Kindle
Edition:
http://bit.ly/12791ba
Or get the hard copy: http://bit.ly/Televisionary
"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:
12 years ago Portugal decriminalized all hard drugs. Today, drug abuse is
down half of what it was.
http://tinyurl.com/3dwt2r3
Let's recognize and praise modern heroes -- everyday people who are
changing the world.
http://tinyurl.com/cefezd
A short film captures poetic moments of contact between humans and
animals. "Ashes and Snow," by Gregory Colebrt.
http://vimeo.com/29498902
(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 26
Copyright 2013 by Rob Brezsny
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): For four days twice a year, the East China Sea
recedes to create a narrow strip of land between two Korean islands,
Jindo and Modo. People celebrate the "Sea-Parting Festival" by strolling
back and forth along the temporary path. The phenomenon has been
called the "Korean version of Moses' miracle," although it's more
reasonably explained by the action of the tides. I foresee some sweet
marvel akin to this one occurring in your life very soon, Libra. Be ready to
take advantage of a special dispensation.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): The desire for revenge is a favorite theme of
the entertainment industry. It's presented as being glamorous and stirring
and even noble. How many action films build their plots around the hero
seeking payback against his enemies? Personally, I see revenge as one of
the top three worst emotions. In real life, it rarely has redeeming value.
People who actively express it often wreak pain and ruin on both others
and themselves. Even those who merely stew in it may wound themselves
by doing so. I bring this up, Scorpio, because now is an excellent time for
you to shed desires for revenge. Dissolve them, get rid of them, talk
yourself out of indulging in them. The reward for doing so will be a great
liberation.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Just for a few days, would you be willing
to put your attention on the needs of others more than on your own? The
weird thing is, your selfish interests will be best served by being as
unselfish and empathetic and compassionate as you can stand to be. I
don't mean that you should allow yourself to be abused or taken
advantage of. Your task is to express an abundance of creative generosity
as you bestow your unique blessings in ways that make you feel powerful.
In the words of theologian Frederick Buechner, you should go "to the
place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet."
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Imagine a scenario like this: The CEOs of
five crazily rich U.S. corporations, including a major defense contractor,
stage a press conference to announce that in the future they will turn
down the massive welfare benefits and tax breaks the federal government
has been doling out to them all these years. Now picture this: The Pope
issues a statement declaring that since Jesus Christ never had a single
bad word to say about homosexuals, the Catholic Church is withdrawing
its resistance to gay rights. I am envisioning a comparable reversal in your
life, Capricorn -- a flip-flop that seems equally improbable. But unlike the
two I named, yours will actually unfold in the course of the next eight
months. If it hasn't already started yet, it will soon.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Matteo Ricci was an Italian Jesuit priest who
lived from 1552 to 1610. For his last 28 years, he worked as a missionary
in China. Corresponding with his friends and family back home required a
lot of patience. News traveled very slowly. Whenever he sent out a letter,
he was aware that there'd be no response for seven years. What would
you express about your life right now if you knew your dear ones wouldn't
learn of it until 2017? Imagine describing to them in an old-fashioned
letter what your plans will be between now and then . . . what you hope
to accomplish and how you will transform yourself. Right now is an
excellent time to take inventory of your long-term future.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): The cosmos is granting you a poetic license
to practice the art of apodyopsis with great relish. You know what
apodyopsis is, right? It refers to the act of envisioning people naked --
mentally undressing them so as to picture them in their raw state. So,
yes, by all means, Pisces, enjoy this creative use of your imagination
without apology. It should generate many fine ramifications. For instance,
it will prime you to penetrate beneath the surface of things. It will
encourage you to see through everyone's social masks and tune in to
what's really going on in their depths. You need to do that right now.
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YOU NEED MAGIC
Every day, you have to wade through a relentless surge of soul-less
information. The experience tends to shut down your sense of wonder.
Every day, you're over-exposed to narratives that have been sucked free
of delight and mystery. That's why you have to make strenuous efforts to
keep your world enchanted.
I aspire to contribute to the sacred cause of feeding your sense of
wonder and enchantment. That's one of my main motivations for offering
you my free horoscopes, book excerpts, and music.
If you ever want more of that stuff, and think it's worth paying for, try
out my Expanded Audio Horoscopes. They're four-to-five-minute
meditations on the current state of your destiny.
Go here to access them: http://RealAstrology.com/
You can also listen over the phone by calling
1-877-873-4888
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ARIES (March 21-April 19): I've got a good feeling about your relationship
with intimacy in the coming weeks. Judging from the astrological omens, I
think you will have a good instinct about how to drum up interesting fun
with your most important allies. You'll just naturally know what to do to
make your collaborative efforts synergistic. So by all means cash in on
this potential. Don't just sit back and hope for the best; rather, call on
your imagination to provide you with original ideas about how to make it
all happen.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Would you be willing to go to extraordinary
lengths to transform aspects of your life that you have felt are hard to
transform? Now would be a good time to do that. Luck will flow your way
if you work on healing your number one wound. Unexpected help and
inspiration will appear if you administer tough love to any part of you
that's addicted, immature, or unconscious. Barriers will crumple if you
brainstorm about new ways to satisfy your frustrated yearnings.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): I bet your normal paranoia levels will decline in
the coming weeks. Fears you take for granted won't make nearly as much
sense as they usually seem to. As a result, you'll be tempted to wriggle
free from your defense mechanisms. Useful ideas that your mind has been
closed to may suddenly tantalize your curiosity. I won't be surprised if
you start tuning into catalysts that had previously been invisible to you.
But here are my questions: Can you deal with losing the motivational
force that fear gives you? Will you be able to get inspired by grace and
pleasure rather than anxiety and agitation? I advise you to work hard on
raising your trust levels.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): "Sometimes people have nothing to say
because they're too empty," writes author Yasmin Mogahed, "and
sometimes people have nothing to say because they're too full." By my
reckoning, Cancerian, you will soon be in the latter category. A big silence
is settling over you as new amusements and amazements rise up within
you. It will be understandable if you feel reluctant to blab about them.
They need more time to ripen. You should trust your impulse to remain a
secret and a mystery for a while.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): "Insight is not a light bulb that goes off inside our
heads," says author Malcolm Gladwell. "It is a flickering candle that can
easily be snuffed out." Take that as a constructive warning, Leo. On the
one hand, I believe you will soon glimpse quite a few new understandings
of how the world works and what you could do to make it serve you
better. On the other hand, you've got to be extra alert for these new
understandings and committed to capturing them the moment they pop
up. Articulate them immediately. If you're alone, talk to yourself about
them. Maybe even write them down. Don't just assume you will be able to
remember them perfectly later when it's more convenient.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): After a storm, British wildlife lover Gary
Zammit found a baby heron cowering in a broken nest. Its parents were
dead. Zammit took the orphan under his wing. He named it Dude, and
cared for it as it grew. Eventually he realized that Dude was never going
to learn to fly unless he intervened. Filling his pockets full of the food that
Dude loved, Zammit launched a series of flying lessons -- waving his arms
and squawking as he ran along a flat meadow that served as a runway.
Dude imitated his human dad, and soon mastered the art of flight. Can
you see ways in which this story might have metaphorical resemblances
to your own life, Virgo? I think it does. It's time for your mind to teach
your body an instinctual skill or self-care habit that it has never quite
gotten right.
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Homework: What pose would it be a relief for you to drop? How are you
faking, and what could you do to stop? Freewillastrology.com.
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Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2013 Rob Brezsny
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