Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
September 17, 2014
+
Dear Readers:
The service I use to distribute my newsletter has just "upgraded" its
system -- which means there may be some problems in delivery for a
week or two. Please let me know if you experience any glitches in
receiving this. Write to: Truthrooster@gmail.com.
Rob
+
See a pretty version of this newsletter: http://bit.ly/1qax3L0
+
My book
*PRONOIA IS THE ANTIDOTE FOR PARANOIA*
is available at Amazon: http://bit.ly/Pronoia
or Powells: http://bit.ly/PronoiaPowells
Here's an excerpt:
What is the "soul," anyway? Is it a ghostly blob of magic stuff within us
that keeps us connected to the world of dreams and the divine realms? Is
it an amorphous metaphor for the secret source of our spiritual power? Is
it a part of us the rational mind can't pin down and control, ensuring that
we remain accessible to the numinous?
Yes. And also: The soul is a perspective that pushes us to go deeper and
see further and live wilder. It's what drives our imagination to flesh out
our raw experience, transforming that chaotic stuff into rich storylines
that animate our love of life. With the gently propulsive force of the soul,
we probe beyond the surface level of things, working to find the hidden
meaning and truer feeling.
+
"If you need to visualize the soul," wrote Tom Robbins, "think of it as a
cross between a wolf howl, a photon, and a dribble of dark molasses. But
what it really is, as near as I can tell, is a packet of information. It's a
program, a piece of hyperspatial software designed explicitly to interface
with the Mystery. Not a mystery, mind you, the Mystery. The one that
can never be solved."
P.S. Here's Robbins' conclusion: "By waxing soulful you will have granted
yourself the possibility of ecstatic participation in what the ancients
considered a divinely animated universe."
+
As part of the Beauty and Truth Lab's ongoing crusade to wrestle the
English language into a more formidable servant of the ecstatic impulse,
we're pleased to present some alternate designations for "soul." See if
any of the following concoctions feel right coming out of your mouth: 1.
undulating superconductor; 2. nectar plasma; 3. golden lather; 4.
smoldering crucible; 5. luminous caduceus.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
"I tell you the more I think, the more I feel that there is nothing more
truly artistic than to love people."
-Vincent van Gogh
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Pablo Neruda says: "To feel the love of people whom we love is a fire that
feeds our life. But to feel the affection that comes from those we do not
know, from those unknown to us, who are watching over our sleep and
solitude, over our dangers and our weakness -- that is something still
greater and more beautiful because it widens the boundaries of our being,
and unites all living things."
- as reported by Lewis Hyde in his book "The Gift"
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
While you commune with us here at the Conspiracy to Commit
Insurrectionary Beauty and Smart Love:
Your favorite phrase is "flux gusto"
The colors of your soul are sable, vermilion, ivory, and jade
Your special emotion is skeptical faith
Your magic talisman is a thousand-year-old Joshua tree whose flowers
blossom just one night each year and can only be pollinated by the yucca
moth
The garage sale item you most resemble is an old but beautiful and
sonorous accordion with a broken key
Your sweet spot is in between the true believers and the scoffing skeptics
Your sacred fungus is yeast and your soil of destiny is peat moss
The shape of your life is oval with soft dark sparks
Your lucky number is 3.14159265
Your lucky phobia is arachibutyrophobia, or the fear of peanut butter
adhering to the roof of your mouth
Your holiest pain comes from your yearning to change yourself in the
exact way you'd like the world around you to change
- from my book *The Televisionary Oracle* - http://bit.ly/Televisionary
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Are you in quest of an Intimate Ally? A Soul Friend? A Wild Confidante?
Check out Match.com via Free Will Astrology's link:
http://bit.ly/SoulMatch
Look for a Co-Pilot, Co-Conspirator, or Collaborator . . . an Agent to
represent you or a Disciple to worship you . . . a Secret Sharer who'll
listen better than anyone or an Amazing Accomplice with whom you can
practice the Art of Liberation.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
Poverty Is Not Inevitable: What We Can Do Now to Turn Things Around.
Having poor people in the richest country in the world is a choice. We
have the money to solve this.
http://tinyurl.com/k4a6j2t
Researchers at Glasgow University have claimed a breakthrough in
producing hydrogen fuel from water. They said their process is fast, clean
and cheap. It can store energy from the sun and wind. The researchers
said their process is thirty times faster than the current method.
http://tinyurl.com/pbx4f6d
How Seattle Led the Country's Wage Revolution.
Seattle's path to a $15 minimum wage is a winding tale of effective
organizing, smart messaging, and blind dumb luck. It is also a roadmap for
bypassing partisan gridlock.
http://tinyurl.com/mqfox3w
A compendium of pronoiac news.
http://PronoiaResources.com
(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.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Week beginning September 18
Copyright 2014 by Rob Brezsny
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): I rarely waste my time trying to convert the
"skeptics" who attack astrology with a hostile zeal that belies their
supposed scientific objectivity. They're often as dogmatic and closed-
minded as any fundamentalist religious nut. When I'm in a tricky mood,
though, I might tell them about the "Crawford Perspectives," a highly-
rated Wall Street investment publication that relies extensively on
astrological analysis. Or I might quote the wealthy financier J. P. Morgan,
who testified that "Millionaires don't use astrology; billionaires do." That
brings us to my main point, Virgo: The astrological omens suggest that
the coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to put in motion plans
to get richer quicker. Take advantage!
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): When Libra-born Mohandas Gandhi was 19, he
moved to London from his native India to study law. Soon he got caught
up in the effort to become an English gentleman. He took elocution
lessons and learned to dance. He bought fine clothes and a gold watch-
chain. Each morning he stood before a giant mirror and fussed with his
hair and necktie until they were perfect. In retrospect, this phase of his
life seems irrelevant. Years later he was a barefoot rebel leader using
nonviolent civil disobedience to help end the British rule of India, often
wearing a loincloth and shawl made of fabric he wove himself. With this as
your inspiration, Libra, identify aspects of your current life that contribute
little to the soul you must eventually become.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): This might be controversial, but I suspect
that for now your emphasis shouldn't be on sex, drugs, and rock and roll.
Instead, your specialties should be hard-earned intimacy, altered states
that are solely the result of deep introspection, and music that arouses
reverence and other sacred emotions. You are entering a phase when
crafty power is less important than vigorous receptivity; when success is
not nearly as interesting as meaningfulness; when what you already
understand is less valuable than what you can imagine and create.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): You are entering a phase when you will
reap rich rewards by nurturing the health of your favorite posse,
ensemble, or organization. How is the group's collective mental health?
Are there any festering rifts? Any apathetic attitudes or weakening
resolves? I choose you to be the leader who builds solidarity and
cultivates consensus. I ask you to think creatively about how to make
sure everyone's individual goals synergize with the greater good. Are you
familiar with the Arabic word *taarradhin*? It means a compromise that
allows everyone to win -- a reconciliation in which no one loses face.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The good news is that America has more
trees than it did a hundred years ago. Aggressive efforts to replace the
decimated old-growth forests have paid off. The bad news is that the new
forests have a far less diverse selection of tree species than the originals.
The fresh batches are often crowded into smaller spaces, so wildfires are
more massive and devastating. And because so many of the forests are
young, they host a reduced diversity of plant and animal life. All in all, the
increased quantity is wonderful; the lower quality not so wonderful. Is
there a lesson here for you? I think so. In your upcoming decisions, favor
established quality over novel quantity.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): If Pope Francis isn't traveling, he comes out
to meet the public in St. Peter's Square every Wednesday. During one
such event last January, he took a few moments to bestow tender
attention on a talking parrot that belonged to a male stripper. I foresee a
comparable anomaly happening for you in the coming days. A part of you
that is wild or outré will be blessed by contact with what's holy or
sublime. Or maybe a beastly aspect of your nature that doesn't normally
get much respect will receive a divine favor.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
LOVE YOUR LIFE
"Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that
station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show." So begins
Charles Dickens' novel "David Copperfield." So let me ask you: Are you
becoming the hero of your own life? Are you figuring out the secrets of
how to create your destiny -- and not just waiting around for destiny to
happen to you?
If you'd like help in this noble work, 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.
They are not repeats or extensions of the written 'scopes you read here
for free. They are entirely fresh explorations of your astrological omens,
and are designed to help you tune in to your soul's code. (P.S. They're
not free.)
Register and/or sign in at http://RealAstrology.com/
They're available on your tablets and smart phones as well as your
computers.
"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
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): "My definition of a devil is a god who has not
been recognized," said mythologist Joseph Campbell. "It is a power in you
to which you have not given expression, and you push it back. And then,
like all repressed energy, it builds up and becomes dangerous to the
position you're trying to hold." Do you agree, Pisces? I hope so, because
you will soon be entering the Get Better Acquainted with Your Devil Phase
of your astrological cycle, to be immediately followed by the Transform
Your Devil into a God Phase. To get the party started, ask yourself this
question: What is the power in you to which you have not given
expression?
ARIES (March 21-April 19): These horoscopes I write for you aren't
primarily meant to predict the future. They are more about uncovering
hidden potentials and desirable possibilities that are stirring below the
surface right now. When I'm doing my job well, I help you identify those
seeds so you can cultivate them proactively. Bearing that in mind, I'll pose
three pertinent questions. 1. What experiments might stir up more
intimacy in the relationships you want to deepen? 2. What could you
change about yourself to attract more of the love and care you want? 3.
Is there anything you can do to diminish the sting of bad memories about
past romantic encounters, thereby freeing you to love with more
abandon?
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The old Latin motto *Gradu diverso, via una*
can be translated as either "Continuing on the same road, but with a
different stride" or "Going the same way, but changing your pace." I think
this is excellent advice for you, Taurus. By my reckoning, you are on the
correct path. You are headed in the right direction. But you need to shift
your approach a bit -- not a lot, just a little. You've got to make some
minor adjustments in the way you flow.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): For years, Donna and George Lewis used a 33-
pound, oval-shaped rock as a doorstop in their Tennessee home. Later
they moved it to their garden. Then one day George analyzed it with his
metal detector and realized it had unusual properties. He took it to
scientists who informed him it was a rare and valuable four-and-a-half-
billion-year-old meteorite. With this as our subtext, Gemini, I'm asking you
if there might be some aspect of your life that is more precious than you
imagine. Now is a favorable time to find out, and make appropriate
adjustments in your behavior.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): I've got a radical proposal, Cancerian. It might
offend you. You may think I'm so far off the mark that you will stop
reading my horoscopes. But I'm willing to take that risk, and I'm prepared
to admit that I could be wrong. But I don't think I am wrong. So here's
what I have to say: There is a sense in which the source of your wound is
potentially also the source of the "medicine" that will heal the wound.
What hurt you could fix you. But you must be careful not to interpret this
masochistically. You can't afford to be too literal. I'm not saying that the
source of your pain is trustworthy or has good intentions. Be cagey as
you learn how to get the cure you need.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The prestigious *New England Journal of
Medicine* published a study with a conclusion we might expect to see in a
tabloid newspaper or satirical website. It reported that there is a
correlation between chocolate consumption and Nobel Prizes. Those
countries whose citizens eat more chocolate have also produced an
inordinate number of Nobel laureates. So does this mean that chocolate
makes you smarter, as some other studies have also suggested? Maybe,
the report concluded. Since it is especially important for you to be at the
height of your mental powers in the coming weeks, Leo, why not
experiment with this possibility?
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Homework: Name something you could change about yourself that would
enhance your love life. Testify at Truthrooster@gmail.com.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
NEED TO CHANGE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS?
To join or leave the email list for this newsletter, or to change the address
where you receive it, go to:
http://www.freewillastrology.com/newsletter/
Once you do join, check all the below points to make sure you'll actually
receive the newsletter:
1. Add my address, televisionary@comcast.net, to your address book so
that the newsletter won't be treated as spam and filtered out.
2. Adjust your spam filter so it doesn't treat my address as a source of
spam.
3. Tell your company's IT group to allow my address to pass through any
filtering software they may have set up.
4. If my newsletters don't reach your inbox, look in your "Bulk Mail" or
"Junk Mail" folder.
5. The problems may not have to do with anything you do, but may
originate with your email provider. It may be using a "content filter" that
prevents my newsletter from ever reaching you at all. If you suspect
that's the case, complain. Tell your email provider to stop blocking my
newsletter from reaching you.
P.S. I totally respect your privacy. I'll never sell or give away your address
to anyone.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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
Astrology column, and Free Will Astrology website. We reserve
the right to edit such submissions for length, style, and content.
Requests for anonymity will be honored with submissions;
otherwise, reader names, screen names, or initials will be used.
Please be sure to note your preference when sending to us. We
are not responsible for unsolicited submission of any creative
material.
Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2014 Rob Brezsny
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++