Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
October 29, 2014
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See a pretty version of this newsletter: http://bit.ly/12YtQuJ
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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 read the piece in its entirety, go here: http://bit.ly/wGN3iM
SHADOW SCHOOL
You're a gorgeous mystery with a wild heart and a lofty purpose. But like
all of us, you also have a dark side -- a part of your psyche that snarls and
bites, that's unconscious and irrational, that is motivated by ill will or
twisted passions or instinctual fears.
It's your own personal portion of the world's sickness: a mess of
repressed longings, enervating wounds, ignorant delusions, and unripe
powers. You'd prefer to ignore it because it's unflattering or
uncomfortable or very different from what you imagine yourself to be.
If you acknowledge its existence at all (many of us don't), you might call
it the devil, your evil twin, your inner monster, or your personal demon.
Psychologist Carl Jung referred to it as the shadow. He regarded it as the
lead that the authentic alchemists of the Middle Ages sought to
transmute into gold.
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Astrologer Steven Forrest has a different name for the shadow: stuff.
"Work on your stuff," he says, "or your stuff will work on you." He means
that it will sabotage you if you're not aggressive about identifying,
negotiating with, and transforming it.
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The shadow is not inherently evil. If it is ignored or denied, it may become
monstrous to compensate. Only then is it likely to "demonically possess"
its owner, leading to compulsive, exaggerated, "evil" behavior.
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"The shadow, which is in conflict with the acknowledged values, cannot
be accepted as a negative part of one's own psyche and is therefore
projected -- that is, it is transferred to the outside world and experienced
as an outside object. It is combated, punished, and exterminated as 'the
alien out there' instead of being dealt with as one's own inner problem." --
Erich Neumann, *Depth Psychology and a New Ethic*
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The qualities in ourselves that we deny or dislike are often the very
qualities that we most bitterly complain about in other people. So for
instance, an old friend of mine named Mark had a special disgust for
friends who were unavailable to him when he really needed them. But I
was witness to him engaging in the same behavior three different times,
disappearing from the lives of his friends just when they needed him
most.
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"Whatever is rejected from the self, appears in the world as an event,"
said Jung. If you disown a part of your personality, it'll materialize as an
unexpected detour.
Everyone who believes in the devil is the devil . . . .
TO READ THE REST OF "SHADOW SCHOOL," go here:
http://bit.ly/wGN3iM
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"All I ever wanted in life was to make a difference, conquer the universe,
travel the world, meet interesting people, find the missing link, fight the
good fight, live for the moment, seize each day, make a fortune, know
what really matters, end world hunger, vanquish the dragon, be super
popular but too cool to care, be master of my own fate, embrace my
destiny, feel as much as I can feel, give too much, and love everything."
- Tatsuya Ishida at http://www.sinfest.net
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Some people put their faith in religion or science or political ideologies.
Novelist J.G. Ballard placed his faith elsewhere: in the imagination. "I
believe in the power of the imagination to remake the world," he wrote,
"to release the truth within us, to hold back the night, to transcend
death, to charm motorways, to ingratiate ourselves with birds, to enlist
the confidences of madmen."
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"The Way of Abundance is all too often misconstrued as a shallow sense
of 'getting what one wants,' 'eliminating the negative,' or 'being free from
pain.' Even the often-touted 'manifesting your dreams,' offers a
psychological disposition that generally remains fixated around
manifestation as 'the project of me.'
"But the 'project of me' can never be enough, for it does not meet 'the
other,' and real living involves meeting. The touch and contact with all of
life, the full freedom of non-separation, the completeness of full
relationship, and the radiance of compassionate ecstasy is what we are
inherently hungry for."
- Rick Jarow, *Alchemy of Abundance*
http://tinyurl.com/l3hxqp8
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Think about your relationship to human beings who haven't been born
yet. What might you create for them to use? How can you make your life
a gift to the future? Can you not only help preserve the wonders we live
amidst, but actually enhance them? Keep in mind this thought from Lewis
Carroll: "It's a poor sort of memory that only works backward."
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
How to Cut Poverty in Half in Ten Years
"It's an achievable goal because we've done it before," said Stegman. He
reminds us that the War on Poverty contributed to cutting poverty by 43
percent between 1964 and 1973, "to a historic low of 11.1 percent.'
http://tinyurl.com/lus8u2d
Denmark Becomes Second Country to Let Citizens Choose Their Gender
Without Having Surgery. A new law allows transgender citizens to decide
their own gender -- and all it takes is a piece of paper.
http://tinyurl.com/ky8rfqp
7 Practical Ideas for Compassionate Communities, From Free College to
Debt Relief
http://tinyurl.com/kekes9h
(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 October 30
Copyright 2014 by Rob Brezsny
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In AMC's famous TV drama, a high school
chemistry teacher responds to his awful luck by turning to a life of crime.
The show's title, "Breaking Bad," refers to what happens when a good
person cracks and veers over to the dark side. So then what does
"breaking good" mean? Urbandictionary.com defines it like this: "When a
criminal, junkie, or gang-banger gets sweet and sparkly, going to church,
volunteering at soup kitchens, and picking the kids up from school." I'm
concerned that you are at risk of undergoing a similar conversion, Scorpio.
You seem so nice and kind and mild lately. I guess that's fine as long as
you don't lose your edge. Halloween costume suggestion: a criminal with
a halo, a sweet and sparkly gang-banger, or a Buddhist monk junkie.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I've got two possible remedies for your
emotional congestion. You might also want to make these two remedies
part of your Halloween shtick. The first remedy is captured by the English
word "lalochezia." It refers to a catharsis that comes from uttering
profane language. The second remedy is contained in the word
"tarantism." It means an urge to dance manically as a way to relieve
melancholy. For your Halloween disguise, you could be a wildly dancing
obscenity-spouter.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You are at a point in your astrological
cycle when you deserve to rake in the rewards that you have been
working hard to earn. I expect you to be a magnet for gifts and blessings.
The favors and compliments you have doled out will be returned to you.
For all the strings you have pulled in behalf of others' dreams, strings will
now be pulled for you. Halloween costume suggestion: a beaming kid
hauling around a red wagon full of brightly wrapped presents.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Two physicists in Massachusetts are
working on technology that will allow people to shoot laser beams out of
their eyes. For Halloween, I suggest that you pretend you have already
acquired this superpower. It's time for you to be brash and jaunty as you
radiate your influence with more confidence. I want to see you summon
reserves of charismatic clout you haven't dared to call on before.
Costume suggestion: The X-Men mutant named Cyclops or the legendary
Native America creature known as the thunderbird, which emits lightning
from its eyes.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): The African nation of Swaziland has passed a
law prohibiting witches from flying their broomsticks any higher than 150
meters above ground. That will a big problem for Piscean witches. There is
currently an astrological mandate for them to swoop and glide and soar as
high and free as they want to. The same is metaphorically true for all
Piscean non-witches everywhere. This is your time to swoop and glide and
soar as high and free as you want to. Halloween costume suggestion:
high-flying witch, a winged angel, the Silver Surfer, or a mythic bird like
the Garuda.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): If you live in Gaza, you don't have easy access
to Kentucky Fried Chicken. The closest KFC restaurant is 35 miles away in
the Egyptian city of El-Arish. But there was a time when you could pay
smugglers to bring it to you via one of the underground tunnels that
linked Egypt to Gaza. Each delivery took four hours and required the help
of two taxis, a hand cart, and a motorbike. (Alas, Egypt destroyed most
of the tunnels in early 2014.) I recommend, Aries, that you be as
determined and resourceful to make your longed-for connections as the
KFC lovers in Gaza were. Halloween costume suggestion: smuggler,
bootlegger, drug-dealer, black-marketeer.
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WHAT NEW INFLUENCES ARE HEADED 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.
Find out more at http://RealAstrology.com.
The audio horoscopes are also available by phone at 1-877-873-4888.
"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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TAURUS (April 20-May 20): It's urgent that you expand your options.
Your freedom of choice can't lead you to where you need to go until you
have more possibilities to choose from. In fact, you're better off not
making a decision until you have a wider selection. To playfully drive home
this point to your subconscious mind, I suggest that this Halloween you
consider disguising yourself as a slime mold. This unusual creature comes
in more than 500 different genders, at least 13 of which must collaborate
to reproduce. Here's a photo: bit.ly/yellowslime.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In the animated sci-fi TV sitcom *Futurama,*
Leela is the mutant captain of a spaceship. In one episode, she develops
an odd boil on her hindquarters. It has a face and can sing. The actor who
provides the vocals for the animated boil's outpouring of song is Gemini
comedian Craig Ferguson, whose main gig is serving as host of a late-
night TV talk show on CBS. Telling you this tale is my way of suggesting
that you consider going outside your usual niche, as Craig Ferguson did,
to offer your talents in a different context. Halloween costume
suggestion: Kim Kardashian as a nurse wearing ebola protective gear;
science educator Neil deGrasse Tyson as a male stripper; a cat wearing a
dog costume, or vice versa.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Native American hero Sitting Bull (1831-
1890) was a renowned Lakota chief and holy man. He led his people in
their resistance to the U.S. occupation of their land. How did he become
so strong and wise? In large part through the efforts of his doting
mother, whose name was Her-Holy-Door. Let's install her as your exemplar
for now. May she inspire you to nurture beauty and power in those you
love. May she motivate you to be adroit as you perform your duties in
service to the future. May the mystery of her name rouse you to find the
sacred portal that ushers you to your next big gift. Halloween costume
suggestion: a sacred portal, a divine gateway, an amazing door.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): This is one of those rare times when it's OK for
you to just throw out the dirty dishes that you are too lazy to wash. It's
also permissible to hide from a difficult person, spend money on a
supposedly foolish indulgence, eat a bowl of ice cream for breakfast,
binge-watch a TV show that provokes six months' worth of emotions in a
few hours, and lie in bed for an extra hour fantasizing about sex with a
forbidden partner. Don't make any of these things habits, of course. But
for now, it's probably healthy to allow them. Halloween costume
suggestion: total slacker.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Our evolutionary ancestors *Homo erectus*
loved to eat delicious antelope brains. The fossil evidence is all over their
old stomping grounds in East Africa. Scientists say that this delicacy, so
rich in nutrients, helped our forbears build bigger, stronger brains
themselves. These days it's harder but not impossible to make animal
brains part of your diet. The Chinese and Koreans eat pig brains, and
some European cuisines include beef brains. I'm confident, however, that
your own brain will be functioning better than ever in the coming weeks,
even if you don't partake of this exotic dish. Be sure to take advantage of
your enhanced intelligence. Solve tough riddles! Think big thoughts!
Halloween costume suggestion: a brain-eating *Homo erectus.*
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): "The egromenious hilarity of psychadisical
melarmy, whether rooted in a lissome stretch or a lusty wobble, soon
defisterates into crabolious stompability. So why not be graffenbent?" So
said Noah's ex-wife Joan of Arc in her interview with *St. Crocodile*
magazine. Heed Joan's advice, please, Libra. Be proactively saximonious.
I'M KIDDING! Everything I just said was nonsense. I hope you didn't
assume it was erudite wisdom full of big words you couldn't understand.
In offering it to you, I was hoping to immunize you against the babble and
hype and artifice that may soon roll your way. Halloween costume
suggestion: a skeptic armed with a shock-proof bullshit-detector. (For
inspiration, check out these visuals: http://bit.ly/bsdetector.)
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Homework: What Halloween costume would help you activate a secret or
dormant part of your potential? Testify at FreeWillAstrology.com.
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Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2014 Rob Brezsny
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