Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
August 5, 2015
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See a pretty version of this newsletter: http://bit.ly/1N74k7I
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A while back I sent my book *The Televisionary Oracle* to novelist Tom
Robbins, and asked him if he would consider endorsing it. To my surprise,
he replied. To my shock, he liked it a lot. He wrote this blurb for me: "I've
seen the future of American literature and its name is Rob Brezsny"
The book he's talking about is here: http://bit.ly/Televisionary
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My latest book *PRONOIA IS THE ANTIDOTE FOR PARANOIA*
is available at Amazon: http://bit.ly/Pronoia
or Powells: http://bit.ly/PronoiaPowells
Below are excerpts.
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DAILY PRACTICE: Are you willing to push hard to get better, become
smarter, grow your devotion to the truth, fuel your commitment to
beauty, refine your emotional intelligence, hone your dreams, negotiate
with your shadow, cure your ignorance, shed your pettiness, heighten
your drive to look for the best in people, and soften your heart -- even as
you always accept yourself for exactly who you are with all of your so-
called imperfections, never demeaning the present by comparing it to an
idealized past or future?
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POSSIBLE REWARDS FOR BEING YOU: You will be able to claim the rewards
promised you at the beginning of time—not just any old beauty, wisdom,
goodness, love, freedom, and justice, but rather: exhilarating beauty that
incites you to be true to yourself; crazy wisdom that immunizes you
against the temptation to believe your ideals are ultimate truths;
outrageous goodness that inspires you to experiment with irrepressible
empathy; generous freedom that keeps you alert for opportunities to
share your wealth; insurrectionary love that endlessly transforms you; and
a lust for justice that's leavened with a knack for comedy, keeping you
honest as you work humbly to liberate everyone in the world from
ignorance and suffering.
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Many of us have a superficial notion of the nature of healing, writes Peter
Kingsley in his book "In the Dark Places of Wisdom." We think that
"healing is what makes us comfortable and eases the pain."
But the truth is, "what we want to be healed of is often what will heal us
if we can stand the discomfort and the pain."
I invite you to experiment with this theme. See if you can stave off your
urge for ease as you marinate longer in the aching confusion.
"If we really face our sadness," says Kingsley, "we find it speaks with the
voice of our deepest longing. And if we face it a little longer we find that
it teaches us the way to attain what we long for."
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"Dear Rob: I sure don't like so much God stuff mixed into my horoscopes.
Can you cut it out, please? I understand it's common for the desperate
masses to believe in an Ultra Being, but you? Pul-lease. You're smarter
than that. I just can't abide all the 'Divine Wow' and 'Cackling Goddess'
nonsense that you dispense; it doesn't jibe with the practical, sensible,
unsuperstitious, non-mushy world that I hold dear -- and that I see
represented mostly accurately in your horoscopes. -Sally Skeptic."
Dear Sally: I can't accommodate you. You will have to keep dealing with
the cognitive dissonance that arises from reading the oracles of a "smart"
person who also has an intimate relationship with You-Know-Who.
Just so you're clear about how I perceive the Living Intelligent
Consciousness That Pervades Every Cubic Inch of the Universe: It is the
interplay of the Supernal Hermaphrodites: the Divine Wow mistakenly
called "God" and the Blooming HaHa mistakenly called "Goddess."
More precisely, it is the Torrential and Torturous Ecstasy spawned anew
every nanosecond by the glide of the Divine Wow's virile eternity against
the Blooming HaHa's voluptuous infinity. It is the Cosmic **** that
recreates the universe again and again in every nanosecond.
Here's my place in that mystery: I aspire to locate myself in the crux of
the flux of the Cosmic ****.
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
Germany To Turn 62 Military Bases Into Nature Sanctuaries For Birds,
Beetles And Bats
http://tinyurl.com/pnnlb8f
Colorado's Teen Birth Rate Fell 40 Percent Thanks To A Free
Contraception Program
http://tinyurl.com/q78ucxe
Ebola vaccine trial proves 100% successful in Guinea.
Rapid development and testing of drug may bring current epidemic in
west Africa to an end and control future outbreaks, experts say.
http://tinyurl.com/pjt24yh
(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 August 6
Copyright 2015 by Rob Brezsny
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): "What are the best things and the worst things in
your life, and when are you going to get around to whispering or shouting
them?" This question was posed by Leo author Ray Bradbury in his book
*Zen in the Art of Writing: Essays on Creativity.*
Even if you're not a writer yourself, you will benefit from responding to
his exhortation. It's one of the best things you could possibly do to
activate your dormant creativity and intensify your lust for life. This is
one of those times when working with your extremes is not only safe and
healthy, but also fun and inspirational. So do it, Leo! Get excited and
expressive about the best and worst things in your life.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): It's time to leave behind the golden oldies.
You'd be wise to tiptoe away from tradition, and give the ghosts of the
past one last kiss goodbye, and wean yourself from nostalgia for the good
old days. Frankly, my dear, you've got numerous appointments with the
future, and it would be a shame to miss them because you're mucking
around with memories. In the coming weeks -- for that matter, in the
coming months -- you're most likely to thrive if you become an agent of
change. And the most important thing to change is your relationship to
the person you used to be.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In Indonesia, the term *gotong-royong* is
defined as the "joint bearing of burdens." In practice it means that you
and I and our allies get together voluntarily to help each other achieve a
shared goal. It may also be an agreement to provide mutual aid: I help you
do what you need to have done, and you help me with my task. *Gotong-
royong* also implies that we enjoy working together. The emotional tone
that we cultivate is affection and care. By sharing a burden, we lighten
the load that each of us has to bear. I bring this to your attention, Libra,
because it's the *gotong-royong* season for you and yours. Be the
ringleader who initiates and sustains it.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In one of his poems, Jack Gilbert mentions
"the incurably sane," who are "uncrippled by beauty" and "unbutchered
by love." When I read those lines, I felt a surge of protest. Is there a
single person on the earth who fits that description? No! I was miffed by
such starry-eyed idealism. Later, though, as I studied the astrological
omens for you Scorpios, my attitude softened. I realized that the coming
weeks may be a time when many of you will at least temporarily be
incurably sane, uncrippled by beauty, and unbutchered by love. If you're
one of these lucky ones, please use your blessed grace to spread an
abundance of blessed grace everywhere you go.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): If you're not skirting the edges of the
forbidden zone, you're playing it too safe. If you're not serving as a
benevolent mischief-maker for someone you care about, you're shirking
your duty. Your allegiance should be with X-factors and wild cards. You
will thrive to the degree that you cultivate alliances with mavericks and
instigators. Are you shrewd enough to mess with time-tested formulas?
Are you restless enough to rebel against habits that stifle your curiosity?
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): How to be a Capricorn, according to my
Capricorn reader Sadie Kennedy: When you are younger, take yourself too
seriously. Look and act older than you actually are as you serve what's
most practical. Sacrifice fun and frivolity, working doggedly to achieve the
goals you yearn for, until you reach some level of accomplishment. Then
realize, as if struck by a thunderbolt, that fun and frivolity have practical
value. Begin to age backwards like Benjamin Button as you balance work
with play and discipline with leisure. Enjoy the fruits of your intense
efforts as everyone tells you how relaxed and supple and resilient you are
becoming.
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PLEASURE IS HOLY?
Assume that your drive to experience pleasure isn't a barrier to your
spiritual growth, but is in fact essential to it. Proceed on the hypothesis
that cultivating joy can make you a more ethical and compassionate
person. Imagine that feeling good has something important to teach you
every day.
For inspiration in practicing this approach, tune in to your EXPANDED
AUDIO HOROSCOPES. They're four-to-five-minute meditations on the
current state of your destiny.
To listen to your Expanded Audio Horoscope online, go to
http://RealAstrology.com.
Register and/or log in through the main page.
You can also listen over the phone by calling 1-877-873-4888.
The cost is $6 per sign on the Web (discounts available for bulk
purchases), or $1.99 per minute by phone.
The Expanded Audio Horoscopes work on most smart phones and tablets.
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"Your expanded astrology thingees help me remember who I really am." -
Gareth N., Toronto
"I never knew it was possible to get my butt kicked and my head patted
at the same time -- until I listened to you, Rob." -Kristi P., Portland, OR
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AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Cracking open the shell of a soft-boiled egg
is a tricky task. You must be firm enough to break the shell, but
sufficiently gentle to avoid making a mess. If you live in Germany, you
have access to a metal instrument that provides just the right measure of
soft force. It's called an *Eierschalensollbruchstellenverursacher,*
translated as "soft-boiled egg shell cracker." Your assignment in the
coming weeks is to cultivate a talent that is metaphorically similar to an
*Eierschalensollbruchstellenverursacher.* I believe you will need that blend
of sensitivity and power on numerous occasions.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Americans often regard Cuba as impoverished
and backwards. There is an element of truth in their prejudice, primarily
because the U.S. has imposed a stifling embargo on the Caribbean nation
for over 50 years. That's why, for example, many Cubans drive cars that
were manufactured in the 1950s. But I wonder how my fellow citizens
would respond if they knew that in some ways Cuba's healthcare system
is better than America's. The World Health Organization recently
congratulated Cuba for being the first country on earth to eradicate the
transmission of syphilis and HIV from mothers to babies. Can you identify
a metaphorically similar situation in your personal life, Pisces? Are there
people you regard as inferior or undeveloped who could teach you an
important lesson or motivate you to grow? Now is a perfect time to
benefit from their influence.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Charles de Lint is a novelist whose stories are
influenced by folklore, myths, and science fiction. In his book *Yarrow,* a
wizardly character named Toby is skilled at conjuring. He can make small
objects appear and disappear, for example. But Toby yearns for more. _I
want to be magic," he says. "I want to be a friend of elves and live in a
tree. I want to marry a moonbeam and hear the stars sing. I don't want to
pretend at magic anymore. I want to be magic." If you have ever wished
for a comparable upgrade, Aries, now is an unusually favorable time to
work on it.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): An imaginative Welsh man named Liam
Bennett has developed a "dausage," which is a blend of a doughnut and
sausage. One of his most requested treats is pork meat stuffed with
strawberry jelly. Even if this novel blend doesn't appeal to your taste
buds, it serves as a good prompt for my advice: The coming weeks will be
a favorable time to expand your notion of what types of nourishment are
fun and healthy for you. I mean that in the metaphorical as well as the
literal sense. Experiment with new recipes, both with the food you provide
your body and the sustenance you feed your soul.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In the woods, living matter isn't segregated
from the decaying stuff. Rotting tree trunks are host to teeming colonies
of moss. Withered stems of ferns mingle with cheerful saplings. Audacious
mushrooms sprout up among scraps of fallen leaves. The birds and
beetles and lizards and butterflies don't act as if this mix is weird. They
seem to be at peace with it. I suspect they thrive on it, even exult in it.
That's the spirit I suggest you adopt as you enjoy the paradoxical
mélange of your life in the coming weeks, Gemini. Celebrate the
mysterious magic that emerges as you simultaneously fade and flourish,
decline and increase, wind down and rise up.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Here are some tips on being the best
Cancerian you can be: 1. Cultivate your sensitivity as a strength. Regard
your emotional vulnerability as a superpower. 2. Nurture yourself at least
as much as you nurture others. 3. Learn to know the difference between
your golden hunches and the glimmering delusions that your demons stir
up. 4. Be kind, but don't be exorbitantly nice. 5. Remember that others'
unhappiness is rarely your fault or responsibility. 6. Keep reinventing the
way you love yourself.
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Homework: Would it be possible to turn one of your liabilities into an
asset? How? Testify at FreeWillAstrology.com.
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Submissions sent to the Free Will Astrology Weekly Newsletter
or in response to "homework assignments" may be
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Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2015 Rob Brezsny
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