Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
August 12, 2015
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See a pretty version of this newsletter: http://bit.ly/1J7AJxl
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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 are excerpts.
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I invite you to say any or all of the following lines out loud:
I love everything about me
I love my uncanny beauty and my bewildering pain
I love my hungry soul and my wounded longing
I love my flaws, my fears, and my scary frontiers
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I will never forsake, betray, or deceive myself
I will always adore, forgive, and believe in myself
I will never refuse, abandon, or scorn myself
I will always amuse, delight, and redeem myself
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Here's an excerpt of a letter I wrote to America's richest woman, Oprah
Winfrey.
"Dear Oprah," I began. "Please buy up all the Pizza Huts and convert them
into a network of Menstrual Huts. Create 10,000 or 100,000 local
neighborhood sanctuaries where women can retreat while they're in the
throes of their monthly appointment with dying and purification -- or any
time they need a break from the tyranny of the clock.
"Let the men come, too. They need sabbaticals. We're all desperate for a
regular chance to drop out of the crazy-making grind, to find respite from
civilizations' crimes against the rhythms of sleep and love and play.
"Men may actually need the Menstrual Huts even more than women. They
mistakenly imagine that they can drive themselves on and on and on.
Their poor bodies don't have a built-in menstrual mechanism to cyclically
slow them down. And so they mostly never stop to peer into the heart of
their own darkness. Which is why so many of them tend to find evil
everywhere else except in themselves, and fight it everywhere else except
in themselves.
"Just a theory to consider: If men got a chance to have periodic
breakdowns and negotiate in a safe place with the toxic feelings that just
naturally build up inside everyone over time, maybe they wouldn't wreak
so much havoc out in the world. Maybe Menstrual Huts would save the
world."
My letter to Oprah went on for two more pages, but you get the gist. She
has not yet responded to my plea.
In the meantime, I suggest that anyone who's interested create their own
local Moon Lodges and Menstrual Huts. Here's a list of self-inquiries that
could help to guide the time in the sanctuary
1. What feelings and intuitions have you been trying to ignore lately?
2. Which parts of your life are overdue for death?
3. What messages has life been trying to convey to you but which you've
chosen to ignore?
4. What red herrings, straw men, and scapegoats have you chased after
obsessively in order to avoid dissolving your most well-rationalized
delusions?
5. What unripe parts of yourself are you most ashamed or fearful of? How
can you give those parts more ingenious love?
6. What parts of yourself have the least integrity and don't act in
harmony with what you regard as your highest values? How can you bring
them into alignment with your true desires?
7. Is it possible that in repressing things about yourself that you don't
like, you have also disowned potentially strong and beautiful aspects of
yourself? What are they?
8. Are those really flaws that are bugging you about the people whose
destinies are entwined with yours, or just incompletely developed talents?
Are those really flaws that are bugging you about yourself, or merely
incompletely developed talents?
9. Some people try to deny their portion of the world's darkness and
project it onto individuals or groups they dislike. Others acknowledge its
power so readily that they allow themselves to be overwhelmed by it. We
believe in taking an in-between position, accepting it as an unworked gift
that can serve our liberation. Where do you stand?
10. It's easy to see fanaticism, rigidity, and intolerance in other people,
but harder to acknowledge them in yourself. Do you dare?
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People ask me what they should do now that Venus, Uranus, Neptune,
and Pluto are all retrograde. Here's one possible answer: Stick to drinking
low-fat water; avoid the high-fat H20 whenever possible. Likewise, inhale
only the kind of oxygen that's low in cholesterol, and don't allow your
eyes to take in fatty landscapes or other calorie-rich sights.
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"You are the hidden God. Wake up in the dream. Read between the lies.
To question is the answer. The frontline is everywhere. There are no
innocent bystanders. Truth is a three-edged sword. Practice infinite
tolerance except for intolerance. Achieve strength through joy. Embrace
your shadow. Change is stability. Creation never ends. Everything is verb.
The way in is the way out. All things fornicate all the time. The going is
the goal. Today is the day!"
- Reverend Adrian Cain
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
For the first time since at least 1970, the total number of McDonald's
restaurants is dwindling. This news follows an announcement from the
fast-food giant detailing plans to close approximately 700
underperforming locations worldwide.
http://tinyurl.com/p5v38uo
Welsh town appoints first jester in 700 years.
http://tinyurl.com/pv26pua
Costa Rica Becomes First Latin American Country to Ban Hunting for
Sport.
http://tinyurl.com/mf4x9uo
(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 13
Copyright 2015 by Rob Brezsny
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Many people harbor the unconscious bias that
beauty resides primarily in things that are polished, sleek, and perfect.
Celebrities work hard and spend a lot of money to cultivate their
immaculate attractiveness, and are often treated as if they have the most
pleasing appearance that human beings can have. Art that is displayed in
museums has equally flawless packaging. But the current astrological
omens suggest that it's important for you to appreciate a different kind
of beauty: the crooked, wobbly, eccentric stuff. For the foreseeable
future, that's where you'll find the most inspiration.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): "No tree can grow to Heaven unless its roots
reach down to Hell," wrote psychologist Carl Jung in his book *Aion.* My
interpretation: We earn the right to experience profound love and brilliant
light by becoming familiar with shadows and suffering. Indeed, it may not
be possible to ripen into our most radiant beauty without having tangled
with life's ugliness. According to my understanding of your long-term
cycle, Virgo, you have dutifully completed an extended phase of
downward growth. In the next extended phase, however, upward growth
will predominate. You did reasonably well on the hellish stuff; now comes
the more heavenly rewards.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): The Great Balancing Act of 2015 doesn't
demand that you be a wishy-washy, eager-to-please, self-canceling
harmony whore. Purge such possibilities from your mind. What the Great
Balancing Act asks of you is to express what you stand for with great
clarity. It invites you to free yourself, as much as you can, from worrying
about what people think of you. It encourages you to be shaped less by
the expectations of others and more by what you really want. Do you
know what you really want, Libra? Find out! P.S.: Your task is not to work
on the surface level, trying to manipulate the appearance of things. Focus
your efforts in the depths of yourself.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Muslims, Jews, and Christians are
collaborating to erect a joint house of worship in Berlin. The building,
scheduled to be finished by 2018, will have separate areas for each
religion as well as a common space for members of all three to gather.
Even if you don't belong to any faith, you may be inspired by this
pioneering effort to foster mutual tolerance. I offer it up to you as a vivid
symbol of unity. May it help inspire you to take full advantage of your
current opportunities to heal schisms, build consensus, and cultivate
harmony.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In some phases of your life, you have
been a wanderer. You've had a fuzzy sense of where you belong. It has
been a challenge to know which target you should aim your arrows at.
During those times, you may have been forceful but not as productive as
you'd like to be; you may have been energetic but a bit too inefficient to
accomplish wonders and marvels. From what I can tell, one of those
wandering seasons is now coming to a close. In the months ahead, you
will have a growing clarity about where your future power spot is located
-- and may even find the elusive sanctuary called "home." Here's a good
way to prepare for this transition: Spend a few hours telling yourself the
story of your origins. Remember all the major events of your life as if you
were watching a movie.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You have been slowing to a crawl as you
approach an exciting transition. But I'm here to advise you to resume
normal speed. There's no need for excessive caution. You have paid your
dues; you have made your meticulous arrangements; you have performed
your quiet heroisms. Now it's time to relax into the rewards you have
earned. Lighten your mood, Capricorn. Welcome the onrushing peace and
start planning how you will capitalize on your new freedom.
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YOU NEED MAGIC EVERY DAY
Every day, you have to wade through a relentless surge of soul-less facts.
The experience tends to shut down your sense of wonder.
Every day, you're over-exposed to cynical narratives that have been
sucked free of delight and mystery. That's why you have to make such
strenuous efforts to keep your world enchanted.
I like to think I can contribute to the sacred cause of feeding your sense
of wonder and enchantment. In fact, that's one of my prime motivations
for offering you the free weekly horoscopes you read in this newsletter.
If you ever want more of that good stuff, and think it's worth paying for,
please consider trying out my 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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"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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AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): "Most people reach the top of the ladder of
success only to find it's leaning against the wrong wall." Aquarian actor
Paul Sorensen said that. It's no coincidence that I'm bringing this theory
to your attention right now. The coming months will be a good time to
determine whether the ladder you have been climbing is leaning against
the right wall or wrong wall. My advice is to question yourself at length.
Be as objective as possible. Swear to tell yourself the whole truth. If, after
your investigations, you decide it is indeed the wrong wall, climb down
from the ladder and haul it over to the right wall. And if you're satisfied
that you are where you should be, celebrate!
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): When he served as Italian Prime Minister,
Silvio Berlusconi denigrated the cuisine of Finland. "Finns don't even know
what prosciutto is," he sneered. At best, he said, their food is to be
"endured." He mocked the "marinated reindeer" they eat. But Finland
fought back against the insults. In an international pizza contest held in
New York, their chefs won first Prize for their "Pizza Berlusconi," a
specialty pizza that featured marinated reindeer. The Italian entry finished
second. I foresee you enjoying a comparable reversal in the coming
months, Pisces. And it all begins now.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): To ensure the full accuracy of this horoscope,
I have been compelled to resurrect an old-fashioned English word that
isn't used much any more: "gambol." It means to cavort and frolic in a
playful manner, or to romp and skip around with mad glee, as if you are
unable to stop yourself from dancing. The astrological omens seem
unambiguous in their message: In order to cultivate the state of mind that
will enable you to meet all your dates with destiny in the coming weeks,
you need to gambol at least once every day.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Do you remember your first kiss? How about
the first time you had sex? Although those events may not have been
perfectly smooth and graceful, they were radical breakthroughs that
changed your life and altered your consciousness. Since then, there may
have been a few other intimate rites of passage that have impacted you
with similar intensity. No doubt you will experience others in the future. In
fact, I suspect that the next installments are due to arrive in the coming
months. Get ready for further initiations in these mysteries.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Two-thirds of us don't know what our
strengths and talents are. That's the conclusion of a study published in
*The Journal of Positive Psychology.* One reason for the problem is what
the report's co-author Dr. Robert Biswas-Diener calls "strengths
blindness," in which we neglect our real powers because we regard them
as ordinary or take them for granted. Here's the good news, Gemini: If
you suffer from even a partial ignorance about the nature of your
potentials, the coming months will be a favorable time to remedy that
glitch. Life will conspire to help you see the truth. (Read more:
bit.ly/truestrengths.)
CANCER (June 21-July 22): In 1504, Michelangelo finished his sculpture
of the Biblical hero David. But he hadn't been the first person to toil on
the 17-foot-high block of marble. Forty years earlier, the artist Agostino
di Duccio was commissioned to carve David out of the stone. His work
was minimal, however. He did little more than create the rough shape of
the legs and torso. In 1476, Antonio Rossellino resumed where Agostino
had stopped, but he didn't last long, either. By the time Michelangelo
launched his effort, the massive slab had languished for 25 years. I see
parallels between this story and your own, Cancerian. I suspect that you
will be invited to take on a project that has been on hold or gotten
delayed. This may require you to complete labors that were begun by
others -- or maybe instigated by you when you were in a very different
frame of mind.
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Homework: Were you told there's a certain accomplishment you'll never
be capable of? Ready to prove that curse wrong? Testify at
http://freewillastrology.com.
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Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2015 Rob Brezsny
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