Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
September 9, 2015
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See a pretty version of this newsletter: http://bit.ly/1hRVtg7
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I will be doing my pagan revival show SACRED UPROAR at this year's
Symbiosis Gathering. It's September 17-20 in Oakdale, CA.
SACRED UPROAR is based on material from my book *Pronoia Is the
Antidote for Paranoia.* It's poetically and scientifically formulated to
invoke insurrectionary beauty, mystical activism, and friendly shocks.
Also on the Symbiosis bill are several cultural heroes whose work I love:
Amy Goodman from "Democracy Now"
Visionary Activist Caroline Casey
Slam poet Saul Williams
and two of my favorite music-makers, Coco Rosie and the Polish
Ambassador
as well as many other provocative speakers and musicians
I'll be doing "Sacred Uproar" at The Hub, one of the main stages. I'm
scheduled for 5:15 on Friday, September 18.
Main page for the festival: http://symbiosisgathering.com/
My page: http://symbiosisgathering.com/workshops/rob-brezsny/
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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.
REVERSAL WISDOM
So it turns out that the "blemish" is actually essential to the beauty. The
"deviation" is at the core of the strength. The "wrong turn" was crucial to
you getting you back on the path with heart.
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BLESSINGS COME IN MANY GUISES
Pronoia doesn't promise uninterrupted progress forever. It's not a slick
commercial for a perfect summer day that never ends.
Grace emerges in the ebb and flow, not just the flow.
The waning reveals a different kind of blessing than the waxing.
But whether it's our time to ferment in the valley of shadows or rise up
singing in the sun-splashed meadow,
fresh power to transform ourselves is always on the way.
Our suffering won't last, nor will our triumph.
Without fail, life will deliver the creative energy we need
to change into the new thing we must become.
Read the rest: http://bit.ly/w3buzJ
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GRATITUDE FESTS
Consider the possibility of celebrating regular Gratitude Fests. During
these orgies of appreciation, you could confer praise and respect on the
creatures, both human and otherwise, that have played seminal roles in
inspiring you to become yourself.
Who teaches and helps you? Who sees you for who you really are? Who
nudges you in the direction of your fuller destiny and awakens you to
your signature truths? Who loves you brilliantly?
(P.S. Cultivating gratitude primes your power to experience ecstasy.)
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GO WITH WHAT FLOW?
When they say "Go with the flow," what "flow" are they talking about? Do
they mean the flow of your early childhood conditioning? The flow of your
friends' opinions? The latest cultural trends? Your immediate instinctual
needs?
When they say "Go with the flow," are they urging you to keep doing
what's easiest to do and what will win you the most ego points, even if it
keeps you from being true to your soul's code?
Consider the possibility that there are many flows to go with, but only
one of them is correct for you. Do you know which one? Maybe it's the
one flowing in an underground cavern, far from the maddening crowd.
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SPIRIT IN ALL THINGS
Yua is a term the Yupik people of Alaska use for the spirit that inhabits all
things, both animate and inanimate. A rock, for instance, has as much yua
as a caribou, spruce tree, or human being, and therefore merits the same
measure of compassion.
If a Yupiit goes out for a hike and spies a chunk of wood lying on a frozen
river bank, she might pick it up and put it in a new position, allowing its
previously hidden side to get fresh air and sun. In this way, she would
bestow a blessing on the wood's yua.
(Source: Earl Shorris, "The Last Word," Harper's, August 2000)
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DAFFY DUCK SAYS
"That makes no sense, and so do I."
- Daffy Duck
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
200 coal plants announced to retire since 2010 in U.S. That's almost
40% of the country's coal plants.
http://tinyurl.com/nkqwcuz
India Virtually Eliminates Tetanus as a Killer.
http://tinyurl.com/o7kmsok
At the World's First Empathy Museum, Visitors Walk a Mile in Another
Person's Shoes -- Literally.
http://tinyurl.com/qd9cfjj
(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 10
Copyright 2015 by Rob Brezsny
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): I hope it's not too late or too early to give you
a slew of birthday presents. You deserve to be inundated with treats,
dispensations, and appreciations. Here's your first perk: You are hereby
granted a license to break a taboo that is no longer useful or necessary.
Second blessing: You are authorized to instigate a wildly constructive
departure from tradition. Third boost: I predict that in the next six weeks,
you will simultaneously claim new freedom and summon more discipline.
Fourth delight: During the next three months, you will discover and uncork
a new thrill. Fifth goody: Between now and your birthday in 2016, you will
develop a more relaxed relationship with perfectionism.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): A "wheady mile" is an obsolete English term I
want to revive for use in this horoscope. It refers to what may happen at
the end of a long journey, when that last stretch you've got to traverse
seems to take forever. You're so close to home; you're imagining the
comfort and rest that will soon be yours. But as you cross the "wheady
mile," you must navigate your way through one further plot twist or two.
There's a delay or complication that demands more effort just when you
want to be finished with the story. Be strong, Libra. Keep the faith. The
wheady mile will not, in fact, take forever. (Thanks to Mark Forsyth and
his book *Horologicon.*)
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Trying improbable and unprecedented
combinations is your specialty right now. You're willing and able to gamble
with blends and juxtapositions that no one else would think of, let alone
propose. Bonus: Extra courage is available for you to call on as you
proceed. In light of this gift, I suggest you brainstorm about all the
unifications that might be possible for you to pull off. What conflicts
would you love to defuse? What inequality or lopsidedness do you want
to fix? Is there a misunderstanding you can heal or a disjunction you can
harmonize?
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Is feeling good really as fun as everyone
seems to think? Is it really so wonderful to be in a groove, in love with
life, and in touch with your deeper self? No! Definitely not! And I suspect
that as you enter more fully into these altered states, your life will
provide evidence of the inconveniences they bring. For example, some
people might nag you for extra attention, and others may be jealous of
your success. You could be pressured to take on more responsibilities.
And you may be haunted by the worry that sooner or later, this grace
period will pass. I'M JUST KIDDING, SAGITTARIUS! In truth, the minor
problems precipitated by your blessings won't cause any more anguish
than a mosquito biting your butt while you're in the throes of ecstatic
love-making.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In this horoscope, we will use the Socratic
method to stimulate your excitement about projects that fate will favor in
the next nine months. Here's how it works: I ask the questions, and you
brainstorm the answers. 1. Is there any part of your life where you are an
amateur but would like to be a professional? 2. Are you hesitant to leave
a comfort zone even though remaining there tends to inhibit your
imagination? 3. Is your ability to fulfill your ambitions limited by any lack
of training or deficiency in your education? 4. Is there any way that you
are holding on to blissful ignorance at the expense of future possibilities?
5. What new license, credential, diploma, or certification would be most
useful to you?
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): The story of my life features more than a
few fiascos. For example, I got fired from my first job after two days. One
of my girlfriends dumped me without any explanation and never spoke to
me again. My record label fired me and my band after we made just one
album. Years later, these indignities still carry a sting. But I confess that I
am also grateful for them. They keep me humble. They serve as antidotes
if I'm ever tempted to deride other people for their failures. They have
helped me develop an abundance of compassion. I mention this personal
tale in the hope that you, too, might find redemption and healing in your
own memories of frustration. The time is right to capitalize on old losses.
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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 Audio Horoscopes provide me with the Rest of the Story.
I'm not necessarily a believer in the scientific accuracy of astrology, but I
do think you've got a lot of practical wisdom to impart."
- M. Tennenbaum, New York
"No one knows more about me than me. But you're right up there near
the top of the list of people who do understand something about how I
tick. How is that possible?"
- R. Goren, Albuquerque
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PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): It's never fun to be in a sticky predicament
that seems to have no smart resolution. But the coming days could turn
out to be an unexpectedly good time to be in such a predicament. Why?
Because I expect that your exasperation will precipitate an emotional
cleansing, releasing ingenious intuitions that had been buried under
repressed anger and sadness. You may then find a key that enables you
to reclaim at least some of your lost power. The predicament that once
felt sour and intractable will mutate, providing you with an opportunity to
deepen your connection with a valuable resource.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): "More and more I have come to admire
resilience," writes Jane Hirshfield in her poem "Optimism." "Not the simple
resistance of a pillow," she adds, "whose foam returns over and over to
the same shape, but the sinuous tenacity of a tree: finding the light newly
blocked on one side, it turns in another." You have not often had great
access to this capacity in the past, Aries. Your specialty has been the fast
and fiery style of adjustment. But for the foreseeable future, I'm betting
you will be able to summon a supple staying power -- a dogged,
determined, incremental kind of resilience.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): "The fragrance from your mango groves
makes me wild with joy." That's one of the lyrics in the national anthem of
Bangladesh. Here's another: "Forever your skies . . . set my heart in tune
as if it were a flute." Elsewhere, addressing Bangladesh as if it were a
goddess, the song proclaims, "Words from your lips are like nectar to my
ears." I suspect you may be awash with comparable feelings in the coming
weeks, Taurus -- not toward your country, but rather for the creatures
and experiences that rouse your delight and exultation. They are likely to
provide even more of the sweet mojo than they usually do. It will be an
excellent time to improvise your own hymns of praise.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): There have been times in the past when your
potential helpers disappeared just when you wanted more help than usual.
In the coming weeks, I believe you will get redress for those sad interludes
of yesteryear. A wealth of assistance and guidance will be available. Even
people who have previously been less than reliable may offer a tweak or
intervention that gives you a boost. Here's a tip for how to ensure that
you take full advantage of the possibilities: Ask clearly and gracefully for
exactly what you need.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Why grab the brain-scrambling moonshine
when you may eventually be offered a heart-galvanizing tonic? Why gorge
on hors d'oeuvres when a four-course feast will be available sooner than
you imagine? According to my analysis of the astrological omens, my
fellow Crab, the future will bring unexpected opportunities that are better
and brighter than the current choices. This is one of those rare times
when procrastination may be in your interest.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): As I hike up San Pedro Ridge, I'm mystified by the
madrone trees. The leaves on the short, thin saplings are as big and bold
as the leaves on the older, thicker, taller trees. I see this curiosity as an
apt metaphor for your current situation, Leo. In one sense, you are in the
early stages of a new cycle of growth. In another sense, you are strong
and ripe and full-fledged. For you, this is a winning combination: a robust
balance of innocence and wisdom, of fresh aspiration and seasoned
readiness.
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Homework: What are five conditions you'd need in your world in order to
feel you were living in utopia? 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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