Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
November 11, 2015
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See a pretty version of this newsletter: http://bit.ly/1ldNAUc
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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.
Dear Goddess: Please make it immoral, illegal, irrelevant, unpatriotic, and
totally tasteless for us to be in love with anyone or anything that's no
good for us.
Teach us to know the difference between oppressive self-control and
liberating self-control.
Awaken in us the power to do the half-right thing when it is impossible to
do the totally right thing . . . .
Read or hear the rest of the Goddess Prayer:
http://bit.ly/GoddessPrayer
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EXPERIMENT: Review in loving detail the history of your life. Remember
how and why you came to be where you are now.
Extra Credit: Figure out a way to feel gratitude for it all.
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CRAFTY OPTIMISM
Pessimism is enshrined as a hallmark of worldliness. Compulsive skepticism
masquerades as perceptiveness. Mean-spirited irony is chic. Stories about
treachery and degradation provoke a visceral thrill in millions of people
who think of themselves as reasonable and smart. Beautiful truths are
suspect and ugly truths are readily believed.
So it's hard work to be lovers of life -- taboo, against-the-grain work.
We've got to be both wrathful insurrectionaries and crafty optimists.
We've got to cultivate cheerful buoyancy even as we resist the
temptation to swallow thousands of delusions that have been carefully
forged and seductively packaged by those among us who have bravely
volunteered to play the role of know-it-all deceivers.
We have to learn how to stay in a good yet unruly mood as we overthrow
the sour, puckered mass hallucination that is mistakenly referred to as
"reality."
Maybe most importantly, we have to be dedicated to the cause of beauty
and truth and love even as we keep our imaginations wild and hungry and
free. We have to be both disciplined and rowdy.
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YOUR IMPROBABLE QUEST
I invite you to have an improbable quest playing at the edge of your
imagination: a heroic task that provokes deep thoughts and noble
passions even if it incites smoldering torment . . . an extravagant dream
that's a bit farfetched but not entirely insane . . . a goal that stretches
your possibilities and opens your mind . . . a wild hope whose pursuit
makes you smarter and stronger even if you never fully accomplish it.
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1. Discourage all traces of shame.
2. Verify the irrational.
3. Multiply all opinions.
4. Blush perpetually in gaping innocence.
5. Burrow beneath the subconscious.
6. Bear no cross.
7. Extend all boundaries.
8. Pass from one world to another in carefree devotion.
9. Exhaust the primitive.
10. Generate the free brain.
11. Forego no succulent filth.
12. Acquire a sublime reputation.
13.. Make one monster at least.
14. Inhabit everyone.
These suggestions were generated by Kenneth Patchen.
See the rest:
http://bit.ly/nxnorZ
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"Here is a new spiritual practice: Don't take your thoughts too seriously."
- Eckhart Tolle
"Being spiritual has nothing to do with what you believe and everything to
do with your state of consciousness."
- Eckhart Tolle
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
For the first time, the Canadian government has a cabinet with an equal
number of men and women.
http://tinyurl.com/olyht3q
The Mindful Life Project is an organization that brings meditation, yoga,
and mindfulness training to classrooms.
http://tinyurl.com/oyjkw8h
"The Lax Kw'alaams Band, a Canadian first nations people living in a
remote part of British Columbia, turned down an offer amounting to
$267,000 per person to allow a natural gas pipeline and processing
facility to be built on their lands."
http://tinyurl.com/q33gs76
(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 November 12
Copyright 2015 by Rob Brezsny
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Elsie de Wolfe (1859-1950) was a pioneer in
the art of interior design. She described herself as "a rebel in an ugly
world." Early in her career she vowed, "I'm going to make everything
around me beautiful," and she often did just that. In part through her
influence, the dark, cluttered decor of the Victorian Era, with its bulky
draperies and overly ornate furniture, gave way to rooms with brighter
light, softer colors, and more inviting textures. I'd love to see you be
inspired by her mission, Scorpio. It's a good time to add extra charm,
grace, and comfort to your environments.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): At the age of 36, author Franz Kafka
composed a 47-page letter to his father Herman. As he described the
ways that his dad's toxic narcissism and emotional abuse had skewed his
maturation process, he refrained from lashing out with histrionic anger.
Instead he focused on objectively articulating the facts, recounting
events from childhood and analyzing the family dynamic. In accordance
with the astrological omens, I recommend that you write a letter to your
own father -- even if it's filled with praise and gratitude instead of
complaint. At this juncture in your life story, I think you especially need
the insights that this exercise would generate. (P.S. Write the letter for
your own sake, not with the hope of changing or hurting or pleasing your
dad. You don't have to give it to him.)
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Shizo Kanakuri was one of Japan's top
athletes when he went to compete in the marathon race at the 1912
Stockholm Olympics. Partway through the event, fatigued by sweltering
heat, bad food, and the long journey he'd made to get there, Kanakuri
passed out. He recovered with the help of a local farmer, but by then the
contest was over. Embarrassed by his failure, he sneaked out of Sweden
and returned home. Fast forward to 1966. Producers of a TV show
tracked him down and invited him to resume what he'd started. He
agreed. At the age of 74, he completed the marathon, finishing with a
time of 54 years, eight months. I think it's time to claim your own
personal version of this opportunity, Capricorn. Wouldn't you love to
resolve a process that got interrupted?
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In most sporting events, there's never any
doubt about which competitor is winning. Each step of the way, the
participants and spectators know who has more points or goals or runs.
But one sport isn't like that. In a boxing match, no one is aware of the
score until the contest is finished -- not even the boxers themselves. I
think you're in a metaphorically comparable situation. You won't find out
the final tally or ultimate decision until the "game" is complete. Given this
uncertainty, I suggest that you don't slack off even a little. Keep giving
your best until the very end.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): One night as you lie sleeping in your bed, you
will dream of flying through the sunny summer sky. The balmy air will be
sweet to breathe. Now and then you will flap your arms like wings, but
mostly you will glide effortlessly. The feeling that flows through your
body will be a blend of exhilaration and ease. Anywhere you want to go,
you will maneuver skillfully to get there. After a while, you will soar to a
spot high above a scene that embodies a knotty problem in your waking
life. As you hover and gaze down, you will get a clear intuition about how
to untie the knots. Whether or not you remember this dream, the next
day you will work some practical magic that begins to shrink or dissolve
the problem.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): "I demand unconditional love and complete
freedom," wrote Slovenian poet Tomaz Salamun. "That is why I am
terrible." In accordance with the astrological omens, I'm offering you the
chance, at least temporarily, to join Salamun in demanding unconditional
love and complete freedom. But unlike him, you must satisfy one
condition: Avoid being terrible. Can you do that? I think so, although you
will have to summon unprecedented amounts of emotional intelligence
and collaborative ingenuity.
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MY OTHER HOROSCOPES
Factual information and reasonable thinking alone are not sufficient to
guide you through life's labyrinthine tests. You need and deserve regular
deliveries of uncanny revelation.
One of your inalienable rights as a human being should therefore be to
receive mysteriously useful omens on a regular basis. In this spirit, I offer
you the free weekly horoscopes you read here.
If you ever want more, and think it's worth paying for, try my EXPANDED
AUDIO HOROSCOPES. They're four-to-five-minute meditations on the
current state of your destiny and where you're headed.
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 seem to have the effect of activating
my inner teacher. Thanks!" - Eleanor A., Toronto
"Your expanded audio horoscopes are the next best thing to actually
having you here next to me to remind me who I really am." - Alyssa R.,
Des Moines, Iowa
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TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You have the answers you need, but you keep
sniffing around as if there were different or better answers to be had.
Moreover, you've been offered blessings that could enable you to
catalyze greater intimacy, but you're barely taking advantage of them --
apparently because you underestimate their potency. Here's what I think:
As long as you neglect the gifts you have already been granted, they
won't provide you with their full value. If you give them your rapt
appreciation, they will bloom.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950) tried to
earn a living by selling pencil sharpeners, but couldn't make it. In
frustration, he turned to writing novels. Success! Among his many popular
novels, 27 of them were about a fictional character named Tarzan. The
actor who played Tarzan in the movies based on Burroughs' books was
Johnny Weissmuller. As a child, he suffered from polio, and rebuilt his
strength by becoming a swimmer. He eventually won five Olympic gold
medals. Burroughs and Weissmuller are your role models in the coming
weeks, Gemini. It's a favorable time for you to turn defeat into victory.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Artist Andy Warhol had an obsession with
green underpants. In fact, that's all he ever wore beneath his clothes. It
might be fun and productive for you to be inspired by his private ritual.
Life is virtually conspiring to ripen your libido, stimulate your fertility, and
expedite your growth. So anything you do to encourage these cosmic
tendencies could have an unusually dramatic impact. Donning green
undies might be a good place to start. It would send a playful message to
your subconscious mind that you are ready and eager to bloom.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In the coming weeks, take special notice of the
jokes and humorous situations that prompt you to laugh the loudest.
They will provide important clues about the parts of your life that need
liberation. What outmoded or irrelevant taboos should you consider
breaking? What inhibitions are dampening your well-being? How might
your conscience be overstepping its bounds and making you unnecessarily
constrained? Any time you roar with spontaneous amusement, you will
know you have touched a congested place in your psyche that is due for
a cleansing.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): For each of the last 33 years, the Society for
the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Los Angeles has selected a
"National Hero Dog." It's an award given to a canine that has shown
exceptional courage in helping or rescuing people. In 2015, the group
departed from tradition. Its "National Hero Dog" is a female cat named
Tara. Last May, she saved a four-year-old boy by scaring off a dog that
had begun to attack him. I'm guessing you will soon have an experience
akin to Tara's. Maybe you'll make a gutsy move that earns you an
unexpected honor. Maybe you'll carry out a dramatic act of compassion
that's widely appreciated. Or maybe you'll go outside your comfort zone
to pull off a noble feat that elevates your reputation.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): According to cartoon character Homer
Simpson, "Trying is the first step towards failure." I don't agree with that
comic advice. But I do think the following variant will be applicable to you
in the coming weeks: "Trying *too hard* is the first step toward failure."
So please don't try *too hard,* Libra! Over-exertion should be taboo.
Straining and struggling would not only be unnecessary, but
counterproductive. If you want to accomplish anything worthwhile, make
sure that your default emotion is relaxed confidence. Have faith in the
momentum generated by all the previous work you have done to arrive
where you are now.
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Homework: What's your most beautiful or powerful hidden quality? Testify
at FreeWillAstrology.com.
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Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2015 Rob Brezsny
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