Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
December 16, 2015
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See a pretty version of this newsletter: http://bit.ly/1P4hcxb
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If you'd like to enjoy my books, music, and videos without spending any
money, go here: http://bit.ly/LiberatedGifts.
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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:
FREE MIND, WILD HEART
To be the best pronoiac explorer you can be, I suggest you adopt an
outlook that combines the rigorous objectivity of a scientist, the
"beginner's mind" of Zen Buddhism, the "beginner's heart" of pronoia, and
the compassionate friendliness of the Dalai Lama. Blend a scrupulously
dispassionate curiosity with a skepticism driven by expansiveness, not
spleen.
To pull this off, you'll have to be willing to regularly suspend your brilliant
theories about the way the world works. Accept with good humor the
possibility that what you've learned in the past may not be a reliable
guide to understanding the fresh phenomenon that's right in front of you.
Be suspicious of your biases, even the rational and benevolent ones. Open
your heart as you strip away the interpretations that your emotions might
be inclined to impose.
"Before we can receive the unbiased truth about anything," wrote my
teacher Ann Davies, "we have to be ready to ignore what we would like to
be true."
At the same time, don't turn into a hard-ass, poker-faced robot. Keep
your feelings moist and receptive. Remember your natural affection for all
of creation. Enjoy the power of tender sympathy as it drives you to probe
for the unimaginable revelations of every new moment. "Before we can
receive the entire truth about anything," said Ann Davies, "we have to
love it."
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To achieve what the Zen Buddhists call "beginner's mind," you dispense
with all preconceptions and enter each situation as if seeing it for the first
time.
"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities," wrote Shunryu
Suzuki in his book Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, "but in the expert's there
are few."
As much as I love beginner's mind, though, I advocate an additional
discipline: cultivating a beginner's heart. That means approaching every
encounter imbued with a freshly invoked wave of love that is as pure as if
you're feeling it for the first time.
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DIONYSIAN MANIFESTO
I kick my own ass and wash my own brain.
I push my own buttons and trick my own pain.
I burn my own flags and roast my own heroes.
I mock my own fears and cheer my own zeroes.
Nothing can stop me from teasing my shadow.
I'm full of empty and backwards bravado.
My wounds are tattoos that reveal my true beauty.
I turn tragic to magic and make bliss my duty.
I honor my faults till they become virtues.
I play jokes on my nightmares
till I'm sure they won't hurt you.
I sing anarchist lullabies to lesbian trees
and love songs with punch lines
to anonymous seas.
I won't accept gifts that infringe on my freedom.
I shun sacred places that stir up my boredom.
I change my name daily, pretend to be nobody.
I fight for the truth if it's majestically rowdy.
I brag about what I can't do and don't know.
I take off my clothes to those I oppose.
I'm so far beyond lazy, I work like a god.
I'm totally crazy; in fact that's my job.
Read the unexpurgated version of the above poem here:
http://on.fb.me/1NWtgmX
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THE BEAUTY OF IRREGULAR THINGS
When you're an aspiring master of pronoia, you see the cracks in the
facades as opportunities; inspiration erupts as you careen over bumps in
the road; you love the enticing magic that flows from situations that
other people regard as rough or crooked.
"That which is not slightly distorted lacks sensible appeal," wrote poet
Charles Baudelaire, "from which it follows that irregularity -- that is to say,
the unexpected, surprise and astonishment -- is an essential part and
characteristic of beauty."
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YEAR REVIEW
How has 2015 gone for you? Have you been exerting your free will to
create adventures that bring out the best in you, even as you have found
graceful ways to cooperate with the tides of destiny?
If you'd like to review the Long-Range, Big-Picture Horoscopes I offered at
the beginning of this year, check them out here:
http://bit.ly/BigView2015
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LAST NIGHT AS I WAS SLEEPING
by Antonio Machado, translated by Robert Bly (excerpt)
Last night as I was sleeping,
I dreamt -- marvelous error! --
that I had a beehive
here inside my heart.
And the golden bees
were making white combs
and sweet honey
from my old failures
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YOUR LUCKY NUMBER
Your lucky number is 3.14159265
Your secret name is "Flux Luster"
The colors of your soul are sable, vermilion, and jade
Your magic talisman is a thousand-year-old Joshua tree whose flowers
blossom just one night each year and can only be pollinated by the Yucca
moth.
Your holiest pain comes from your ability to sense other people's cracked
notions about you
Your sweet spot is in between the true believers and the scoffing
skeptics.
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
Animals bridges, which may also be known as ecoducts or wildlife
crossings, are structures that allow animals to safely cross human-made
barriers like highways. A wildlife crossing can include: underpass tunnels,
viaducts, overpasses and bridges, amphibian tunnels, fish ladders, culvets
and green roofs.
http://tinyurl.com/c5sdbq2
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How Solar Power Could Slay the Fossil Fuel Empire by 2030.
http://tinyurl.com/m37j7pj
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The Las Vegas Police Department had a history of deadly force incidents
that drew the criticism of experts, civil rights leaders, and the Las Vegas
community. Today, they've curbed the trend of excessive force and serve
as a model for law enforcement agencies.
http://tinyurl.com/hkkw93x
(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 December 17
Copyright 2015 by Rob Brezsny
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Garnets are considered less valuable
than diamonds. But out in the wild, there's an intimate connection
between these two gemstones. Wherever you find garnets near the
surface of the earth, you can be reasonably sure that diamonds are buried
deeper down in the same location. Let's use this relationship as a
metaphor for your life, Sagittarius. I suspect you have recently chanced
upon a metaphorical version of garnets, or will do so soon. Maybe you
should make plans to search for the bigger treasure towards which they
point the way.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Ready for the Cool Anger Contest? You
can earn maximum points by expressing your dissatisfaction in ways that
generate the most constructive transformations. Bonus points will be
awarded for your ability to tactfully articulate complicated feelings, as
well as for your emotionally intelligent analyses that inspire people to
respond empathetically rather than defensively. What are the prizes? First
prize is a breakthrough in your relationship with an ally who could be
crucial to your expansion in 2016. Second prize is a liberation from one of
your limiting beliefs.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): A fourth-century monk named Martin was a
pioneer wine-maker in France. He founded the Marmoutier Abbey and
planted vineyards on the surrounding land. According to legend, Martin's
donkey had a crucial role in lifting viticulture out of its primitive state.
Midway through one growing season, the beast escaped its tether and
nibbled on a lot of the grapevines. All the monks freaked out, fearing that
the crop was wrecked. But ultimately the grapes grew better than they
had in previous years, and the wine they produced was fabulous. Thus
was born the practice of pruning, which became de rigueur for all grape-
growers. What's your equivalent of Martin's donkey, Aquarius? I bet it'll
exert its influence very soon.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): "The deepest urge in human nature is the
desire to be important," said educator John Dewey. If that's true, Pisces,
you are on the verge of having your deepest urge fulfilled more than it
has in a long time. The astrological alignments suggest that you are
reaching the peak of your value to other people. You're unusually likely to
be seen and appreciated and acknowledged for who you really are. If you
have been underestimating your worth, I doubt you will be able to
continue doing so. Here's your homework: Take a realistic inventory of
the ways your life has had a positive impact on the lives of people you
have known.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): The Neanderthals were a different human
species that co-existed with our ancestors, homo sapiens, for at least
5,000 years. But they eventually died out while our people thrived. Why?
One reason, says science writer Marcus Chown, is that we alone invented
sewing needles. Our newborn babies had well-made clothes to keep them
warm and healthy through frigid winters. Neanderthal infants, covered
with ill-fitting animal skins, had a lower survival rate. Chown suggests that
although this provided us with a mere one percent survival advantage,
that turned out to be significant. I think you're ready to find and use a
small yet ultimately crucial edge like that over your competitors, Aries.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Artist Robert Barry created "30 Pieces," an
installation that consisted of pieces of paper on which he had typed the
following statement: "Something which is very near in place and time, but
not yet known to me." According to my reading of the astrological
omens, this theme captures the spirit of the phase you're now entering.
But I think it will evolve in the coming weeks. First it'll be "Something
which is very near in place and time, and is becoming known to me." By
mid-January it could turn into "Something which is very near and dear,
and has become known to me."
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LOVE YOUR LIFE! How's your fight for freedom going? Are you making
progress in liberating yourself from your unconscious obsessions, bad
habits, and conditioned responses? Are you turning out to be the hero of
your own life?
For assistance and inspiration, tune in to my EXPANDED AUDIO
HOROSCOPES.
These forecasts are different in tone and format from the written
horoscopes you read here in the newsletter. They're longer and more
leisurely in tone. They tend to bring out more of the patient counselor in
me, and have a bit less of the poet.
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. Each forecast is 4-5 minutes
long.
The Expanded Audio Horoscopes work on most smart phones and tablets.
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"I always feel like I know myself better after listening to your audio
'scopes."
-June R., Austin, TX
"Your audio horoscopes calm me down when I'm too manic and pep me up
when I'm down."
-Arthur T., Cleveland, OH
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GEMINI (May 21-June 20): "There is in every one of us, even those who
seem to be most moderate, a type of desire that is uncanny, wild, and
lawless." Greek philosopher Plato wrote that in his book *The Republic,*
and I'm bringing it to your attention just in time for your Season of
Awakening and Deepening Desire. The coming days will be a time when
you can, if you choose, more fully tune in to the uncanny, wild, and
lawless aspects of your primal yearnings. But wait a minute! I'm not
suggesting you should immediately take action to gratify them. For now,
just feel them and observe them. Find out what they have to teach you.
Wait until the new year before you consider the possibility of expressing
them.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Congratulations! You have broken all your
previous records for doing boring tasks that are good for you. In behalf of
the other eleven signs, I thank you for your heroic, if unexciting, campaign
of self-improvement. You have not only purified your emotional resources
and cleared out some breathing room for yourself, but you have also
made it easier for people to help you and feel close to you. Your duty has
not yet been completed, however. There are a few more details to take
care of before the gods of healthy tedium will be finished with you. But
start looking for signs of your big chance to make a break for freedom.
They'll arrive soon.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The English word "fluke" means "lucky stroke." It
was originally used in the game of billiards when a player made a good
shot that he or she wasn't even trying to accomplish. Later its definition
expanded to include any fortuitous event that happens by chance rather
than because of skill: good fortune generated accidentally. I suspect that
you are about to be the beneficiary of what may seem to be a series of
flukes, Leo. In at least one case, though, your lucky break will have been
earned by the steady work you've done without any fanfare.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): You may not have to use a literal crowbar in
the coming weeks, but this rough tool will serve you well as a metaphor.
Wherever you go, imagine that you've got one with you. Why? It's time to
jimmy open glued-shut portals . . . to pry loose mental blocks . . . to coax
unyielding influences to budge . . . to nudge intransigent people free of
their fixations. Anything that is stuck or jammed needs to get unstuck or
unjammed through the power of your willful intervention.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): The coming weeks will be a favorable time for
you to consort with hidden depths and unknown riches. In every way you
can imagine, I urge you to go deeper down and further in. Cultivate a
more conscious connection with the core resources you sometimes take
for granted. This is one time when delving into the darkness can lead you
to pleasure and treasure. As you explore, keep in mind this advice from
author T. Harv Eker: "In every forest, on every farm, in every orchard on
earth, what's under the ground creates what's above the ground. That's
why placing your attention on the fruits you have already grown is futile.
You can't change the fruits that are already hanging on the tree. But you
can change tomorrow's fruits. To do so, you will have to dig below the
ground and strengthen the roots."
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In the coming weeks, the pursuit of pleasure
could drain your creative powers, diminish your collaborative possibilities,
and wear you out. But it's also possible that the pursuit of pleasure will
enhance your creative powers, synergize your alliances, and lead you to
new opportunities. Which way will you go? It all depends on the kinds of
pleasures you pursue. The dumb, numbing, mediocre type will shrink your
soul. The smart, intriguing, invigorating variety will expand your mind. Got
all that? Say "hell, no" to trivializing decadence so you can say "wow,
yes" to uplifting bliss.
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Homework: Make a guess about what you will be most proud of 15 years
from today. Testify at FreeWillAstrology.com.
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Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2015 Rob Brezsny
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