Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
January 13, 2016
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See a pretty version of the newsletter: http://bit.ly/22Wut2p
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DREAM AND SCHEME ABOUT YOUR LONG-RANGE FUTURE
with my 3-part EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES for the Coming Year.
http://RealAstrology.com
What new influences will be headed your way in 2016? What fresh
resources will you be able to draw on? How can you conspire with life to
create the best possible future for yourself?
This week, my EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES feature Part 3 of the long-
range, in-depth explorations of your destiny in 2016.
Part 1 and Part 2 of your Big-Picture Predictions, which I offered the last
two weeks, are also still available.
What will be the story of your life in 2016? How can you exert your free
will to create the adventures that'll bring out the best in you, even as you
find graceful ways to cooperate with the tides of destiny?
To listen to your BIG PICTURE horoscopes online, go to
http://RealAstrology.com.
Register and/or log in through the main page, and then click on the link
"Long Term Forecast for 2016."
The cost is $6 per sign. There are discounts for the purchase of multiple
tokens.
You can also listen to Part 3 over the phone by calling 1-877-873-4888.
The cost is $1.99 per minute. Each forecast is 7-9 minutes long.
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P.S. You can also still access my Sneak-Peek at 2016. In these expanded
audio horoscopes, I describe some major themes I think you'll be working
and playing with in 2016. After you register and/or log in, click on "Three
Weeks Ago (Dec. 22, 2015)."
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I invite you to select a song that will serve as your inspirational anthem in
2016 -- an emotionally-enriching song that will help keep you focused on
what's important, lift you up when you're dragging, and spark you to love
life with compassionate ingenuity.
If you're so moved, provide a link to the theme song you choose so I can
listen to it. (I'm always looking for new inspirational tunes!) Send it to me
at Truthrooster@gmail.com
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MERCURY IS RETROGRADE UNTIL JANUARY 25. One of my favorite
astrologers, William Sebrans, gives ten reasons why we can appreciate the
glitchy tweaks that this astrological configuration allegedly spawns:
1. Misunderstandings are now attributable to impersonal forces or gods in
vacation mode. That is, we are for the time being in the clear and
temporarily off the hook.
2. We expect things to not work, so when they do -- we are happier than
before, when we expected them to.
3.We can spend hours now tossing out crap, purging mail sludge,
organizing our micro-universes, and are entitled to call it all productive
work. No need to rush forward, when it is salutary to shuffle backward for
a spell.
4. We are forgiven in advance for impatience and frustration, but as well
we are given extra permission to blow off the pressure and be calmly
accepting of what we are are usually supposed to get upset with. Think:
customer service.
5. For a few weeks, we get to hear less New Age murmurings about the
Divine Flow, the power of creative visualization, and the power of
surrender to Shakti -- and are allowed to focus on getting the job done
any damned way we can figure it out.
6. If we are believers, we can find proof of the retrograde effect; if we are
non-believers, -- we can find proof of the non-retrograde effect. Either
way, we are vindicated.
7. We can watch more Merchant Ivory-period films and feel good about
ourselves.
8. We can hand-write letters and craft arty post cards at work, while
justifying the less efficient retro-fit communication as coming by Divine
Decree.
9. We can slow down.
10. We can slow down and repeat ourselves
~ William Sebrans, https://www.facebook.com/william.sebrans
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Now here's some additional commentary from me about Mercury
Retrograde:
Mercury retrogrades are always heading our way -- an average of three
per year. Also heading our way -- always, always -- are numerous
astrological configurations that traditional astrologers interpret as
malefic, miserable, and menacing.
As just one of many examples, some regard moon void-of-course with the
same fear and loathing that they do Mercury retrograde, and the moon
void-of-course is a regular and frequent occurrence.
For my sanity, I can't afford to be extra careful around these aspects.
There are too damn many of them.
And as for the Mercury Retrograde itself:
Traditional astrologers regard each Mercury retrograde phenomenon to
consist of eight phases:
Pre-Shadow phase
Pre-Shadow phase intensified
Mercury Retrograde Station
Mercury Retrograde Phase intensified
Mercury Retrograde Phase
Mercury Direct Station
Post-Shadow phase intensified
Post-Shadow phase
Every complete Mercury retrograde cycle lasts an average of 55 days.
Since there is an average of three Mercury retrogrades per year, we are in
some part of the Mercury retrograde phenomenon for at least 165 days
per year -- about 45% of the time.
2016 is unusual because the first Mercury retrograde happens so early in
the year. So this year, the complete Mercury retrograde cycle will cover
185 days, or a little over 50% of the year.
That's a lot of time to be on guard.
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I am aware that my views are not shared by many astrologers, but they
reflect my observation and experiences. Here's a brief version:
Mercury does not mean communication snafus are inevitable. Rather, it
tells you this is a propitious time to refine the ways you exchange
information . . . and to concentrate harder on saying what you mean and
meaning what you say . . . and to meditate on how to improve the ways
you connect yourself to the people and resources you need and like.
Some people say that when Mercury is retrograde, it's a bad time to begin
anything new. During one such period two years ago, an acquaintance of
mine decided to delay accepting a dream job offer as editor of a
magazine. By the time Mercury returned to "normal," the magazine had
hired another applicant. I wish I'd have known, because I would have told
her what I'll tell you: Some of America's biggest, most enduring Fortune
500 companies began when Mercury was retrograde, including Disney,
Goodyear, and Boeing.
My deep skepticism about big corporations notwithstanding, the fact that
their founders had great success in launching them during Mercury
retrograde is a telling statement about Mercury retrograde.
In my understanding of astrology, there's no such thing as a bad
astrological aspect. It's true that some may be more challenging than
others, but every one of them presents an opportunity.
Having said that, I don't regard Mercury retrograde as being dauntingly
challenging. If you fear and expect it to be, you may tend to be slightly
more attractive to disruptive events. But then that's true about how
every superstition works.
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
Top 10 Health, Cancer, and Science Breakthroughs of 2015.
http://tinyurl.com/gpty2az
Humans Actually Did Some Good Stuff For The Planet In 2015.
http://tinyurl.com/pgl65xs
Virginia Church Votes to Sell its Building and Property to Build Affordable
Housing on the Site.
http://tinyurl.com/jgo3y9t
(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 January 14
Copyright 2016 by Rob Brezsny
http://www.freewillastrology.com/horoscopes/
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): "It's a terrible thing to wait until you're
ready," proclaims actor Hugh Laurie. He goes even further: "No one is
ever ready to do anything. There is almost no such thing as ready." His
counsel is too extreme for my tastes. I believe that proper preparation is
often essential. We've got to get educated about the challenges we want
to take on. We need to develop at least some skills to help us master our
beloved goals. On the other hand, it's impossible to ever be perfectly
prepared and educated and skilled. If you postpone your quantum leaps of
faith until every contingency has been accounted for, you'll never leap.
Right now, Capricorn, Laurie's view is good advice.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Fate has transformed a part of your life that
you didn't feel ready to have transformed. I won't offer my condolences,
though, because I've guessed a secret that you don't know about yet.
The mythic fact, as I see it, is that whatever you imagine you have had to
let go of will ultimately come back to you in a revised and revivified form -
- maybe sooner than you think. Endings and beginnings are weaving their
mysteries together in unforeseen ways. Be receptive to enigmatic
surprises.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Good news: Your eagerness to think big is
one of your superpowers. Bad news: It's also one of your liabilities.
Although it enables you to see how everything fits together, it may cause
you to overlook details about what's undermining you. Good news: Your
capacity for intense empathy is a healing balm for both others and
yourself. At least potentially, it means you can be a genius of intimacy.
Bad news: Your intense empathy can make you fall prey to the emotional
manipulation of people with whom you empathize. Good news: Your
willingness to explore darkness is what makes your intelligence so
profound. Bad news: But that's also why you have to wrestle so fiercely
with fear. Good news: In the next four weeks, the positive aspects of all
the above qualities will be ascendant.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): You love autonomy. You specialize in getting
the freedom and sovereignty you require. You are naturally skilled at
securing your independence from influences that might constrain your
imagination and limit your self-expression. But here's a sticking point: If
you want the power to help shape group processes, you must give up
some of your autonomy. In order to motivate allies to work toward shared
goals, you need to practice the art of interdependence. The next test of
your ability to do this is coming right up.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): "Nothing is really work unless you'd rather be
doing something else." So said Taurus writer James M. Barrie (1860-
1937), who created the Peter Pan stories. Your challenge and invitation in
the coming months is to increase the amount of time you spend that
does not qualify as work. In fact, why don't you see how much and how
often you can indulge in outright play? There'll be no better way to
attract grace and generate good fortune.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Here's my proposal: Get in touch with your
madness. And don't tell me you have no madness. We all do. But listen:
When I use the word "madness," I don't mean howling rage, hurtful
lunacy, or out-of-control misbehavior. I'm calling on the experimental part
of you that isn't always polite and reasonable; the exuberant rebel who is
attracted to wild truths rather than calming lies; the imaginative seeker
who pines for adventures on the frontiers of your understanding. Now is
an excellent time to tap into your inner maverick.
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LET'S IMAGINE WHAT BEAUTIFUL MYSTERIES
MIGHT BE COMING YOUR WAY IN THE COMING YEAR
Who do you want to become in 2016? Where do you want to go and
what do you want to do? Would you like some inspiration as you muse
and wonder about your upcoming adventures?
In this week's EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES, I offer you Part 3 of MY
long-term, in-depth exploration of your destiny in the coming year.
Part 1 and Part 2 are still available.
To listen to your BIG PICTURE horoscopes online, go to
http://RealAstrology.com.
Register and/or log in through the main page, and then click on the link
"Long Term Forecast for 2016."
The cost is $6 per sign on the Web (discounts with the purchase of
multiple tokens).
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CANCER (June 21-July 22): Here's an excerpt from Dorianne Laux's poem
"Antilamentation": "Regret nothing. Not the cruel novels you read to the
end just to find out who killed the cook. Not the insipid movies that made
you cry in the dark. Not the lover you left quivering in a hotel parking lot.
Not the nights you called god names and cursed your mother, sunk like a
dog in the living room couch, chewing your nails." I'm giving you a good
dose of Laux's purifying rant in the hope that it will incite you to unleash
your own. The time is favorable to summon an expanded appreciation for
the twists and tweaks of your past, even those that seemed torturous in
the moment. Laux doesn't regret the TV set she threw out the upstairs
window or the stuck onion rings she had to sweep off the dirty restaurant
floor, and I hope you will be that inclusive.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): "Modesty is the art of drawing attention to
whatever it is you're being humble about," said Alfred E. Neuman, the
fictitious absurdist whose likeness often appears on the cover of *Mad*
magazine. I'm here to tell you, Leo, that now is an excellent time to
embody this aphorism. You are in a perfect position to launch a charm
offensive by being outrageously unassuming. The less you brag about
yourself and the more you praise other people, the better able you will be
to get exactly what you want. Being unegotistical and non-narcissistic is
an excellent strategy for serving your selfish needs.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): "To go wrong in one's own way is better than
to go right in someone else's," says a character in Fyodor Dostoyevsky's
novel *Crime and Punishment.* I don't agree with that idea 100 percent
of the time. Sometimes our wrong ideas are so delusional that we're
better off getting interrupted and redirected by the wiser insights of
others. But for the near future, Virgo, I recommend Dostoyevsky's
prescription for your use. One of your key principles will be to brandish
your unique perspectives. Even if they're not entirely right and
reasonable, they will lead you to what you need to learn next.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): "I love kissing," testifies singer-songwriter
Sufjan Stevens. "If I could kiss all day, I would. I can't stop thinking about
kissing. I like kissing more than sex because there's no end to it. You can
kiss forever. You can kiss yourself into oblivion. You can kiss all over the
body. You can kiss yourself to sleep." I invite you to temporarily adopt
this expansive obsession, Libra. The astrological omens suggest that you
need more sweet slippery sensual tender interaction than usual. Why?
Because it will unleash sweet slippery sensual tender emotions and sweet
slippery sensual tender thoughts, all of which will awaken a surge of
dormant creativity. Which you also need very much.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): "Everything has been said before," said
French author André Gide, "but since nobody listens we have to keep
going back and beginning all over again." I am happy to inform you that
you're about to be temporarily exempt from this cynical formulation.
According to my reading of the astrological omens, you will be able to
drive home certain points that you have been trying to make over and
over again for quite a while. The people who most need to hear them will
finally be able to register your meaning. (P.S. This breakthrough will
generate optimal results if you don't gloat. Be grateful and understated.)
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Do you want more money, Sagittarius?
Are there treasures you wish you could have, but you can't afford them?
Do any exciting experiences and life-enhancing adventures remain off-
limits because of limited resources? If your answer to any of these
questions is yes, now would be an excellent time to formulate plans and
take action to gather increased wealth. I don't guarantee total success if
you do, but I promise that your chance to make progress will be higher
than usual. Cosmic tendencies are leaning in the direction of you getting
richer quicker, and if you collaborate with those tendencies, financial
magic could materialize.
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Homework: Find, create, or arrange to be in the path of an experience
that makes you cry for joy. Report results to FreeWillAstrology.com.
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Submissions sent to the Free Will Astrology Weekly Newsletter
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Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2016 Rob Brezsny
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