Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
February 24, 2016
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See a pretty version of the newsletter: http://bit.ly/1TAkgFM
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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.
HOW TO BE YOUR OWN PROPHET
I suspect that none of us has the capacity to foretell the future of the
human race. No one -- not psychics, not doomsayers, not intelligent
optimists, indigenous shamans, no one.
There is a strong case to be made that this is the worst of times, and an
equally strong case that this is the best of times; a strong case that
everything will collapse into a miserable dystopia and a strong case that
we are on the verge of a golden age. It's impossible to know in any
"objective way" which is "truer."
Anyone who asserts they do know is just cherry-picking evidence that
rationalizes their emotional bent. The variables are chaotic and abundant
and beyond our ken.
In the meantime, I'm doing what I can to create a golden age.
P.S. The best way to prepare for the unpredictable is to cultivate mental
and emotional states that ripen us to be ready for anything:
* a commitment to not getting lost inside our own heads;
* a strategy to avoid being enthralled with the hypnotic lure of painful
emotions, past events, and worries about the future;
* a trust in empirical evidence over our time-worn beliefs and old habits;
* a talent for turning up our curiosity full blast and tuning in to the raw
truth of every moment with our beginner's mind fully engaged;
* and an eagerness to dwell gracefully in the midst of all the interesting
questions that tease and teach us.
Everything I just described also happens to be an excellent way to prime
yourself for a chronic, low-grade, always-on, simmering-at-low-heat brand
of ecstasy -- a state of being more-or-less permanently in the Tao, in the
groove, in the zone.
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LOVE IS BEING STUPID TOGETHER?
"Love is being stupid together," said French poet Paul Valéry. While
there's a grain of truth to that, it's too corny and decadent for my tastes.
I prefer to focus on a more interesting truth, which is this: Real love is
being smart together. If you weave your destiny together with another's,
he or she should catalyze your sleeping potentials, sharpen your
perceptions, and boost both your emotional and analytical intelligence.
Your relationship becomes a crucible in which you deepen your
understanding of the way the world works.
Think of an example of your closest approach to this model in your own
life. Then formulate a vow in which you promise you'll do what's
necessary to more fully embody the principle "Love is being smart
together."
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THE END OF APOCALYPSE
Many people alive today are convinced that our civilization is in a dark
age, cut off from divine favor, and on the verge of collapse. But it's
healthy to note that similar beliefs have been common throughout
history.
As far back as 2800 BC, an unknown prophet wrote on an Assyrian clay
tablet, "Our earth is degenerate in these latter days. There are signs that
the world is speedily coming to an end." In the seventh century BC, many
Romans believed Rome would suffer a cataclysm in 634 BC.
Around 300 BC, Hindus were convinced they lived in an "unfortunate
time" known as the Kali Yuga—the lowest point in the great cosmic cycle.
In 426 AD, the Christian writer Augustine mourned that this evil world
was in its last days. According to the Lotharingian panic-mongers who
lived more than a 1,000 years ago, human life on earth would end on
March 25, 970.
Astrologers in 16th-century London calculated that the city would be
destroyed by a great flood on February 1, 1524. American minister
William Miller proclaimed the planet's "purification by fire" would occur in
1844. Anglican minister Michael Baxter assured his followers that the
Battle of Armageddon would take place in 1868. The Jehovah's Witnesses
anticipated the End of Days in 1910, then 1914, then 1918, then 1925.
John Ballou Newbrough ("America's Greatest Prophet") promised mass
annihilation and global anarchy for 1947.
The website "A Brief History of the Apocalypse" at http://it.ly/1QeuTh1
lists over 200 visions of doom that have spilled from the hysterical
imaginations of various prophets in the last two millennia.
Our age may have more of these doomsayers per capita than previous
eras, although the proportion of religious extremists among them has
declined as more scientists, journalists, and storytellers have taken up the
singing of humanity's predicted swan song.
In her book *For the Time Being,* Annie Dillard says, "It is a weakening
and discoloring idea that rustic people knew God personally once upon a
time but that it is too late for us. There never was a more holy age than
ours, and never a less. There is no whit less enlightenment under the tree
by your street than there was under the Buddha's bo tree."
Walt Whitman:
"There was never any more inception than there is now,
Nor any more youth or age than there is now;
And will never be any more perfection than there is now,
Nor any more heaven or hell than there is now."
I invite you to go sit under that tree by your street.
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IMAGINE TRANSFORMATION
"You gotta remember, and I'm sure you do, the forces that are arrayed
against anyone trying to alter the hammerlock on the human imagination.
There are trillions of dollars out there demotivating people from imagining
that a better tomorrow is possible.
"Utopian impulses and utopian horizons have been completely disfigured
and everybody now is fluent in dystopia. My young people's vocabulary . .
. their fluency is in dystopic futures. When young people think about the
future, they don't think about a better tomorrow, they think about
horrors and end of the worlds and things or worse.
"Do you really think the lack of utopic imagination doesn't play into
demotivating people from imagining a transformation in the society?"
- Junot Díaz, "Art, Race and Capitalism"
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
The Middle Eastern TV Show Bringing Feminist Views on Marriage to 80
Million People. In Turkey, a soap opera is informing women of their rights
and challenging cultural assumptions about marriage.
http://tinyurl.com/h2xbl4u
The Animal Welfare Movement Saw Major Victories in 2015 in the U.S.
http://tinyurl.com/z75g6yx
Muslims Who Saved Jews During The Holocaust Finally Honored.
http://tinyurl.com/zw8l67p
(Note: I endorse these because I like them. They aren't advertisements,
and I get no kickbacks.)
Please tell me your own nominations for PRONOIA RESOURCES:
Truthrooster@gmail.com.
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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Week beginning February 25
Copyright 2016 by Rob Brezsny
http://www.freewillastrology.com/horoscopes/
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): "People don't want their lives fixed,"
proclaims Chuck Palahniuk in his novel *Survivor.* "Nobody wants their
problems solved. Their dramas. Their distractions. Their stories resolved.
Their messes cleaned up. Because what would they have left? Just the big
scary unknown." Your challenge in the coming weeks, Pisces, is to prove
Palahniuk wrong, at least in regards to you. From what I can tell, you will
have unprecedented opportunities to solve problems and fix your life. And
if you take even partial advantage of this gift, you will not be plunged into
the big scary unknown, but rather into a constructive new phase of
shaping your identity.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Just one species has a big enough throat to
swallow a person whole: the sperm whale. If you happen to be sailing the
high seas any time soon, I hope you will studiously avoid getting thrown
overboard in the vicinity of one of these beasts. The odds are higher than
usual that you'd end up in its belly, much like the Biblical character Jonah.
(Although, like him, I bet you'd ultimately escape.) Furthermore, Aries, I
hope you will be cautious not to get swallowed up by anything else. It's
true that the coming weeks will be a good time to go on a retreat, to flee
from the grind and take a break from the usual frenzy. But the best way
to do that is to consciously choose the right circumstances rather than
leave it to chance.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You have cosmic clearance to fantasize of
participating in orgies where you're intoxicated and free of your
inhibitions. It's probably not a good idea to attend a literal orgy, however.
All the cleansing revelry and cathartic rapture you need for now can be
obtained through the wild stories and outrageous scenes that unfold in
your imagination. Giving yourself the gift of pretend immersions in fertile
chaos could recharge your spiritual batteries in just the right ways.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): "Hell is the suffering of being unable to love,"
wrote novelist J. D. Salinger. If that's true, I'm pleased to announce that
you can now ensure you'll be free of hell for a very long time. The cosmic
omens suggest that you have enormous power to expand your capacity
for love. So get busy! Make it your intention to dissolve any unconscious
blocks you might have about sharing your gifts and bestowing your
blessings. Get rid of attitudes and behaviors that limit your generosity and
compassion. Now is an excellent time to launch your "Perpetual Freedom
from Hell" campaign!
CANCER (June 21-July 22): "A vacation is what you take when you can
no longer take what you've been taking," said journalist Earl Wilson. Do
you fit that description, Cancerian? Probably. I suspect it's high time to
find a polite way to flee your responsibilities, avoid your duties, and hide
from your burdens. For the foreseeable future, you have a mandate to
ignore what fills you with boredom. You have the right to avoid any
involvement that makes life too complicated. And you have a holy
obligation to rethink your relationship with any influence that weighs you
down with menial obligations.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Sportswear manufacturer Adidas is looking for
ways to repurpose trash that humans dump in the oceans. One of its
creations is a brand of shoe made from illegal deep-sea nets that have
been confiscated from poachers. I invite you to get inspired by Adidas's
work. From an astrological perspective, now is a good time to expand and
refine your personal approach to recycling. Brainstorm about how you
could convert waste and garbage into useful, beautiful resources -- not
just literally, but also metaphorically. For example, is there a ruined or
used-up dream that could provide the raw material for a bright shiny new
dream?
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YOU'VE ALWAYS GOT MORE HELP AVAILABLE THAN YOU IMAGINE
What do you want to be when you grow up? Is it possible that you will
eventually develop beautiful capacities and sublime understandings that
you can't even imagine right now?
I might be able to help you move in the direction of becoming more of the
person you were born to be.
Tune in to my EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES
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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"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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P.S. My long-range, big-picture audio horoscopes for the coming months
are still available. Register and/or log in through the main page, and then
access the horoscopes by clicking on "Long Range Prediction." (Choose
from Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.)
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VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): "We are defined by the lines we choose to
cross or to be confined by," says Virgo writer A. S. Byatt. That's a key
meditation for you as you enter a phase in which boundaries will be a
major theme. During the next eight weeks, you will be continuously
challenged to decide which people and things and ideas you want to be
part of your world, and which you don't. In some cases you'll be wise to
put up barriers and limit connection. In other cases, you'll thrive by
erasing borders and transcending divisions. The hard part -- and the fun
part -- will be knowing which is which. Trust your gut.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): When life gives you lemon juice from
concentrate, citric acid, high-fructose corn syrup, modified cornstarch,
potassium citrate, yellow food dye, and gum acacia, what should you do?
Make lemonade, of course! You might wish that all the raw ingredients life
sends your way would be pure and authentic, but sometimes the mix
includes artificial stuff. No worries, Libra! I am confident you have the
imaginative chutzpah and resilient willpower necessary to turn the
mishmash into passable nourishment. Or here's another alternative: You
could procrastinate for two weeks, when more of the available resources
will be natural.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Your Mythic Metaphor for the coming weeks
is dew. Many cultures have regarded it as a symbol of life-giving grace. In
Kabbalah, divine dew seeps from the Tree of Life. In Chinese folklore, the
lunar dew purifies vision and nurtures longevity. In the lore of ancient
Greece, dew confers fertility. The Iroquois speak of the Great Dew Eagle,
who drops healing moisture on land ravaged by evil spirits. The creator
god of the Ashanti people made dew right after completing the sun,
moon, and stars. Lao-Tse said it's an emblem of the harmonious marriage
between Earth and Heaven. So what will you do with the magic dew you'll
be blessed with?
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): It's prime time for you to love your
memory, make vivid use of your memory, and enhance your memory.
Here are some hints about how: 1. Feel appreciation for the way the old
stories of your life form the core of your identity and self-image. 2. Draw
on your recollections of the past to guide you in making decisions about
the imminent future. 3. Notice everything you see with an intensified
focus, because then you will remember it better, and this will come in
handy quite soon. 4. Make up new memories that you wish had happened.
Have fun creating scenes from an imagined past.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Most of us know what Albert Einstein's
greatest idea was: the general theory of relativity. It was one of the
reasons he won a Nobel Prize in Physics. But what was his second-best
discovery? Here's what he said it was: adding an egg to the pot while he
cooked his soup. That way, he could produce a soft-boiled egg without
having to dirty a second pot. What are the first- and second-most
fabulous ideas you've ever come up with, Capricorn? I suspect you are on
the verge of producing new candidates to compete with them. Do you
mind if at least temporarily I refer to you as a genius?
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): You may be familiar with the iconic
children's book *Where the Wild Things Are.* It's about a boy named Max
who takes a dream-like journey from his bedroom to an exotic island,
where he becomes king of the weird beasts who live there. Author
Maurice Sendak's original title for the tale was "Where the Wild Horses
Are." But when his editor realized how inept Sendak was at drawing
horses, she instructed him to come up with a title to match the kinds of
creatures he could draw skillfully. That was a good idea. The book has
sold over 19 million copies. I think you may need to deal with a
comparable issue, Aquarius. It's wise to acknowledge one of your
limitations, and then capitalize on the adjustments you've got to make.
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Homework: What book do you suspect would change your life if you
actually read it? Testify at Truthrooster@gmail.com.
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Submissions sent to Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
or in response to "homework assignments" may be
published in a variety of formats at Rob Brezsny's discretion,
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Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2016 Rob Brezsny
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