Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
March 23, 2016
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See a pretty version of this newsletter: http://bit.ly/1pwosdf
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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.
INTERVIEWER: You confuse me in the way that you praise rational thought
and the scientific method, yet reserve the right to believe in astrology,
angels, miracles, and other woo-woo.
ROB BREZSNY: Thousands of amazing, inexplicable, and even supernatural
events occur every day. And yet most are unreported by the media. The
few that are cited are ridiculed.
Why? Here's one possible reason: The people most likely to believe in
wonders and marvels may be superstitious, uneducated, or prone to
having a blind, literalist faith in their religions' myths. Those who are least
likely to believe in wonders and marvels are skilled at analytical thought,
well-educated, and yet prone to having a blind, literalist faith in the
ideology of materialism, which dogmatically asserts that the universe
consists entirely of things that can be perceived by the five human senses
or detected by instruments that scientists have thus far invented.
The media is largely composed of people from the second group. It's
virtually impossible for them to admit to the possibility of events that
elude the rational mind's explanations, let alone experience them. If
anyone from this group manages to escape peer pressure and cultivate a
receptivity to the miraculous, it's because they have successfully fought
against being demoralized by the unsophisticated way wonders and
marvels are framed by the first group.
I try to be immune to the double-barreled ignorance. When I behold
astonishing synchronicities and numinous breakthroughs that seem to
violate natural law, I'm willing to consider the possibility that my
understanding of natural law is too narrow. And yet I also refrain from
lapsing into irrational gullibility; I actively seek mundane explanations for
apparent miracles.
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MAGIC SECRET
"The real secret of magic is that the world is made of words," said
Terence McKenna, "and that if you know the words that the world is made
of, you can make of it whatever you wish."
Here's my version of that hypothesis: What world you end up living in
depends at least in part on your use of language.
Do you want to move and breathe amidst infertile chaos where nothing
makes sense and no one really loves anyone? Then speak with
unconscious carelessness, expressing yourself lazily. Constantly
materialize and entertain angry thoughts in the privacy of your own
imagination, beaming silent curses out into eternity.
Or would you prefer to live in a realm that's rich with fluid epiphanies and
intriguing coincidences and mysterious harmonies? Then be discerning and
inventive in how you speak, primed to name the unexpected codes that
are always being born right in front of your eyes. Turn your imagination
into an ebullient laboratory where the somethings you create out of
nothings are tinctured with the secret light you see in your dreams of
invisible fire.
P.S. "The basic tool for the manipulation of reality is the manipulation of
words," wrote Philip K. Dick in his essay, "How to Build A Universe That
Won't Fall Apart in Two Days."
- from "Pronoia Is the Antidote to Paranoia: How the Whole World Is
Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings" - http://bit.ly/Pronoia
- Listen to "Magic Secret": http://bit.ly/M9S8Ub
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"The degree of a person's intelligence is directly reflected by the number
of conflicting attitudes she can bring to bear on the same topic."
- novelist Lisa Alther
"The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed
ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function."
- F. Scott Fitzgerald
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OUR BODIES ARE WILD
Gary Snyder says: "Our bodies are wild. The involuntary quick turn of the
head at a shout, the vertigo at looking off a precipice, the heart-in-the-
throat in a moment of danger, the catch of the breath, the quiet
moments relaxing, staring, reflecting -- are universal responses of this
mammal body.
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"The body does not require the intercession of some conscious intellect
to make it breathe, to keep the heart beating. It is to a great extent self-
regulating, it is a life of its own.
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"Sensation and perception do not exactly come from outside, and
unremitting thought and image-flow are not exactly outside. The world is
our consciousness, and it surrounds us. There are more things in the
mind, in the imagination, than 'you' can keep track of -- thoughts,
memories, images, angers, delights, rise unbidden.
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"The depths of the mind, the unconscious, are our inner wilderness areas,
and that is where a bobcat is right now. I do not mean personal bobcats in
personal psyches -- the bobcat that roams from dream to dream.
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"The conscious agenda-planning ego occupies a very tiny territory, a little
cubicle somewhere near the gate, keeping track of some of what goes in
and out (and sometimes making expansionist plots), and the rest takes
care of itself. The body is, so to speak, in the mind. They are both wild."
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- Gary Snyder, *The Practice of the Wild*
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
Sea World announced it will stop breeding killer whales in captivity.
LGBT-rights activists in Oklahoma contributed to the defeat of all 27
"slate of hate" bills in the Oklahoma legislature.
The Portland, Oregon city council unanimously authorized the City
Attorney to sue Monsanto for contaminating its waterways with PCBs.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidelines to
help clamp down on the over-prescription of opioid painkillers like
Oxycontin and Vicodin that kill 40 people a day in the U.S.
President Obama blocked oil drilling in the Atlantic and appointed Raffi-
Freedman-Gurspan the first transgender person to be White House LGBT
liaison.
District Attorney Tim McGinty lost re-election in Ohio after ignoring the
police murder of Tamir Rice. Cook County, Illinois' State's Attorney Anita
Alvarez lost her election over the cover-up of the police murder of Laquan
McDonald.
(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 March 24
Copyright 2016 by Rob Brezsny
http://www.freewillastrology.com/horoscopes/
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
ARIES (March 21-April 19): When Orville and Wilbur Wright were kids,
their father gave them a toy helicopter powered by a rubber band. The
year was 1878. Twenty-five years later, the brothers became the first
humans to sail above the earth in a flying machine. They testified that the
toy helicopter had been a key inspiration as they worked to develop their
pioneering invention. In the spirit of the Wright Brothers' magic seed,
Aries, I invite you to revive your connection to a seminal influence from
your past. The coming weeks will be a favorable time to feed a dream
that was foreshadowed in you a long time ago.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): "The task of a writer is not to solve the
problem but to state the problem correctly," said Russian writer Anton
Chekhov. Whether or not you're a writer, Taurus, that is also your special
task in the coming weeks. The riddle that has begun to captivate your
imagination is not yet ripe enough for you to work on in earnest. It has
not been defined with sufficient clarity. Luckily, you have the resources
you need to research all the contingencies, and you have the acuity to
come up with a set of empowering questions.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): The good news is that if you eat enormous
amounts of chocolate, you will boost your memory. Science has proved it.
The bad news is that in order to get the full effect of the memory
enhancement, you would have to consume so much chocolate that you
would get sick. I propose that we consider this scenario as a metaphor for
what may be going on in your life. Is it possible you're doing things that
are healthy for you in one way but that diminish you in another? Or are
you perhaps getting or doing too much of a good thing -- going to
unbalanced extremes as you pursue a worthy goal? Now is a favorable
time to figure out if you're engaged in such behavior, and to change it if
you are.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): When the young director Richard Lester got
his big break, he took full advantage. It happened in 1964, when the early
Beatles asked him to do their first movie, *A Hard Day's Night.* Lester's
innovative approach to the project propelled his career to a higher level
that brought him many further opportunities. Writing of Lester's
readiness, critic Alexander Walker said, "No filmmaker . . . appeared more
punctually when his hour struck." That's what I hope you will soon be
doing in your own chosen field, Cancerian. Do you understand how
important it will be to have impeccable timing? No procrastination or
hemming and hawing, please. Be crisply proactive.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): As a young man, the poet Arthur Rimbaud (1854-
1891) left his home in France and settled in Abyssinia, which these days
is known as Ethiopia. "I sought voyages," he wrote, "to disperse the
enchantments that had colonized my mind." You might want to consider a
similar strategy in the coming weeks, Leo. From an astrological
perspective, it's going to be an excellent time both to wander free of your
usual haunts and to disperse the enchantments that have colonized your
mind. Why not find ways to synergize these two opportunities?
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): At one point in his life, author C. S. Lewis had
a rude awakening as he took stock of the progress he thought he had
been making. "I am appalled to see how much of the change I thought I
had undergone lately was only imaginary," he wrote. I want to make sure
that something similar doesn't happen to you, Virgo. You're in the midst
of what should be a Golden Age of Self-Transformation. Make sure you're
actually doing the work that you imagine you're doing -- and not just
talking about it and thinking about it.
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YOU NEED MAGIC EVERY DAY
Every day, you have to wade through a relentless surge of soul-less facts.
The experience tends to shut down your sense of wonder.
Every day, you're over-exposed to cynical narratives that have been
sucked free of delight and mystery. That's why you have to make such
strenuous efforts to keep your world enchanted.
I like to think I can contribute to the sacred cause of feeding your sense
of wonder and enchantment. In fact, that's one of my prime motivations
for offering you the free weekly horoscopes you read in this newsletter.
If you ever want more of that good stuff, and think it's worth paying for,
please consider trying out my 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 horoscopes get more personal and intimate with me than
some of my closest friends. Thanks for the loving reflections."
- Ari S., Ann Arbor, MI
"When I listen to your audio 'scopes, my free will lights up." - Alex D., Los
Angeles
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LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): "There are questions that you don't ask
because you're afraid of the answers," wrote Agatha Christie. I would add
that there are also questions you don't ask because you mistakenly think
you already know the answers. And then there are questions you don't
ask because their answers would burst your beloved illusions, which you'd
rather preserve. I'm here to urge you to risk posing all these types of
questions, Libra. I think you're strong enough and smart enough, and in
just the right ways, to deal constructively with the answers. I'm not
saying you'll be pleased with everything you find out. But you will
ultimately be glad you finally made the inquiries.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): If you are enmeshed in a jumble that makes
you squirm or if you are caught in a tangle that stifles your self-love, you
have three choices. Here's how Eckhart Tolle defines them: 1. Get out of
the situation. 2. Transform the situation. 3. Completely accept the
situation. Does that sound reasonable, Scorpio? I hope so, because the
time has come to act. Don't wait to make your decision. Do it soon. After
that, there will be no whining allowed. You can no longer indulge in
excuses. You must accept the consequences. On the bright side, imagine
the new freedom and power you will have at your disposal.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Here's a proposed experiment. Sidle up
to a creature you'd love to be closer to, and softly sing the following
lyrics: "Come with me, go with me. Burn with me, glow with me. Sleep
with me, wake with me." At this point, run three circles around the
creature as you flap your arms like a birds' wings. Then continue your
singing: "Rise with me, fall with me. Work with me, play with me. Pray with
me, sin with me." At this point, leap up into the air three times,
unleashing a burst of laughter each time you hit the ground. Continue
singing: "Let me get high with you. Laugh with you, cry with you. Make
me your partner in crime." At this point blow three kisses toward the
creature, then run away. (P.S. The lyrics I'm quoting here were composed
by songwriter Fran Landesman.)
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In getting energy from food, we humans
have at our disposal over 50,000 edible plants. And yet we choose to
concentrate on just a few. Wheat, corn, rice, and potatoes make up two-
thirds of our diet, and 11 other staples comprise most of the rest. Let's
use this as a metaphor for the kind of behavior you should avoid in the
coming weeks. I think it will be crucial for you to draw physical, emotional,
and spiritual sustenance from a relatively wide variety of sources. There's
nothing wrong with your usual providers, but for now you need to expand
your approach to getting the nurturing you need.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): "We teach each other how to live." Poet
Anne Michaels said that, and now I'm passing it on to you -- just in time
for the phase of your cycle when acting like a curious student is your
sacred duty and your best gift to yourself. I don't necessarily mean that
you should take a workshop or enroll in a school. Your task is to presume
that everyone you meet and every encounter you have may bring you rich
learning experiences. If you're willing to go as far as I hope you will, even
your dreams at night will be opportunities to get further educated. Even
your vigils in front of the TV. Even your trips to the convenience store to
buy ice cream.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In her poem "Time," Piscean poet Lia Purpura
wonders about "not picking up a penny because it's only a little luck."
Presumably she is referring to a moment when you're walking down a
street and you spy an almost-but-not-quite-worthless coin lying on the
concrete. She theorizes that you may just leave it there. It adds next to
nothing to your wealth, right? Which suggests that it also doesn't have
much value as a symbol of good fortune. But I urge you to reject this line
of thought in the coming weeks, Pisces. In my astrological opinion, you'll
be wise to capitalize on the smallest opportunities. There will be plenty of
them, and they *will* add up.
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Homework: Imagine that seven years from now you will want a new career
or line of work. What will it be? Write: 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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