Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
March 30, 2016
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See a pretty version of this newsletter: http://bit.ly/1US8S8Y
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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.
KNOW WHAT YOU'RE FIGHTING FOR
Activist and author Naomi Klein tells a story about the time she traveled
to Australia at the request of Aboriginal elders. They wanted her to know
about their struggle to prevent white people from dumping radioactive
wastes on their land.
Her hosts brought her to their beloved wilderness, where they camped
under the stars. They showed her "secret sources of fresh water, plants
used for bush medicines, hidden eucalyptus-lined rivers where the
kangaroos come to drink."
After three days, Klein grew restless. When were they going to get down
to business?
"Before you can fight," she was told, "you have to know what you are
fighting for."
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THE BALANCE BETWEEN CYNICISM AND OPTIMISM
"I've found a nice balance," writes EarthMover, one of my readers,
"between living like someone who has overdosed on delusional optimism
and someone who thinks everything and everyone sucks. I can see things
as they really are instead of through either rose-colored glasses or crap-
colored glasses.
"That means I can cultivate true objectivity, not the fake cynical kind. I
free myself from negative emotional biases that used to cloud my ability
to see the partially hidden beauty all around me.
"At the same time, I'm not addicted to the idea that I should be eternally
happy and blithe and sweet. When the dark moods descend on me, I trust
them. I know they are openings into equally sacred perceptions and
insights."
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IS THE WORLD DANGEROUS, OR ARE YOU SURROUNDED BY HELPERS?
Is the world a dangerous, chaotic place with no inherent purpose, running
on automatic like a malfunctioning machine and fundamentally inimical to
your happiness?
Or are you surrounded by helpers in a friendly universe that gives you
challenges in order to make you smarter and wilder and kinder?
Trick questions! The answers may depend, at least to some degree, on
what you believe is true.
I invite you to formulate a series of experiments that will allow you to
objectively test the hypothesis that the universe is conspiring to help
you.
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TO BE HOPEFUL IN BAD TIMES IS NOT FOOLISHLY ROMANTIC
Howard Zinn said: "Revolutionary change does not come as one
cataclysmic moment (beware of such moments!) but as an endless
succession of surprises, moving zigzag toward a more decent society.
"We don't have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in the
process of change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can
transform the world.
"To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on
the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of
compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasize
in this complex history will determine our lives.
"If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we
remember those times and places — and there are so many — where
people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and
at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a
different direction.
"And if we do act, in however small a way, we don't have to wait for some
grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and
to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is
bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory."
- Howard Zinn, from "A Power Governments Cannot Suppress" -
http://tinyurl.com/zf8vhvl
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
Landmark Deal With Loggers Protects Huge Swath Of Canadian Rainforest
http://tinyurl.com/hewq9zy
First of its Kind in America: Plant Will Turn Trash Into Fuel in West Virginia
http://tinyurl.com/gvlzxzt
Amount of Mercury, DDT and Other Contaminants in Fish is at 40-Year
Low.
http://tinyurl.com/z2nr8bs
(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 31
Copyright 2016 by Rob Brezsny
http://www.freewillastrology.com/horoscopes/
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
ARIES (March 21-April 19): According to my astrological analysis, you
would benefit profoundly from taking a ride in a jet fighter plane 70,000
feet above the earth. In fact, I think you really need to experience
weightlessness as you soar faster than the speed of sound. Luckily,
there's an organization, MiGFlug (migflug.com), that can provide you with
this healing thrill. (I just hope you can afford the $18,000 price tag.)
APRIL FOOL! I do in fact think you should treat yourself to unprecedented
thrills and transcendent adventures. But I bet you can accomplish that
without being quite so extravagant.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): "People only get really interesting when they
start to rattle the bars of their cages," says philosopher Alain de Botton.
If that's true, Taurus, you must be on the verge of becoming very
interesting. Metaphorically speaking, you're not just rattling the bars of
your cage. You're also smacking your tin cup against the bars and trying
to saw through them with your plastic knife. APRIL FOOL! I lied. You're not
literally in a prison cell. And I got a bit carried away with the metaphor.
But there is a grain of truth to what I said. You are getting close to
breaking free of at least some of your mind-forged manacles. And it's
making you more attractive and intriguing.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): If I had to decide what natural phenomenon
you most closely resemble right now, I'd consider comparing you to a
warm, restless breeze or a busily playful dolphin. But my first choice
would be the mushrooms known as *Schizophyllum commune.* They're
highly adaptable: able to go dormant when the weather's dry and spring
to life when rain comes. They really get around, too, making their homes
on every continent except Antarctica. But the main reason I'd link you
with them is that they come in over 28,000 different sexes. Their
versatility is unprecedented. APRIL FOOL! I exaggerated a bit. It's true
that these days you're polymorphous and multifaceted and well-rounded.
But you're probably not capable of expressing 28,000 varieties of
anything.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): "Whatever it is you're seeking won't come in
the form you're expecting," warns Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami. If
that's true, why bother? Why expend all your precious yearning if the net
result won't even satisfy your yearning?! That's why I advise you to
ABANDON YOUR BELOVED PLANS! Save your energy for trivial wishes.
That way you won't be disappointed when they are fulfilled in
unanticipated ways. APRIL FOOL! I was messing with you. It's true that
what you want won't arrive in the form you're expecting. But I bet the
result will be even better than what you expected.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): You're due to make a pilgrimage, aren't you? It
might be time to shave your head, sell your possessions, and head out on
a long trek to a holy place where you can get back in touch with what the
hell you're doing here on this planet. APRIL FOOL! I was kidding about the
head-shaving and possessions-dumping. On the other hand, there might
be value in embarking on a less melodramatic pilgrimage. I think you're
ready to seek radical bliss of a higher order -- and get back in touch with
what the hell you're doing here on this planet.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Are you ready to fight the monster? Do you
have the courage and strength and stamina and guile to overcome the
ugly beast that's blocking the path to the treasure? If not, turn around
and head back to your comfort zone until you're better prepared. APRIL
FOOL! I lied. There is a monster, but it's not the literal embodiment of a
beastly adversary. Rather, it's inside you. It's an unripe part of yourself
that needs to be taught and tamed and cared for. Until you develop a
better relationship with it, it will just keep testing you. (P.S. Now would be
a good time to develop a better relationship with it.)
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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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"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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LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Your advice for the near future comes from
poet Stephen Dunn. "If the Devil sits down," he says, "offer
companionship, tell her you've always admired her magnificent, false
moves." I think that's an excellent plan, Libra! Maybe you'll even be lucky
enough to make the acquaintance of many different devils with a wide
variety of magnificent, false moves. APRIL FOOL! I lied. In fact, I think you
should avoid contact with all devils, no matter how enticing they might
be. Now is a key time to surround yourself with positive influences.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In 1841, a British medical journal prescribed
the following remedy for the common cold: "Nail a hat on the wall near
the foot of your bed, then retire to that bed, and drink spirits until you
see two hats." My expert astrological analysis reveals that this treatment
is likely to cure not just the sniffles, but also any other discomforts you're
suffering from, whether physical or emotional or spiritual. So I hope you
own a hat, hammer, and nails. APRIL FOOL! I lied. The method I suggested
probably won't help alleviate what ails you. But here's a strategy that
might: Get rid of anything that's superfluous, rotten, outdated, or
burdensome.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): To begin your oracle, I'll borrow the
words of author Ray Bradbury: "May you be in love every day for the next
20,000 days, and out of that love, remake a world." I have reason to
believe that this optimistic projection has a good chance of coming true
for you. Imagine it, Sagittarius: daily swoons of delight and rapture from
now until the year 2071. APRIL FOOL! I lied, sort of. It would be foolish to
predict that you'll be giddy with amorous feelings nonstop for the next
54 years and 10 months. On the other hand, I don't think it's unrealistic
for you to expect a lot of that sweet stuff over the course of the next
three weeks.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): "I am tired of being brave," groaned Anne
Sexton in one of her poems. "I'm sick of following my dreams," moaned
comedian Mitch Hedberg, adding, "I'm just going to ask my dreams where
they're going and hook up with them later." In my opinion, Capricorn, you
have every right to unleash grumbles similar to Hedberg's and Sexton's.
APRIL FOOL! The advice I just gave you is only half-correct. It's true that
you need and deserve a respite from your earnest struggles. Now is
indeed a good time to take a break so you can recharge your spiritual
batteries. But don't you dare feel sorry for yourself.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In 1991, hikers in the Italian Alps discovered
the well-preserved corpse of a Bronze Age hunter. Buried in the frigid
terrain, the man who came to be known as Otzi the Iceman had been
there for 5,000 years. Soon the museum that claimed his body began
receiving inquiries from women who wanted to be impregnated with Otzi's
sperm. I think this is an apt metaphor for you, Aquarius. Consider the
possibility that you might benefit from being fertilized by an influence
from long ago. APRIL FOOL! I was just messing with you. It's true you can
generate good mojo by engaging with inspirational influences from the
past. But I'd never urge you to be guided by a vulgar metaphor related to
Otzi's sperm.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Caligula was an eccentric Roman emperor who
had a physical resemblance to a goat. He was sensitive about it. That's
why he made it illegal for anyone to refer to goats in his company. I
mention this, Pisces, because I'd like to propose a list of words you should
forbid to be used in your presence during the coming weeks: "money,"
"cash," "finances," "loot," "savings," or "investments." Why? Because I'm
afraid it would be distracting, even confusing or embarrassing, for you to
think about these sore subjects right now. APRIL FOOL! I lied. The truth is,
now is a perfect time for you to be focused on getting richer quicker.
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Homework: What conditions would you need to feel like you were living in
paradise? Testify: Truthrooster@gmail.com.
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or in response to "homework assignments" may be
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Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2016 Rob Brezsny
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