Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
April 6, 2016
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If you ever want to contribute some of your hard-earned money to
support my work, I'll remind you of my Virtual Tip Jar at Paypal. It's open
right here: http://bit.ly/TipsforRob
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See a pretty version of this newsletter: http://bit.ly/1SMKnqq
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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.
Conventional wisdom implies that the best problems are those that place
you under duress. There's supposedly no gain without pain. Stress is
allegedly an incomparable spur for calling on resources that have been
previously unavailable or dormant. Nietzsche's aphorism, "That which
doesn't kill me makes me stronger," has achieved the status of a maxim.
There's a bit of truth in that perspective. But it's clear that stress also
accompanies many mediocre problems that have little power to make us
smarter. Pain frequently generates no gain. We're all prone to become
habituated, even addicted, to nagging vexations that go on and on
without rousing any of our sleeping genius.
There is, furthermore, another class of difficulty—let's call it the delightful
dilemma—that neither feeds on angst nor generates it. On the contrary,
it's fun and invigorating, and usually blooms when you're feeling a
profound sense of being at home in the world. The problem of writing my
books is a good example. I have abundant fun handling the perplexing
challenges with which they confront me.
Imagine a life in which at least half of your quandaries match this profile.
Act as if you're most likely to attract useful problems when joy is your
predominant mood. Consider the possibility that being in unsettling
circumstances may shrink your capacity to dream up the riddles you need
most; that maybe it's hard to ask the best questions when you're
preoccupied fighting rearguard battles against boring or demeaning
annoyances that have plagued you for many moons.
Prediction: As an aspiring lover of pronoia, you will have a growing knack
for gravitating toward wilder, wetter, more interesting problems. More
and more, you will be drawn to the kind of gain that doesn't require pain.
You'll be so alive and awake that you'll cheerfully push yourself out of
your comfort zone in the direction of your personal frontier well before
you're forced to do so by fate's kicks in the ass.
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"You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestation of your own
blessings."
— Elizabeth Gilbert
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Relationship" is a dull term for something so interesting. Try "link-flash"
instead. Rather than calling people your "friend" or "partner," call them
your "accomplice," your "freestyle," or your "lightning."
Boring terms like "significant other," "boyfriend," "girlfriend," & "spouse"
could be retired, too. Try "lushbuddy," "heartbeat," or "jelly roll."
Feel free to coin your own surgecrafts and questbursts. Post them here!
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"I part the out thrusting branches
and come in beneath
the blessed and the blessing trees.
Though I am silent
there is singing around me.
Though I am dark
there is vision around me.
Though I am heavy
there is flight around me."
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– Wendell Berry, "Woods"
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Some readers became enraged when I quoted William S. Burroughs and
Carlos Castaneda. "Terrible men!" they said. Other readers were miffed
because I quoted the evangelical pastor Rick Warren in a horoscope.
Here's how I respond to these grumbles: If I refused to learn from people
unless I agreed with everything they had ever said and done, I would
never learn from anyone.
Furthermore, I don't necessarily agree with every nuance of every quote I
cite. They may teach me, rile me up, and provoke me to think, but that
doesn't mean I endorse them 100 percent. What's more likely is that I
question some aspect of their thought.
What about you? Have you set up your life so that everyone is either on
or off your good list? If so, consider the possibility of cultivating a
capacity to derive insight from people who aren't perfect. Have fun
learning from people you partially agree with and partially disagree with.
Here are examples of some of the other people from whom I have drawn
important teachings and inspiration despite their sins:
Gertrude Stein thought she was as important a writer as Shakespeare and
Homer.
Dr. Seuss had an affair with another woman while his wife was suffering
from cancer, and his wife subsequently committed suicide.
Einstein cheated on his wife and treated her horrendously.
William Blake lived in absolute filth.
Early feminist author George Sand cheated on her husband.
Edgar Allan Poe married his 13-year-old cousin when he was 26.
Martin Luther King Jr. cheated on his wife.
The painter Peter Paul Rubens married a 16-year-old female when he was
53.
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
Georgia Governor Nathan Deal vetoed the highly discriminatory anti-LGBT
"religious freedom bill." Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe did the same
thing to a similar bill.
Numerous corporations, churches, governors, and advocacy groups fueled
the national backlash against North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory for
signing the most anti-LGBT bill in the country.
California Governor Jerry Brown and the State Assembly approved a
gradual increase of the state minimum wage to $15/hr.
Sweden introduced a six-hour work day.
http://tinyurl.com/npug4ng
(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 April 7
Copyright 2016 by Rob Brezsny
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
ARIES (March 21-April 19): French artist Henri Matisse (1869-1954) is
regarded as one of the greats, in the same league as Picasso and
Kandinsky. Even in his eighties, he was still creating marvels that one
critic said seemed "to come from the springtime of the world." As unique
as his work was, he was happy to acknowledge the fact that he thrived on
the influence of other artists. And yet he also treasured the primal power
of his innocence. He trusted his childlike wonder. "You study, you learn,
but you guard the original naiveté," he said. "It has to be within you, as
desire for drink is within the drunkard or love is within the lover." These
are good, sweet thoughts for you to keep in mind right now, Aries.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Taurus-born Kurt Gödel (1906-1978) was
among history's greatest logicians. His mastery of rational thought
enabled him to exert a major influence on scientific thinking in the 20th
century. Yet he also had an irrational fear of being poisoned, which made
him avoid food unless his wife cooked it. One of the morals of his story is
that reason and delusion may get all mixed up in the same location. Sound
analysis and crazy superstition can get so tangled they're hard to unravel.
The coming week will be an excellent time to meditate on how this
phenomenon might be at work in you. You now have an extraordinary
power to figure out which is which, and then take steps to banish the
crazy, superstitious, fearful stuff.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): For a time, pioneer physicist Albert Einstein
served as a professor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton,
NJ. On one occasion, a student complained to him, "The questions on this
year's exam are the same as last year's." Einstein agreed that they were,
then added, "but this year all the answers are different." I'm seeing a
similar situation in your life, Gemini. For you, too, the questions on this
year's final exam are virtually identical to last year's final exam -- and yet
every one of the answers has changed. Enjoy the riddle.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Your personal oracle for the coming weeks is
a fable from 2600 years ago. It was originally written by the Greek
storyteller Aesop, and later translated by Joseph Jacobs. As the tale
begins, a dog has discovered a hunk of raw meat lying on the ground.
He's clenching his treasure in his mouth as he scurries home to enjoy it in
peace. On the way, he trots along a wooden plank that crosses a rapidly-
flowing stream. Gazing down, he sees his reflection in the water below.
What? He imagines it's another dog with another slab of meat. He tries to
snatch away this bonus treat, but in doing so, drops his own meat. It falls
into the stream and is whisked away. The moral of the fable: "Beware lest
you lose the substance by grasping at the shadow."
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): "I never get lost because I don't know where I am
going," said the Japanese poet known as Ikkyu. I stop short of endorsing
this perspective for full-time, long-term use, but I think it suits you fine
for right now. According to my astrological projections, you can gather
the exact lessons you need simply by wandering around playfully, driven
by cheerful curiosity about the sparkly sights -- and not too concerned
with what they mean. P.S. Don't worry if the map you're consulting
doesn't seem to match the territory you're exploring.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): "If literally every action a human can perform
was an Olympic sport," Reddit.com asked its users, "which events would
you win medals in?" A man named Hajimotto said his champion-level skill
was daydreaming. "I can zone out and fantasize for hours at a time," he
testified. "This is helpful when I am waiting in line." You Virgos are not
typically Olympic-class daydreamers, but I encourage you to increase your
skills in the coming weeks. It'll be a favorable time for your imagination to
run wild and free. How exuberantly can you fantasize? Find out!
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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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"The best part about your audio horoscopes is that they pat me on the
head and kick me in the ass at the same time." - Rita L., San Diego
"Your audio oracles go beyond helping me find the truth -- they inspire
me to find the WILD truth." - Patrick K., Montreal
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LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In his book *Strange Medicine,* Nathan
Belofsky tells us about unusual healing practices of the past. In ancient
Egypt, for example, the solution for a toothache was to have a dead
mouse shoved down one's throat. If someone had cataracts, the
physician might dribble hot broken glass into their eyes. I think these
strategies qualify as being antidotes that were worse than the conditions
they were supposed to treat. I caution you against getting sucked into
"cures" like those in the coming days. The near future will be a favorable
time for you to seek healing, but you must be very discerning as you
evaluate the healing agents.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In his poem "The Snowmass Cycle," Stephen
Dunn declares that everyone "should experience the double fire, of what
he wants and shouldn't have." I foresee a rich opportunity coming up for
you to do just that, Scorpio. And yes, I do regard it as rich, even
marvelous, despite the fact that it may initially evoke some intense
poignance. Be glad for this crisp revelation about a strong longing whose
fulfillment would be no damn good for you!
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): "When I look at my life I realize that the
mistakes I have made, the things I really regret, were not errors of
judgment but failures of feeling." Writer Jeanette Winterson said that, and
I'm passing it on to you at the exact moment you need to hear it. Right
now, you are brave enough and strong enough to deal with the possibility
that maybe you're not doing all you can to cultivate maximum emotional
intelligence. You are primed to take action and make big changes if you
discover that you're not feeling as much as you can about the important
things in your life.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Psychotherapist Jennifer Welwood says
that sadness is often at the root of anger. Feelings of loss and
disappointment and heartache are the more primary emotions, and rage is
a reflexive response to them. But sadness often makes us feel vulnerable,
while rage gives us at least the illusion of being strong, and so most of us
prefer the latter. But Welwood suggests that tuning in to the sadness
almost always leads to a more expansive understanding of your
predicament; and it often provides the opportunity for a more profound
self-transformation. I invite you to apply these meditations to your own
life, Capricorn. The time is right.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): "The causes of human actions are usually
immeasurably more complex and varied than our subsequent explanations
of them." Fyodor Dostoyevsky said that in his novel *The Idiot,* and now
I'm passing it on to you just in the nick of time. In the coming weeks, it's
especially important for you to not oversimplify your assessments of what
motivates people -- both those you respect and those you don't fully
trust. For your own sake, you can't afford to naively assume either the
best or the worst about anyone. If you hope to further your own agendas,
your nuanced empathy must be turned up all the way.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): "Believing love is work is certainly better than
believing it's effortless, ceaseless bliss," says author Eric LeMay. That's
advice I hope you'll keep close at hand in the coming weeks, Pisces. The
time will be right for you to exert tremendous effort in behalf of
everything you love dearly -- to sweat and struggle and strain as you
create higher, deeper versions of your most essential relationships. Please
remember this, though: The hard labor you engage in should be fueled by
your ingenuity and your creative imagination. Play and experiment and
enjoy yourself as you sweat and struggle and strain!
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Homework: Comment on Bertrand Russell's statement, "The universe is
full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper."
Freewillastrology.com.
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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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