Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
May 4, 2016
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See a pretty version of this newsletter: http://bit.ly/1OcAAGa
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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.
List of things to do:
1. Expect nothing, but ask for everything.
2. Gently but gleefully smash an unnecessary personal taboo.
3. Jump for joy and click our heels together in a place that has always felt
oppressive.
4. Buck tradition with wit and compassion, not wrath and cynicism.
5. Refuse to occupy the old niches, especially the ones we've trapped
ourselves in for the sake of peace and harmony.
6. Carry two gifts with us at all times in case we run into any fresh
beauties who aren't lost in their own heads.
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"To overcome our neural bias for negativity, we must repetitiously and
consciously generate as many positive thoughts as we can."
http://tinyurl.com/d3jhcxh
The article never advises us to refrain from saying no when discernment
and boundary-making are necessary. It argues that we have a neural bias,
a built-in biological predilection for negativity, that may have served our
distant ancestors but is now a deep handicap.
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Hypotheses: All of creation is set up to liberate us from our suffering and
teach us how to love intelligently. Life always gives us exactly what we
need, exactly when we need it -- although not necessarily what we want.
Hypothesis: If something is not beautiful, it is probably not true.
Hypothesis: Life is a sublime mystery designed to eventually grow us all
into strong, supple messiahs. (It may take a while.)
Hypothesis. Pop-nihilism is a prominent modern philosophy. Many
journalists, filmmakers, novelists, critics, talk-show hosts, musicians,
politicians, and pundits act as if breakdown is far more common and far
more interesting than breakthrough; that painful twists outnumber
redemptive transformations by a wide margin, and are profoundly more
entertaining as well.
More like this: The Honey and Vinegar Tasters" -
http://bit.ly/HoneyVinegar
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"Every minute of every hour of every day you are making the world, just
as you are making yourself, and you might as well do it with generosity
and kindness and style."
- Rebecca Solnit
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"Scientific American" chimes in on the power of pronoiac thinking: "Your
thoughts can release abilities beyond normal limits. Better vision, stronger
muscles -- expectations can have surprising effects." Excerpts:
"Thinking that we are limited is itself a limiting factor. There is
accumulating evidence that suggests that our thoughts are often capable
of extending our cognitive and physical limits.
"People have significant psychological resources to improve their well-
being and performance, but these resources often go unused and could
be better harnessed." The mind and body are not separate; our thoughts
have remarkable control over our bodies; and our mindsets are capable of
improving our brains' performance.
"If mindsets can change us, maybe we can deliberately choose our
mindsets to improve our abilities. We can choose to adopt a mindset that
improves creativity, for instance. People who think of categories as
flexible and actively focus on the novel aspects of the environment
become more creative."
More: http://tinyurl.com/pqc4am5
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
Howard G. Buffett has spent most of his life as a farmer, with little
financial support from his father -- until recently. Now he runs a
multibillion-dollar foundation dedicated to ending global hunger.
http://tinyurl.com/hosw9pm
Orangutan saves baby bird from drowning.
http://i.imgur.com/9vAOYuH.gifv
Here are this year's Goldman Environmental Prize recipients. They focus
on protecting endangered ecosystems and species, combating
destructive development projects, promoting sustainability, influencing
environmental policies and striving for environmental justice. Prize
recipients are ordinary citizens who take great personal risks to safeguard
the environment and their communities.
http://tinyurl.com/m5fdkv4
(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 May 5
Copyright 2016 by Rob Brezsny
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Your ability to accomplish magic is at a peak,
and will continue to soar for at least two more weeks. And when I use
that word "magic," I'm not referring to the hocus-pocus performed by
illusionists like Criss Angel or Harry Houdini. I'm talking about real feats of
transformation that will generate practical benefits in your day-to-day life.
Now study the following definitions by writer Somerset Maugham, and
have faith in your ability to embody them: "Magic is no more than the art
of employing consciously invisible means to produce visible effects. Will,
love, and imagination are magic powers that everyone possesses; and
whoever knows how to develop them to their fullest extent is a
magician."
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): According to author Vladimir Nabokov, the
Russian word *toska* means "a dull ache of the soul, a longing with
nothing to long for, a sick pining, a vague restlessness." Linguist Anna
Wierzbicka says it conveys an emotion that blends melancholy, boredom,
and yearning. Journalist Nick Ashdown suggests that for someone
experiencing *toska,* the thing that's yearned for may be "intangible and
impossible to actually obtain." How are doing with your own *toska,*
Gemini? Is it conceivable that you could escape it -- maybe even heal it? I
think you can. I think you will. Before you do, though, I hope you'll take
time to explore it further. *Toska* has more to teach you about the
previously hidden meaning of your life.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): "Gandhi's autobiography is on my pillow,"
writes Cancerian poet Buddy Wakefield. "I put it there every morning after
making my bed so I'll remember to read it before falling asleep. I've been
reading it for 6 years. I'm on Chapter 2." What's the equivalent
phenomenon in your world, my fellow Crab? What good deed or righteous
activity have you been pursuing with glacial diligence? Is there a healthy
change you've been thinking about forever, but not making much
progress on? The mood and the sway of the coming days will bring you a
good chance to expedite the process. In Wakefield's case, he could get up
to Chapter 17.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In the 16th century, European explorers searched
South America in quest of a mythical city of gold known as El Dorado.
Tibetan Buddhist tradition speaks of Shambhala, a magical holy kingdom
where only enlightened beings live. In the legends of ancient Greece,
Hyperborea was a sunny paradise where the average human life span was
a thousand years and happiness was normal. Now is an excellent time for
you to fantasize about your own version of utopia, Leo. Why? First, your
imagination is primed to expand. Second, dreaming big will be good for
your mental and physical health. There's another reason, too: By
envisioning the most beautiful world possible, you will mobilize your
idealism and boost your ability to create the best life for yourself in the
coming months.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): "Anytime you're going to grow, you're going
to lose something," said psychologist James Hillman. "You're losing what
you're hanging onto to keep safe. You're losing habits that you're
comfortable with, you're losing familiarity." I nominate these thoughts to
serve as your words of wisdom in the coming weeks, Virgo. From an
astrological perspective, you are in a phase when luxuriant growth is
possible. To harvest the fullness of the lush opportunities, you should be
willing to shed outworn stuff that might interfere.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): On Cracked.com, Auntie Meme tells us that
many commonly-held ideas about history are wrong. There were no such
things as chastity belts in the Middle Ages, for example. Napoleon's
soldiers didn't shoot off the nose of the Sphinx when they were stationed
in Egypt. In regards to starving peasants, Marie Antoinette never
derisively said, "Let them eat cake." And no Christians ever became meals
for lions in ancient Rome's Colosseum. (More: tinyurl.com/historicaljive.)
In the spirit of Auntie Meme's exposé, and in alignment with the
astrological omens, I invite you to uncover and correct at least three
fabrications, fables, and lies about your own past.
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MAYBE JOY IS AN ESSENTIAL SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE
Assume that your drive to experience pleasure and happiness isn't a
barrier to your spiritual growth, but is in fact essential to it. Proceed on
the hypothesis that cultivating joy can make you a more ethical and
compassionate person. Imagine that feeling good has something
important to teach you every day.
For inspiration in practicing this approach, tune in to your 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 astrology thingees help me remember who I really am." -
Gareth N., Toronto
"I never knew it was possible to get my butt kicked and my head patted
at the same time -- until I listened to you, Rob." -Kristi P., Portland, OR
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SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Poet Charles Wright marvels at the
hummingbird, "who has to eat sixty times his own weight a day just to
stay alive. Now that's a life on the edge." In the coming weeks, Scorpio,
your modus operandi may have resemblances to the hummingbird's
approach. I don't mean to suggest that you will be in a manic survival
mode. Rather, I expect you'll feel called to nourish your soul with more
intensity than usual. You'll need to continuously fill yourself up with
experiences that inspire, teach, and transform you.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): "Anybody can become angry," said
Greek philosopher Aristotle. "That is easy; but to be angry with the right
person, and to the right degree, and at the right time, for the right
purpose, and in the right way, that is not within everybody's power and is
not easy." I'm pleased to inform you, Sagittarius, that now is a time when
you have an exceptional capacity for meeting Aristotle's high standards.
In fact, I encourage you to honor and learn all you can from your finely-
honed and well-expressed anger. Make it work wonders for you. Use it so
constructively that no one can complain.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): To celebrate your arrival at the height of
your sex appeal, I'm resurrecting the old-fashioned word "vavoom." Feel
free to use it as your nickname. Pepper it into your conversations in place
of terms like "awesome," "wow," or "yikes." Use a felt-tip marker to make
a temporary VAVOOM tattoo on your beautiful body. Here are other
enchanted words you should take charge of and make an intimate part of
your daily presentation: verve, vim, vivid, vitality, vigor, voracious,
vivacious, visceral, valor, victory, and VIVA!
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): When he was a boy, Mayan poet Humberto
Ak'ab'al asked his mother, "What are those things that shine in the sky?"
"Bees," she answered mischievously. "Every night since then," Humberto
writes, "my eyes eat honey." In response to this lyrical play, the logical
part of our brains might rise up and say, "What a load of nonsense!" But I
will ask you to set aside the logical part of your brain for now, Aquarius.
According to my understanding of the astrological omens, the coming
days will be a time when you need a big dose of sweet fantasies, dreamy
stories, and maybe even beautiful nonsense. What are your equivalents of
seeing bees making honey in the night sky's pinpoints of light?
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): "Sometimes, a seemingly insignificant detail
reveals a whole world," says artist Pierre Cordier. "Like the messages
hidden by spies in the dot of an i." These are precisely the minutiae that
you should be extra alert for in the coming days, Pisces. Major revelations
may emerge from what at first seems trivial. Generous insights could
ignite in response to small acts of beauty and subtle shifts of tone. Do
you want glimpses of the big picture and the long-range future? Then be
reverent toward the fine points and modest specifics.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): "Silence is not silence, but a limit of hearing,"
writes Jane Hirshfield in her poem "Everything Has Two Endings." This
observation is apropos for you right now. There are potentially important
messages you're not registering and catalytic influences you can't detect.
But their apparent absence is due to a blank spot in your awareness, or
maybe a willful ignorance left over from the old days. Now here's the
good news: You are primed to expand your listening field. You have an
enhanced ability to open certain doors of perception that have been
closed. If you capitalize on this opportunity, silence will give way to
revelation.
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Homework: Thousands of amazing, inexplicable, even miraculous events
occur every day. Report yours: http://bit.ly/Amazement
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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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