Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
February 22, 2017
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See a pretty version of this newsletter: http://bit.ly/2kGzgYD
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DREAM AND SCHEME ABOUT YOUR LONG-RANGE FUTURE
with my 3-part EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES for 2017.
My long-range, big-picture audio horoscopes for the coming months are
still available for a few more weeks.
Who do you want to become between now and January 2018? Where do
you want to go and what do you want to do? How can you exert your
free will to create adventures that'll bring out the best in you, even as
you find graceful ways to cooperate with the tides of destiny?
To listen to these three-part, in-depth reports, go here:
http://RealAstrology.com.
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, and Part 3. Each part is a standalone report, not dependent on the
other two.
If you'd like a boost of inspiration to fuel you in your quest for beauty and
truth and love and meaning, tune in to my meditations on your Big-Picture
outlook.
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Each of the three-part reports is seven to nine minutes long. The cost is
$6 per report. There are discounts for the purchase of multiple reports.
P.S. You can also listen to a short-term Expanded Audio Horoscope for
the coming week.
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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 is an excerpt.
THE OUTLAW CATALOG OF CAGEY OPTIMISM
(The complete text is here: http://bit.ly/CageyOptimism)
Psychiatry and psychotherapy obsess on what's wrong with people and
give short shrift to what's right. The manual of these professions is a
991-page textbook called the *DSM-V.* It identifies scores of pathological
states but no healthy ones.
Some time back, I began to complain about this fact, and asked readers
to help me compile material for a proposed antidote, the Anti-DSM -- a
compendium of healthy, exalted, positive states of being. As their entries
came in, we at the Beauty and Truth Laboratory were inspired to dream
up some of our own. Below is part one of our initial attempt at creating
an *Anti-DSM-V,* or as we also like to call it, "The Outlaw Catalog of
Cagey Optimism."
* ACUTE FLUENCY. Happily immersed in artistic creation or scientific
exploration; lost in a trance-like state of inventiveness that's both blissful
and taxing; surrendered to a state of grace in which you're fully engaged
in a productive, compelling, and delightful activity. The joy of this
demanding, rewarding state is intensified by a sense that time has been
suspended, and is rounder and deeper than usual. (Suggested by H. H.
Holiday, who reports that extensive studies in this state have been done
by Mihaly Cziscenmihaliy in his book, *Flow: The Psychology of Optimal
Experience.*)
* AESTHETIC BLISS. Vividly experiencing the colors, textures, tones,
scents, and rhythms of the world around you, creating a symbiotic
intimacy that dissolves the psychological barriers between you and what
you observe. (Suggested by Jeanne Grossetti.)
* AGGRESSIVE SENSITIVITY. Animated by a strong determination to be
receptive and empathetic.
* ALIGNMENT WITH THE INFINITY OF THE MOMENT. Reveling in the
liberating realization that we are all exactly where we need to be at all
times, even if some of us are temporarily in the midst of trial or
tribulation, and that human evolution is proceeding exactly as it should,
even if we can't see the big picture of the puzzle that would clarify how
all the pieces fit together perfectly. (Suggested by Meredith Jones.)
* AUTONOMOUS NURTURING. Not waiting for someone to give you what
you can give yourself. (Suggested by Shannen Davis.)
* BASKING IN ELDER WISDOM. A state of expansive ripeness achieved
through listening to the stories of elders. (Suggested by Annabelle
Aavard.)
* BIBLIOBLISS. Transported into states of transcendent pleasure while
immersed in reading a favorite book. (Suggested by Catherine Kaikowska.)
* BLASPHEMOUS REVERENCE. Acting on the knowledge that the most
efficacious form of devotion to the Divine Wow is tinctured with playful or
mischievous behavior that prevents the buildup of fanaticism.
* BOO-DUH NATURE. Dwelling in the blithe understanding of the fact that
worry is useless because most of what we worry about never happens.
(Suggested by Timothy S. Wallace.)
* COMIC INTROSPECTION. Being fully aware of your own foibles while still
loving yourself tenderly and maintaining confidence in your ability to give
your specific genius to the world. To paraphrase Alan Jones, Dean of
Grace Cathedral: following the Byzantine ploys of your ego with
compassion and humor as it tries to make itself the center of everything,
even of its own suffering and struggle.
* COMPASSIONATE DISCRIMINATION. Having astute judgment without
being scornfully judgmental; seeing difficult truths about a situation or
person without closing your heart or feeling superior. In the words of Alan
Jones: having the ability "to smell a rat without allowing your ability to
discern deception sour your vision of the glory and joy that is everyone's
birthright."
* CRAZED KINDNESS. Having frequent, overpowering urges to bestow
gifts, disseminate inspiration, and perpetrate random acts of benevolence.
* ECSTATIC GRATITUDE. Feeling genuine thankfulness with such
resplendent intensity that you generate a surge of endorphins in your
body and slip into a full-scale outbreak of euphoria.
* EMANCIPATED SURRENDER. Letting go of an attachment without
harboring resentment toward the stimuli that led to the necessity of
letting go. (Suggested by Timothy S. Wallace.)
* FRIENDLY SHOCK. Welcoming a surprise that will ultimately have
benevolent effects.
* HIGHWAY EQUANIMITY. Feeling serene, polite, and benevolent while
driving in heavy traffic. (Suggested by Shannen Davis.)
* HOLY LISTENING. Hearing the words of another human being as if they
were a direct communication from the Divine Wow to you.
* IMAGINATIVE TRUTH-TELLING. Conveying the truth of any specific
situation from multiple angles, thereby mitigating the distortions that
result from assuming the truth can be told from a single viewpoint.
* IMPULSIVE LOVE SPREADING. Characterized by a fierce determination to
never withhold well-deserved praise, inspirational encouragement, positive
feedback, or loving thoughts; often includes a tendency to write love
letters on the spur of the moment and on any medium, including napkins,
grocery bags, and skin. (Suggested by Laurie Burton.)
* INADVERTENT NATURE WORSHIP. Experiencing the rapture that comes
from being outside for extended periods of time. (Suggested by Sue Carol
Robinson.)
* INGENIOUS INTIMACY. Having an ability to consistently create deep
connections with other human beings, and to use the lush, reverential
excitement stimulated by such exchanges to further deepen the
connections. A well-crafted talent for dissolving your sense of
separateness and enjoying the innocent exultation that erupts in the wake
of the dissolution. (Suggested by Sue Carol Robinson.)
* JOYFUL POIGNANCE. Feeling buoyantly joyful about the beauty and
mystery of life while remaining aware of the sadness, injustices, wounds,
and future fears that form the challenges in an examined life. (Suggested
by Alka Bhargava.)
* LATE LATE-BLOOMING. Having a capacity for growth spurts well into old
age, long past the time that conventional wisdom says they're possible.
* LEARNING DELIGHT. Experiencing the brain-reeling pleasure that comes
from learning something new. (Suggested by Sue Carol Robinson.)
* LUCID DREAM PATRIOTISM. A love of country rooted in the fact that it
provides the ideal conditions for learning lucid dreaming. (Suggested by
Kenneth Kelzer, author of *The Sun and the Shadow: My Experiment With
Lucid Dreaming.*)
* LYRICAL CONSONANCE. Experiencing the visceral yet also cerebral
excitement that comes from listening to live music played impeccably by
skilled musicians. (Suggested by Susan E. Nace.)
TO SEE THE REST OF THE EXALTED, POSITIVE STATES, GO HERE:
http://bit.ly/CageyOptimism
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
Investors with $2.8 trillion in assets unite against Donald Trump's climate
change denial. As U.S. President ramps up support for fossil fuels, some
of the world's biggest funds demand end to coal and oil subsidies.
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Compared with 1990, there are 17,000 fewer child deaths every day.
This is equivalent to averting the crashes of 27 jumbo jets full of children
every single day.
http://tinyurl.com/j3om2rm
Giving Access to Free and Low-Cost Birth Control Saves the U.S.
Government at Least $17 billion a Year.
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(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 23
Copyright 2017 by Rob Brezsny
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): What would your best mother do in a
situation like this? Please note that I'm not asking, "What would your
mother do?" I'm not suggesting you call on the counsel of your actual
mother. When I use the term "your best mother," I'm referring to the
archetype of your perfect mother. Imagine a wise older woman who
understands you telepathically, loves you unconditionally, and wants you
to live your life according to your own inner necessity, not hers or anyone
else's. Visualize her. Call on her. Seek her blessings.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): My astrological radar suggests there's a
space-time anomaly looming just ahead of you. Is it a fun and exotic limbo
where the rules are flexible and everything's an experiment? That might
be cool. Or is it more like an alien labyrinth where nothing is as it seems,
you can hear howling in the distance, and you barely recognize yourself?
That might be weird. What do you think? Is it worth the gamble? If so, full
speed ahead. If not, I suggest a course correction.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Someone on Reddit.com asked readers to
respond to the question, "What is the most liberating thought you've
ever had?" Among the replies were the following six: 1. "If new evidence
presents itself, it's okay to change my beliefs." 2. "I get to choose who's
in my life and who isn't." 3. "I am not my history." 4. "You can't change
something that has already happened, so stop worrying about it." 5. "I am
not, nor will I ever be, conventionally beautiful." 6. "I don't have to
respond to people when they say stupid s--- to me." I hope these
testimonies inspire you to come up with several of your own, Taurus. It's
a perfect time to formulate liberating intentions.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): It has been a while since I told you that I love
you. So I'm doing it now. I LOVE YOU. More than you could ever imagine.
And that's why I continue to offer these horoscopes to you free of
charge, with no strings attached. That's why I work so hard to be a
playful therapist and an edgy mentor for you. That's why I am so
tenacious in my efforts to serve you as a feminist father figure and a
kindly devil's advocate and a sacred cheerleader. Again, I don't expect
anything in return from you. But if you would like to express your
appreciation, you could do so by offering a similar type of well-crafted
care to people in your own sphere. Now would be an excellent time to
give such gifts.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): "I like the word 'bewilderment' because it has
both 'be' and 'wild' in it," says poet Peter Gizzi. I propose that you go
even further, Cancerian: Express a fondness for the actual experience of
bewilderment as well as the word. In fact, be willing to not just tolerate,
but actually embrace the fuzzy blessings of bewilderment. In the coming
weeks, that's your ticket to being wild in the healthiest (and wealthiest)
ways. As you wander innocently through the perplexing mysteries that
make themselves available, you'll be inspired to escape formalities and
needless rules that have kept you overly tame.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Are you familiar with psychologist Carl Jung's
concept of the shadow? It's the unflattering or uncomfortable part of you
that you would prefer to ignore or suppress. It's the source of behavior
about which you later say, "I wasn't acting like myself." Jungians say that
the shadow hounds you and wounds you to the degree that you refuse to
deal with it. But if you negotiate with it, it leads you to beautiful
surprises. It prods you to uncover riches you've hidden from yourself. I
mention this, Leo, because any shadow work you do in the coming weeks
could generate rather spectacular breakthroughs.
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EXPLORING THE BIG PICTURE OF YOUR LONG-RANGE FUTURE
Would you like some inspiration as you muse and wonder about your
upcoming adventures in 2017?
You can still listen to my long-range, in-depth explorations of your destiny
in the coming months. Each report in the three-part series is 7 to 9
minutes long.
Go to http://RealAstrology.com to register and/or sign in through the
main page.
Then access the horoscopes by clicking on "Long Range Prediction."
Choose from Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. Each part is a standalone report,
not dependent on the other two.
A new short-range forecast for this week is also available.
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"I don't much believe in astrology. But that doesn't seem to get in the
way of me deriving a whole lot of benefits from your expanded audio
horoscopes."
- A. Arrosto, Indianapolis
"You have an amazing aptitude for cutting through the lies I tell myself.
Thanks for the gentle shocks."
- T. Preneris, Toronto
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VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): You could make a vow like this: "Between now
and April 15, I will be relentless in getting my needs met. I will harbor a
steely resolve to call on every ploy necessary to ensure that my deepest
requirements are not just gratified, but satiated to the max. I will be a
dogged and ferocious seeker of absolute fulfillment." If you want to swear
an oath like that, Virgo, I understand. But I hope you will try a softer
approach -- more like the following: "Between now and April 15, I will be
imaginative and ingenious in getting my needs met. I will have fun calling
on every trick necessary to ensure that my deepest requirements are
playfully addressed. I will be a sweet seeker of unpredictable fulfillment."
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): How would Buddha ask for a raise or
promotion? How would Jesus tinker with his career plans as he took into
consideration large-scale shifts in the economy? How would Confucius try
to infuse new approaches and ideas into the status quo of his work
environment? Ruminate deeply on these matters, dear Libra. Your
yearning to be more satisfyingly employed may soon be rewarded --
especially if you infuse your ambitions with holy insight. How would Joan
of Arc break through the glass ceiling? How would Harriet Tubman deal
with the inefficiencies caused by excess testosterone? How would
Hildegard of Bingen seek more emotional richness on the job?
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): I suspect you would benefit from acquiring a
new bedroom name, my dear. But should I be the one to give it to you?
I'm not sure. Maybe you could invite a practical dreamer you adore to
provide you with this crazy sweet new moniker. If there is no such person
to do the job (although given the current astrological omens, I bet there
is), I'll offer the following array of amorous aliases for you to choose from:
Wild Face . . . Kiss Genius . . . Thrill Witch . . . Freaky Nectar . . . Boink
Master . . . Lust Moxie . . . Pearly Thunder . . . Peach Licker . . . Painkiller .
. . Silky Bliss . . . Slippery Diver . . . Swoon Craver.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Soon I'll be off on my first vacation in
18 months. At first glance it might seem odd for an astrologer like myself
to have selected two Sagittarians to be my housesitters. Members of your
sign are reputed to be among the least home-nurturing people in the
zodiac. But I'm confident that by the time I return, raccoons won't be
living in my kitchen, nor will my plants be dead or my snailmail stolen or
my TV broken. The current astrological omens suggest that most of you
Centaurs, at least for the foreseeable future, will display an uncommon
aptitude for the domestic arts.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The near future will be mutable, whimsical,
and fluky. It'll be serendipitous, mercurial, and extemporaneous. You
should expect happy accidents and lucky breaks. Your ability to improvise
will be quite valuable. Do you believe in lucky numbers? Even if you don't,
yours will be 333. Your sacred password will be "quirky plucky." The
cartoon characters with whom you will have most in common are Bugs
Bunny and Roadrunner. The place where you're most likely to encounter a
crucial teaching is a threshold or thrift shop. Your colors of destiny will be
flecked and dappled. (P.S.: I suspect that an as-yet-undiscovered talisman
of power is crammed in a drawer full of junk.)
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Treat your body like a sublime temple,
please. And regard your imagination as a treasured sanctuary. Be very
choosy about what you allow to enter in to both of those holy places.
This strategy is always a wise idea, of course, but it's especially so now,
when you are extra sensitive to the influences you absorb. It's crucial that
you express maximum discernment as you determine which foods, drinks,
drugs, images, sounds, and ideas are likely to foster your maximum well-
being -- and which aren't. Be a masterful caretaker of your health and
sanity.
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Homework: Find a new person or institution you can eagerly and earnestly
respect. Report on your triumph at Freewillastrology.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,
including but not limited to newsletters, books, the Free Will
Astrology column, and Free Will Astrology website. We reserve
the right to edit submissions for length, style, and content.
Requests for anonymity will be honored. We are not responsible for
unsolicited submission of any creative material.
Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2017 Rob Brezsny
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