Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
May 3, 2017
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See a pretty version of this newsletter: http://bit.ly/YouKnowLove
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WHERE DOES HELP COME FROM?
I get many requests from people who are going through challenging times
in their lives and would like my personal advice. I wish I could respond to
these inquiries, because they are often profound and well-thought-out,
demonstrating an ability to define the problems at hand with lucid insight.
Unfortunately, I can't respond. My various lines of work are too
demanding to add any other tasks to my life, no matter how interesting
they might be. But I've developed a general response to those people who
seek my personal input. I'm offering it below.
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I'm honored that you regard me as someone who might be able to provide
answers or solace, but I don't think it would be responsible for me to fling
advice your way without knowing more about the complexities of your
problem. And I'm afraid I can't give the time necessary to explore those
complexities.
The only thing I'll suggest, as you seek to clarify your situation, is for you
to arrange to go on a retreat. During that time of withdrawal from the
world's everyday madness, I urge you to avoid all media and to be as
silent and relaxed as it's possible for you to be.
During the first part of your retreat, spend hours visualizing in your
mind's eye the entire story of your life, from the earliest memory to the
present moment.
During the second phase of your retreat, begin your meditations by
establishing contact with the highest source of wisdom and love within
you. You can call this source God or Goddess or your Guardian Angel or
Higher Self. Spend luxurious time in dialogue with this source, making sure
to ask these questions:
1. "What is it I want more than anything else?"
2. "What is the best way to serve the mission I came to Earth to carry
out? What are the very best gifts I have to offer other humans?"
3. "What path will allow me to ultimately learn the most about wise love?"
4. "How do I need to change in order to get what I want, carry out my
life's mission, and learn about wise love? What influences and attitudes do
I need to eliminate?"
During the third phase of the process, write out a mission statement:
what you want to accomplish by the time you die many years hence. Then
create a master plan of the actions you will take in order to make that
mission statement come true. Include three actions you will take in the
next month to get more serious about accomplishing your mission.
During the fourth phase, visualize the following scenarios in lush detail:
that God/Goddess loves you, that the entire universe is conspiring to give
you the lessons and blessings and kicks in the ass and liberations you
need exactly when you need them, and that you are ready to welcome
that love and guidance with all your heart.
P.S. I'm a big believer in trusting your intuition. Even if it doesn't lead you
to what your ego thinks is a successful outcome, your intuition will always
guide you to the experiences that your soul needs.
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"To love. To be loved. To never get used to the unspeakable violence and
the vulgar disparity of life around you. To seek joy in the saddest places.
To pursue beauty to its lair. To never simplify what is complicated or
complicate what is simple. To respect strength, never power. Above all,
to watch. To try and understand. To never look away. And never, never to
forget."
- Arundhati Roy
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"Apocalypse does not point to a fiery Armageddon but to the fact that
our ignorance and our complacency are coming to an end. Our divided,
schizophrenic worldview, with no mythology adequate to coordinate our
conscious and unconscious — that is what is coming to an end.
"The exclusivism of there being only one way in which we can be saved,
the idea that there is a single religious group that is in sole possession of
the truth — that is the world as we know it that must pass away.
"What is the kingdom? It lies in our realization of the ubiquity of the
divine presence in our neighbors, in our enemies, in all of us."
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- Joseph Campbell, "Thou Art That, Transforming Religious Metaphor"
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SPIRIT GATE
Some acupuncturists identify an energetic point in the ear called the spirit
gate. If it's stuck closed, the spirit is locked in; if it's stuck open, the spirit
is always coming and going, restless and unsettled.
What's ideal is that the spirit gate is not stuck in any position. Then the
spirit can come and go as it needs to, and also have the option of
retreating and protecting itself.
I invite you to imagine that right now a skilled acupuncturist is inserting a
needle in the top of your left ear, where it will remain for about 20
minutes. In the meantime, visualize your spirit gate being in that state of
harmonious health I described.
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
A small-town Iowa newspaper with a staff of 10 people -- most of whom
are related to each other -- has won a Pulitzer Prize for taking on powerful
agricultural companies over farm pollution. http://tinyurl.com/keyjctg
The US ranks 104th in the world for women's representation in
government but maybe things are shifting:
http://tinyurl.com/n5gmfb3
Wholesale energy prices dip below zero because of California's solar
power.
http://tinyurl.com/mumysxo
(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 4
Copyright 2017 by Rob Brezsny
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): When poet Wislawa Szymborska delivered her
speech for winning the Nobel Prize, she said that "whatever else we might
think of this world -- it is astonishing." She added that for a poet, there
really is no such thing as the "ordinary world," "ordinary life," and "the
ordinary course of events." In fact, "Nothing is usual or normal. Not a
single stone and not a single cloud above it. Not a single day and not a
single night after it. And above all, not a single existence, not anyone's
existence in this world." I offer you her thoughts, Taurus, because I
believe that in the next two weeks you will have an extraordinary
potential to feel and act on these truths. You are hereby granted a license
to be astonished on a regular basis.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Would you consider enrolling in my Self-Pity
Seminar? If so, you would learn that obsessing on self-pity is a means to
an end, not a morass to get lost in. You would feel sorry for yourself for
brief, intense periods so that you could feel proud and brave the rest of
the time. For a given period -- let's say three days -- you would indulge
and indulge and indulge in self-pity until you entirely exhausted that
emotion. Then you'd be free to engage in an orgy of self-healing, self-
nurturing, and self-celebration. Ready to get started? Ruminate about the
ways that people don't fully appreciate you.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): In a typical conversation, most of us utter too
many "uhs," "likes," "I means," and "you knows." I mean, I'm sure that . . .
uh . . . you'll agree that, like, what's the purpose of, you know, all that
pointless noise? But I have some good news to deliver about your
personal use of language in the coming weeks, Cancerian. According to
my reading of the astrological omens, you'll have the potential to
dramatically lower your reliance on needless filler. But wait, there's more:
Clear thinking and precise speech just might be your superpowers. As a
result, your powers of persuasion should intensify. Your ability to
advocate for your favorite causes may zoom.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In 1668, England named John Dryden its first
Poet Laureate. His literary influence was so monumental that the era in
which he published was known as the Age of Dryden. Twentieth-century
poetry great T. S. Eliot said he was "the ancestor of nearly all that is best
in the poetry of the eighteenth century." Curiously, Dryden had a low
opinion of Shakespeare. "Scarcely intelligible," he called the Bard, adding,
"His whole style is so pestered with figurative expressions that it is as
affected as it is coarse." I foresee a comparable clash of titans in your
sphere, Leo. Two major influences may fight it out for supremacy. One
embodiment of beauty may be in competition with another. One powerful
and persuasive force could oppose another. What will your role be?
Mediator? Judge? Neutral observer? Whatever it is, be cagey.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Just this once, and for a limited time only, you
have cosmic clearance to load up on sugary treats, leave an empty beer
can in the woods, watch stupid TV shows, and act uncool in front of the
Beautiful People. Why? Because being totally well-behaved and perfectly
composed and strictly pure would compromise your mental health more
than being naughty. Besides, if you want to figure out what you are on
the road to becoming, you will need to know more about what you're not.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In addition to fashion tips, advice for the
broken-hearted, midlife-crisis support, and career counseling, I sometimes
provide you with more mystical help. Like now. So if you need nuts-and-
bolts guidance, I hope you'll have the sense to read a more down-to-earth
horoscope. What I want to tell you is that the metaphor of resurrection is
your featured theme. You should assume that it's somehow the answer to
every question. Rejoice in the knowledge that although a part of you has
died, it will be reborn in a fresh guise.
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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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"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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SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): "Are you ready for the genie's favors? Don't
rub the magic lamp unless you are." That's the message I saw on an
Instagram meme. I immediately thought of you. The truth is that up until
recently, you have not been fully prepared for the useful but demanding
gifts the genie could offer you. You haven't had the self-mastery
necessary to use the gifts as they're meant to be used, and therefore
they were a bit dangerous to you. But that situation has changed.
Although you may still not be *fully* primed, you're as ready as you can
be. That's why I say: RUB THE MAGIC LAMP!
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): You may have heard the exhortation
"Follow your bliss!", which was popularized by mythologist Joseph
Campbell. After studying the archetypal stories of many cultures
throughout history, he concluded that it was the most important principle
driving the success of most heroes. Here's another way to say it: Identify
the job or activity that deeply excites you, and find a way to make it the
center of your life. In his later years, Campbell worried that too many
people had misinterpreted "Follow your bliss" to mean "Do what comes
easily." That's all wrong, he said. Anything worth doing takes work and
struggle. "Maybe I should have said, 'Follow your blisters,'" he laughed. I
bring this up, Sagittarius, because you are now in an intense "Follow your
blisters" phase of following your bliss.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The versatile artist Melvin Van Peebles has
enjoyed working as a filmmaker, screenwriter, actor, composer, and
novelist. One of his more recent efforts was a collaboration with the
experimental band The Heliocentrics. Together they created a science-
fiction-themed spoken-word poetry album titled *The Last Transmission.*
Peebles told NPR, "I haven't had so much fun with clothes on in years." If
I'm reading the planetary omens correctly Capricorn, you're either
experiencing that level of fun, or will soon be doing so.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In what ways do you most resemble your
mother? Now is a good time to take inventory. Once you identify any
mom-like qualities that tend to limit your freedom or lead you away from
your dreams, devise a plan to transform them. You may never be able to
defuse them entirely, but there's a lot you can do to minimize the
mischief they cause. Be calm but calculating in setting your intention,
Aquarius! P.S.: In the course of your inventory, you may also find there
are ways you are like your mother that are of great value to you. Is there
anything you could do to more fully develop their potential?
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): "We are what we imagine," writes Piscean
author N. Scott Momaday. "Our very existence consists in our imagination
of ourselves. Our best destiny is to imagine who and what we are. The
greatest tragedy that can befall us is to go unimagined." Let's make this
passage your inspirational keynote for the coming weeks. It's a perfect
time to realize how much power you have to create yourself through the
intelligent and purposeful use of your vivid imagination. (P.S. Here's a
further tip, this time from Cher: "All of us invent ourselves. Some of us
just have more imagination than others.")
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Beware of feeling sorry for sharks that yell for
help. Beware of trusting coyotes that act like sheep and sheep that act
like coyotes. Beware of nibbling food from jars whose contents are
different from what their labels suggest. But wait! "Beware" is not my
only message for you. I have these additional announcements: Welcome
interlopers if they're humble and look you in the eyes. Learn all you can
from predators and pretenders without imitating them. Take advantage of
any change that's set in motion by agitators who shake up the status
quo, even if you don't like them.
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Homework: Which of your dead ancestors would you most like to talk to?
Imagine a conversation with one of them.
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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
2017 Rob Brezsny
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