Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
May 10, 2017
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See a pretty version of this newsletter: http://bit.ly/2qKGtsJ
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If you would like to support my ongoing work, please visit my Virtual Tip
Jar at Paypal. It's here: https://paypal.me/FreeWillAstrology
You can also contribute to my work by buying the Expanded Audio
Horoscopes I create every week. These forecasts are different in tone and
content from the written horoscopes I provide here. They're my four- to
five-minute-long ruminations about the current chapter of your life story.
They're available at http://RealAstrology.com.
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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.
"I pledge to see my problems as tremendous opportunities and my flaws
as imperfect or unripe talents."
"I pledge to remember that I am not only a sweating, half-asleep,
excitable, bumbling jumble of desires, but that I am also an immortal four-
dimensional messiah in continuous telepathic touch with all of creation."
"As long as I live, I vow to die and be reborn, die and be reborn, die and
be reborn, over and over again, forever reinventing myself."
"I vow to love and honor both the life I wish I had and the life I actually
have. I vow to love and honor my highs and my lows, my yeses and noes,
my give and my take.
"I pledge to wake myself up, never hold back, have nothing to lose, go all
the way, kiss the stormy sky, be the hero of my own story, ask for
everything I need and give everything I have, take myself to the river
when it's time to go to the river, and take myself to the mountaintop
when it's time to go to the mountaintop."
"I promise to be stronger than hate, wetter than water, deeper than the
abyss, and wilder than the sun."
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IMAGINAL HYGIENE
"Imaginal hygiene is the inner art of self-managing your imagination, to
defend it from forces that compromise, pollute, colonize, shrink, and
sterilize it, and to cultivate those that illuminate, expand, and nourish it."
The above is an excerpt from a wonderful piece by M. T. Xen, which I
highly recommend. http://tinyurl.com/q4wxvj9
You can also listen to my six-minute take on the power of your
imagination here: http://bit.ly/lovesmart.
Or read my piece here: http://bit.ly/1RZgPVe
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THE 80% RULE
Readers of my horoscope column "Free Will Astrology" are sometimes
surprised when I say I only believe in astrology about 80 percent. "You're
a quack?!" they cry. Not at all, I explain. I've been a passionate student of
the ancient art for years. About the time my over-educated young brain
was on the verge of desertification, crazy wisdom showed up in the guise
of astrology, moistening my soul just in time to save it.
"But what about the other 20 percent?" they press on. "Are you saying
your horoscopes are only partially true?"
I assure them that my doubt proves my love. By cultivating a tender,
cheerful skepticism, I inoculate myself against the virus of fanaticism. This
ensures that astrology will be a supple tool in my hands, an adaptable art
form, and not a rigid, explain-it-all dogma that over-literalizes and distorts
the mysteries it seeks to illuminate.
Read the rest of this essay: http://bit.ly/167qJ3j
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I AM YOU AND YOU ARE ME AND WE ARE ALL TOGETHER
"Feelings, whether of compassion or irritation, should be welcomed,
recognized, and treated on an absolutely equal basis; because both are
ourselves.
"The tangerine I am eating is me. The mustard greens I am planting are
me. I plant with all my heart and mind. I clean this teapot with the kind of
attention I would have were I giving the baby Buddha or Jesus a bath.
"Nothing should be treated more carefully than anything else. In
mindfulness, compassion, irritation, mustard green plant, and teapot are
all sacred."
~ Thich Nhat Hanh, "The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the
Practice of Meditation"
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LIVING IN THE INQUIRY
"I find that a lot of people are more invested in position-taking than they
are in the inquiry. Generally speaking, I am in the inquiry. I live in the
question. People have so many positions, and usually the evidence is not
strong enough for them really to be so confident in those conclusions.
There are just a lot of things that are not certain."
- Jerry Brown, quoted in "The Atlantic"
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
The city of Philadelphia reduced total crime by 23% in 10 years.
http://tinyurl.com/lq58hld
Overfishing in U.S. waters is at a historic low, with only 16% of US stocks
overfished compared to 63% globally. 39 fisheries have recovered from
overfishing since the 1990s.
http://tinyurl.com/mxrvhux
New method for tapping vast plant pharmacopeia to make more effective
drugs.
http://tinyurl.com/lghq7tr
(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 11
Copyright 2017 by Rob Brezsny
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): "Kiss the flame and it is yours," teased the
poet Thomas Lux. What do you think he was hinting at? It's a
metaphorical statement, of course. You wouldn't want to literally thrust
your lips and tongue into a fire. But according to my reading of the
astrological omens, you might benefit from exploring its meanings. Where
to begin? May I suggest you *visualize* making out with the steady burn
at the top of a candle? My sources tell me that doing so at this particular
moment in your evolution will help kindle a new source of heat and light in
your deep self -- a fresh fount of glowing power that will burn sweet and
strong like a miniature sun.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Your symbol of power during the next three
weeks is a key. Visualize it. What picture pops into your imagination? Is it
a bejeweled golden key like what might be used to access an old treasure
chest? Is it a rustic key for a garden gate or an oversized key for an
ornate door? Is it a more modern thing that locks and unlocks car doors
with radio waves? Whatever you choose, Gemini, I suggest you enshrine it
in as an inspirational image in the back of your mind. Just assume that it
will subtly inspire and empower you to find the metaphorical "door" that
leads to the next chapter of your life story.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): You are free to reveal yourself in your full
glory. For once in your life, you have cosmic clearance to ask for
everything you want without apology. This is the LATER you have been
saving yourself for. Here comes the reward for the hard work you've been
doing that no one has completely appreciated. If the universe has any
prohibitions or inhibitions to impose, I don't know what they are. If old
karma has been preventing the influx of special dispensations and helpful
X-factors, I suspect that old karma has at least temporarily been
neutralized.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): "I don't want to be at the mercy of my
emotions," said Irish writer Oscar Wilde. "I want to use them, to enjoy
them, and to dominate them." In my opinion, that may be one of the
most radical vows ever formulated. Is it even possible for us human
beings to gracefully manage our unruly flow of feelings? What you do in
the coming weeks could provide evidence that the answer to that
question might be yes. According to my reading of the astrological
omens, you are now in a position to learn more about this high art than
ever before.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Africa's highest mountain is Mount Kilimanjaro.
Though it's near the equator, its peak is covered year-round with glaciers.
In 2001, scientists predicted that global warming would melt them all by
2015. But that hasn't happened. The ice cap is still receding slowly. It
could endure for a while, even though it will eventually disappear. Let's
borrow this scenario as a metaphor for your use, Virgo. First, consider the
possibility that a certain thaw in your personal sphere isn't unfolding as
quickly as you anticipated. Second, ruminate on the likelihood that it will,
however, ultimately come to pass. Third, adjust your plans accordingly.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Will sex be humdrum and predictable in the
coming weeks? No! On the contrary. Your interest in wandering out to the
frontiers of erotic play could rise quite high. You may be animated and
experimental in your approach to intimate communion, whether it's with
another person or with yourself. Need any suggestions? Check out the
"butterflies-in-flight" position or the "spinning wheel of roses" maneuver.
Try the "hum-and-chuckle kissing dare" or the "churning radiance while
riding the rain cloud" move. Or just invent your own variations and give
them funny names that add to the adventure.
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WHY IS IT CALLED "FREE WILL" ASTROLOGY?
It's called Free Will Astrology because my goal is to create horoscopes
that nurture your free will!
And if you ever want more than the 'scopes you're reading here, keep in
mind that I also create EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES for you. They're
four-to-five-minute meditations on the current state of your destiny.
Need more help in figuring out the questions life is asking you? Crave
more support in your efforts to build your courage? Check out the
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.
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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SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Right now the word "simplicity" is irrelevant.
You've got silky profundities to play with, slippery complications to relish,
and lyrical labyrinths to wander around in. I hope you use these
opportunities to tap into more of your subterranean powers. From what I
can discern, your deep dark intelligence is ready to provide you with a
host of fresh clues about who you really are and where you need to go.
P.S.: You can become better friends with the shadows without
compromising your relationship to the light.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): You can bake your shoes in the oven at
350 degrees for 40 minutes, but that won't turn them into loaves of
bread. Know what I'm saying, Sagittarius? Just because a chicken has
wings doesn't mean it can fly over the rainbow. Catch my drift? You'll
never create a silk purse out of dental floss and dead leaves. That's why I
offer you the following advice: In the next two weeks, do your best to
avoid paper tigers, red herrings, fool's gold, fake news, Trojan horses,
straw men, pink elephants, convincing pretenders, and invisible bridges.
There'll be a reward if you do: close encounters with shockingly beautiful
honesty and authenticity that will be among your most useful blessings of
2017.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Of all the signs of the zodiac, you
Capricorns are the least likely to believe in mythical utopias like Camelot
or El Dorado or Shambhala. You tend to be uber-skeptical about the
existence of legendary vanished riches like the last Russian czar's Fabergé
eggs or King John's crown jewels. And yet if wonderlands and treasures
like those really do exist, I'm betting that some may soon be discovered
by Capricorn explorers. Are there unaccounted-for masterpieces by
Georgia O'Keeffe buried in a basement somewhere? Is the score of a lost
Mozart symphony tucked away in a seedy antique store? I predict that
your tribe will specialize in unearthing forgotten valuables, homing in on
secret miracles, and locating missing mother lodes.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): According to my lyrical analysis of the
astrological omens, here are examples of the kinds of experiences you
might encounter in the next 21 days: 1. interludes that reawaken
memories of the first time you fell in love; 2. people who act like helpful,
moon-drunk angels just in the nick of time; 3. healing music or
provocative art that stirs a secret part of you -- a sweet spot you had
barely been aware of; 4. an urge arising in your curious heart to speak the
words, "I invite lost and exiled beauty back into my life."
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Ex-baseball player Eric DuBose was pulled
over by Florida cops who spotted him driving his car erratically. They
required him to submit to a few tests, hoping to determine whether he
had consumed too much alcohol. "Can you recite the alphabet?" they
asked. "I'm from the great state of Alabama," DuBose replied, "and they
have a different alphabet there." I suggest, Pisces, that you try similar
gambits whenever you find yourself in odd interludes or tricky transitions
during the coming days -- which I suspect will happen more than usual.
Answer the questions you want to answer rather than the ones you're
asked, for example. Make jokes that change the subject. Use the powers
of distraction and postponement. You'll need extra slack, so seize it!
ARIES (March 21-April 19): The process by which Zoo Jeans are
manufactured is unusual. First, workers wrap and secure sheets of denim
around car tires or big rubber balls, and take their raw creations to the
Kamine Zoo in Hitachi City, Japan. There the denim-swaddled objects are
thrown into pits where tigers or lions live. As the beasts roughhouse with
their toys, they rip holes in the cloth. Later, the material is retrieved and
used to sew the jeans. Might this story prove inspirational for you in the
coming weeks? I suspect it will. Here's one possibility: You could arrange
for something wild to play a role in shaping an influence you will have an
intimate connection with.
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Homework: If you knew you were going to live to 100, what would you do
differently in the next five years? Testify 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,
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Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2017 Rob Brezsny
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