Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
June 7, 2017
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See a pretty version of this newsletter: http://bit.ly/YouAreLife
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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.
RECEPTIVITY REMEDIES
To read the entire piece, go here: http://bit.ly/x11kmj
Alert, relaxed listening is the radical act at the heart of our pronoiac
practice. Curiosity is our primal state of awareness. Wise innocence is a
trick we aspire to master. Open-hearted skepticism is the light in our
eyes.
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To achieve what the Zen Buddhists call "beginner's mind," you dispense
with all preconceptions and enter each situation as if seeing it for the first
time.
"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities," wrote Shunryu
Suzuki in his book *Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind,* "but in the expert's there
are few."
As much as I love beginner's mind, though, I advocate an additional
discipline: cultivating a beginner's heart. That means approaching every
encounter imbued with a freshly invoked wave of love that is as pure as if
you're feeling it for the first time.
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To be the best pronoiac explorer you can be, I suggest you adopt an
outlook that combines the rigorous objectivity of a scientist, the
"beginner's mind" of Zen Buddhism, the "beginner's heart" of pronoia, and
the compassionate friendliness of the Dalai Lama.
Blend a scrupulously dispassionate curiosity with a skepticism driven by
expansiveness, not spleen.
To pull this off, you'll have to be willing to regularly suspend your brilliant
theories about the way the world works. Accept with good humor the
possibility that what you've learned in the past may not be a reliable
guide to understanding the fresh phenomenon that's right in front of you.
Be suspicious of your biases, even the rational and benevolent ones. Open
your heart as you strip away the interpretations that your emotions might
be inclined to impose.
"Before we can receive the unbiased truth about anything," wrote my
teacher Ann Davies, "we have to be ready to ignore what we would like to
be true."
At the same time, don't turn into a hard-ass, poker-faced robot. Keep
your feelings moist and receptive. Remember your natural affection for all
of creation. Enjoy the power of tender sympathy as it drives you to probe
for the unimaginable revelations of every new moment.
"Before we can receive the entire truth about anything," said Ann Davies,
"we have to love it."
. . . To read the rest of "RECEPTIVITY REMEDIES," go here:
http://bit.ly/x11kmj
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YOUR THOUGHTS ARE MAGIC
"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."
Excerpt:
"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."
http://tinyurl.com/pqc4am5
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THE MORE SPECIFIC YOUR GOALS, THE BETTER
"Having very broad and abstract goals may maintain and exacerbate
depression. Goals that are not specific are more ambiguous and,
therefore, harder to visualize. If goals are hard to visualize it may result
in reduced expectation of realizing them which in turn results in lower
motivation to try and achieve them."
- Researchers at the institute of Health, Psychology, and Society
http://tinyurl.com/nv6jdqq
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BEING KIND IS GOOD FOR YOU
Research shows:
1. Exercising compassion stimulates the same pleasure centers associated
with the drive for food, water and sex.
2. Practicing compassion with intention has a positive physiological effect
on the body. It can lower blood pressure, boost your immune response
and increase your calmness.
3. Not only are we hard-wired to be kind, but it is essential for the
survival of our species.
4. Recognizing common fears or vulnerabilities rather than differences --
be it with a difficult friend, an abrasive colleague or a noisy neighbor --
calms the nervous system, boosting feelings of contentment and self
worth.
More: http://tinyurl.com/n2m3t2t
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
Is your hometown a bit dreary? Kampung Pelangi, Indonesia was, and so
the residents painted their town rainbow.
http://tinyurl.com/y9t73jcg
Germany breaks a daily record for renewable energy, generating 85% of
its power from renewable sources on April 30.
http://tinyurl.com/ycknesjb
How Low-Income Mothers Are Breaking Into the Tech Industry
http://tinyurl.com/ybll2jj2
(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 June 8
Copyright 2017 by Rob Brezsny
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): "When I grow up, I'm not sure what I want to
be." Have you ever heard that thought bouncing around your mind,
Gemini? Or how about this one: "Since I can't decide what I want to be, I'll
just be everything." If you have been tempted to swear allegiance to
either of those perspectives, I suggest it's time to update your
relationship with them. A certain amount of ambivalence about
commitment and receptivity to myriad possibilities will always be
appropriate for you. But if you hope to fully claim your birthright, if you
long to ripen into your authentic self, you'll have to become ever-more
definitive and specific about what you want to be and do.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): As a Cancerian myself, I've had days when
I've stayed in bed from morning to nightfall, confessing my fears to my
imaginary friends and eating an entire cheesecake. As an astrologer, I've
noticed that these blue patches seem more likely to occur during the
weeks before my birthday each year. If you go through a similar blip any
time soon, here's what I recommend: Don't feel guilty about it. Don't
resist it. Instead, embrace it fully. If you feel lazy and depressed, get
REALLY lazy and depressed. Literally hide under the covers with your
headphones on and feel sorry for yourself for as many hours as it takes to
exhaust the gloom and emerge renewed.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In the early days of the Internet, "sticky" was a
term applied to websites that were good at drawing readers back again
and again. To possess this quality, a content provider had to have a knack
for offering text and images that web surfers felt an instinctive yearning
to bond with. I'm reanimating this term so I can use it to describe you.
Even if you don't have a website, you now have a soulful adhesiveness
that arouses people's urge to merge. Be discerning how you use this
stuff. You may be stickier than you realize!
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Ancient Mayans used chili and magnolia and
vanilla to prepare exotic chocolate drinks from cacao beans. The beverage
was sacred and prestigious to them. It was a centerpiece of cultural
identity and an accessory in religious rituals. In some locales, people were
rewarded for producing delectable chocolate with just the right kind and
amount of froth. I suspect, Virgo, that you will soon be asked to do the
equivalent of demonstrating your personal power by whipping up the best
possible chocolate froth. And according to my reading of the astrological
omens, the chances are good you'll succeed.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Do you have your visa for the wild side? Have
you packed your bag of tricks? I hope you'll bring gifts to dispense, just in
case you'll need to procure favors in the outlying areas where the rules
are a bit loose. It might also be a good idea to take along a skeleton key
and a snake-bite kit. You won't necessarily need them. But I suspect you'll
be offered magic cookies and secret shortcuts, and it would be a shame
to have to turn them down simply because you're unprepared for the
unexpected.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You're like a prince or princess who has been
turned into a frog by the spell of a fairy tale villain. This situation has
gone on for a while. In the early going, you retained a vivid awareness
that you had been transformed. But the memory of your origins has
faded, and you're no longer working so diligently to find a way to change
back into your royal form. Frankly, I'm concerned. This horoscope is
meant to remind you of your mission. Don't give up! Don't lose hope! And
take extra good care of your frog-self, please.
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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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"Your expanded horoscopes get more personal and intimate with me than
some of my closest friends. Thanks for the loving reflections."
- Ari S., Ann Arbor, MI
"When I listen to your audio 'scopes, my free will lights up." - Alex D., Los
Angeles
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SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): People might have ideas about you that
are at odds with how you understand yourself. For example, someone
might imagine that you have been talking trash about them -- even
though you haven't been. Someone else may describe a memory they
have about you, and you know it's a distorted version of what actually
happened. Don't be surprised if you hear even more outlandish tales, too,
like how you're stalking Taylor Swift or conspiring with the One World
Government to force all citizens to eat kale every day. I'm here to advise
you to firmly reject all of these skewed projections. For the immediate
future, it's crucial to stand up for your right to define yourself -- to be
the final authority on what's true about you.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): "God doesn't play dice with the universe,"
said Albert Einstein. In response, another Nobel Prize-winning physicist,
Niels Bohr, said to Einstein, "Stop giving instructions to God." I urge you
to be more like Bohr than Einstein in the coming weeks, Capricorn. As
much as possible, avoid giving instructions to anyone, including God, and
resist the temptation to offer advice. In fact, I recommend that you
abstain from passing judgment, demanding perfection, and trying to
compel the world to adapt itself to your definitions. Instead, love and
accept everything and everyone exactly as they are right now.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): *Lysistrata* is a satire by ancient Greek
playwright Aristophanes. It takes place during the war between Athens
and Sparta. The heroine convinces a contingent of women to withhold
sexual privileges from the soldiers until they stop fighting. "I will wear my
most seductive dresses to inflame my husband's ardor," says one. "But I
will never yield to his desires. I won't raise my legs towards the ceiling. I
will not take up the position of the Lioness on a Cheese Grater."
Regardless of your gender, Aquarius, your next assignment is twofold: 1.
Don't be like the women in the play. Give your favors with discerning
generosity. 2. Experiment with colorful approaches to pleasure like the
Lioness with a Cheese Grater, the Butterfly Riding the Lizard, the Fox
Romancing the River, and any others you can dream up.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Take your seasick pills. The waves will
sometimes be higher than your boat. Although I don't think you'll capsize,
the ride may be wobbly. And unless you have waterproof clothes, it's
probably best to just get naked. You WILL get drenched. By the way,
don't even fantasize about heading back to shore prematurely. You have
good reasons to be sailing through the rough waters. There's a special
"fish" out there that you need to catch. If you snag it, it will feed you for
months -- maybe longer.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): If you chose me as your relationship guide, I'd
counsel you and your closest ally to be generous with each other; to look
for the best in each other and praise each other's beauty and strength. If
you asked me to help foster your collaborative zeal, I'd encourage you to
build a shrine in honor of your bond -- an altar that would invoke the
blessings of deities, nature spirits, and the ancestors. If you hired me to
advise you on how to keep the fires burning and the juices flowing
between you two, I'd urge you to never compare your relationship to any
other, but rather celebrate the fact that it's unlike any other in the
history of the planet.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The Milky Way Galaxy contains more than 100
billion stars. If they were shared equally, every person on Earth could have
dominion over at least 14. I mention this because you're in a phase when
it makes sense for you to claim your 14. Yes, I'm being playful, but I'm
also quite serious. According to my analysis of the upcoming weeks, you
will benefit from envisaging big, imaginative dreams about the riches that
could be available to you in the future. How much money do you want?
How much love can you express? How thoroughly at home in the world
could you feel? How many warm rains would you like to dance beneath?
How much creativity do you need to keep reinventing your life? Be
extravagant as you fantasize.
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Homework: Even if you don't send it, write a letter to the person you
admire most. Share it with me at Freewillastrology.com.
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Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2017 Rob Brezsny
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