Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
August 16, 2017
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See a pretty version of this newsletter: http://bit.ly/YouCreateLife
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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 imagine the possibility of establishing a tradition of uplifting gossip, full
of praise and gratitude. What about, if instead of naming the shadowy
aspects of our friends and acquaintances behind their backs, we
identified, celebrated, and propitiated their divine glory and shining
wonder?
Vow: I name the most beautiful truths about everyone I meet. I extol and
congratulate. Cherish and cultivate. Quicken and animate.
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WHAT PART OF YOUR LIFE DO YOU NEED TO SHED?
Here's a letter we wrote to America's richest woman, Oprah Winfrey.
"Dear Oprah," we began. "Please buy up all the Pizza Huts and convert
them into a network of Menstrual Huts. Create 10,000 or 100,000 local
neighborhood sanctuaries where women can retreat while they're in the
throes of their monthly appointment with dying and purification -- or any
time they need a break from the tyranny of the clock.
"Let the men come, too. They need sabbaticals. We're all desperate for a
regular chance to drop out of the crazy-making grind, to find respite from
civilizations' crimes against the rhythms of sleep and love and play.
"Men may actually need the Menstrual Huts even more than women. They
mistakenly imagine that they can drive themselves on and on and on.
Their poor bodies don't have a built-in menstrual mechanism to cyclically
slow them down. And so they mostly never stop to peer into the heart of
their own darkness. Which is why so many of them tend to find evil
everywhere else except in themselves, and fight it everywhere else except
in themselves.
"Just a theory to consider: If men got a chance to have periodic
breakdowns and negotiate in a safe place with the toxic feelings that just
naturally build up inside everyone over time, maybe they wouldn't wreak
so much havoc out in the world. Maybe Menstrual Huts would save the
world."
Our letter to Oprah went on for two more pages, but you get the gist.
She has not yet responded to our plea.
In the meantime, we suggest that anyone who's interested create their
own local Moon Lodges and Menstrual Huts. Here's a list of self-inquiries
that could help to guide the time in the sanctuary
1. What feelings and intuitions have you been trying to ignore lately?
2. Which parts of your life are overdue for death?
3. What messages has life been trying to convey to you but which you've
chosen to ignore?
4. What red herrings, straw men, and scapegoats have you chased after
obsessively in order to avoid dissolving your most well-rationalized
delusions?
5. What unripe parts of yourself are you most ashamed or fearful of? How
can you give those parts more ingenious love?
6. What parts of yourself have the least integrity and don't act in
harmony with what you regard as your highest values? How can you bring
them into alignment with your true desires?
7. Is it possible that in repressing things about yourself that you don't
like, you have also disowned potentially strong and beautiful aspects of
yourself? What are they?
8. Are those really flaws that are bugging you about the people whose
destinies are entwined with yours, or just incompletely developed talents?
Are those really flaws that are bugging you about yourself, or merely
incompletely developed talents?
9. Some people try to deny their portion of the world's darkness and
project it onto individuals or groups they dislike. Others acknowledge its
power so readily that they allow themselves to be overwhelmed by it. We
believe in taking an in-between position, accepting it as an unworked gift
that can serve our liberation. Where do you stand?
10. It's easy to see fanaticism, rigidity, and intolerance in other people,
but harder to acknowledge them in yourself. Do you dare?
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YOU ARE MY INSPIRATION AND FOLLY
"You are my inspiration and my folly. You are my light across the sea, my
million nameless joys, and my day's wage. You are my divinity, my
madness, my selfishness, my transfiguration and purification. You are my
rapscallionly fellow vagabond, my tempter and star. I want you."
Experiment: Memorize the lines above, which were written by George
Bernard Shaw, and deliver them to the one with whom you'd most like to
weave your fortunes more closely together. If there is no human you feel
moved to address so tenderly, speak them to a favorite muse or angel.
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TRACK DOWN THE SPIRIT IN ITS LAIR
"The goal is to break through the machinery of cultural conditioning, in
the same way that the shaman does, and to attempt to discover
something authentic—something authentic outside the self-generated
language cloud. And what this authentic thing is, is that the universal
mind is alive, is sentient, is perceiving, is there to meet you when you
come through from the other side.
"So we're not talking about psychedelics as a spotlight to be turned on to
reveal the detritus of our own personal unconscious. It is not a spotlight.
It is not shining from behind you; it is shining ahead of you. The same
organizational principles that called us forth into self-reflection has called
forth self-reflection out of the planet itself.
"And the problem then is for us to suspect this, act on our suspicion, and
be good detectives and track down the spirit in its lair. And this is what
shamans are doing. They are hunters of spirit."
- Terence McKenna
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
Eleven Essential Native American Films You Can Watch Online
tinyurl.com/z8w3hbe
Wyoming embraces wind energy, and the jobs that come with it. Wind
turbine jobs are expected to be the fastest growing jobs in America
between now and 2024, growing 108%.
tinyurl.com/y7wdy3mh
A New Zealand River Has Human Rights.
tinyurl.com/y9w7z5j5
(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 August 17
Copyright 2017 by Rob Brezsny
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): "If you love someone, set them free," said New
Age author Richard Bach. "If they come back, they're yours; if they don't,
they never were." By using my well-educated intellect to transmute this
hippy-dippy thought into practical advice, I came up with a wise strategy
for you to consider as you re-evaluate your relationships with allies. Try
this: Temporarily suspend any compulsion you might have to change or fix
these people; do your best to like them and even love them exactly as
they are. Ironically, granting them this freedom to be themselves may
motivate them to modify, or at least tone down, the very behavior in
themselves that you're semi-allergic to.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In 1892, workers began building the Cathedral
of St. John the Divine in New York. But as of August 2017, it is still under
construction. Renovation has been and continues to be extensive. At one
point in its history, designers even changed its architectural style from
Neo-Byzantine and Neo-Romanesque to Gothic Revival. I hope this serves
as a pep talk in the coming weeks, which will be an excellent time to
evaluate your own progress, Virgo. As you keep toiling away in behalf of
your dreams, there's no rush. In fact, my sense is that you're proceeding
at precisely the right rate.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In accordance with the astrological omens, I
hereby declare the next two weeks to be your own personal Amnesty
Holiday. To celebrate, ask for and dole out forgiveness. Purge and flush
away any non-essential guilt and remorse that are festering inside you. If
there truly are hurtful sins that you still haven't atoned for, make a grand
effort to atone for them -- with gifts and heart-felt messages if
necessary. At the same time, I urge you to identify accusations that
others have wrongly projected onto you and that you have carried around
as a burden even though they are not accurate or fair. Expunge them.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): How many countries has the United States
bombed since the end of World War II? Twenty-five, to be exact. But if
America's intention has been to prod these nations into forming more
free and egalitarian governments, the efforts have been mostly fruitless.
Few of the attacked nations have become substantially more democratic.
I suggest you regard this as a valuable lesson to apply to your own life in
the coming weeks, Scorpio. Metaphorical bombing campaigns wouldn't
accomplish even 10 percent of your goals, and would also be expensive in
more ways than one. So I recommend using the "killing with kindness"
approach. Be wily and generous. Cloak your coaxing in compassion.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): You know about the Ten
Commandments, a code of ethics and behavior that's central to
Christianity and Judaism. You may not be familiar with my Ten
Suggestions, which begin with "Thou Shall Not Bore God" and "Thou Shall
Not Bore Thyself." Then there are the Ten Indian Commandments
proposed by the Bird Clan of East Central Alabama. They include "Give
assistance and kindness whenever needed" and "Look after the well-being
of your mind and body." I bring these to your attention, Sagittarius,
because now is an excellent time to formally formulate and declare your
own covenant with life. What are the essential principles that guide you to
the highest good?
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Here's a definition of "fantasizing" as
articulated by writer Jon Carroll. It's "a sort of 'in-brain' television, where
individuals create their own 'shows' -- imaginary narratives that may or
may not include real people." As you Capricorns enter the High Fantasy
Season, you might enjoy this amusing way of describing the activity that
you should cultivate and intensify. Would you consider cutting back on
your consumption of movies and TV shows? That might inspire you to
devote more time and energy to watching the stories you can generate in
your mind's eye.
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MAYBE JOY AND PLEASURE ARE ESSENTIAL SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES
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 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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AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In 43 cartoon stories, the coyote named
Wile E. Coyote has tried to kill and devour the swift-running flightless bird
known as the Road Runner. Every single time, Wile E. has failed to achieve
his goal. It's apparent to astute observers that his lack of success is
partly due to the fact that he doesn't rely on his natural predatory
instincts. Instead, he concocts elaborate, overly-complicated schemes. In
one episode, he camouflages himself as a cactus, buys artificial lightning
bolts, and tries to shoot himself from a bow as if he were an arrow. All
these plans end badly. The moral of the story, as far as you're concerned:
To reach your next goal, trust your instincts.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): You temporarily have cosmic permission to
loiter and goof off and shirk your duties. To be a lazy bum and meander
aimlessly and avoid tough decisions. To sing off-key and draw stick
figures and write bad poems. To run slowly and flirt awkwardly and dress
like a slob. Take advantage of this opportunity, because it's only available
for a limited time. It's equivalent to pushing the reset button. It's meant
to re-establish your default settings. But don't worry about that now.
Simply enjoy the break in the action.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): "To disobey in order to take action is the
byword of all creative spirits," said philosopher Gaston Bachelard. This
mischievous advice is perfect for your use right now, Aries. I believe you'll
thrive through the practice of ingenious rebellion -- never in service to
your pride, but always to feed your soul's lust for deeper, wilder life.
Here's more from Bachelard: "Autonomy comes through many small
disobediences, at once clever, well thought-out, and patiently pursued, so
subtle at times as to avoid punishment entirely."
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Congratulations! I expect that during the next
three weeks, you will be immune to what psychoanalyst Joan Chodorow
calls "the void of sadness, the abyss of fear, the chaos of anger, and the
alienation of contempt and shame." I realize that what I just said might
sound like an exaggeration. Aren't all of us subject to regular encounters
with those states? How could you possibly go so long without brushing up
against them? I stand by my prediction, and push even further. For at
least the next three weeks, I suspect you will also be available for an
inordinate amount of what Chodorow calls "the light of focused insight"
and "the playful, blissful, all-embracing experience of joy."
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): The coming days would an excellent time to
celebrate (even brag about) the amusing idiosyncrasies and endearing
quirks that make you lovable. To get you inspired, read this testimony
from my triple Gemini friend Alyssa: "I have beauty marks that form the
constellation Pegasus on my belly. I own my own ant farm. I'm a champion
laugher. I teach sign language to squirrels. Late at night when I'm horny
and overtired I may channel the spirit of a lion goddess named Sekhmet. I
can whistle the national anthems of eight different countries. I collect
spoons from the future. I can play the piano with my nose and my toes. I
have forever banished the green-eyed monster to my closet."
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Your education may take unusual forms
during the coming weeks. For example, you could receive crunchy lessons
from velvety sources, or tender instructions from exacting challenges.
Your curiosity might expand to enormous proportions in the face of a
noble and elegant tease. And chances are good that you'll find a new
teacher in an unlikely setting, or be prodded and tricked into asking
crucial questions you've been neglecting to ask. Even if you haven't been
particularly street smart up until now, Cancerian, I bet your ability to learn
from uncategorizable experiences will blossom.
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Homework: What thing do you yearn for that would also benefit other
people? Testify at Truthrooster@gmail.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
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Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2017 Rob Brezsny
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