Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
January 17, 2018
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See a pretty version of this newsletter: http://bit.ly/YourBraveChanges
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Dear Readers,
I've gathered together all of the long-term, big-picture horoscopes I wrote
for you in the past few weeks, and bundled them in one place. Go here to
read a compendium of your forecasts for 2018:
http://bit.ly/YourGloriousStory2018
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In addition to these, I've created EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES that go
even further in Exploring Your Long-Term Destiny in 2018.
What will be the story of your life in the coming months? What new
influences will be headed your way? What fresh resources will you be able
to draw on? How can you conspire with life to create the best possible
future for yourself?
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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THE DOWNSIDES OF NEGATIVE THINKING
From *The New York Times*: "All humans have a tendency to ruminate
more on bad experiences than positive ones. It's an evolutionary
adaptation that helps us avoid danger and react quickly in a crisis.
"But constant negativity can also get in the way of happiness, add to our
stress and worry level, and ultimately damage our health."
Can we do anything to diminish the power of negative thinking? It's a
complex, nuanced subject, but here's a good start:
http://tinyurl.com/hjn2ugs
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THE MAGIC OF YOUR WORDS
"The real secret of magic is that the world is made of words," said
Terence McKenna, "and that if you know the words that the world is made
of, you can make of it whatever you wish."
Here's my version of that hypothesis: What world you end up living in
depends at least in part on your use of language.
Do you want to move and breathe amidst infertile chaos where nothing
makes sense and no one really loves anyone? Then speak with
unconscious carelessness, expressing yourself lazily. Constantly
materialize and entertain angry thoughts in the privacy of your own
imagination, beaming silent curses out into eternity.
Or would you prefer to live in a realm that's rich with fluid epiphanies and
intriguing coincidences and mysterious harmonies? Then be discerning and
inventive in how you speak, primed to name the unexpected codes that
are always being born right in front of your eyes. Turn your imagination
into an ebullient laboratory where the somethings you create out of
nothings are tinctured with the secret light you see in your dreams of
invisible fire.
Hear this as a spoken-word piece: http://bit.ly/TheMagicSecret
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STORYTELLING THAT DOESN'T RELY ON CONFLICT
It's hard to find modern stories that don't depend on endless conflict to
advance the plot. I understand the attraction to such stories, but I don't
understand why they dominate storytelling.
Are authors and filmmakers really unable to conceive of the possibility
that entertaining adventures might emerge from pursuing discovery and
excitement and joy as much as from overcoming difficulties?
Ursula le Guin writes: "The Hero has decreed . . . that the proper shape of
the narrative is that of the arrow or spear, starting here and going
straight there and THOK! hitting its mark (which drops dead); second,
that the central concern of the narrative, including the novel, is conflict;
and third, that the story isn't any good if he isn't in it.
"I differ with all of this. I would go so far as to say that the natural,
proper, fitting shape of the novel might be that of a sack, a bag. A book
holds words. Words hold things. They bear meanings. A novel is a
medicine bundle, holding things in a particular, powerful relation to one
another and to us.
"One relationship among elements in the novel may well be that of
conflict, but the reduction of narrative to conflict is absurd. (I once read a
how-to-write manual that said, 'A story should be seen as a battle,' and
went on about strategies, attacks, victory, etc.)
"Conflict, competition, stress, struggle, stress, etc., within the narrative
conceived as carrier bag / belly / box / house / medicine bundle, may be
seen as necessary elements of a whole which itself cannot be
characterized as conflict or as harmony, since its purpose is neither
resolution nor stasis but continuing process."
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I HAVE NEWS FOR YOU - by Tony Hoagland
There are people who do not see a broken playground swing
as a symbol of ruined childhood
and there are people who don't interpret the behavior
of a fly in a motel room as a mocking representation of their thought
process.
There are people who don't walk past an empty swimming pool
and think about past pleasures unrecoverable
and then stand there blocking the sidewalk for other pedestrians.
I have read about a town somewhere in California where human beings
do not send their sinuous feeder roots
deep into the potting soil of others' emotional lives
as if they were greedy six-year-olds
sucking the last half-inch of milkshake up through a noisy straw;
Do you see that creamy, lemon-yellow moon?
There are some people, unlike me and you,
who do not yearn after fame or love or quantities of money as
unattainable as that moon;
thus, they do not later
have to waste more time
defaming the object of their former ardor.
Or consequently run and crucify themselves
in some solitary midnight Starbucks Golgotha.
I have news for you—
there are people who get up in the morning and cross a room
and open a window to let the sweet breeze in
and let it touch them all over their faces and bodies.
by Tony Hoagland
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WANT TO GET YOUR ASTROLOGICAL CHART READ?
If you want your personal chart done, I recommend a colleague whose
approach to reading astrology charts closely matches my own. She's my
wife, RO LOUGHRAN. We've been enjoying regular conversations about
astrology since 1989! Her website's here: http://www.roloughran.com
Ro utilizes a blend of well-trained intuition, emotional warmth, and a high
degree of technical proficiency in horoscope interpretation. She is skilled
at exploring the mysteries of your life's purpose and nurturing your
connection with your own inner wisdom.
In addition to over 30 years of astrological experience, Ro has been a
licensed psychotherapist for 17 years. This enables her to integrate
psychological insight with the cosmological perspective that astrology
offers.
Ro is based in California, but can do phone consultations and otherwise
work with you regardless of geographic boundaries.
Check out Ro's website at http://www.roloughran.com
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
2017 Was Among Safest Years Ever For Police
https://tinyurl.com/ybowj3a4
Judge Halts Razing Of Miami Forest Eyed For Walmart Center.
Environmentalists say the land's development would harm 20 endangered
plants and animals.
https://tinyurl.com/yajp9jky
Western men are touch-starved.
https://tinyurl.com/ybez93b5
(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 January 18
Copyright 2018 by Rob Brezsny
http://www.freewillastrology.com/horoscopes/
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Bubble gum is more elastic and less sticky
than regular chewing gum. That's why you can blow bubbles with it. A
Capricorn accountant named Walter Diemer invented it in 1928 while
working for the Fleer Chewing Gum Company. At the time he finally
perfected the recipe, the only food dye he had on hand was pink. His early
batches were all that color, and a tradition was born. That's why even
today, most bubble gum is pink. I suspect a similar theme may unfold
soon in your life. The conditions present at the beginning of a new project
may deeply imprint the future evolution of the project. So try to make
sure those are conditions you like!
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): "When one door closes, another opens,"
said inventor Alexander Graham Bell. "But we often look so long and so
regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has
opened." Heed his advice, Aquarius. Take the time you need to mourn the
lost opportunity. But don't take MORE than the time you need. The
replacement or alternative to what's gone will show up sooner than you
think.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Gilbert Stuart painted the most famous
portrait of America's first president, George Washington. It's the image on
the U.S. one-dollar bill. And yet Stuart never finished the masterpiece.
Begun in 1796, it was still a work-in-progress when Stuart died in 1828.
Leonardo da Vinci had a similar type of success. His incomplete painting
*The Virgin and Child with St. Anne* hangs in the Louvre in Paris, and his
unfinished *The Adoration of the Magi* has been in Florence's Uffizi
Gallery since 1671. I propose that Stuart and da Vinci serve as your role
models in the coming weeks. Maybe it's not merely OK if a certain project
of yours remains unfinished; maybe that's actually the preferred outcome.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Many American women did not have the right
to vote until August 18, 1920. On that day, the Tennessee General
Assembly became the 36th state legislature to approve the Nineteenth
Amendment, thus sealing the legal requirements to change the U.S.
Constitution and ensure women's suffrage. The ballot in Tennessee was
close. At the last minute, 24-year-old legislator Harry T. Burns changed
his mind from no to yes, thanks to a letter from his mother, who asked
him to "be a good boy" and vote in favor. I suspect that in the coming
weeks, Aries, you will be in a pivotal position not unlike Burns'. Your
decision could affect more people than you know. Be a good boy or good
girl.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In the coming weeks, Destiny will be calling
you and calling you and calling you, inviting you to answer its summons. If
you do indeed answer, it will provide you with clear instructions about
what you will need to do expedite your ass in the direction of the future.
If on the other hand you refuse to listen to Destiny's call, or hear it and
refuse to respond, then Destiny will take a different tack. It won't provide
any instructions, but will simply yank your ass in the direction of the
future.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Looks like the Season of a Thousand and One
Emotions hasn't drained and frazzled you. Yes, there may be a pool of
tears next to your bed. Your altar might be filled with heaps of ashes,
marking your burnt offerings. But you have somehow managed to extract
a host of useful lessons from your tests and trials. You have surprised
yourself with the resilience and resourcefulness you've been able to
summon. And so the energy you've gained through these gritty triumphs
is well worth the price you've had to pay.
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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 2018?
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 Long-Term, Big-Picture EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES
by clicking on "Long Term Prediction." Choose from Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.
A new short-range forecast for this week is also available.
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"Your long-range audio horoscopes encouraged me to think bigger about
my life. As I listened, I could feel my shrunken expectations melting
away." - Therese Pembroke, San Diego
"Your big-picture horoscopes filled the gaps in my imagination. They woke
up the fun plot twists that had been just on the tip of my ability to
visualize." - Ani Kraft, Brattleboro, VT
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CANCER (June 21-July 22): Every relationship is unique. The way you
connect with another person -- whether it's through friendship, romance,
family, or collaborative projects -- should be free to find the distinctive
identity that best suits its special chemistry. Therefore, it's a mistake to
compare any of your alliances to some supposedly perfect ideal. Luckily,
you're in an astrological period when you have extra savvy about
cultivating unique models of togetherness. So I recommend that you
devote the coming weeks to deepening and refining your most important
bonds.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): During recent weeks, your main tasks have
centered around themes often associated with strain and struggle: repair,
workaround, reassessment, jury-rigging, adjustment, compromise.
Amazingly, Leo, you have kept your suffering to a minimum as you have
smartly done your hard work. In some cases you have even thrived.
Congratulations on being so industrious and steadfast! Beginning soon,
you will glide into a smoother stage of your cycle. Be alert for the inviting
signs. Don't assume you've got to keep grunting and grinding.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Norwegian artist Edvard Munch (1863-1944)
created four versions of his iconic artwork *The Scream.* Each depicts a
person who seems terribly upset, holding his head in his hands and
opening his mouth wide as if unleashing a loud shriek. In 2012, one of
these images of despair was sold for almost $120 million. The money
went to the son of a man who had been Munch's friend and patron. Can
you think of a way that you and yours might also be able to extract value
or get benefits from a negative emotion or a difficult experience? The
coming weeks will be a favorable time to do just that.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): "I think I like my brain best in a bar fight with
my heart," says poet Clementine von Radics. While I appreciate that
perspective, I advise you to do the opposite in the coming weeks. This will
be a phase of your astrological cycle when you should definitely support
your heart over your brain in bar fights, wrestling matches, shadow boxing
contests, tugs of war, battles of wits, and messy arguments. Here's one
of the most important reasons why I say this: Your brain would be inclined
to keep the conflict going until one party or the other suffers ignominious
defeat, whereas your heart is much more likely to work toward a win-win
conclusion.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): When he was 24 years old, Scorpio-born Zhu
Yuanzhang (1328-1398) was a novice monk with little money who had
just learned to read and write. He had spent years as a wandering beggar.
By the time he was 40 years old, he was the emperor of China and
founder of the Ming Dynasty, which ruled for 276 years. What happened
in between? That's a long story. Zhu's adventurousness was a key asset,
and so was his ability as an audacious and crafty tactician. His masterful
devotion to detailed practical matters was also indispensable. If you are
ever in your life going to begin an ascent even remotely comparable to
Zhu's, Scorpio, it will be in the coming ten months. Being brave and
enterprising won't be enough. You must be disciplined and dogged, as
well.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In 1892, the influential *Atlantic
Monthly* magazine criticized Sagittarian poet Emily Dickinson, saying she
"possessed an extremely unconventional and grotesque fancy." It
dismissed her poetry as incoherent, and declared that an "eccentric,
dreamy, half-educated recluse" like her "cannot with impunity set at
defiance the laws of gravitation and grammar." This dire diss turned out
to be laughably wrong. Dickinson is now regarded as one of the most
original American poets. I offer this story up as a pep talk for you,
Sagittarius. In the coming months, I suspect you'll be reinventing yourself.
You'll be researching new approaches to living your life. In the course of
these experiments, others may see you as being in the grip of
unconventional or grotesque fantasy. They may consider you dreamy and
eccentric. I hope you won't allow their misunderstandings to interfere
with your playful yet serious work.
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Homework: Report your favorite graffiti from a bathroom wall. Go to
Freewillastrology.com and click on "Email Rob."
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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
2018 Rob Brezsny
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