Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
March 11, 2020
FreeWillAstrology.com
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"The people of future generations will win many a liberty of which we do not yet even feel the want," said philosopher Max Stirner.
Experiment: See if you can become aware of an interesting freedom that has not previously been on your radar.
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CONDUIT magazine: What's your relationship with intuition?
ROB BREZSNY: One reliable source of intuition is formulating good questions and having an intention behind the questions: "What is it that I need to learn today?", "What is it that I need to learn to live my life better?", "What is it that I need next to write my book?"
My sense is that intuition often reveals what you need to do next, although not necessarily the big picture. And if we're content with not pressuring intuition to always give us a mountaintop perspective, but rather just to answer for us, "What happens next? What do I need to do next?", I think that's a better relationship with intuition.
Four more things I'll mention about intuition: Working with dreams is fraught with the possibility of descending into chaos, but with practice and the development of skills, it can become a crucial source of intuition. I really value my ability to do one of the primary Jungian practices, which is shadow work -- dealing with those aspects of me that are unripe and dumb. Dreams have been crucial in helping me unlock the magic of dealing with my shadow and transforming my shadow.
Another good practice for intuition is to ask the question, "What does my death say?" On one's deathbed, what does one want to look back at and say, "That was important. That was important. That was important. No, that wasn't so important." So one's death can be a tonic informant that helps intuition really focus and come into maximum usefulness.
The other thing is that intuition is aided immeasurably by moving, by walking. I don't know if that's true for everybody. Walks and nature are important for me being able to tune into intuition that turns out to be useful and enduring. So often I'll take a notebook with me, or a recorder with me, to capture those intuitions that come to me while I'm walking.
There's one other thing. The practice of intuition takes place best when you have gone as far as you can with your intellect. In other words, I can't skip the stage of the process of research, of thinking hard, of using my logic, of being reasonable. That's crucial for generating intuition that's accurate and useful.
And once I've done the research, once I've tried to think my way to being as objective as possible -- and that involves using the scientific method -- then I hand it over to intuition and say, "Well, what more can you tell me, given that I've come this far with all this analysis? What can you add to it?"
The above is excerpted from a ten-page interview with me by the quirky and elegant Conduit magazine. More: conduit.org/robbrezsny
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HOW IS THE FUTURE WORKING FOR YOU?
Here are the long-term, big-picture horoscopes I wrote for you at the beginning of 2020. How are they working for you so far?
bit.ly/2020BigPicture
Here are the long-term, big-picture horoscopes I wrote for you at the beginning of 2019. How did they work for you?
tinyurl.com/y6bf3ycy
Here are the long-term, big-picture horoscopes I wrote for you at the beginning of 2018. How did they work for you? bit.ly/YourGloriousStory2018
Here are the Free Will Astrology horoscopes from a year ago: tinyurl.com/thzbhv3
Here are the Free Will Astrology archives for the last 15 years: bit.ly/10x1Ghu
P.S. You can read my horoscopes in French and Italian.
Free Will Astrology in the French publication "Courrier International":
www.courrierinternational.com/horoscope
and in the Italian publication "Internazionale":
www.internazionale.it/oroscopo
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THANK YOU!
I love writing horoscopes for you. Your interest in my ideas spurs my creativity and makes me smarter. As I search for the inspiration you may benefit from, I have to continually reinvent my approach to finding the truth. Theories I had about your destiny in the past may not be applicable in the future.
P.S. My devotion to following your ever-shifting story keeps me enjoyably off-balance, propelling me free of habit and predictability. I'm grateful for your influence on me.
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ALMOST TOO MUCH LOVE
I invite you to meditate on the relentlessness of your yearnings to give love and receive love.
Recognize the fact that your urge to merge will never leave you in peace, will never allow you to remain static, will always ask you to outgrow and transcend the current version of You.
Accept that your yearnings to blend your fate with the fates of others will forever torment you, delight you, bewilder you, and inspire you.
Understand that your desire for intimate connection will just keep coming and coming and coming, teaching you new secrets and keeping you creatively off-balance and stimulating you to constantly revise your ideas about who you are and what you purpose is
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YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE MESSY DARKNESS
Don't pretend you can't see the messy darkness. Admit to its presence. Accept its reality. But don't get tangled up in it, either.
Gaze into the abyss so as to educate yourself about its nature, but don't become entranced by its hypnotic power.
Scheme to reclaim your power from soul-sucking influences. But don't turn the process into a blood-and-thunder showdown that wreaks epic chaos.
You may be amazed at how much protection and relaxation you can generate for yourself simply by being a poised lover of life who is free of melodramatic reactions.
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GROUNDED SPIRITUALITY
In his book Grounded Spirituality, Jeff Brown describes a kinds of spiritual teaching that are ungrounded and inhumane. These models share the following beliefs:
the ego is the enemy of a spiritual life
the “monkey mind” is the cause of suffering
your feelings are an illusion
your personal identifications and stories are necessarily false
witnessing your pain transforms it
your body is a spiritually bankrupt toxic quagmire
the only real consciousness is an "absolute" and "transcendent" one
stillness and silence are THE path
isolation is the best way to access “higher states”
there is no “self”
meditation is THE royal road to enlightenment
enlightenment actually exists
formlessness over form
the ultimate path is upward and vertical
real spirituality exists independent of our humanness
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But here are the more useful spiritual truths, according to Jeff Brown:
A healthy ego is beautifully essential to healthy functioning
The monkey mind is fed by the monkey heart (the unresolved emotional body)
Many of our stories are fundamental to who we are, where we have been, why we are here
Healing your pain transforms it—watching it is only a preliminary step
Our bodies are our spiritual temples
The only “real” consciousness is one that integrates all that we are and all that this is
Stillness and silence are only one path; many prefer movement and sound;
There is no “higher” state, but connection may be the best way to access deepened states
There is a magnificent self; the work is to align it with your sacred purpose, not to deny it altogether
Meditation is not THE royal road; it’s one road, and it is not any more effective than embodied movement and emotional release as clarification and transformation tools;
Enlightenment does not exist; enrealment does. (Be real now). And it’s a relative experience, changing form as we and this changes form
We are form, and we are here to in-form our humanness
If there is an “ultimate path,” it’s downward (rooted) and horizontal
There is no distinction between our spirituality and our humanness
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I share so many ideas with Jeff Brown that I wrote a glowing testimonial for his book: tinyurl.com/GroundedSpirituality
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
Can We Rebuild the Country After Trump?
tinyurl.com/v9fqgsy
John Oliver offers a witty and succinct explanation of what Medicare for All is—and why we need it.
tinyurl.com/ut4redp
Making Space for Restorative Justice. Some prosecutors and policymakers are beginning to work toward a legal system designed to benefit all people.
tinyurl.com/todhu49
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Good News Sources:
yesmagazine.org
goodnewsnetwork.org
reasonstobecheerful.world
celebratesmallvictories.com/archives
reddit.com/r/UpliftingNews
greatnewsnetwork.org
goodnewsdaily.com
(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 March 12
Copyright 2020 by Rob Brezsny
FreeWillAstrology.com
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
I suspect your fantasy life will be especially potent in the coming weeks. Your imagination will have an enhanced power to generate visions that could eventually manifest as actual events and situations. On the one hand, that could be dicey, because you can't afford to over-indulge in fearful speculations and worried agitation. On the other hand, that could be dramatically empowering, because your good new ideas and budding dreams may start generating practical possibilities rather quickly.
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
Giacomo Puccini's famous opera Tosca premiered in 1900. It featured a heroine named Tosca. In 1914, Puccini's favorite Tosca, a soprano singer named Maria Jeritza, was performing in a production at New York's Metropolitan Opera. As she got ready to sing an aria entitled "I Live for Art," she stumbled and fell. Rather than struggle awkwardly to rise, she pretended that this was all quite natural—called for in the script. She sang the entire piece while lying on the floor. Puccini loved it! Ever since then, most of the singers who have played the role of Tosca have sung "I Live for Art" while prone. I suggest you regard this as an inspirational teaching. What lucky accidents could you make into permanent additions or enhancements?
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
Taurus poet Gary Snyder said, "Three-fourths of philosophy and literature is the talk of people trying to convince themselves that they really like the cage they were tricked into entering." Personally, I think that many of us, not just philosophers and writers, do the same thing. Are you one of us? Your first assignment during the next four weeks will be to explore whether you do indeed tend to convince yourself that you like the cage you were tricked into entering. Your second assignment: If you find that you are in a cage, do everything you can to stop liking it. Third assignment: Use all your ingenuity, call on all the favors you're owed, and conjure up the necessary magic so that you can flee the cage.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
"Your body is not a temple," declared author and celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain. "It's an amusement park. Enjoy the ride." I half-agree with him. I'm deeply devoted to regarding the body as an amusement park. It should be a source of endless fun and enjoyment. We have the right—indeed, I'd say a duty—to wield our bodies in ways that immerse us in the mysteries and miracles of pleasure. But here's where I disagree with Bourdain: I believe the body is also a temple that deserves our reverence and respect and protective tenderness. Your assignment in the coming weeks, Gemini, is to raise your commitment to treating your body as both an amusement park and a holy temple.
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
Early in his career, Cancerian painter Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot (1796–1875) sold only a few paintings. But eventually his luck improved. Once he was financially successful, he became very generous. He wielded his influence to get jobs for other artists, and mentored many artists, as well. Sometimes he added a few dabs of paint to the finished works of younger, struggling painters, then signed the canvases with his own name so that the works could more easily be sold. The coming weeks will be a favorable time to adopt your own version of Corot's approach toward those around you who could benefit from your help and support. (P.S. It's in your selfish interest to do so, although the reasons why may not be clear for a while.)
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
Composer Brian Eno has testified that African music underlies and influences much of his work. He exults in the freedom and unpredictability it encourages. Why? Here's one reason: In African songs, there are often multiple rhythms. And they're not locked together; they float freely in relationship to each other. Eno says this is different from Western music, whose salient quality is that all the rhythmic elements are contained "in little boxes"—locked into a tyrannically mechanical clockwork pattern. According to my reading of the astrological omens, dear Leo, the coming weeks will be an excellent time for you to experiment with Eno's insight. How? Escape mechanical clockwork patterns and activate the "multiple, free-floating rhythm" metaphor in everything you do.
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YOU NEED MAGIC EVERY DAY
Every day, you have to wade through a relentless surge of soul-less facts. The experience tends to shut down your sense of wonder.
Every day, you're over-exposed to cynical narratives that have been sucked free of delight and mystery. That's why you have to make such strenuous efforts to keep your world enchanted.
I like to think I can contribute to the sacred cause of feeding your sense of wonder and enchantment. In fact, that's one of my prime motivations for offering you the free weekly horoscopes you read in this newsletter.
If you ever want more of that good stuff, and think it's worth paying for, please consider trying out my 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 freewillastrology.sparkns.com
Register and/or log in through the main page.
You can also listen over the phone by calling 1-877-873-4888.
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The cost is $6 per sign on the On the Web. (Discounts are available for bulk purchases.) You can also access them for $1.99 per minute by phone
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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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VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
Are you interested in enhancing your mastery of togetherness? Are you open to my suggestion that you should seek out practical education about the arts of intimacy? Would you be willing to meditate on how you might bring additional creativity and flair into your close alliances? If you answered yes to those questions, the next six weeks will provide you with ample opportunities to dive in to all that fun work. "Collaboration" and "cooperation" will be words of power for you. "Synergy and symbiosis" should be your tender battle cry.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
As you come to the climax of your Season of Good Gaffes and Lucky Bloopers, I'll remind you of folk singer Pete Seeger's definition of a "productive mistake." He said it had these five qualities: "1. made in the service of mission and vision; 2. acknowledged as a mistake; 3. learned from; 4. considered valuable; 5. shared for the benefit of all." Let's hope, Libra, that your recent twists and turns fit at least some of these descriptions!
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
Would you consider making one more push, Scorpio? Can I coax you to continue your half-confusing, half-rewarding quest? Are you willing to wander even further out into the frontier and take yet another smart risk and try one additional experiment? I hope so. You may not yet be fully convinced of the value of these forays outside of your comfort zone, but I suspect you will ultimately be glad that you have chosen what's interesting over what's convenient. P.S. In the coming weeks, you could permanently expand your reservoir of courage.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
A traditional astrologer might say that you Sagittarians typically spend less time at home than any other sign of the zodiac. Some of you folks even rebel against the idea that having a stable home is a health-giving essential. You may feel that you can't be totally free unless you always have your next jaunt or journey planned, or unless you always have a home-away-from-home to escape to. I understand and appreciate these quirks about your tribe, but am also committed to coaxing you to boost your homebody quotient. Now would be a perfect time to do that. You're more open than usual to the joy and power of cultivating a nurturing home.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
The more crooked the path, the faster you'll get to where you're going. Every apparent detour will in fact be at least a semi-valuable shortcut. Any obstacle that seems to block your way will inspire you to get smarter and more resourceful, thereby activating lucky breaks that bring unexpected grace. So don't waste even a minute cursing outbreaks of inconvenience, my dear, because those outbreaks will ultimately save you time and make life easier. (P.S.: During the coming weeks, conventional wisdom will be even more irrelevant than it usually is.)
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
When I was a young adult, I was unskilled and indigent. Many restaurants exploited my feeble prowess at washing pots and pans and dishes, but the meager wage they paid me barely kept me fed and housed. You will perhaps understand why, now that I'm grown up, I am averse to cleaning pots and pans and dishes, including my own. That's why I pay a helper to do that job. Is there an equivalent theme in your own life? An onerous task or grueling responsibility that oppressed you or still oppresses you? Now is a good time to find a way to declare your independence from it.
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HOMEWORK:
"In purely spiritual matters, God grants all desires. Those who have less have asked for less," wrote Simone Weil. Is that true for you? 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, including but not limited to newsletters, books, the Free Will Astrology column, and Free Will Astrology website. We reserve the right to edit submissions for length, style, and content. Requests for anonymity will be honored. We are not responsible for unsolicited submission of any creative material.
Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright 2020 Rob Brezsny
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