Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
NOVEMBER 25, 2009
FreeWillAstrology.com
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"What's your position on making love? Do you regard it as
one of the nicer fringe benefits of being alive? Or are you more
inclined to see it as a central proof of the primal magnanimity
of the universe?"
- PRONOIA
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The revised and expanded version of my book PRONOIA IS THE
ANTIDOTE FOR PARANOIA is available at Amazon: tinyurl.com/lxpnyt
Here are a couple of testimonials:
"This wild, wise, and subversive book is a must read for
those who want to live a more imaginative and free life . . .
Rob Brezsny is a Culture Hero."
- Utne Reader
"I have seen the future of American literature and its name
is Rob Brezsny."
- Tom Robbins, author of Still Life with Woodpecker,
Jitterbug Perfume, and many more
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I've posted several more YOUTUBE videos of me performing material
from the book, including "World Kiss," "Bliss Blitz,"
"Unhappy Hour," "I Have a Dream," and "Pronoia's
Darkness":
tinyurl.com/lyr99n
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Dear Readers,
I've got an idea to help you to help me sell my new book:
Buy a copy of the book and mail to me. I'll autograph it and
inscribe it with a rowdy blessing, and then I'll send it back
to you.
Here's the catch:
You've got to provide me with a self-addressed envelope or package
that's big enough to hold the book
AND
the envelope or package must be stamped with $3.16 postage if
you want it sent back to you by Media Mail, or with $11.95 postage
if you want it sent by Priority Mail.
If you want me to autograph and inscribe more than one book,
send the appropriate packaging and stamps.
If you live in Canada, send $10 Canadian worth of International
Reply Coupons per book, in addition to the self-addressed envelope
or package. This will allow for First-Class delivery. If you want
Priority Mail delivery, enclose $26 worth of coupons.
Here's the address to send the books you want me to sign: P.O.
Box 4399, San Rafael, CA 94913.
This offers is good though December 18.
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Here's an excerpt from page 8 of the book:
Have you ever been loved? I bet you have been loved so much and
so deeply that you have become jaded about the enormity of the
grace it confers. So let me remind you: To be loved is a privilege
and prize equivalent to being born. If you're smart, you pause
regularly to bask in the astonishing knowledge that there are
many people out there who care for you and want you to thrive
and hold you in their thoughts with fondness.
Animals, too: You have been the recipient of their boundless
affection. The spirits of allies who've left this world continue
to send their tender regards, as well. Do you "believe"
in angels and other divine beings? Whether or not you do, I can
assure you that there are hordes of them beaming their uncanny
consecrations your way. You are awash in torrents of love.
As tremendous a gift it is to get love, giving love is an equal
boon. Many scientific studies demonstrate that whenever you bestow
blessings on other people, you bless yourself. Expressing practical
compassion not only strengthens your immune system and bolsters
your health, but also promotes self-esteem, enhances longevity,
and stimulates tranquility and even euphoria. As the scientists
say, we humans are hardwired to benefit from altruism. (To read
more about the subject, go here: tinyurl.com/lyyd46.)
What's your position on making love? Do you regard it as one
of the nicer fringe benefits of being alive? Or are you more inclined
to see it as a central proof of the primal magnanimity of the
universe? I'm more aligned with the latter view.
Imagine yourself in the fluidic blaze of that intimate spectacle
right now. Savor the fantasy of entwining bodies and hearts and
minds with an appealing partner who has the power to enchant you.
What better way do you know of to dwell in sacred space while
immersed in your body's delight? To commune with the Divine Wow
while having fun? To tap into your own deeper knowing while at
the same time gazing into the mysterious light of a fellow creature?
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
WHAT IF YOU WERE SURROUNDED BY HAPPY PEOPLE?
The World's Happiest Places
bit.ly/7YTC4e
WHAT IF GOD IS SOMETHING WE'VE GOT TO GIVE BIRTH TO?
Genetically Engineering God from Scratch
bit.ly/8PlHqz
WHAT IF YOU MADE IT A POINT TO ABSORB MUSIC AND ART AND STORIES
THAT MADE YOU FEEL GOOD?
"What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong
bit.ly/6xCKFs
(Note: I endorse these because I like them. They are not advertisements,
and I get no kickbacks.)
Please tell me your own personal nominations for PRONOIA RESOURCES.
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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Week beginning November 26
Copyright 2009 by Rob Brezsny
FreeWillAstrology.com
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
The surest way to beat the system, my dear, is to elude it and
erect your own system. The strategy most likely to leave your
competitors babbling in the mirror, sweetheart, is to go completely
over their heads. That doesn't mean, darling, that you should
be a remote and grandiose narcissist who listens to no one but
yourself. Smile sweetly as you describe why your way is the best
way, you gorgeous genius. Enlist worthy collaborators through
the irresistible force of your guileless charisma.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
"A neurosis is a secret that you don't know you are keeping,"
wrote theater critic Kenneth Tynan. Your assignment is to uncover
one of those secrets in yourself. It may not result in an instantaneous
cure of your minor personality glitch, but it will be a potent
first step that will set in motion a series of healing events.
Be brave, Capricorn. I guarantee that any ugliness you might find
lodged deep inside you will be entangled with surprising beauty.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
Seventy percent of the world's fresh water is locked away in
Antarctica's ice, which is 7,000 feet thick. Let's hope it remains
that way for the foreseeable future. If global warming melted
that giant slab even a little, sea levels all over the planet
would rise and coastal lands would be inundated. As for your
frozen areas, however: I'd really like to see at least 30 percent
of them thaw. Would you consider doing whatever it takes to release
a mini-flood of summery feelings?
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
While walking in an unfamiliar neighborhood, I saw a huge red
wooden chair on someone's front lawn. It was big enough for a
20-foot-tall giant. An equally oversized martini glass was perched
on the arm of the chair. Nearby was a sign that read, "I
have flying monkeys at my command, and I'm not afraid to use them."
I assumed this scene was the handiwork of an adorable crazy person
who's an admirer of "The Wizard of Oz" mythology. I
also flashed on how I could totally see you sitting in that chair.
Metaphorically speaking, you too have flying monkeys at your command.
I just hope you use them to accomplish good deeds, not evil ones.
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
One of the greatest superpowers a human being can have is the
ability to change herself in accordance with her intentions. Let's
say you're tired of feeling shame about something there's no good
reason to feel shame about, and you decide to do whatever it takes
to dissolve that shame, and you succeed in doing it. Or let's
say you no longer want to attract bad listeners and flaky collaborators
into your life, and you resolve to transform that pattern, and
you ultimately achieve your goal. These are acts of high magic,
as amazingly wizardly as anything a shaman does. It so happens,
Aries, that this superpower is especially accessible to you right
now.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
Your story is taking a hotter and wetter and more cosmically
comical turn. The splendor and the rot are all mixed up. The line
between your strengths and liabilities are hair thin. But have
no fear. One of your dormant talents will activate in the nick
of time. Your wild guesses will shed bright light whenever the
darkness creeps in. And you'll have even more emotional intelligence
than usual. P.S. If your psyche tingles like a funny bone that
has been tapped, it means that unanticipated help or useful information
will arrive within 12 hours.
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Want to get an idea of what my EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES
are like?
Tune in to my free podcast, "Fear Versus Intuition":
bit.ly/6vNTIg
My approach there has a close resemblance to the style of my
weekly pay-for-view offerings.
Find out more about how to hear my EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES
at RealAstrology.com.
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GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
"The more you do what you want," says Santa Fe artist
Erika Wanenmacher, "the more magic happens." And what
she wants, in part, is to be surprised by how life's random events
ask to be included in her creative process. During her long walks
along the irrigation ditch near her home, for example, odds and
ends on the ground call to her, suggesting that she use them in
her art pieces -- heart-shaped rocks, miniature liquor bottles,
bent spoons, parts of toys. One of her gallery pieces, "Spell
Wall," consists of amulets made from this found stuff. "I'll
make whatever I want," Erika says. "Out of whatever
I want. About whatever I want." She's your role model, Gemini.
Borrow from her perspective. Go in quest of unexpected clues that
make you feel loose and free and fertile.
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
Needing a creative disruption in my routine, I hiked into a forest
I'd never visited. The late afternoon light was wan and the wind
was chilly. In places, the trail narrowed to a scruffy rut barely
big enough for me to walk on, leading me to wonder if I was reading
my map wrong. Three times this happened, but always the wider
path resumed. Were there bobcats here? When I spied a flash of
fur in the distance, I wished I'd researched that subject before
I'd come. Still I pressed on. Then I came upon a single segment
of a wooden fence, inexplicable in this remote area. One end of
its upper slat had come loose and fallen. Moved by a whimsical
urge to insert order into the midst of my disorientation, I fixed
the slat. My mood brightened, my anxiety dissipated, and the rest
of my hike was filled with small epiphanies. Everything I just
described, my fellow Cancerian, is an apt metaphor for your week
ahead.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
I believe that in the coming weeks you'll enjoy experiences
that have an emotional resemblance to those referred to in this
passage by French novelist Gustave Flaubert: "I want to cover
you with love, with caresses, with ecstasy. I want to gorge you
with all the joys of the flesh . . . I want you to be astonished
by me, to confess to yourself that you had never even dreamed
of such transports . . . When you are old, I want you to recall
those few hours. I want your dry bones to quiver with joy when
you think of them." Please note, Leo, that I'm not necessarily
saying the pleasures you gather in will stem from an engagement
with an actual lover. They might. But your delight may also have
a more mysterious origin.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
It's not just our era that has a tormented relationship with
time. Many cultures have been frustrated by its tyranny. During
France's July Revolution in 1830, for instance, rebels shot guns
at public clocks. While I think that's too extreme for you, I
do recommend that you perform a ritual to empower yourself as
you wrestle with the passage of the hours and days and weeks.
How about smashing a cheap alarm clock with a hammer? Or spending
an entire day without ever referring to a timepiece? Or taking
ten deep breaths as you imagine you're inhaling eternity and exhaling
the grinding tick-tock? It's a perfect moment to claim more freedom
from temporality.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
I agree with football coach Lou Holtz, who said, "The problem
with having a sense of humor is often that people you use it on
aren't in a very good mood." It's possible to work around
this difficulty, however. What you have to do, before you unleash
your levity, is conjure up empathy for the sourpuss in question.
You should also make sure that your intention is not to mock or
poke at the person, but instead offer a potential escape from
his or her locked energy. By my calculations, you could be an
expert at this kind of psychic judo right now. For best results,
practice on yourself. Whenever you're headed toward a negative
thought or emotion, nudge yourself away with a jest or wisecrack.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
Do you know what you're really worth? Not as measured by your
bank account and luxurious possessions. Not as reflected by your
boss's or parents' or enemies' images of you. Not as distorted
by what you wish you were worth or fear you're not worth. I'm
talking about taking an illusion-free inventory of the skills
you have that are fulfilling to you and useful to others. I'm
talking about your wisdom more than your knowledge, your self-love
more than your popularity, your ability to be good more
than to look good.
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HOMEWORK:
Go to Youtube and watch me give some pep talks and crazed lectures.
Start here: tinyurl.com/lyr99n.
Then send me the critiques, arguments, and inspirations that rise
up in you in response to what you see.
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WANT TO GET YOUR CHART DONE?
I'm not doing personal charts, but I highly recommend my astrological
colleague, RO LOUGHRAN. Her approach closely matches my own. In
our many discussions about astrology over the years, we've had
a major influence on each other's work.
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.
Ro is based in California, but
can do phone consultations and
otherwise
work with you regardless of geographic
boundaries.
Ro's website is at YourSoulJourney.com
She can also be reached at roloughran@comcast.net
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Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2009 Rob Brezsny
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