Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
APRIL 14, 2010
FreeWillAstrology.com
+
New song: "World Kiss": bit.ly/WorldKiss
Expanded Audio Horoscopes: RealAstrology.com
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
There's a new release from the soundtrack for my book PRONOIA
IS THE ANTIDOTE FOR PARANOIA.
It's called "World Kiss." You can access it here: bit.ly/WorldKiss
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The revised and expanded version of my book PRONOIA IS THE
ANTIDOTE FOR PARANOIA is available at Amazon: bit.ly/Pronoia
and also at Powells: bit.ly/PronoiaPowells
An excerpt is below. If you'd like to read the whole thing, go
here: bit.ly/ChangeBlessing
THE BLESSINGS OF CHANGE
One of life's great bounties is its changeableness, which ensures
that boredom will never last very long. You may underestimate
the intensity of your longing for continual transformation, but
the universe doesn't. That's why it provides you with the boundless
entertainment of your ever-shifting story. That's why it is always
revising the challenges it sends your way, providing your curious
soul with a rich variety of unpredictable teachings.
Neuroscientists have turned up evidence that suggests you love
this aspect of the universe's behavior. They say that you are
literally addicted to learning. At the moment when you grasp a
lesson you've been grappling with, your brain experiences a rush
of a natural opium-like chemical, boosting your pleasure levels.
You crave this experience. You thrive on it.
So the universe is built in such a way as to discourage boredom.
It does this not just by generating an endless stream of interesting
novelty, and not only by giving you an instinctive lust to keep
learning, but also by making available an abundance of ways to
break free of your habitual thoughts. You can go to school, travel,
read, listen to experts, converse with people who think differently
from you, and absorb the works of creative artists. You can replenish
and stretch your mind through exercise, sex, psychotherapy, spiritual
practices, and self-expression. You can take drugs and medicines
that alter your perspectives.
And here's the best part of this excellent news: Every method
that exists for expanding your consciousness is more lavishly
available right now than it has been at any previous time in history.
Never before have there been so many schools, educational programs,
workshops, and enrichment courses. Virtually any subject or skill
you want to study, you can. You don't even have to leave your
home to do it. The number of online classes is steadily mounting.
Travel is easier and faster than ever before. A few days from
now, you could be white-water rafting along the Franklin River
in Tasmania, or riding on "the train at the end of the world"
in Tierra del Fuego, or observing Golden Bamboo lemurs in the
rainforest of southeastern Madagascar. If you're on a budget,
you can jet to exotic locales for free as an air courier, or you
can travel cheaply as an eco-tourist, enjoying the natural pleasures
of distant climes without demanding luxurious accommodations or
expensive night life.
Let's talk about the Internet's role in helping the universe
discourage boredom. Remember, it's still very early in the evolution
of this budding global brain. But already it provides you with
instant access to a substantial amount of all the information,
images, and music ever created. And in another few years, the
sheer entirety of the human mind's riches will be spread before
you like a gargantuan feast. It's not yet true that every book
ever written and every song ever recorded and every film ever
made are accessible online, but it will be true sooner rather
than later.
Today, without leaving your chair or spending any money, you
can enjoy Kandinsky's painting "Improvisation No. 30"
or archives of the Krazy Kat comic strips. You can listen to a
Vivaldi concerto or a Black Sabbath heavy metal anthem, and you
can read the history of the Peloponnesian War or the myths of
the Tlingit Indians. You can hear Martin Luther King's "I
Have a Dream" speech or watch a short film of the Three Stooges
throwing pies in the faces of high society matrons or pore over
every poem Emily Dickinson ever wrote.
For many of us, few freshly minted glories are more glorious
than the Internet's prodigious gift of song. Thanks to the magic
of electronic file transfer, there has never before been so much
great music available, and from so many different cultures and
genres, and so cheaply.
Enhancing this blessing has been the recent revolution in recording
technology, which has made it possible for musicians all over
the world to record their compositions at low cost. We not only
have much better access to all kinds of music, but have far more
new music to enjoy as well.
One further development has pushed our relationship with music
into the realm of crazy goodness: portable MP3 players that allow
us to listen to the burgeoning abundance of tunes anywhere and
anytime we want . . . .
TO READ THE REST OF THIS, go here: bit.ly/ChangeBlessing
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
PRONOIA ISN'T JUST A LUXURY FOR RICH PEOPLE
"The healthiest and happiest societies aren't the ones with
the highest incomes, but those with the most equality."
tinyurl.com/yznpy8h
YOU HAVE INVISIBLE HELPERS WORKING IN YOUR BEHALF
Watch a white blood cell chase bacteria
tinyurl.com/rdns9k
CRUSADERS ARE CONSPIRING BEHIND THE SCENES TO SAVE THE WORLD
A great victory for clean water
tinyurl.com/yak257q
(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.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Week beginning April 15
Copyright 2010 by Rob Brezsny
FreeWillAstrology.com
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
Photons work hard to get from the heart of the sun to the surface.
They can take up to 160,000 years to complete the 400,000+-mile
journey. And yet once Earth-bound photons get topside, they travel
the 93-million-mile distance to our planet in just over eight
minutes. I foresee a metaphorically similar situation unfolding
in your life in the coming weeks. A development that has been
a long time in the making will accelerate tremendously in its
last phase of ripening.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
Taurus genius Irving Berlin (1888-1989) has been called the greatest
songwriter who ever lived. Among his 1,500 compositions were iconic
tunes like "God Bless America" and "White Christmas,"
as well as scores for 18 Hollywood movies and 19 Broadway shows.
And yet he never learned to read or write music. Was he embarrassed
about his handicap? Not at all. He even bragged about it. He felt
that having such a minimal grasp of the conventions of songwriting
was an advantage, giving him the freedom to be extraordinarily
original. Is there any way in which you're like Irving Berlin,
Taurus? Do you have a seeming limitation that is actually an aid
to your creativity and uniqueness? Celebrate it this week.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
"Every changed circumstance contains opportunities, which
accrue to the first people to recognize them," wrote poet
Charles Potts. "Since circumstances are in constant flux,
there is a steady stream of opportunities. Learn to spot them
and make them your own." I offer you this advice, Gemini,
because you'll soon be in a prime position to derive great benefit
from it. If you tweak your attitude just right -- aligning your
novelty receptors to be on high alert -- the clattering commotion
of metamorphosis that's headed your way will bring with it a bustling
welter of unforeseen openings.
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
First the negatives: Don't be a martyr to what you've won. Don't
let your success oppress you. Don't become a slave to the useful
role you've earned. Don't neglect your own needs as you serve
the needs of those who admire you for what you give. Now let's
try a more positive way to frame the challenges ahead of you:
Keep questioning whether the fruits of your victories are still
enjoyable and fulfilling to you. Make sure the triumphs of the
past don't get in the way of the potential triumphs of the future.
Find out how your success may need to evolve. Push beyond what's
good and head in the direction of what's great.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
My rage against the machine began early. I joined my first protest
march at age 15, led a boycott at 17, and was tear-gassed by cops
at a demonstration when I was 18. In the intervening years, my
anger at injustice has broadened and deepened. I've lent my rebel
yells to hundreds of righteous causes. But in 2006, I decided
to shift my approach. Instead of fighting every single abuse that
incited my ire, I chose three to concentrate on: the obscene militarism
of the American government, the extreme financial disparities
between the rich and poor, and the environmental degradations
caused by corporations and corporate culture. Since then, my crusading
energy has been more focused and effective, and my general mood
has brightened. I recommend you consider a similar change, Leo.
It's an excellent time for you to give more of your passion to
fewer causes.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
Do you remember the monster that sometimes lived under your bed
when you were a kid? Recently it found its way back to you, and
has been spending time in your closet. It's not as frightening
as it used to be, and I'm not alarmed by its return. In fact,
I think it has an important message for you that would be valuable
to discover. I encourage you to invite it out for a conversation.
As you might suspect, as soon as it delivers its crazy wisdom,
it will leave you in peace.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
MY OTHER HOROSCOPES
Factual information and reasonable thinking alone are not sufficient
to guide you through life's labyrinthine tests. You need and deserve
regular deliveries of uncanny revelation.
One of your inalienable rights as a human being should therefore
be to receive mysteriously useful omens on a regular basis. In
this spirit, I offer you the free weekly horoscopes you read here.
If you ever want more, and think it's worth paying for, try my
EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES. They're available here:
RealAstrology.com
You can also access them by phone: 1-877-873-4888 or 1-900-950-7700.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
Present the following dare to a person or persons with whom you
would like to go deeper: "You think you know me, but you
really know just a tantalizing fraction. Would you like to experience
the rest of the story?" And if anyone expresses interest,
take him or her on a magical tour they won't forget. Reveal the
sides of you that are too mysteriously interesting to show the
general public, or too intimate to reveal to anyone you don't
trust, or so potent they might intimidate those who don't have
a lot of self-possession.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
In North America, California Condors are the biggest flying birds
that live on land. Their wingspans are up to ten feet. Once sacred
to certain Native Americans, these members of the vulture family
can live for 60 years and soar as high as 15,000 feet. But they
came close to extinction in the 20th century, mostly because of
human activity. In 1987, conservationists intervened. In the hope
of replenishing the population in captivity, they captured every
last one of the 22 remaining wild condors. Painstaking efforts
gradually yielded results, and today there are 348 birds, including
187 in the wild. I bring this to your attention, Scorpio, because
I believe now is an excellent time to begin a project to save
your own metaphorical version of an "endangered species."
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
According to Us Weekly, baseball star Alex Rodriguez
owns two paintings of himself in which he's portrayed as half-man,
half-horse. This is an excellent time for you to be inspired by
his example. Gazing at a picture of a mythical centaur who looks
like you would speak to your subconscious mind in just the right
way. Bypassing your rational ego, that stirring icon would animate
and cultivate the wise animal in you. It would stimulate the sweet
spot where your physical vitality overlaps your visionary intelligence.
Do you know anyone who could Photoshop this powerful image for
you?
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
Here's my startling prediction: More Capricorn spiritual seekers
will become enlightened in the next five weeks than in any comparable
period of history. Hell, there'll be so much infinity mixed with
eternity available for your tribe that even a lot of you non-seekers
could get a lightning bolt of illumination or two. That's not
to say that you have to accept the uplifting revelations,
or even tune in to them, for that matter. If you'd prefer to ignore
the sacred hubbub and go about your practical business without
having to hassle with the consequences of a divine download, that's
fine.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
Can you imagine what it would be like to venture into the opposite
of the Bermuda Triangle? You know, a zone where wonderfully odd
things occur rather than bad strange things? I think that such
a place exists, and I think you'll soon find it. The luck that
unfolds for you will be a blend of dumb and brilliant. The discoveries
you make may be useless on the outside but valuable on the inside.
Lost keys may reappear and missing links will materialize out
of nowhere. Here's the piece de resistance: An apparent memory
of the future could provide a secret passageway to a previously
hidden enclave that contains "magic garbage."
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
In honor of the new identity you're evolving into, I hereby give
you the nickname of "Miracle Player," or else -- if
you like one of these better -- "Sleek Cat" or "Giant
Step" or "Fate Whisperer." You may hereafter also
use any of the following titles to refer to yourself: "CEO
of My Own Life" or "Self-Teacher of Jubilance and Serenity"
or "Fertile Blur of Supple Strength." Feel free, as
well, to anoint your head with pure organic virgin olive oil,
fashion a crown for yourself out of roses and shredded masks,
and come up with a wordless sound that is a secret sign you'll
give to yourself whenever you need to remember the marvelous creature
you are on your way to becoming.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
HOMEWORK:
Comment on Nietzsche's belief that "One must have chaos
within oneself if one is to be a dancing star." Testify by
going to FreeWillAstrology.com
and clicking on "Email Rob."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Submissions sent to the Free
Will Astrology Weekly 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 such submissions
for length, style, and content.
Requests for anonymity will be
honored with submissions;
otherwise, reader names, screen
names, or initials will be used.
Please be sure to note your preference
when sending to us. We
are not responsible for unsolicited
submission of any creative
material.
Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2010 Rob Brezsny
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
|
