Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter January 23, 2013

Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
JANUARY 23, 2013
FreeWillAstrology.com

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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 month, and bundled them in one place. Go here to read a compendium of your forecasts for 2013:
bit.ly/BigLife2013

In addition to these, I've created EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES that go even further in exploring your long-term destiny in 2013. Unlike the written freebies, the three-part audio reports cost money. Sign in here to access them:
RealAstrology.com

What will be the story of your life in 2013? How can you exert your free will to create the adventures that'll bring out the best in you, even as you find graceful ways to cooperate with the tides of destiny?

If you'd like a high-octane boost of inspiration to fuel you in your quest for beauty and truth and love and justice and meaning, tune in to my meditations on your long-term outlook.

A new short-range forecast for this week is also available.

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Excerpt from my book The Televisionary Oracle: bit.ly/Televisionary

This is how spells are broken:

by changing your name
every day for a hundred days

by bragging about
what you can't do and don't have

by telling nothing but lies for 24 hours

by staring at yourself
in the mirror
for hours

by confessing profound secrets
to people who aren't particularly interested

by forcing yourself to laugh nonstop for one hour

by acting with absolutely no ulterior motives

by dancing alone
all night
in slow motion
with your clothes on inside-out

by seeking out information
that renders your political beliefs irrelevant

by pretending to be dead
for three days

by burning down the dreamhouse
where your childhood keeps repeating itself

by communing with the Televisionary Oracle

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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:

WE NEED PRONOIA FOR THE DEVELOPING WORLD, TOO
Top Ten Ideas That Are Saving the World
tinyurl.com/bwxybcw

MILITARY EXPENDITURES AREN'T A HIGH PRONOIAC PRIORITY
Imagine a country where the state spends more on preschool childcare than on its defense budget.
tinyurl.com/7qzbjdu

HAVE YOU GOTTEN YOUR MINIMUM DAILY REQUIREMENT OF BEAUTY?
Snow on Sandstone Monocline, West of Kayenta, Navajo Nation, Arizona
i.imgur.com/v3d6lXb.jpg

(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 January 24

Copyright 2013 by Rob Brezsny
FreeWillAstrology.com

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):

"Nobody can be exactly like me. Even I have trouble doing it." So said the eccentric, outspoken, and hard-partying actress Talullah Bankhead (1902-1968). Can you guess her astrological sign? Aquarius, of course. Her greatest adventure came from trying to keep up with all the unpredictable urges that welled up inside her. She found it challenging and fun to be as unique as she could possibly be. I nominate her to be your role model in the next four weeks. Your assignment is to work extra hard at being yourself.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):

The Dardanelles Strait is a channel that connects the Black Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, separating Europe from Asia. In some places it's less than a mile wide. But the currents are fierce, so if you try to swim across at those narrow points, you're pushed around and end up having to travel five or six miles. In light of the current astrological omens, I'm predicting that you will have a comparable challenge in the coming days, Pisces. The task may seem easier or faster than it actually is. Plan accordingly.

ARIES (March 21-April 19):

The German government sponsored a scientific study of dowsing, which is a form of magical divination used to locate underground sources of water. After ten years, the chief researcher testified, "It absolutely works, beyond all doubt. But we have no idea why or how." An assertion like that might also apply to the mojo you'll have at your disposal, Aries, as you forge new alliances and bolster your web of connections in the coming weeks. I don't know how or why you'll be such an effective networker, but you will be.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):

The United States Congress spends an inordinate amount of time on trivial matters. For example, 16 percent of all the laws it passed in the last two years were devoted to renaming post offices. That's down from the average of the previous eight years, during which time almost 20 percent of its laws had the sole purpose of renaming post offices. In my astrological opinion, you Tauruses can't afford to indulge in anything close to that level of nonsense during the next four weeks. I urge you to keep time-wasting activities down to less than five percent of your total. Focus on getting a lot of important stuff done. Be extra thoughtful and responsible as you craft the impact you're having on the world.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):

What if your unconscious mind has dreamed up sparkling answers to your raging questions but your conscious mind doesn't know about them yet? Is it possible you are not taking advantage of the sly wisdom that your deeper intelligence has been cooking up? I say it's time to poke around down there. It's time to take aggressive measures as you try to smoke out the revelations that your secret self has prepared for you. How? Remember your dreams, of course. Notice hunches that arise out of nowhere. And send a friendly greeting to your unconscious mind, something like, "I adore you and I'm receptive to you and I'd love to hear what you have to tell me."

CANCER (June 21-July 22):

In his book Our Band Could Be Your Life, Michael Azerrad says that the Cancerian singer-songwriter Steve Albini is a "connoisseur of intensity." That means he's picky about what he regards as intense. Even the two kinds of music that are often thought of as the embodiment of ferocious emotion don't make the grade for Albini. Heavy metal is comical, he says, not intense. Hardcore punk is childish, not intense. What's your definition of intensity, Cancerian? I see the coming weeks as prime time for you to commune with the very best expressions of that state of being. Be a connoisseur of intensity.

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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 2013?

You can still listen to my long-range, in-depth explorations of your destiny in 2013. Each report in the three-part series is about 7 to 9 minutes long.

Go to RealAstrology.com
to sign in and access the EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES

A new short-range forecast for this week is also available.

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LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):

There's a butterfly sanctuary at the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It's called the Enchanted Garden. As you enter, you see a sign that reads, "Please do not touch the butterflies. Let the butterflies touch you." In other words, you shouldn't initiate contact with the delicate creatures. You shouldn't pursue them or try to capture them. Instead, make yourself available for them to land on you. Allow them to decide how and when your connection will begin to unfold. In the coming week, Leo, I suggest you adopt a similar approach to any beauty you'd like to know better.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):

Do you ever fantasize about a more perfect version of yourself? Is there, in your imagination, an idealized image of who you might become in the future? That can be a good thing if it motivates you to improve and grow. But it might also lead you to devalue the flawed but beautiful creation you are right now. It may harm your capacity for self-acceptance. Your assignment in the coming week is to temporarily forget about whom you might evolve into at some later date, and instead just love your crazy, mysterious life exactly as it is.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):

Novelist Jeffrey Eugenides says he doesn't have generic emotions that can be described with one word. "Sadness," "joy," and "regret" don't happen to him. Instead, he prefers "complicated hybrid emotions, Germanic train-car constructions," like "the disappointment of sleeping with one's fantasy" or "the excitement of getting a hotel room with a mini-bar." He delights in sensing "intimations of mortality brought on by aging family members" and "sadness inspired by failing restaurants." In the coming days, Libra, I think you should specialize in one-of-a-kind feelings like these. Milk the nuances! Exult in the peculiarities! Celebrate the fact that each new wave of passion has never before arisen in quite the same form.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):

After analyzing your astrological omens for the coming weeks, I decided that the best advice I could give you would be this passage by the English writer G. K. Chesterton: "Of all modern notions, the worst is this: that domesticity is dull. Inside the home, they say, is dead decorum and routine; outside is adventure and variety. But the truth is that the home is the only place of liberty, the only spot on earth where a person can alter arrangements suddenly, make an experiment or indulge in a whim. The home is not the one tame place in a world of adventure; it is the one wild place in a world of set rules and set tasks."

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):

My general philosophy is that everyone on the planet, including me, is a jerk now and then. In fact, I'm suspicious of those who are apparently so unfailingly well-behaved that they NEVER act like jerks. On the other hand, some people are jerks far too much of the time, and should be avoided. Here's my rule of thumb: How sizable is each person's Jerk Quotient? If it's below six percent, I'll probably give them a chance to be a presence in my life -- especially if they're smart and interesting. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, Sagittarius, this gauge may be useful for you to keep in mind during the coming weeks.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):

The French painter Cezanne painted images of a lot of fruit in the course of his career. He liked to take his sweet time while engaged in his work. The apples and pears and peaches that served as his models often rotted before he was done capturing their likenesses. That's the kind of approach I recommend for you in the coming days, Capricorn. Be very deliberate and gradual and leisurely in whatever labor of love you devote yourself to. No rushing allowed! With conscientious tenderness, exult in attending to every last detail of the process.

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HOMEWORK:

What's the best, most healing trouble you could whip up right now? Testify at Freewillastrology.com.

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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 2013 Rob Brezsny

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