Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter May 20, 2015

 Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
 May 20, 2015
 FreeWillAstrology.com

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My book PRONOIA IS THE ANTIDOTE FOR PARANOIA
is available at Amazon: bit.ly/Pronoia
or Powells: bit.ly/PronoiaPowells

The e-book is available at bit.ly/eePronoia

Below are excerpts.

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Even now, secret allies are cooking up mysteries that will excite you and incite you for years to come.

Even now, the Earth, moon, and sun are collaborating to make sure you have all you need to make your next smart move.

But here's the loaded question: Are you willing to start loving life back with an equal intensity? The adoration it offers you has not exactly been unrequited, but there is room for you to be more demonstrative.

Half of the art of pronoia is about being improvisationally receptive to life's elaborate scheme to shower you with blessings. The other half is about learning to be a co-conspirator who assists life in doling out blessings -- to help everyone else get exactly what they need, exactly when they need it.

Visualize yourself being able to recognize the raw truth about the people you care about. Imagine that you can see how they already embody the beauty their souls' codes have promised as well as how they still fall short of embodying that beauty.

Picture yourself being able to make them feel appreciated even as you inspire them to risk changes that will activate more of their souls' codes.

P.S. All of creation loves you very much.

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Think about your relationship to human beings who haven't been born yet. What might you create for them to use? How can you make your life a gift to the future? Can you not only help preserve the wonders we live amidst, but actually enhance them? Keep in mind this thought from Lewis Carroll: "It's a poor sort of memory that only works backward."

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May you heal everything you touch.

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"Feelings, whether of compassion or irritation, should be welcomed, recognized, and treated on an absolutely equal basis; because both are ourselves.

"The tangerine I am eating is me. The mustard greens I am planting are me. I plant with all my heart and mind. I clean this teapot with the kind of attention I would have were I giving the baby Buddha or Jesus a bath.

"Nothing should be treated more carefully than anything else. In mindfulness, compassion, irritation, mustard green plant, and teapot are all sacred."

~ Thich Nhat Hanh, "The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation"

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"I find that a lot of people are more invested in position-taking than they are in the inquiry. Generally speaking, I am in the inquiry. I live in the question. People have so many positions, and usually the evidence is not strong enough for them really to be so confident in those conclusions. There are just a lot of things that are not certain."

- Jerry Brown, quoted in "The Atlantic"

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A life-long dream of mine came true back in 2010, and I didn't even know it was a life-long dream until it happened. It struck unexpectedly on a Tuesday afternoon in April.

My daughter Zoe called on the phone from her college dorm room, wanting to discuss an essay she'd been assigned to read for her poetry class. She really liked it, but there were some points she wanted to understand better, and she thought my input might help. The essay was the "Surrealistic Manifesto," formulated in 1924 by the writer André Breton. Years ago, it was a crucial document in my own development as a young poet. The opportunity to share its heady brew with the beloved child I used to push on a swing was startling and blissful.

It was Zoe's birthday recently. She just finished her first year in the MFA Poetry program at Columbia University, and is well on her way to being an accomplished writer and provocative poet. She is also an intriguing and generous human being with impeccable integrity and enormous emotional intelligence. She has inspired me to live up to my ideals and share my wealth.

I don't throw the word "joy" around lightly, but Zoe's presence in my life is a fount of joy and a source of continuous blessings.

Zoe's journalism for the East Bay Express can be read here: bit.ly/Qz2W5N

Zoe's journalism for radio station KALW can be read or heard here: bit.ly/1KCWq4r

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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:

Teenagers Are Getting Bullied Less At School Than They Were A Few Years Ago
tinyurl.com/m898kwb

The doctor who treats the homeless
tinyurl.com/lf5kgna

South Africa’s richest black man gives $1.3 billion, half his wealth, to the poor.
tinyurl.com/n3ajps2

(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 May 21

Copyright 2015 by Rob Brezsny
FreeWillAstrology.com

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):

"Aha!" is your mantra for the coming weeks, Gemini. Keep it on the tip of your tongue, ready to unleash. This always-ready-to-be-surprised-by-inspiration attitude will train you to expect the arrival of wonders and marvels. And that will be an effective way to actually attract wonders and marvels! With "Aha!" as your talisman, all of your wake-up calls will be benevolent, and all of the chaos you encounter -- or at least most of it -- will be fertile.

CANCER (June 21-July 22):

Do you chronically indulge in feelings of guilt? Do you berate yourself for the wrong turns and sad mistakes you made in the past? These behaviors may be sneaky ways of avoiding change. How can you summon enough energy to transform your life if you're wallowing in worries and regrets? In presenting the possibility that you might be caught in this trap, I want you to know that I'm not sitting in judgment of you. Not at all. Like you, I'm a Cancerian, and I have periodically gotten bogged down in the very morass I'm warning you against. The bad news is that right now you are especially susceptible to falling under this spell. The good news is that right now you have extra power to break this spell.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):

In the TV comedy-drama Jane the Virgin, the fictional character known as Rogelio de la Vega is a vain but lovable actor who performs in telenovelas. "I'm very easy to dress," he tells the wardrobe supervisor of a new show he'll be working on. "Everything looks good on me. Except for peach. I don't pop in peach." What he means is that his charisma doesn't radiate vividly when he's wearing peach-colored clothes. Now I want to ask you, Leo: What don't you pop in? I'm not simply talking about the color of clothes that enable you to shine, but everything else, too. In the coming weeks, it's crucial that you surround yourself with influences that make you pop.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):

Are you willing to entertain an outlandish possibility? Here's my vision: You will soon be offered unexpected assistance, either through the machinations of a "guardian angel" or the messy blessings of a shape-shifting spirit. This divine intervention will make it possible for you to demolish a big, bad obstacle you've been trying to find a way around. Even if you have trouble believing in the literal factuality of my prophecy, here's what I suspect: It will at least come true in a metaphorical sense -- which is the truest kind of truth of all.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):

"Glory" is the theme song of the film Selma. It's an anthem about the ongoing struggle for equal rights by African Americans. I want to borrow one of its lines for your use in the coming weeks: "Freedom is like a religion to us." I think those will be good words for you to live by. Are you part of a group that suffers oppression and injustice? Are you mixed up in a situation that squashes your self-expression? Are you being squelched by the conditioned habits of your own unconscious mind? It's high time to rebel. The quest for liberation should be your spiritual calling.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):

If you're planning on breaking a taboo, sneaking into a forbidden zone, or getting intimate with an edge-dweller, don't tell boastful stories about what you're doing. For now, secrecy is not only sexy; it's a smart way to keep you safe and effective. Usually I'm fond of you telling the whole truth. I like it when you reveal the nuanced depths of your feelings. But right now I favor a more cautious approach to communication. Until your explorations have progressed further, I suggest that you only discuss them sparingly. As you put your experiments in motion, share the details on a need-to-know basis.

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IF YOU WANT MORE FREE WILL ASTROLOGY,
  TRY THE EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES

The horoscopes you read in this newsletter may be plenty for your needs.

But if you'd like to experience more of my thoughts about your current situation, you might want to try my EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES. They're 4 to 5 minute meditations on the state of your life and where you're going.

To listen to your Expanded Audio Horoscope online, go to RealAstrology.com.

Register and/or log in through the main page.

You can also listen over the phone by calling 1-877-873-4888.

The cost is $6 per sign on the Web (discounts available for bulk purchases), or $1.99 per minute by phone.

The Expanded Audio Horoscopes work on most smart phones and tablets.

"Your audio horoscopes help me love myself better, and I mean that in a non-narcissistic way."
-Deva P., Indianapolis

"I'm really grateful for the way you pick up my telepathic requests and answer them in your expanded audio 'scopes."
-Marion H., Birmingham, AL

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SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):

There are many possible ways to create and manage a close relationship. Here's one of my favorite models: when two independent, self-responsible souls pledge to help each other activate the best versions of themselves. If you don't have a partnership like this, the near future will be a favorable time to find one. And if you already do have an intimate alliance in which the two of you synergize each other's quest for individuation, the coming weeks could bring you breathtaking breakthroughs.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):

It's a challenge to drive a car through Canada's far north. For example, if you want to get from Dawson in the Yukon Territory to Inuvik in the Northwest Territory, you take Dempster Highway. It's gravel road for the entire 417-mile trip, so the ride is rough. Bring a spare tire and extra gasoline, since there's just one service station along the way. On the plus side, the scenery is thrilling. The permafrost in the soil makes the trees grow in odd shapes, almost like they're drunk. You can see caribou, wolverines, lynx, bears, and countless birds. Right now, the sun is up 20 hours every day. And the tundra? You've never seen anything like it. Even if you don't make a trip like this, Capricorn, I'm guessing you will soon embark on a metaphorically similar version. With the right attitude and preparation, you will have fun and grow more courageous.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):

Aquarian author James Joyce wrote Ulysses, one of the most celebrated and influential novels of the 20th century. The narrative is both experimental and tightly structured. Its chaotic stream-of-consciousness passages are painstakingly crafted. (Anyone who wonders how the astrological sign of Aquarius can be jointly ruled by the rebellious planet Uranus and the disciplinarian planet Saturn need only examine this book for evidence.) Joyce claimed he labored over Ulysses for 20,000 hours. That's the equivalent of devoting eight hours a day, 350 days a year, for over seven years. Will you ever work that hard and long on a project, Aquarius? If so, now would be an auspicious time to start.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):

The English writer and caricaturist Max Beerbohm moved away from his native land when he was 37 years old. He settled in Rapallo, Italy, where he lived for much of the rest of his life. Here's the twist: When he died at age 83, he had still not learned to speak Italian. For 40 years, he used his native tongue in his foreign home. This is a failing you can't afford to have in the coming months, Pisces. The old proverb "When in Rome, do as the Romans," has never been so important for you to observe.

ARIES (March 21-April 19):

James McNeil Whistler was an influential painter in the latter half of the 19th century. He advocated the "art for art's sake" credo, insisting that the best art doesn't need to teach or moralize. As far as he was concerned, its most important purpose was to bring forth "glorious harmony" from chaos. But the immediate reason I'm nominating him to be your patron saint for the coming weeks is the stylized signature he created: an elegant butterfly with a long tail that was actually a stinger. I think you'll thrive by embodying that dual spirit: being graceful, sensitive, and harmonious and yet also feisty, piquant, and provocative. Can you manage that much paradox? I think you can.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):

Renowned author George Bernard Shaw was secure in his feeling that he did good work. He didn't need the recognition of others to validate his self-worth. The British Prime Minister offered him a knighthood, but he refused it. When he found out he had been awarded a Nobel Prize for Literature, he wanted to turn it down but his wife convinced him to accept it. The English government also sought to give him the prestigious Order of Merit, but he rejected it, saying, "I have already conferred this order upon myself." He's your role model for right now, Taurus. Congratulate yourself for your successes, whether or not anyone else does.

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HOMEWORK:

Choose one area of your life where you will exceed your personal best in the coming week. 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 2015 Rob Brezsny

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