Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter July 29, 2015

 Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
 July 29, 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

Below are excerpts.

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LOVE TIPS

Love thrives when neither partner takes things personally, so cultivate a devotion to forgiveness and divest yourself of the urge to blame.

Love is a game in which the rules keep changing, so be crafty and improvisational as you stay alert for each unexpected twist of fate.

Love enmeshes you in your partner's unique set of karmic complications, so make sure you're very interested in his or her problems.

Love is a laboratory where you can uncover secrets about yourself that have previously been hidden, so be ravenously curious.

Love is never a perfect match of totally compatible saints, so don't let sterile fantasies seduce you away from flawed but fecund realities. Love is not a low-maintenance machine, so work hard on cultivating its unpredictable organic wonders.

Love is not a wholly-owned subsidiary of DreamWorks or Disney, so don't let your romantic story be infected by the entertainment industry's simplistic, sentimental myths about intimate relationships.

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INVITATION TO LOVE THE RIDDLES

I invite you to study the brazen contradictions . . .

and draw inspiration from the crazy-making incongruities . . .

and marvel at the mysterious ambiguities . . .

and give your compassionate attention to the slippery paradoxes . . .

and say lusty prayers of gratitude for the contradictions, incongruities, ambiguities, and paradoxes that are making you so much wiser and deeper and kinder and cuter.

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LET'S MAKE MORALITY FUN

Are you turned off by the authoritarian, libido-mistrusting perversity of the right-wing moral code, but equally reluctant to embrace the atheism embedded in the left wing's code of goodness?

Are you hungry for a value system rooted in beauty, love, pleasure, and liberation instead of order, control, politeness, and fear, but allergic to the sophistry of the New Age?

Are you apathetic toward the saccharine goodness evangelized by sentimental, superstitious fanatics, but equally bored by the intellectuals who worship at the empty-hearted shrine of scientific materialism?

It may be time for you to whip up your very own moral code. If you do, you might want to keep the following guidelines in mind:

1. A moral code becomes immoral unless it can thrive without a devil and enemy.

2. A moral code grows ugly unless it prescribes good-natured rebellion against automaton-like behavior offered in its support.

3. A moral code becomes murderous unless it's built on a love for the fact that EVERYTHING CHANGES ALL THE TIME, and unless it perpetually adjusts its reasons for being true.

4. A moral code will corrupt its users unless it ensures that their primary motivation for being good is because it's fun.

5. A moral code deadens the soul of everyone it touches unless it has a built-in sense of humor.

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TYPES OF LOVE?

The ancient Greeks had a variety of names for different kinds of love. Here are some, according to Lindsay Swope in her review of Richard Idemon's book "Through the Looking Glass."

1. "Epithemia" is the basic need to touch and be touched. Our closest approximation is "horniness," though epithemia is not so much a sexual feeling as a sensual one.

2. "Philia" is friendship. It includes the need to admire and respect your friends as a reflection of yourself - like in high school, where you want to hang out with the cool kids because that means you're cool too.

3. "Eros" isn't sexual in the way we usually think, but is more about the emotional gratification that comes from merging souls.

4. "Agape" is a mature, utterly free expression of love that has no possessiveness. It means wanting the best for another person even if it doesn't advance your self-interest.

I invite you to coin some additional new words for other kinds of love.

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"The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change," said psychologist Carl Rogers.

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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:

The city of Melbourne assigned trees email addresses so citizens could report problems. Instead, people wrote thousands of love letters to their favorite trees.
tinyurl.com/oto3v6c

New CO2 recycler captures carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and turns it back into fuel.
tinyurl.com/pnrgkg2

Global poverty rates have been cut in half since 1981.
tinyurl.com/ofcm8pn

(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 July 30

Copyright 2015 by Rob Brezsny
FreeWillAstrology.com

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):

I expect you to be in a state of constant birth for the next three weeks. Awakening and activation will come naturally. Your drive to blossom and create may be irresistible, bordering on unruly. Does that sound overwhelming? I don't think it will be a problem as long as you cultivate a mood of amazed amusement about it. (P.S. This upsurge is a healthy response to the dissolution that preceded it.)

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):

Expiration dates loom. Fond adieus and last laughs and final hurrahs are on tap. Unfinished business is begging you to give it your smartest attention while there's still time to finish it with elegance and grace. So here's my advice for you, my on-the-verge friend: Don't save any of your tricks, ingenuity, or enthusiasm for later. This is the later you've been saving them for. You are more ready than you realize to try what has always seemed improbable or inconceivable before now. Here's my promise: If you handle these endings with righteous decisiveness, you will ensure bright beginnings in the weeks after your birthday.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):

A company called Evil Supply sells a satirical poster that contains the following quote: "Be the villain you were born to be. Stop waiting for someone to come along and corrupt you. Succumb to the darkness yourself." The text in the advertisement for this product adds, "Follow your nightmares . . . Plot your own nefarious path." Although this counsel is slightly funny to me, I'm too moral and upright to recommend it to you -- even now, when I think there would be value in you being less nice and polite and agreeable than you usually are. So I'll tinker with Evil Supply's message to create more suitable advice: "For the greater good, follow your naughty bliss. Be a leader with a wild imagination. Nudge everyone out of their numbing routines. Sow benevolent mischief that energizes your team."

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):

"Every time you resist acting on your anger and instead restore yourself to calm, it gets easier," writes psychologist Laura Markham in Psychology Today. In fact, neurologists claim that by using your willpower in this way, "you're actually rewiring your brain." And so the more you practice, the less likely it is that you will be addled by rage in the future. I see the coming weeks as an especially favorable time for you to do this work, Scorpio. Keeping a part of your anger alive is good, of course -- sometimes you need its energy to motivate constructive change. But you would benefit from culling the excess.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):

Much of the action in the world's novels takes place inside buildings, according to author Robert Bringhurst. But characters in older Russian literature are an exception, he says. They are always out in the forests, traveling and rambling. In accordance with astrological omens, I suggest that you draw inspiration from the Russians' example in the coming days. As often and as long as you can, put yourself in locations where the sky is overhead. Nature is the preferred setting, but even urban spots are good. Your luck, wisdom, and courage are likely to increase in direct proportion to how much time you spend outdoors.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):

Has a beloved teacher disappointed you? Are there inspirational figures about whom you feel conflicted because they don't live up to all of your high standards? Have you become alienated from a person who gave you a blessing but later expressed a flaw you find hard to overlook? Now would be an excellent time to seek healing for rifts like these. Outright forgiveness is one option. You could also work on deepening your appreciation for how complicated and paradoxical everyone is. One more suggestion: Meditate on how your longing for what's perfect might be an enemy of your ability to benefit from what's merely good.

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LOVE YOUR LIFE!

How's your fight for freedom going? Are you making progress in liberating yourself from your unconscious obsessions, bad habits, and conditioned responses? Are you turning out to be the hero of your own life?

For assistance and inspiration, tune in to my EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES.

These forecasts are different in tone and format from the written horoscopes you read here in the newsletter. They're longer and more leisurely in tone. They tend to bring out more of the patient counselor in me, and have a bit less of the poet.

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. Each forecast is 4-5 minutes long.

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

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"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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AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):

French and Italian readers may have no problem with this horoscope. But Americans, Canadians, Brits, and Aussies might be offended, even grossed out. Why? Because my analysis of the astrological omens compels me to conclude that "moist" is a central theme for you right now. And research has shown that many speakers of the English language find the sound of the word "moist" equivalent to hearing fingernails scratching a chalkboard. If you are one of those people, I apologize. But the fact is, you will go astray unless you stay metaphorically moist. You need to cultivate an attitude that is damp but not sodden; dewy but not soggy; sensitive and responsive and lyrical, but not overwrought or weepy or histrionic.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):

Which signs of the zodiac are the most expert sleepers? Who best appreciates the healing power of slumber and feels the least shame about taking naps? Which of the twelve astrological tribes are most inclined to study the art of snoozing and use their knowledge to get the highest quality renewal from their time in bed? My usual answer to these questions would be Taurus and Cancer, but I'm hoping you Pisceans will vie for the top spot in the coming weeks. It's a very favorable time for you to increase your mastery of this supreme form of self-care.

ARIES (March 21-April 19):

"I am very much in love with no one in particular," says actor Ezra Miller. His statement would make sense coming out of your mouth right about now. So would this one: "I am very much in love with almost everyone I encounter." Or this one: "I am very much in love with the wind and moon and hills and rain and rivers." Is this going to be a problem? How will you deal with your overwhelming urge to overflow? Will you break people's hearts and provoke uproars everywhere you go, or will you rouse delight and bestow blessings? As long as you take yourself lightly, I foresee delight and blessings.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):

In her io9.com article on untranslatable words, Esther Inglis-Arkell defines the Chinese term wei-wu-wei as "conscious non-action . . . a deliberate, and principled, decision to do nothing whatsoever, and to do it for a particular reason." In my astrological opinion, the coming days would be a favorable time to explore and experiment with this approach. I think you will reap wondrous benefits if you slow down and rest in the embrace of a pregnant pause. The mysteries of silence and emptiness will be rich resources.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):

"I always liked side-paths, little dark back-alleys behind the main road -- there one finds adventures and surprises, and precious metal in the dirt." The character named Dmitri Karamazov makes that statement in Fyodor Dostoyevsky's novel The Brothers Karamazov. And now I'm thinking that you might like to claim his attitude as your own. Just for a while, you understand. Not forever. The magic of the side paths and back-alleys may last for no more than a few weeks, and then gradually fade. But in the meantime, the experiences you uncover there could be fun and educational. I do have one question for you, though: What do you think Dmitri meant by "precious metal in the dirt"? Money? Gold? Jewelry? Was he speaking metaphorically? I'm sure you'll find out.

CANCER (June 21-July 22):

"Sometimes the road less traveled is less traveled for a reason," says comedian Jerry Seinfeld. His implication is that rejecting traditional strategies and conventional wisdom doesn't always lead to success. As a professional rebel myself, I find it painful to agree even a little bit with that idea. But I do think it's applicable to your life right now. For the foreseeable future, compulsive nonconformity is likely to yield mediocrity. Putting too much emphasis on being unique rather than on being right might distract you from the truth. My advice: Stick to the road more traveled.

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HOMEWORK:

Express gratitude for the enemy who has taught you the most. 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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