Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
November 1, 2017
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.
The concept of pronoia proposes the hypothesis that life is a vast and intricate conspiracy designed to keep us well supplied with blessings. What kind of blessings?
Ten million dollars, a gorgeous physique, a perfect marriage, a luxurious home, and high status? Maybe.
But just as likely:
interesting surprises,
dizzying adventures,
gifts you hardly know what to do with,
challenges that dare you to free yourself from the debilitating aspects of your suffering,
and conundrums that dare you to get smarter.
Novelist William Vollman referred to the latter types of blessings when he said that "the most important and enjoyable thing in life is doing something that's a complicated, tricky problem for you that you don't know how to solve."
The Christian writer C. S. Lewis once said: "I thank God that He hasn't given me all the things I've prayed for, because as I look back now I realize it would have been disastrous to have received some of them."
Pronoia provides the boons and prods your soul needs, not necessarily those your ego craves.
Pronoia doesn't promise uninterrupted progress forever. It's not a slick commercial for a perfect summer daythat never ends.
Grace emerges in the ebb and flow, not just the flow. The waning reveals a different kind of blessing than the waxing.
But whether it's our time to ferment in the valley of shadows or rise up singing in the sun-splashed meadow, fresh power to transform ourselves is always on the way.
Our suffering won't last, nor will our triumph.
Without fail, life will deliver the creative energy we need to change into the new thing we must become.
Pronoia works because there is a Divine Being who comprises the entire universe.
When I say, "Life is a conspiracy to shower us with blessings," I understand that this Divine Being is the Chief Architect, Builder, and Manager of the conspiracy.
She oversees the evolution of 500 billion galaxies and every single thing in them, yet is also available as an intimate companion and daily advisor to each one of us humans.
Some lovers of pronoia don't like this part of my rap. They want pronoia to be free of anything that smacks of God. Atheism works better for them. That's OK with me. No hard feelings.
Other lovers of pronoia don't appreciate me referring to the Creator as "She." They either want to stick with the pronoun that has been used for hundreds of years, or else don't want any gender associations whatsoever. That's OK with me. No hard feelings.
The Maker of the conspiracy constantly tinkers, always keeping the big, 14-billion-year-long picture in mind and moving in the direction of ultimate blessings for all concerned.
But the Maker also loves getting help from us. To the degree that we co-conspire, the inevitable blessings ripen more lyrically and in greater fullness.
Pronoia asks us to be awake to the shifting conditions of the Wild Divine's ever-fresh creation. It encourages us to be quite happy about regularly divesting ourselves of the beliefs and theories that guided us yesterday so that we can see clearly what's right in front of us today.
As much as we might be dismayed by the actions of our political leaders pronoia says that toppling any particular junta, clique, or elite is irrelevant unless we overthrow the sour, puckered mass hallucinationthat is mistakenly called "reality" including the part of that hallucination we foster in ourselves.
The revolution begins at home. If you overthrow yourself again and again, you might earn the right to help overthrow the rest of us.
Pronoia will change your past if you let it. It's the language you study at night in your dreams, the open secret of how to live forever, the Last Judgment transformed into a daily gift.
Pronoia is a gnostic art: Everyone is potentially a visionary capable of revealing more of its mysteries.
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GENUINE LISTENING
“Genuine listening requires that you willingly bear witness to what someone else needs to say while simultaneously sparing them of your own solution, defense, dismissal, alternative reality, rebuttal, counterpoint, comparable story or more extreme example.
This kind of listening is a very ‘active’ part to play in a conversation. You have to believe for those moments that none of the things you might say could possibly be as valuable as hearing someone out.
You may need to employ every ounce of your strength of character to actually pay attention and not butt-in with your own bit. That kind of attention paid to another is powerful medicine.”
~ Gil Hedley, Integral Anatomy
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BESTOWING BLESSING
You don't have to be a highly evolved paragon of enlightenment in order to ease suffering and bestow blessings.
- Caroline Myss
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PURIFICATION
You could say this: "I no longer want to be a compost heap for sickening images."
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
Saving an owl.
i.imgur.com/DtVes3o.gifv
Meet the Playwrights Bringing Social Justice to the Stage
These women are helping audiences empathize with issues in a way that a book or an article can’t.
tinyurl.com/yckw5wax
The Woman Aiming to Get 50 Million Americans Into the Worker-Owner Economy. And she has a plan to do it.
tinyurl.com/ybkgcs3l
(Note: I endorse these because I like them. They aren’t advertisements, and I get no kickbacks.)
Please tell me your own nominations for PRONOIA RESOURCES: Truthrooster@gmail.com.
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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Week beginning November 2
Copyright 2017 by Rob Brezsny
FreeWillAstrology.com
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
In the early stages of Johnny Cash's development as a musician, his mother hired a coach to give him singing lessons. But after a few meetings, the teacher counseled him to quit. Johnny's style was so unique, the seasoned pro thought it better not to tamper with his natural sound. I hesitate to offer you comparable advice, Scorpio. I'm a big believer in the value of enhancing one's innate talents with training and education. On the other hand, my assessment of your destiny between now and October 2018 impels me to offer a suggestion: It may be useful for you to give some credence to the perspective of Johnny Cash's voice coach. Make sure you guard and revere your distinctiveness.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
I used to nurture a grudge against Tony Pastorini. He was the high school math teacher who kicked me out of the extracurricular Calculus Club because my proofs were too "intuitive and unorthodox." The shock of his rejection drove me away from a subject I had been passionate about. Eventually, though, I came to realize what a good deed he had done. It would have been a mistake for me to keep specializing in math -- I was destined to study literature and psychology and mythology -- but it took Pastorini to correct my course. Now, Sagittarius, I invite you to make a similar shift of attitude. What debt of gratitude do you owe a person you have thought of as a source of frustration or obstruction?
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
In the lore of ancient Greek mythology, the god Prometheus stole fire from his fellow deities and sneakily gave it to us humans. Before our patron provided us with this natural treasure, we poor creatures had no access to it. As I gaze out at your possibilities in the coming months, Capricorn, I foresee you having Promethean inclinations. Your ability to bestow blessings and spread benevolence and do good deeds will be at a peak. Unlike Prometheus, however, I don't expect you'll get into trouble for your generosity. Just the opposite!
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
Here's a parable you may find useful. An armchair explorer is unexpectedly given a chance to embark on an adventure she has only read and dreamed about. But she hesitates on the brink of seizing her opportunity. She asks herself, "Do I really want to risk having ragged reality corrupt the beautiful fantasy I've built up in my mind's eye?" In the end she takes the gamble. She embarks on the adventure. And ragged reality does in fact partially corrupt her beautiful fantasy. But it also brings her unexpected lessons that partially enhance the beautiful fantasy.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
"A game of chess is usually a fairy tale of 1001 blunders," said chess grandmaster Savielly Tartakower, a Pisces. "It is a struggle against one's own errors," he added. "The winner of the game is the player who makes the next-to-last mistake." I think this is excellent counsel during the current phase of your astrological cycle, Pisces. It's time to risk bold moves, because even if they're partly or wholly mistaken, they will ultimately put you in a good position to succeed in the long run. Here's a further point for your consideration. Remember the philosopher Rene Descartes' famous dictum, "Cogito ergo sum"? It's Latin for "I think, therefore I am." Tartakower countered this with, "Erro ergo sum," which is "I err, therefore I am."
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
America's Civil War ended in 1865. A veteran from that conflict later produced a daughter, Irene Triplett, who is still alive today and collecting his pension. In the coming months, I foresee you being able to take advantage of a comparable phenomenon, although it may be more metaphorical. Blessings from bygone times, perhaps even from the distant past, will be available to you. But you'll have to be alert and know where to look. So now might be a good time to learn more about your ancestors, ruminate exuberantly about your own history, study the lives of your dead heroes, and maybe even tune in to your previous incarnations.
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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 four-to-five-minute meditations on the current state of your destiny and where you're headed.
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.
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"The best part about your audio horoscopes is that they pat me on the head and kick me in the ass at the same time." - Rita L., San Diego
"Your audio oracles go beyond helping me find the truth -- they inspire me to find the WILD truth." - Patrick K., Montreal
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TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
"I wasn't in the market to buy a Day-Glo plastic fish from a street vendor," testified a witty guy named Jef on Facebook, "but that's exactly what I did. The seller said he found it in someone's trash. He wanted fifty cents for it, but I talked him up to a dollar. The best part is the expression on the fish's face. It's from Edvard Munch's The Scream." I bring this testimony to your attention, Taurus, because I feel it's good role-modeling for you. In the coming days, I bet you won't know exactly what you're looking for until you find it. This prize may not be highly valued by anyone else but you. And it will amuse you and be of use to you in just the right ways.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
Where are Chinese gooseberries grown? In New Zealand. What is a camel's hair brush made of? Squirrel fur. When England and France waged their Hundred Years' War, how long did it last? 116 years. When do Russians celebrate their October Revolution? In November. Trick answers like these are likely to be a recurring theme for you in the coming weeks, Gemini. That's why I advise you to NOT be a Master of the Obvious.
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
In accordance with the astrological omens, I recommend you indulge in any or all of the following exercises. 1. Dedicate an entire day to performing acts of love. 2. Buy yourself flowers, sing yourself a song, and tell yourself a story about why you're so beautiful. 3. Explain your deeply-felt opinion with so much passion and logic that you change the mind of a person who had previously disagreed with you. 4. Make a pilgrimage to a sacred spot you want to be influenced by. 5. Buy a drink for everyone in a bar or cafe.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
"Dear Rob: I saw a photo of you recently, and I realized that you have a scar on your face. I hope you don't mind me telling you it resembles an ancient Mayan hieroglyph that means 'Builder of Bridges for Those Who Are Seeking Home.' Did you know this? If so, do you think it's an accurate title for what you do? - Renegade Leo Scholar." Dear Scholar: Thanks for your observation. I don't know if I fully deserve the title "Builder of Bridges for Those Who Are Seeking Home," but it does describe the role I'm hoping to play for Leos. The coming weeks will be an excellent time for your tribe to clarify and cultivate your notion of home.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
Author Clarissa Pinkola Estés encourages us to purge any tendencies we might have to think of ourselves as hounded animals, angry, wounded victims, leaky vessels aching to be filled, or broken creatures yearning for rescue. It so happens that now is a perfect time for you to perform this purgation. You have maximum power to revise your self-image so that it resounds with more poise, self-sufficiency, and sovereignty.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
I used to scoff at people who play the lottery. The chance of winning big is almost nil. Why not invest one's hopes in more pragmatic schemes to generate money? But my opinion softened a bit when the planet Jupiter made a lucky transit to an aspect in my personal horoscope. It really did seem like my chances of winning the lottery were unusually high. I started dreaming about the educational amusements I'd pursue if I got a huge influx of cash. I opened my mind to expansive future possibilities that I had previously been closed to. So even though I didn't actually get a windfall during this favorable financial phase, I was glad I'd entertained the fantasy. In alignment with current astrological omens, Libra, here's the moral of the story for you: Meditate on what educational amusements you'd seek if you had more money.
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HOMEWORK:
Meditate on death not as the end of physical life, but as a metaphor for shedding what's outworn. In that light, what's the best death you've experienced? Freewillastrology.com
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Submissions sent to Rob Brezsny's Astrology 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 submissions for length, style, and content. Requests for anonymity will be honored. We are not responsible for unsolicited submission of any creative material.
Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright 2017 Rob Brezsny
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