Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
May 22, 2019
FreeWillAstrology.com
+
Are you willing to push hard to get better, become smarter, grow your devotion to the truth, fuel your commitment to beauty, refine your emotional intelligence, hone your dreams, negotiate with your shadow, cure your ignorance, shed your pettiness, heighten your drive to look for the best in people, and soften your heart . . .
even as you always accept yourself for exactly who you are with all of your so-called imperfections, never demeaning the present by comparing it to an idealized past or future?
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
THIS IS A PERFECT MOMENT
(Hear this as a song: bit.ly/PerfectionNow)
This is a perfect moment.
It's a perfect moment for many reasons, but especially because you and I are waking up from our sleepwalking, thumb-sucking, dumb-clucking collusion with the masters of delusion and destruction.
Thanks to them, from whom the painful blessings flow, we are waking up.
Their wars and tortures,
their crimes against nature,
extinctions of species
their engineered diseases.
Their spying and lying
in the name of the father,
sterilizing seeds and
trademarking water.
Molestations of God,
celebrations of shame,
mangling our dreams and
defiling our names.
Their ruthless commercials
and blood-sucking hustles,
their endless rehearsals
for the end of the world.
Thanks to them, from whom the painful blessings flow, we are waking up.
Their painful blessings are cracking open more and more gashes in the sour and shrunken mass hallucination that is mistakenly called "reality." And through the fractures, ripe eternity is flooding in; news of our souls' true home is pouring in; our allies from the other side of the veil are swarming in, inspiring us to become smarter and wilder and kinder and trickier.
We are waking up.
As heaven and earth come together, as the dreamtime and daytime merge, we register the jolting and exhilarating fact that we are in charge -- you and I are in charge -- of imagining and discovering and animating a brash new world. Not in some distant time or faraway place, but right here and right now.
As we stand on this brink, as we dance on this verge, we cannot let the ruling fools of the dying world consummate their curses. We've got to rise up and fight their deranged logic; defy, resist, and prevent their tragic magic; uncork our sacred rage and supercharge it.
But overthrowing the psychopathic leaders is not enough. Protesting the well-dressed planet-rapers is not enough. We cannot afford to be consumed with our anger; cannot be obsessed and possessed by their danger.
Our mysterious animal bodies crave delight and fertility. Our ancient imaginations demand ever-fresh tastes of infinity.
In the new culture we are hatching, we need lusty compassion and euphoric duty, lyrical logic and insurrectionary beauty. In the new alliance we are mobilizing, we need radical curiosity and reverent pranks, voracious listening and altruistic banks.
In the new covenant that we are midwifing,
We will ridicule the cult of doom and gloom.
We will embrace the cause of zoom and bloom.
We will outfox the banality of evil and hate;
we will summon the chutzpah to praise and create.
No matter how upside-down it all may appear,
we will have no fear
because we know this big secret:
All of creation is conspiring to shower us with
catalytic blessings. Life is crazily in love with us
--brazenly and innocently in love with us.
Our destinies always bring us exactly what we need
to liberate us from our suffering.
The winds and the tides are on our side, forever and ever, amen. The birds and snakes are scheming to make us their sacred soul mates.
The sun and the moon and the stars remember our real names, and our ancestors pray for us while we're dreaming.
We have guardian angels and thousands of teachers
provocateurs with designs to unleash us
helpers and saviors we can't even imagine
brothers and sisters who want us to blossom
Thanks to them, from whom the blissful blessings flow, we are waking up.
The roads they pave us
the places they save us
the tomatoes they grow us
the rivers they flow us
Their mysterious stories
and morning glories
Their loaves and fishes
granting our wishes
The songs they sing us
The gifts they bring us
the secrets they show us
above and below us
Thanks to them, from whom the blissful blessings flow, we are waking up.
(Hear this as a song: bit.ly/PerfectionNow)
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
GIVING AWAY STUFF FOR FREE
An entrepreneur approached me with a proposal: "Your work should be getting out to a bigger audience. People are starving for the message you're putting out. That's why you need me. With my marketing machine, your name could become as recognizable as Deepak Chopra's. Let's build an entertainment conglomerate and hawk a hundred Rob Brezsny-style products."
"Nah," I said. "People come to me seeking sanctuary from hype. They know I won't smack them upside the head with relentless sales pitches."
Meanwhile, I regularly get inquiries from marketers who want to pay me money for putting advertisements on my website or advertorials on my social media sites. I always say no. I have turned down tens of thousands of dollars in ad revenue.
I'm going on 24 years of maintaining this attitude. I launched my website in 1995, and have never once had a paid ad on it. I've offered over 1,200 of my weekly Free Will Astrology columns for free on that site. And I've been sending out this free newsletter, which includes the horoscopes and much more, since the year 2000.
I freely give away two hours' worth of my music on Soundcloud. I don't make any money from my Youtube videos. I freely give away large sections of my books "The Televisionary Oracle" and "Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia."
I've never bought an ad on Facebook or Instagram or Twitter, although I'm considering doing so when my new books come out.
Have I been naïve? Idiotic? Overly idealistic? Too pure? Self-sabotaging? Woefully unrealistic?
I may need an advisor to help me think more robustly about all these matters.
Here are links to my various social media, where you can get more free stuff:
freewillastrology.com/social
If you would like to contribute to me and my well-being, please visit my Gift Page: paypal.me/GiftsForRob — Give your gift via the "Friends and Family" option.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
TASTE YOUR NATIVE IMMORTAL AIR
Old-fashioned language delivering futuristic ideas, from Ralph Waldo Emerson:
I am to invite people drenched in Time to recover themselves and come out of time, and taste their native immortal air.
I am to fire with what skill I can the artillery of sympathy and emotion.
I am to indicate constantly, though all unworthy, the Ideal and Holy Life, the life within life, the Forgotten Good, the Unknown Cause in which we sprawl and sin.
I am to try the magic of sincerity, that luxury permitted only to kings and poets.
I am to celebrate the spiritual powers in their infinite contrast to the mechanical powers and the mechanical philosophy of this time.
I am to console the brave sufferers under evils whose end they cannot see, by appeals to the great optimism, self-affirmed in all bosoms.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
SAFE AND LEGAL ABORTION
In the course of my life, my women partners and I have had three abortions. They were critically important. They made it possible for my wife and I to choose exactly when we did want to bring a new human being into the world—when I had enough money and emotional maturity to do so. I was able to be a good father to my daughter because she was welcome and I was ready.
I have been horrified and saddened to witness the recent attempts by numerous states to pass ultra-restrictive laws that make it very hard to get safe and legal abortions. (The states are Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Dakota, Ohio, with Alabama also on the verge.)
The lawmakers behind the bills don’t attempt to conceal their true intention: to unconstitutionally ignore Roe v. Wade, which they hope to see overturned by the conservative-leaning Supreme Court.
Below are some ways to fight back against the unconscionable new laws and advocate for the people they could potentially impact. Please let me know if you have additional ideas.
1. Donate to grassroots organizations like Planned Parenthood, NARAL, and the ACLU. There are many smaller reproductive-rights organizations that provide support and resources to people seeking abortion in their states. Click on the link to see other good places to give.
2. Volunteer as a clinic escort.
3. Speak out about the potential repercussions of six-week bans, because they’re not going anywhere.
I just donated $60 to Planned Parenthood. If you'd like to donate, go here: tinyurl.com/y2q7mdy2
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
Humans are leading the planet into the sixth mass extinction, with a million species in danger of disappearing forever. But there are practical actions we can take to call if off. Here are some:
Reverse the expansion of monoculture
Restore and protect coastal marine ecosystems
Protect fish for real
Put Indigenous people in charge of their own territory
Let wild areas remain roadless
Address economic inequality, lower consumption, expand access to education, and support sustainable technology
More details: tinyurl.com/y2jhlsfb
(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.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Week beginning May 23
Copyright 2019 by Rob Brezsny
FreeWillAstrology.com
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
If there were a Hall of Fame for writers, Shakespeare might have been voted in first. His work is regarded as a pinnacle of intellectual brilliance. And yet here's a fun fact: The Bard quoted well over a thousand passages from the Bible. Can you imagine a modern author being taken seriously by the literati if he or she frequently invoked such a fundamental religious text? I bring this to your attention so as to encourage you to be Shakespeare-like in the coming weeks. That is, be willing to draw equally from both intellectual and spiritual sources; be a deep thinker who communes with sacred truths; synergize the functions of your discerning mind and your devotional heart.
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
"People will choose unhappiness over uncertainty," writes Cancerian author and entrepreneur Timothy Ferriss. He doesn't do that himself, but rather is quite eager to harvest the perks of dwelling in uncertainty. I presume this aptitude has played a role in his huge success; his books have appeared on bestseller lists and his podcasts have been downloaded more than 300 million times. In telling you this, I'm not encouraging you to embrace the fertile power of uncertainty 24 hours a day and 365 days of every year. But I am urging you to do just that for the next three weeks. There'll be big payoffs if you do, including rich teachings on the art of happiness.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
Many eighteenth-century pirates were committed to democracy and equality among their ranks. The camaraderie and fairness and mutual respect that prevailed on pirate ships were markedly different from the oppressive conditions faced by sailors who worked for the navies of sovereign nations. The latter were often pressed into service against their will and had to struggle to collect meager salaries. Tyrannical captains controlled all phases of their lives. I bring this to your attention, Leo, with the hope that it will inspire you to seek out alternative approaches to rigid and hierarchical systems. Gravitate toward generous organizations that offer you ample freedom and rich alliances. The time is right to ally yourself with emancipatory influences.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
Don't wait around for fate to decide which decisions you should make and what directions you should go. Formulate those decisions yourself, with your willpower fully engaged. Never say, "If it's meant to be, it will happen." Rather, resolve to create the outcomes you strongly desire to happen. Do you understand how important this is? You shouldn't allow anyone else to frame your important questions and define the nature of your problems; you've got to do the framing and defining yourself. One more thing: don't fantasize about the arrival of the "perfect moment." The perfect moment is whenever you decree it is.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
In the coming weeks, I hope you'll regularly give yourself to generous, expansive experiences. I hope you'll think big, funny thoughts and feel spacious, experimental emotions. I hope you'll get luxurious glimpses of the promise your future holds, and I hope you'll visualize yourself embarking on adventures and projects you've been too timid or worried to consider before now. For best results, be eager to utter the word "MORE!" as you meditate on the French phrase "joie de vivre" and the English phrase "a delight in being alive."
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
According to Popular Mechanics magazine, over three million sunken ships are lying on the bottoms of the world’s oceans. Some of them contain billions of dollars’ worth of precious metals and jewels. Others are crammed with artifacts that would be of great value to historians and archaeologists. And here’s a crazy fact: fewer than one percent of all those potential treasures have been investigated by divers. I bring this to your attention, Scorpio, because I hope it might inspire you to explore your inner world’s equivalent of lost or unknown riches. The astrological omens suggest that the coming weeks will be an excellent time to go searching for them.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
WHY IS IT CALLED "FREE WILL" ASTROLOGY?
It's called Free Will Astrology because my goal is to create horoscopes that nurture your free will.
Contrary to what some horoscope fans believe, there's no such thing as predestination. Fate is a tricky sucker that keeps changing its mind about where it wants to go. The stars may impel, as the astrological saying goes, but they don't compel.
That's why I've never considered myself a fortuneteller. I prefer to think that my greatest service is as a psychic intelligence agent, helping you explore the hidden patterns and unconscious forces that may be affecting your life without your full knowledge.
If I "predict" anything, it's not so much the future as the unknown part of the present.
And if you ever want more than the 'scopes you're reading here, keep in mind that I also create EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES for you. They're four-to-five-minute meditations on the current state of your destiny.
To buy and listen to your Expanded Audio Horoscope online, go to freewillastrology.sparkns.com
Register and/or log in through the main page.
+
The cost is $6 per sign on the On the Web. (Discounts are available for bulk purchases.) You can also access them for $1.99 per minute by phone.Each forecast is 4-5 minutes long.
+
"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
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
"Some days you need god's grace," writes poet Scherezade Siobhan. "On other days: the feral tongue of vintage whiskey and a mouth kissed by fire." I'm guessing, Sagittarius, that these days you might be inclined to prefer the feral tongue of vintage whiskey and a mouth kissed by fire. But according to my astrological analysis, those flashy phenomena would not motivate you to take the corrective and adaptive measures you actually need. The grace of god—or whatever passes for the grace of god in your world—is the influence that will best help you accomplish what's necessary. Fortunately, I suspect you know how to call on and make full use of that grace.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
Capricorn poet William Stafford articulated some advice that I think you need to hear right now. Please hold it close to your awareness for the next 21 days. "Saying things you do not have to say weakens your talk," he wrote. "Hearing things you do not need to hear dulls your hearing." By practicing those protective measures, Capricorn, you will foster and safeguard your mental health. Now here's another gift from Stafford: "Things you know before you hear them—those are you, those are why you are in the world."
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
"Love is an immoderate thing / And can never be content," declared poet W. B. Yeats. To provide you with an accurate horoscope, I'll have to argue with that idea a bit. From what I can determine, love will indeed be immoderate in your vicinity during the coming weeks. On the other hand, it's likely to bring you a high degree of contentment—as long as you're willing to play along with its immoderateness. Here's another fun prediction: I suspect that love's immoderateness, even as it brings you satisfaction, will also inspire you to ask for more from love and expand your capacity for love. And that could lead to even further immoderate and interesting experiments.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
You will know you are in sweet alignment with cosmic forces if you have an impulse to try a rash adventure, but decide instead to work on fixing a misunderstanding with an ally. You can be sure you're acting in accordance with your true intuition if you feel an itch to break stuff, but instead channel your fierce energy into improving conditions at your job. You will be in tune with your soul's code if you start fantasizing about quitting what you've been working on so hard, but instead sit down and give yourself a pep talk to reinvigorate your devotion and commitment.
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
In the coming weeks, I suspect you will have the wisdom to criticize yourself in constructive ways that will at least partially solve a long-standing problem. Hallelujah! I bet you will also understand what to do to eliminate a bad habit by installing a good new habit. Please capitalize on that special knowledge! There's one further capacity I suspect you'll have: the saucy ingenuity necessary to alleviate a festering fear. Be audacious!
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
What standards might we use in evaluating levels of sexual satisfaction? One cruclal measure is the tenderness and respect that partners have for each other. Others include the ability to play and have fun, the freedom to express oneself uninhibitedly, the creative attention devoted to unpredictable foreplay, and the ability to experience fulfilling orgasms. How do you rate your own levels, Taurus? Wherever you may currently fall on the scale, the coming months will be a time when you can accomplish an upgrade. How? Read authors who specialize in the erotic arts. Talk to your partners with increased boldness and clarity. While meditating, search for clues in the depths.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
HOMEWORK:
Make up a secret identity for yourself. What is it? How do you use it? Testify at FreeWillAstrology.com
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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 2019 Rob Brezsny
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
|
