Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
July 31, 2019
FreeWillAstrology.com
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Attention, please. This is your ancestors speaking. We've been trying to reach you through your dreams and fantasies, but now we're taking a more direct route.
So listen up. You're at a crossroads analogous to a dilemma that has baffled your biological line for six generations. We ask you now to master the turning point that none of us have ever figured out how to negotiate. Heal yourself and you heal all of us. We mean that literally. Start brainstorming, please.
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GO WITH WHAT FLOW?
When they say "Go with the flow," what "flow" are they talking about?
Do they mean the flow of your early childhood conditioning? The flow of your friends' opinions? The latest cultural trends? Your immediate instinctual needs?
When they say, "Go with the flow," are they urging you to keep doing what's easiest to do and what will win you the most ego points, even if it keeps you from being true to your soul's code?
Consider the possibility that there are many flows to go with, but only one or some of them are correct for you. Do you know which?
Maybe it's the one flowing in an underground cavern, far from the mad crowd.
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JOY IS AN ART
Know that joy is rarer, more difficult, and more beautiful than sadness. Once you make this all-important discovery, you must embrace joy as a moral obligation.
—André Gide
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LOVE YOUR IMPERFECTIONS
I propose that we set aside a week every year when we celebrate our gaffes, our flaws, and our bloopers.
During this crooked holiday, we are not embarrassed about the false moves we have made. We don't decry our bad judgment or criticize our delusional behavior. Instead, we forgive ourselves of our sins. We work to understand and feel compassion for the ignorance that led us astray.
Maybe we even find redemptive value in our apparent lapses; we come to see that they saved us from some painful experience or helped us avoid getting a supposed treasure that would have turned out to be a booby prize.
We could call it Love Your Imperfections Week.
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FAILURES OF FEELING
When I look at my life I realize that the mistakes I have made, the things I really regret, were not errors of judgment but failures of feeling.
—Jeanette Winterson
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ADDICTIVE TRADITION
If religion is the opiate of the people, tradition is an even more sinister analgesic, simply because it rarely appears sinister.
If religion is a tight band, a throbbing vein, and a needle, tradition is a far homelier concoction: poppy seeds ground into tea; a sweet cocoa drink laced with cocaine; the kind of thing your grandmother might have made.
—Zadie Smith
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SAPIOSEXUAL
Sapiosexual: a person who has a strong attraction to intelligence in others, regardless of gender or conventional attractiveness
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WHAT SHALL I DO?
What shall I do,
by nature and trade
a singing creature
as I go over the bridge
of my enchanted visions,
that cannot be weighed
in a world that deals only
in weights and measures?
—Marina Tsvetaeva
Translated by Elaine Feinstein
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[a different translation:]
Since I was born
a singing creature
forever crossing
my bridge
of marvelous visions
how do I live in a world
that only calculates and analyzes?
—Marina Tsvetaeva
Translated by me
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NONSENSE MEDICINE
Scribble treasure maps on naked promises. Search for messages from the hope-rich future in the warm glow of yesterday’s sweet shock. Initiate uproarious deep-breathing interventions in the midst of a secret test.
Drum up feral breakfast conundrums with wicked, lickable angels. Welcome imperfect violins and joy snakes at the heart of a cool mistake.
Glean just-in-time oracles from runaway shopping carts, Youtube videos of immortal jellyfish, and a song that pops into your head that you haven't heard for years.
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
India is now producing the world’s cheapest solar power.
tinyurl.com/yx9x2dxy
The indigenous Waorani people of Ecuador won a historic victory in court, protecting half a million acres of their territory in the Amazon from oil drilling.
tinyurl.com/y6yqnx2v
In 1959, police were called to a segregated library in S. Carolina when a 9yr-old Black boy refused to leave. He later got a PhD in Physics from MIT, and died in 1986, one of the astronauts aboard the space shuttle Challenger. The library that refused to lend him books is now named after him.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_McNair
(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 August 1
Copyright 2019 by Rob Brezsny
FreeWillAstrology.com
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
Let's check in with our psychic journalist, LoveMancer, who's standing by with a live report from inside your imagination. What's happening, LoveMancer? "Well, Rob, the enchanting creature on whose thoughts I've been eavesdropping has slipped into an intriguing frontier. This place seems to be a hot zone where love and healing interact intensely. My guess is that being here will lead our hero to breakthrough surges of love that result in deep healing, or deep healing that leads to breakthrough surges of love—probably both."
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
Virgo figure skater Scott Hamilton won an Olympic gold medal and four World Championships. He was a star who got inducted into the United States Olympic Hall of Fame and made a lot of money after he turned professional. "I calculated once how many times I fell during my skating career—41,600 times," he testified in his autobiography. "But here's the funny thing: I also got up 41,600 times. That's the muscle you have to build in your psyche—the one that reminds you to just get up." In accordance with current astrological omens, Virgo, I'll be cheering you on as you strengthen that muscle in your psyche during the coming weeks.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
What's the story of your life? Psychologist James Hillman said that in order to thrive, you need to develop a clear vision of that story. How do you do that? Hillman advised you to ask yourself this question: "How can I assemble the pieces of my life into a coherent plot?" And why is this effort to decode your biography so important? Because your soul's health requires you to cultivate curiosity and excitement about the big picture of your destiny. If you hope to respond with intelligence to the questions and challenges that each new day brings, you must be steadily nourished with an expansive understanding of why you are here on earth. I bring these ideas to your attention, Libra, because the coming weeks will be an excellent time to illuminate and deepen and embellish your conception of your life story.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
"Artists are people driven by the tension between the desire to communicate and the desire to hide," wrote psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott. I think that description fits many people born under the sign of the Scorpio, not just Scorpio artists. Knowing how important and necessary this dilemma can be for you, I would never glibly advise you to always favor candid, straightforward communication over protective, strategic hiding. But I recommend you do that in the coming weeks. Being candid and straightforward will serve you well.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
Sagittarian poet Aracelis Girmay writes, "How ramshackle, how brilliant, how haphazardly & strangely rendered we are. Gloriously, fantastically mixed & monstered. We exist as phantom, monster, miracle, each a theme park all one's own." Of course that's always true about every one of us. But it will be extraordinarily true about you in the coming weeks. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you will be at the peak of your ability to express what's most idiosyncratic and essential about your unique array of talents and specialties.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
Sometime soon I suspect you will arrive at a crossroads in your relationship with love and sex—as well as your fantasies about love and sex. In front of you: a hearty cosmic joke that would mutate your expectations and expand your savvy. Behind you: an alluring but perhaps confusing call toward an unknown future. To your left: the prospect of a dreamy adventure that might be only half-imaginary. To your right: the possibility of living out a slightly bent fairy tale version of romantic catharsis. I'm not here to tell you what you should do, Capricorn. My task is simply to help you identify the options.
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ARE YOU THE HERO OF YOUR OWN LIFE?
"Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show." So begins Charles Dickens' novel David Copperfield.
I'd like to inspire you to create a story of your own that begins like that. That's why I provide these free horoscopes for you.
If you'd ever like even more assistance from me, tune into your EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPE, which I create for you each week. 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
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The cost of the online reports are is $6 per sign. (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.
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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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AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
How many handcuffs are there in the world? Millions. Yet there are far fewer different keys than that to open all those handcuffs. In fact, in many countries, there's a standard universal key that works to open most handcuffs. In this spirit, and in accordance with current astrological omens, I'm designating August as Free Yourself from Your Metaphorical Handcuffs Month. It's never as complicated or difficult as you might imagine to unlock your metaphorical handcuffs; and for the foreseeable future it will be even less complicated and difficult than usual for you.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
People who sneak a gaze into your laboratory might be unnerved by what they see. You know and I know that your daring experiments are in service to the ultimate good, but that may not be obvious to those who understand you incompletely. So perhaps you should post a sign outside your lab that reads, "Please don't leap to premature conclusions! My in-progress projects may seem inexplicable to the uninitiated!" Or maybe you should just close all your curtains and lock the door until your future handiwork is more presentable. P.S. There may be allies who can provide useful feedback about your explorations. I call them the wounded healers.
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
"Dear Diary: Last night my Aries friend dragged me to the Karaoke Bowling Alley and Sushi Bar. I was deeply skeptical. The place sounded tacky. But after being there for twenty minutes, I had to admit that I was having a fantastic time. And it just got better and more fun as the night wore on. I'm sure I made a fool of myself when I did my bowling ball imitation, but I can live with that. At one point I was juggling a bowling pin, a rather large piece of sweet potato tempura, and my own shoe while singing Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir"—and I don't even know how to juggle. I have to admit that this sequence of events was typical of my adventures with Aries folks. I suppose I should learn to trust that they will lead me to where I don't know I want to go."
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
In his poem "Wild Oats," poet W. S. Merwin provided a message that's in perfect alignment with your current astrological needs: "I needed my mistakes in their own order to get me here." He was not being ironic in saying that; he was not making a lame attempt to excuse his errors; he was not struggling to make himself feel better for the inconvenience caused by his wrong turns. No! He understood that the apparent flubs and miscues he had committed were essential in creating his successful life. I invite you to reinterpret your own past using his perspective.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
Even if you're an ambidextrous, multi-gendered, neurologically diverse, Phoenician-Romanian Gemini with a fetish for pink duct tape and an affinity for ideas that no one has ever thought of, you will eventually find your sweet spot, your power niche, and your dream sanctuary. I promise. Same for the rest of you Geminis, too. It might take a while. But I beg you to have faith that you will eventually tune in to the homing beacon of the mother lode that's just right for you. P.S.: Important clues and signs should be arriving soon.
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
What would a normal, boring astrologer tell you at a time like now? Maybe something like this: "More of other people's money and resources can be at your disposal if you emanate sincerity and avoid being manipulative. If you want to negotiate vibrant compromises, pay extra attention to good timing and the right setting. Devote special care and sensitivity to all matters affecting your close alliances and productive partnerships." As you know, Cancerian, I'm not a normal, boring astrologer, so I wouldn't typically say something like what I just said. But I felt it was my duty to do so because right now you need simple, basic, no-frills advice. I promise I'll resume with my cryptic, lyrical oracles next time.
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HOMEWORK:
Fantasize about ways you could make money from doing what you love to do. Report results! 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 2019 Rob Brezsny
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