Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
September 4, 2019
FreeWillAstrology.com
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In a time of destruction, create something. A poem. A parade. A community. A school. A vow. A moral principle. One peaceful moment.
-Maxine Hong Kingston
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YOUR HOLY IMAGINATION
Listen to a spoken-word version of this rap:
tinyurl.com/YouAreAProphet
Your imagination is the single most important asset you possess. It's your power to create mental pictures of things that don't exist yet and that you want to bring into being. It's the magic wand you use to shape your future.
And so in your own way, you are a prophet. You generate countless predictions every day. Your imagination is the source, tirelessly churning out images of what you will be doing later.
The featured prophecy of the moment may be as simple as a psychic impression of yourself eating a fudge brownie at lunch or as monumental as a daydream of some year building your dream home by a lake or sea.
Your imagination is a treasure when it spins out scenarios that are aligned with your deepest desires. In fact, it's an indispensable tool in creating the life you want; it's what you use to form images of the conditions you'd like to inhabit and the objects you hope to wield. Nothing manifests on this planet unless it first exists as a mental picture.
But for most of us, the imagination is as much a curse as a blessing. We're often just as likely to use it to conjure up premonitions that are at odds with our conscious values. That's the result of having absorbed toxic programming from the media and from our parents at an early age and from other influential people in our past.
Fearful fantasies regularly pop up into our awareness, many disguising themselves as rational thoughts and genuine intuitions. Those fearful fantasies may hijack our psychic energy, directing it to exhaust itself in dead-end meditations.
Every time we entertain a vision of being rejected or hurt or frustrated, every time we rouse and dwell on a memory of a painful experience, we're blasting ourselves with a hex.
Meanwhile, ill-suited longings are also lurking in our unconscious mind, impelling us to want things that aren't good for us and that we don't really need. Anytime we surrender to the allure of these false and trivial and counterproductive desires, our imagination is practicing a form of black magic.
This is the unsavory aspect of the imagination that the Zen Buddhists deride as the "monkey mind." It's the part of our mental apparatus that endlessly spins out pictures that zip around with the energy of an agitated animal. If we can stop locating our sense of self in the relentless surge of the monkey mind's slapdash chatter, we can be fully attuned to the life that's right in front of us. Only then are we able to want what we actually have.
But whether our imagination is in service to our noble desires or in the thrall of compulsive fears and inappropriate yearnings, there is one constant: The prophecies of our imagination tend to be accurate. Many of our visions of the future do come to pass. The situations we expect to occur and the experiences we rehearse and dwell on are all-too-often reflected back to us as events that confirm our expectations.
Does that mean our mental projections create the future? Let's consider that possibility. What if it's at least partially true that what we expect will happen does tend to materialize?
Here's the logical conclusion: It's downright stupid and self-destructive to keep infecting our imaginations with pictures of loss and failure, doom and gloom, fear and loathing. The far more sensible approach is to expect blessings.
That's one reason why I'm reverent in composing my messages for you. If I'm to be one of the influences you invite into the intimate sanctuary where you hatch your self-fulfilling prophecies, I want to conspire with you to disperse fear and invoke relaxation and joy.
Listen to a spoken-word version of this rap:
tinyurl.com/YouAreAProphet
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MY UPCOMING PERFORMANCE IN NEW YORK CITY
Join me as I read from my work
at The Strand bookstore
828 Broadway, New York City
7:30 pm on Friday, September 13
I'll be opening for three sublimely talented poets:
Ariana Reines
&
CAConrad
&
Zoe Brezsny
Here's more info: tinyurl.com/PoetryNYC
In the meantime, check out Ariana Reines' sensational new book A Sand Book, and read my review of it:
tinyurl.com/PoetryMedicine
Here's my favorite book by CAConrad:
ECODEVIANCE: (Soma)tics for the Future Wilderness:
tinyurl.com/Ecodeviance
Find poetry by Zoe Brezsny right here: zoebrezsny.com
Photo of me preparing: tinyurl.com/BrezsnyInTheOffice
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GENERATE THE FREE BRAIN
Instructions from poet Kenneth Patchen:
1. Discourage all traces of shame.
2. Bear no cross.
3. Extend all boundaries.
4. Blush perpetually in gaping innocence.
5. Burrow beneath the subconscious.
6. Pass from one world to another in carefree devotion.
7. Exhaust the primitive.
8. Generate the free brain.
9. Forgo no succulent filth.
10. Verify the irrational.
11. Acquire a sublime reputation.
12. Make one monster at least.
13. Multiply all opinions.
14. Inhabit everyone.
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ANGER IS THE DEEPEST FORM OF COMPASSION?
David Whyte says: “ANGER is the deepest form of compassion, for another, for the world, for the self, for a life, for the body, for a family and for all our ideals, all vulnerable and all, possibly about to be hurt.
“Stripped of physical imprisonment and violent reaction, anger is the purest form of care; the internal living flame of anger always illuminates what we belong to, what we wish to protect and what we are willing to hazard ourselves for.
“What we usually call anger is only what is left of its essence when we are overwhelmed by its accompanying vulnerability, when it reaches the lost surface of our mind or our body’s incapacity to hold it, or when it touches the limits of our understanding.
“What we name as anger is actually only the incoherent physical incapacity to sustain this deep form of care in our outer daily life; the unwillingness to be large enough and generous enough to hold what we love helplessly in our bodies or our mind with the clarity and breadth of our whole being.”
- From David Whyte’s book, "Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words”
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SING TALKING
If you were to approach the mountain village of Kongthong in India, you might notice the cacophony of peculiar bird calls echoing through the jungle. They wouldn't sound like any birds that you had heard before, though — these songs come from the villagers themselves.
They call to their neighbors in song. They sing to their children in to eat. They rhapsodize to find each other in the jungle.
Each song is unique, and each one refers to a specific individual. The practice, known as jingrwai lawbei, means each villager is given a musical name alongside their more traditional one.
More: tinyurl.com/y56fvl7g
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IMMORAL TO ONLY COMPLAIN
In my value system, it is immoral to complain and denounce and deprecate without ever praising; it's immoral to compulsively criticize without also identifying—at least now and then—what's working well.
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WANT TO GET YOUR ASTROLOGICAL CHART READ?
If you want your personal chart done, I recommend a colleague whose approach to reading astrology charts closely matches my own. She's my wife, RO LOUGHRAN. She's at www.roloughran.com.
Ro utilizes a blend of well-trained intuition, emotional warmth, and technical proficiency in horoscope interpretation. She is skilled at exploring the mysteries of your life's purpose and nurturing your connection with your own inner wisdom.
In addition to over 30 years of astrological experience, Ro has been a licensed psychotherapist for 17 years. She integrates psychological insight with astrology's cosmological perspective.
Ro is based in California, but can do phone consultations and otherwise work with you regardless of geographic boundaries.
Check out Ro's website at www.roloughran.com
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
The Pioneering Feminist Astronomer Who Fought for Women in Science
tinyurl.com/yxoa6jeg
When ICE hit Mississippi, its citizens showed up for immigrant families. The raid detained hundreds and left children stranded on the first day of school. It also evoked a massive humanitarian response in a state not traditionally friendly to immigrants.
tinyurl.com/yy6wno5a
How to Counter Trump’s Disastrous Attack on Our Public Lands.
tinyurl.com/yxkfqoxg
(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 September 5
Copyright 2019 by Rob Brezsny
FreeWillAstrology.com
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
I don't know if the coming weeks will be an Anais Nin phase for you. But they could be if you want them to. It's up to you whether you'll dare to be as lyrical, sensual, deep, expressive, and emotionally rich as she was. In case you decide that YES, you will, here are quotes from Nin that might serve you well. 1. It is easy to love and there are so many ways to do it. 2. My mission, should I choose to accept it, is to find peace with exactly who and what I am. 3. I am so thirsty for the marvelous that only the marvelous has power over me. Anything I can not transform into something marvelous, I let go. 4. Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. 5. It was while helping others to be free that I gained my own freedom.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
"When you're nailing a custard pie to the wall, and it starts to wilt, it doesn't do any good to hammer in more nails." So advised novelist Wallace Stegner. I hope I'm delivering his counsel in time to dissuade you from even trying to nail a custard pie to the wall—or an omelet or potato chip or taco, for that matter. What might be a better use of your energy? You could use the nails to build something that will actually be useful to you.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
"I hid my deepest feelings so well I forgot where I placed them," wrote author Amy Tan. My Scorpio friend Audrey once made a similar confession: "I buried my secrets so completely from the prying curiosity of other people that I lost track of them myself." If either of those descriptions apply to you, Scorpio, the coming weeks will be an excellent time to secure a remedy. You'll have extra power and luck if you commune with and celebrate your hidden feelings and buried secrets.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
"No Eden valid without serpent." Novelist Wallace Stegner wrote that pithy riff. I think it's a good motto for you to use in the immediate future. How do you interpret it? Here's what I think. As you nourish your robust vision of paradise-on-earth, and as you carry out the practical actions that enable you to manifest that vision, it's wise to have some creative irritant in the midst of it. That bug, that question, that tantalizing mystery is the key to keeping you honest and discerning. It gives credibility and gravitas to your idealistic striving.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
The coco de mer is a palm tree that grows in the Seychelles. Its seed is huge, weighing as much as forty pounds and having a diameter of nineteen inches. The seed takes seven years to grow into its mature form, then takes an additional two years to germinate. Everything I just said about the coco de mer seed reminds me of you, Capricorn. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you've been working on ripening an awesome seed for a long time, and are now in the final phase before it sprouts. The Majestic Budding may not fully kick in until 2020, but I bet you're already feeling the enjoyable, mysterious pressure.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
If you throw a pool ball or a bronze Buddha statue at a window, the glass will break. In fact, the speed at which it fractures could reach 3,000 miles per hour. Metaphorically speaking, your mental blocks and emotional obstacles are typically not as crackable. You may smack them with your angry probes and bash them with your desperate pleas, yet have little or no effect. But I suspect that in the coming weeks, you'll have much more power than usual to shatter those vexations. So I hereby invite you to hurl your strongest blasts at your mental blocks and emotional obstacles. Don't be surprised if they collapse at unexpectedly rapid speeds.
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WHAT IF JOY AND PLEASURE ARE ESSENTIAL SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES?
WHAT IF FEELING HAPPY STIMULATES YOUR COMPASSION?
Assume that your drive to experience pleasure and happiness isn't a barrier to your spiritual growth, but is in fact essential to it. Proceed on the hypothesis that cultivating joy can make you a more ethical and compassionate person. Imagine that feeling good has something important to teach you every day.
For inspiration in practicing this approach, tune in to your EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES. They're four-to-five-minute meditations on the current state of your destiny.
To listen to your Expanded Audio Horoscope online, go to freewillastrology.sparkns.com
Register and/or log in through the main page.
You can also listen over the phone by calling 1-877-873-4888.
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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
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 seem to pick up my telepathic requests and answer them in your expanded audio 'scopes."
-Marion H., Birmingham, AL
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PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
In the thirteenth century, the Italian city of Bologna was serious about guarding the integrity of its cuisine. In 1250, the cheese guild issued a decree proclaiming, "If you make fake mortadella . . . your body will be stretched on the rack three times, you will be fined 200 gold coins, and all the food you make will be destroyed." I appreciate such devotion to purity and authenticity and factualness. And I recommend that in the coming weeks, you commit to comparable standards in your own sphere. Don't let your own offerings be compromised or corrupted. The same with the offerings you receive from other people. Be impeccable.
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
John Muir (1838–1914) was skilled at creating and using machinery. In his twenties, he diligently expressed those aptitudes. But at age 27, while working in a carriage parts factory, he suffered an accident that blinded him. For several months, he lay in bed, hoping to recuperate. During that time, Muir decided that if his sight returned, he would thereafter devote it to exploring the beauty of the natural world. The miracle came to pass, and for the rest of his life he traveled and explored the wilds of North America, becoming an influential naturalist, author, and early environmentalist. I'd love to see you respond to one of your smaller setbacks—much less dramatic than Muir's!—with comparable panache, Aries.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
Of all the children on the planet, three percent live in the U.S. And yet American children are in possession of forty percent of the world's toys. In accordance with astrological omens, I hereby invite you to be like an extravagant American child in the coming weeks. You have cosmic permission to seek maximum fun and treat yourself to zesty entertainment and lose yourself in uninhibited laughter and wow yourself with beguiling games and delightful gizmos. It's playtime!
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
The ama are Japanese women whose job it is to dive to the sea bottom and fetch oysters bearing pearls. The water is usually cold, and the workers use no breathing apparatus, depending instead on specialized techniques to hold their breath. I propose we make them your inspirational role models. The next few weeks will be a favorable time, metaphorically speaking, for you to descend into the depths in quest of valuables and inspirations.
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
Renowned Cancerian neurologist Oliver Sacks believed that music and gardens could be vital curative agents, as therapeutic as pharmaceuticals. My personal view is that walking in nature can be as medicinal as working and lolling in a garden. As for music, I would extend his prescription to include singing and dancing as well as listening. I'm also surprised that Sacks didn't give equal recognition to the healing power of touch, which can be wondrously rejuvenating, either in its erotic or non-erotic forms. I bring these thoughts to your attention because I suspect the coming weeks will be a Golden Age of non-pharmaceutical healing for you. I'm not suggesting that you stop taking the drugs you need to stay healthy; I simply mean that music, nature, and touch will have an extra-sublime impact on your well-being.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
If you visualize what ancient Rome looked like, it's possible you draw on memories of scenes you've seen portrayed in movies. The blockbuster film Gladiator, starring Russell Crowe and directed by Ridley Scott, may be one of those templates. The weird thing is that Gladiator, as well as many other such movies, were inspired by the grandiose paintings of the ancient world done by Dutch artist Lawrence Alma-Tadema (1836–1912). And in many ways, his depictions were not at all factual. I bring this to your attention, Leo, in the hope that it will prod you to question the accuracy and authenticity of your mental pictures. The coming weeks will be a favorable time to get fuzzy and incorrect memories into closer alignment with the truth, and to shed any illusions that might be distorting your understanding of reality.
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HOMEWORK:
Saul Bellow wrote, "Imagination is a force of nature. Is this not enough to make a person full of ecstasy?" Do you agree? 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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