Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter December 4, 2019

 Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
 December 4, 2019
 FreeWillAstrology.com

+

To a brave person, good and bad luck are like her left and right hand. She uses both.

—philosopher St. Catherine of Siena

+

GIVE BIRTH TO YOUR GENIUS

If you do not give birth to the genius within you, it will undermine you. If you do give birth to the genius within you, it will free you.

This is my adaptation of the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas, which says, “If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you.”

And yes, I sincerely believe that every one of us has some kind of genius that's unique in the history of the world.

+   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +  +  +  +  +  +

CREATIVE GENEROSITY

Spiritual teacher A.H. Almaas believes that a genuinely creative act is always motivated by generosity.

So then here's the question: If that's true, how do you explain all the ego-obsessed "geniuses" who treat everyone like dirt even as they churn out their supposedly brilliant art?

Here's my answer: Those are not authentic geniuses.

Genius is by nature benevolent. Definition of genius: those gifts in yourself that are of maximum use and benefit to others.

+   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +  +  +  +  +  +

DEAR READERS: Some of you are curious about how I earn a living. You've noticed that I give away my horoscopes for free—and have done so for many years.

You appreciate the fact that my website isn't overrun with ads, that I provide numerous excerpts from my books for free, and that I rarely ask for money in my voluminous posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The fact is that I earn some money by syndicating my horoscopes in newspapers and by selling the books I've published.

I also produce two other kinds of horoscopes that are for sale: my weekly EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES and my daily TEXT MESSAGE HOROSCOPES.

If you'd like to support my ability to thrive, please consider buying those other two horoscopes. Here's how you do it:

Go here:

freewillastrology.sparkns.com

Register or log in. On the new page, you have two choices: Expanded Audio Horoscopes or Daily Text Message Horoscopes.

If you have any questions about how to access them, write to my tech support team at freewillcs@gmail.com.

+

And if you would simply like to donate to me, please visit my Gift Page: paypal.me/GiftsForRob — Contribute via the "Friends and Family" option.

+   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +  +  +  +  +  +

A LIMITLESS RANGE OF AWARENESS

Accept the possibility that there is a limitless range of awareness for which we now have no words; that awareness can expand beyond range of your ego, your self, your familiar identity, beyond everything you have learned, beyond your notions of space and time, beyond the differences which usually separate people from each other and from the world around them.

—Walter Evans-Wentz

+   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +  +  +  +  +  +

TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOUR WILDNESS

Jungian storyteller Clarissa Pinkola Éstes advises us to take good care of the untamed aspects of our nature. “The wild life must be kept ordered on a regular basis,” she writes.

+   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +  +  +  +  +  +

THANKS by W. S. Merwin

Listen
with the night falling we are saying thank you
we are stopping on the bridges to bow from the railings

we are running out of the glass rooms
with our mouths full of food to look at the sky
and say thank you

we are standing by the water thanking it
standing by the windows looking out
in our directions

back from a series of hospitals back from a mugging
after funerals we are saying thank you
after the news of the dead
whether or not we knew them we are saying thank you

over telephones we are saying thank you
in doorways and in the backs of cars and in elevators
remembering wars and the police at the door
and the beatings on stairs we are saying thank you

in the banks we are saying thank you
in the faces of the officials and the rich
and of all who will never change
we go on saying thank you thank you

with the animals dying around us
our lost feelings we are saying thank you
with the forests falling faster than the minutes
of our lives we are saying thank you

with the words going out like cells of a brain
with the cities growing over us
we are saying thank you faster and faster

with nobody listening we are saying thank you

we are saying thank you and waving
dark though it is
 

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
 

MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:

World's Largest Public Bank Ditches Oil and Coal in Victory for the Climate Movement.
tinyurl.com/yx443m9b

See how good the world could be in 2040—if we act on climate solutions now.
tinyurl.com/vlxyudm

While other European countries cut their budgets to the bone, Portugal lent its citizens a helping hand. Guess who came out on top?
tinyurl.com/tpnnukw
 

(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 December 5

Copyright 2019 by Rob Brezsny
FreeWillAstrology.com
 

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):

"My greatest asset is that I am constantly changing," says Sagittarian actress and activist Jane Fonda. This description may not always be applicable to you, but I think it should be during the coming weeks. You're primed to thrive on a robust commitment to self-transformation. As you proceed in your holy task, keep in mind this other advice from Fonda. 1. "One part of wisdom is knowing what you don't need anymore and letting it go." 2. "It is never too late to master your weaknesses." 3. "If you allow yourself, you can become stronger in the very places that you've been broken." 4. "The challenge is not to be perfect. It’s to be whole." P.S. And what does it mean to be whole? Be respectful toward all your multiple facets, and welcome them into the conversation you have about how to live.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):

You can't escape your past completely. You can't loosen its hold on you so thoroughly that it will forever allow you to move with limitless freedom into the future. But you definitely have the power to release yourself from at least a part of your past's grip. And the coming weeks will be an excellent time to do just that: to pay off a portion of your karmic debt and shed worn-out emotional baggage.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):

Aquarian playwright August Strindberg didn't have much interest in people who "regurgitate what they have learned from books." He was bored by stories that have been told over and over again; was impatient with propaganda disguised as information and by sentimental platitudes masquerading as sage insights. He craved to hear about the unprecedented secrets of each person's life: the things they know and feel that no one else knows and feels. He was a student of "the natural history of the human heart." I bring Strindberg's perspective to your attention, my dear one-of-a-kind Aquarius, because now is a perfect time for you to fully embody it.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):

"It’s no fun being in love with a shadow," wrote Piscean poet Edna St. Vincent Millay. And yet she indulged profusely in that no-fun activity, and even capitalized on it to create a number of decent, if morose, poems. But in alignment with your astrological omens, Pisces, I'm going to encourage you to fall out of love with shadows. The coming weeks will be an excellent time to channel your passions into solid realities: to focus your ardor and adoration on earthly pleasures and practical concerns and imperfect but interesting people.

ARIES (March 21-April 19):

In composing this oracle, I have called on the unruly wisdom of Vivienne Westwood. She's the fashion designer who incorporated the punk esthetic into mainstream styles. Here are four quotes by her that will be especially suitable for your use in the coming weeks. 1. "I disagree with everything I used to say." 2. "The only possible effect one can have on the world is through unpopular ideas." 3. "Intelligence is composed mostly of imagination, insight, and things that have nothing to do with reason." 4. "I'm attracted to people who are really true to themselves and who are always trying to do something that makes their life more interesting."

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):

"I'm drowning in the things I never told you." Famous make-up artist Alexandra Joseph wrote that message to a companion with whom she had a complicated relationship. Are you experiencing a similar sensation, Taurus? If so, I invite you to do something about it! The coming weeks will be a good time to stop drowning. One option is to blurt out to your ally all the feelings and thoughts you've been withholding and hiding. A second option is to divulge just some of the feelings and thoughts you've been withholding and hiding—and then monitor the results of your partial revelation. A third option is to analyze why you've been withholding and hiding. Is it because your ally hasn't been receptive, or because you're afraid of being honest? Here's what I suggest: Start with the third option, then move on to the second.
 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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.

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

+

"Your expanded horoscopes get more personal and intimate with me than some of my closest friends. Thanks for the loving reflections."
- Ari S., Ann Arbor, MI

"When I listen to your audio 'scopes, my free will lights up." - Alex D., Los Angeles

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):

I've got some borderline sentimental poetry to offer you in this horoscope. It may be too mushy for a mentally crisp person like you. You may worry that I've fallen under the sway of sappy versions of love rather than the snappy versions I usually favor. But there is a method in my madness: I suspect you need an emotionally suggestive nudge to fully activate your urge to merge; you require a jolt of sweetness to inspire you to go in quest of the love mojo that's potentially available to you in abundance. So please allow your heart to be moved by the following passage from poet Rabindranath Tagore: "My soul is alight with your infinitude of stars. Your world has broken upon me like a flood. The flowers of your garden blossom in my body."

CANCER (June 21-July 22):

Try saying this, and notice how it feels: "For the next 17 days, I will make ingenious efforts to interpret my problems as interesting opportunities that offer me the chance to liberate myself from my suffering and transform myself into the person I aspire to become." Now speak the following words and see what thoughts and sensations get triggered: "For the next 17 days, I will have fun imagining that my so-called flaws are signs of potential strengths and talents that I have not yet developed."

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):

An interviewer asked singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen if he needed to feel bothered and agitated in order to stimulate his creativity. Cohen said no. "When I get up in the morning," he testified, "my real concern is to discover whether I'm in a state of grace." Surprised, the interviewer asked, "What do you mean by a state of grace?" Cohen described it as a knack for balance that he called on to ride the chaos around him. He knew he couldn't fix or banish the chaos—and it would be arrogant to try. His state of grace was more like skiing skillfully down a hill, gliding along the contours of unpredictable terrain. I'm telling you about Cohen's definition, Leo, because I think that's the state of grace you should cultivate right now. I bet it will stimulate your creativity in ways that surprise and delight you.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):

Poet Juan Felipe Herrera praises the value of making regular efforts to detox our cluttered minds. He says that one of the best methods for accomplishing this cleansing is to daydream. You give yourself permission to indulge in uncensored, unabashed fantasies. You feel no inhibition about envisioning scenes that you may or may not ever carry out in real life. You understand that this free-form play of images is a healing joy, a gift you give yourself. It's a crafty strategy to make sure you're not hiding any secrets from yourself. Now is a favorable time to practice this art, Virgo.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):

In accordance with current astrological omens, here's your meditation, as articulated by the blogger named Riverselkie: "Let your life be guided by the things that produce the purest secret happiness, with no thought to what that may look like from the outside. Feed the absurd whims of your soul and create with no audience in mind but yourself. What is poignant to you is what others will be moved by, too. Embrace what you love about yourself and the right people will come."

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):

"I swear I became a saint from waiting," wrote Scorpio poet Odysseus Elytis in his poem "Three Times the Truth." According to my reading of the astrological omens, you may be in a similar situation. And you'll be wise to welcome the break in the action and abide calmly in the motionless lull. You'll experiment with the hypothesis that temporary postponement is best not just for you, but for all concerned.
 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

HOMEWORK:

Evil is boring. Rousing fear is a hackneyed shtick. More: bit.ly/EvilisBoring

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++