Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter http://ezezine.com
Rob Brezsny's Free Will Astrology Newsletter
"Gray are all the theories, but green is the tree of life." - Goethe
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September 6, 2006
http://www.freewillastrology.com
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ROB'S UPCOMING PUBLIC APPEARANCES
Inside Story Time
Thursday, September 21st, 7 - 9 pm
Rickshaw Stop
155 Fell Street (@ Van Ness)
San Francisco, CA
http://www.insidestorytime.com/
Rob will do 20 minutes, sharing the night with four great authors:
Peter Beagle, Judy Budnitz, Charlie Anders, and Sona Avakian
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PLUTO: SAME AS IT EVER WAS
The astrologers I respect don't believe that Pluto, or any heavenly body
for that matter, emits invisible beams that somehow manipulate human
beings as if we were puppets. Rather, the spheres orbiting the sun are
signs in the sky we read as omens that help illuminate the ebb and flow of
the rhythms of life here on earth.
As Richard Tarnas points out in his epic work *Cosmos and Psyche,* the
role of the heavenly bodies is comparable to that of a clock: The clock
tells time but doesn't cause time. Likewise, the heavenly bodies show us
big-picture truths about our lives but don't cause them.
That's why as an astrologer I say ho-hum to the International
Astronomical Union's decision to downgrade Pluto from a planet to a
"dwarf planet."
First, let's put the change in perspective: Only a tiny portion of the
world's astronomers voted for the change (428 out of about 9,000).
There's already a movement afoot among the majority to overthrow the
IAU's decision.
Second, for the last few centuries, since the days when seminal
astronomers Johannes Kepler and Galileo Galilei blended astrology with
their practice of astrology, the two disciplines have diverged.
Today, astrology is not a science. It's a symbol system. When used with
integrity, it engenders poetic approaches for deepening one's connection
to life's great mysteries, not predictions of literal events. It's meant to
open our minds to the mythic patterns that underlie the surface-level
interpretations of what we're all about, not compete with scientists'
rational, logical analyses of why things are the way they are.
We need both: the mytho-poetic and the logically analytical.
Five percent of the world's astronomers can juggle definitions about the
nature of the heavenly bodies, but their province is different than the
astrologers'. In our arena, Pluto is still the symbol of the underworld--the
heavenly body that speaks to us about our connection to the underside
of life, to the soul's perspective, to the secrets and hidden depths in any
situation, to the realm of dreams and death and altered states.
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Here's an excerpt from my book
"PRONOIA IS THE ANTIDOTE FOR PARANOIA:
How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings"
available at http://snipurl.com/krjj
or find out more at http://www.freewillastrology.com
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GRATITUDE FOR YOUR PAIN
Describe your signature pain. What is the nature of the torment that
chronically upsets you most?
This is the first step in graduating from the No Pain, No Gain School of
Tortured Progress. You can't be healed unless you name the tweaked
karma that needs to be healed.
Step #2: Figure out what it is about your problem that's so appealing.
Consider the possibility that you have it at least in part because it
perversely entertains you or keeps you from being bored.
Meditate on the theory that maybe you unconsciously don't want to give
up your dilemma because it prevents you from reaching lofty goals you're
too afraid or timid or lazy to strive for.
Contemplate the notion that you're secretly proud of your distress--that
it's so interwoven with your identity that you wouldn't feel like yourself if
you had to live without it. Do you ever find yourself bragging to others
about the difficulties you have to endure? Are they essential to the
construction of your self-image?
Consider the possibility that you use your nagging agony as an attention-
getting device, or as a way to gather love. Isn't it true that some people
are more likely to shower you with sympathy when you're miserable than
when you're blandly well-adjusted?
Muse on the seductiveness of your hurt, and on all the unacknowledged
reasons that maybe you are attracted to it and hesitate to give it up.
Step #3: Simply feel your suffering. Don't judge it or repress it. Don't
come up with reasons about how it's beneath you to feel it or how you
should be over it by now or how you can't believe you still let it have so
much power over you. Let the pain ripple and flow. Allow it to break your
heart apart. Give it room to wail its truths. Marvel at the fullness of the
emotions it stirs.
Step #4: Leaving all your preconceptions behind, meditate on what
lessons your pain is asking you to master. How is it inspiring you to grow
in directions you've been unable to accomplish by any other means?
Step #5: Put yourself in a state of mind wherein you can feel gratitude for
your pain. Be thankful for its teachings, for its chewy mystery, for its
command that you build a soul resilient enough to do the work you came
to Earth to carry out.
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To read other news and features from my book, go here:
http://snipurl.com/l9o3
To buy the book, use the links to Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble,
which are on my homepage at http://www.freewillastrology.com
Or cut and paste the direct links below:
AMAZON
http://snipurl.com/krjj
BARNES & NOBLE
http://snipurl.com/krjn
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OTHER PRONOIA RESOURCES:
EARTHY SPIRITUALITY
The Reverend Billy and his Church of Stop Shopping
http://www.revbilly.com/
Learn how you can help prevent the Shopocalypse
HOLIDAY
Jubilee Saints project
http://tinyurl.com/e8coy
"In the ancient Hebrew tradition, Jubilee was celebrated every fiftieth
year. It was supposed to be a great festival of social leveling, a time when
all debts were cancelled, lands were returned to their traditional
inhabitants, slaves and prisoners were set free, all taxes were suspended,
fields lay fallow, gleaning rights were extended to all, people quit their
labors and joined in all manner of feasting and revelry."
BOOK
*Beautiful Evidence* by Edward Tufte
http://tinyurl.com/zo8va
"If you look after truth and goodness, beauty looks after herself."
Hear or read NPR's piece about him at http://tinyurl.com/lt7qw
(Note: I endorse these because I like them. They're not advertisements,
and I get no kickbacks.)
Please tell me your own personal nominations for PRONOIA RESOURCES.
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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Week beginning September 7
Copyright 2006 by Rob Brezsny
http://www.freewillastrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Five years ago, I began making daily bike rides
all over creation, through neighborhoods and wild spaces alike. Early on, I
realized I'd regularly have to deal with loose dogs running toward me with
the intent to bite. For protection, I armed myself with pepper spray and
yummy treats. In all that time, I'm happy to report, I've squirted just one
dog in the face. On the other hand, I've doled out hundreds of dollars'
worth of canine snacks. Here's how this relates to your imminent future,
Aries: When a beastly influence shows up, you may think you should bring
out your equivalent of pepper spray. But I bet that offering treats will
serve you better.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Many critics consider Maurice Ravel (1875-
1937) to be one of the 20th century's best composers. He is most
famous for "Bolero," an orchestral piece that was originally written as the
accompaniment for a ballet. The stimulus that served as Ravel's major
inspiration for "Bolero" was a visit to a cacophonous steel mill. He's your
role model for the coming week, Taurus. I foresee you drawing creative
excitement from events that are rife with noise and commotion. May your
messy encounters lead you to produce great work, interesting surprises,
or both.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): This week I highly recommend that you NOT sit
on a photocopier to create images of your buttocks. For reasons too
complex to go into here, doing so would put you out of alignment with
the cosmic flow. However, now is an excellent time for you to make other
strong statements that involve your backside, at least metaphorically. For
instance, you will attract fate's favors whenever you get your ass in gear
to get to the bottom of things. Luck will also flow your way in direct
proportion to how earnestly and rigorously you kick your own butt.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Some studies report that drinking moderate
amounts of alcohol regularly is good for your heart. Other research says
that's not true at all. Similarly, the frequent use of cell phones either
raises the risk for brain cancer or it doesn't; prayer done on behalf of sick
people either helps them or it doesn't. Different scientists have come to
opposite conclusions on both issues. In fact, contradictory opinions about
a wide range of health concerns are now routine. That's just one of
several good reasons why you should tune out experts as you tune into
your own body, Cancerian. Go in quest of insights about how to promote
your physical well-being by trusting your still, small inner voice, not loud,
confident authorities.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): You may soon have a dream of beating up the
person you were five years ago. This would be a good omen. It means
you're ready to wean yourself completely from a stale old self-image. If
you dream of feeding caviar and champagne to a donkey, it's also a
positive sign. It means you're beginning to recognize that the hard-
working beast in you needs to be treated more luxuriously. And if you
dream of yelling at a bunch of kids to go clean up their messy bedrooms,
Leo, that's an auspicious portent as well. It signifies your readiness to
discipline the irresponsible habits and organize the unruly impulses of your
inner child.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): "People rarely succeed unless they have fun in
what they are doing," said motivational author Dale Carnegie. Those
should be your words to live by for the rest of 2006. It's time for you to
become almost ruthless in your intention to enjoy yourself as you carry
out your life's work. I'm tempted to go so far as to say that you should
disentangle yourself from any commitment in which duty overshadows
pleasure. Your drive to do good deeds and be of use to people will
ultimately fall short unless you love what you do.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): You've slipped into the Anything-Goes Zone. It
has resemblances to a duty-free store in an international airport, a
speakeasy during the Prohibition Era, and the more benign areas of the
Twilight Zone. There you may very well experience events that seem to
happen off the record and days that take place outside of time. You could
feel like you're in a buffer zone or waiting room--a nerve-wracking
sanctuary where you're safe and yet filled with doubts and pregnant
questions. At least half the cards will be wild. Exceptions to the rules will
be the rule. My advice? Experiment ingeniously.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Recently, less than five percent of the
world's astronomers voted to demote Pluto from a planet to a "dwarf
planet." Some Scorpios were alarmed, since Pluto is the heavenly body
that traditionally rules your sign. My opinion? Don't worry. I agree with
mythologist Roxanna Bikadoroff, who says there's poetic justice in calling
Pluto a dwarf planet. In fairy tales, dwarves are often magicians who
possess hidden storehouses of riches and act as agents of creative
transformation. They typically live beneath bridges, which are symbols of
transitional thresholds, and are masters of in-between states. They
bestow blessings on anyone who is able to pass their demanding tests.
This is an apt symbolic description of you at your most potent, which I
expect you to be during the coming weeks.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): An adventurer named Brian Walker has
plans to climb aboard a homemade missile and launch himself 20 miles
into the sky using a giant crossbow. According to *Wired* magazine, he
has figured out all the angles, including how to descend, and will probably
pull off the feat without killing himself. It so happens that you also have
the potential to propel yourself higher, farther, and faster than maybe
you've ever gone, though in a safer and more metaphorical way. What's
the closest symbolic analogue you have to a giant crossbow?
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AUDIO LOVE LETTERS
In addition to the horoscopes that come to you in this newsletter, I create
more in-depth audio horoscopes for your inspiration. They're $6 if you
access them on the Web, or $1.99 per minute over the phone.
For Web access, go here:
http://www.relationshipnetwork.com/horo/index.asp?client_id=50700
From the United States, call
1-900-950-7700
or if you prefer to pay by credit card
1-877-873-4888
If you live in Canada, call 1-888-499-4425 to purchase a Block of Time
with your credit card.
"You told me the truth when no one else in my life would." -Darren H.,
Minneapolis
"Your wake-up calls keep me from getting stale." -Arris T., Aspen, CO
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CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Help! Pluto's not a planet any more! Won't
that disastrously tweak astrological theory? Actually, no. Nothing
whatsoever has changed about Pluto in its role as a revealer of cosmic
portents. All that has shifted are the ideas about Pluto that reside in the
minds of 424 astronomers who were at the International Astronomical
Union's conference in Prague. ("I'm embarrassed for astronomy," said
Alan Stearn, science chief of NASA's mission to Pluto. "Less than 5
percent of the world's astronomers voted on the change.") Still, it's
important to note how many millions of people take this tiny group's
delusions seriously. Let this be a reminder for you to be very
discriminating about whose definitions you choose to believe. Use it as a
prod to be more aggressive in giving your own names and frames to life's
mysteries.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): You don't need any special climbing skills to
reach the top of Tanzania's Mt. Kilimanjaro. It's the highest walkable
mountain in the world. That doesn't mean it's an easy conquest. You've
got to be in good physical shape. To avoid altitude sickness, you must
ascend gradually enough to acclimatize yourself to steadily decreasing
levels of oxygen. This happens to be an apt metaphor for the current
state of your fate, Aquarius. You have a chance to begin a project that
could lead you to a summit with inspiring vistas. You don't need to
master any exotic new skills to do it, and can pull it off as long as you're
patient, take good care of yourself, and are willing to both respect your
limits and push yourself harder than usual.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): "There is nothing worse than a brilliant image
of a fuzzy concept," said photographer Ansel Adams. That advice should
be uppermost in your mind as you follow your bliss to the next fork in the
road. Although you've got good intuitions about the hopeful scenario
that's fueling you, the fantasy still needs to be fleshed out a lot more.
Unless you make it more specific and detailed, it will eventually fizzle.
Here's your assignment: By the equinox, create a vivid image of a well-
crafted, intricately imagined goal.
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HOMEWORK:
Imagine that you overhear a whispered conversation that changes your
life for the better. What would it be about? Testify by going to
http://www.freewillastrology.com and clicking on "Email Rob."
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WANT TO GET YOUR CHART DONE?
I'm not doing charts these days. In addition to writing my weekly column
and expanded audio horoscopes, I'm also working on a CD and promoting
my new book.
But I can recommend a colleague whose astro-aesthetics closely match
my own. She's RO LOUGHRAN.
Ro utilizes a blend of well-trained intuition, emotional warmth, and a high
degree of 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.
Ro is based in California, but can do phone consultations and otherwise
work with you regardless of geographic boundaries.
Ro's website is at
http://www.yoursouljourney.com/
She can also be reached at roloughran@comcast.net
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I totally respect your privacy. I'll never sell or give away your address to
anyone.
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Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2006 Rob Brezsny
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