Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter http://ezezine.com
Rob Brezsny's Free Will Astrology Newsletter
January 3, 2007
+
EXPLORE THE BIG PICTURE OF YOUR LIFE
with my Expanded Audio Horoscopes for the Coming Year
Go to http://RealAstrology.com
or call 1-877-873-4888 or 1-900-950-7700.
This week and next week, my EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES will feature
Part 2 and Part 3 of my long-range, in-depth explorations of your destiny
in 2007. Part 1 of your Year-End Predictions, which I offered last week, is
also still available.
What hidden factors will be massaging your destiny in 2007? Could you
use some hints about how to prepare for the adventures awaiting you in
the coming months?
If, like most of us, you slip into a philosophical, visionary mood at the end
of each year, you might appreciate my perspectives on your long-term
outlook.
To find out more about Your BIG PICTURE horoscopes, go to
http://RealAstrology.com.
+
"Love is the most difficult and dangerous form of courage. Courage is the
most desperate, admirable, and noble kind of love."
--Delmore Schwartz
+
The piece below is excerpted from my book
"PRONOIA IS THE ANTIDOTE FOR PARANOIA:
How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings"
available at http://tinyurl.com/qaj62
or find out more at http://www.freewillastrology.com
+
RAUCOUS PRONOIA THERAPY, part 2
Experiments and exercises in becoming a rigorously flexible, seriously
delirious, studiously playful Master of Zany Dignity
9. I was never the class clown. I am not a troubled but devilishly
handsome wastrel living on a trust fund. I've never beaten up anyone,
have steadfastly not aspired to write like Raymond Carver, and have never
played strip Scrabble with a junkie violinist on a leaky waterbed in a Key
West penthouse. There are so many things I am not and will never be, and
I'm glad I know about them. It helps me stay focused on exactly who I am.
What about you? Who aren't you? Fantasize about all the paths you will
never take. Put it in writing.
10. The "Kumulipo" is an old Hawaiian prayer chant that poetically
describes the creation of the world. The word literally means "beginning-
in-deep-darkness." Here darkness doesn't connote gloom and evil. Rather,
it's about the inscrutability of the embryonic state; the obscure chaos
that reigns before germination. Talk about a time you dwelt in kumulipo.
11. While putting on your shirt or blouse some morning, fasten the top
button in the second hole, the second button in the third hole, and so on
all the way down. For the rest of the day, preserve this dishevelment with
all your composure intact, even in the face of odd stares and snide
comments. If anyone says, "Hey, your shirt's buttoned wrong," reply
calmly, "No it isn't. I buttoned it this way on purpose."
12. Mythology is replete with tales of substances that can be both
curative or harmful, depending on how they are obtained and used. The
ancient Greeks believed that Asclepius, founder of medicine, possessed
vials of Medusa's blood. "With what had been drawn from the veins of her
left side," Robert Graves notes, "he could raise the dead; with what had
been drawn from her right side, he could destroy instantly."
What has been a comparable substance or influence in your own life?
13. Every act of genius, Carl Jung said, is an act contra naturam: against
nature. Indeed, every effort to achieve psychological integration and
union with the divine requires a knack for working against the grain. The
18th-century mystic Jacob Boehme recommended the same technique.
The great secret to becoming enlightened, he said, is "to walk in all things
contrary to the world." Qabalist teacher Paul Foster Case agreed: "The
basis of the spiritual approach to life, the foundation of the everyday
practice of a person who lives the life of obedience to esoteric law, is the
reversal of the more usual ways of thinking, speaking and doing."
Name the ways you already use this approach, and brainstorm about
others you might like to try.
14. The spider has a bad reputation, symbolically speaking. In myths and
folk tales, it's often portrayed as the spinner of delusions and snares.
Many therapists interpret dreams of spiders as signs of paranoia, gossip,
enemies, or predatory relationships.
This may sometimes be true. But I prefer to regard the spider as primarily
a symbol of secret help or of a building process going on behind the
scenes. In my dreams, the appearance of a spider suggests that though
my conscious mind isn't smart enough to fix my current problem, a
solution is being woven for me by an unknown intelligence, perhaps a
spiritual ally or an unconscious part of my own brain.
Give an example of spider power from your life.
15. Somewhere in the world is a tree that has been struck by lightning in
such a way that the scorch marks reveal a symbol you would find exciting.
Locate that tree.
Somewhere in the world there is a treasure that has no value to anyone
but you, and a secret that is meaningless to everyone except you, and a
frontier that possesses a revelation only you know how to exploit. Go in
search of those things.
Somewhere in the world there is a person who could ask you the precise
question you need to hear in order to catalyze the next phase of your
evolution. Do what's necessary to run into that person.
16. Psychotherapists say it's not only naughty but counterproductive to
blame others for your problems. A skilled practitioner urges her clients to
accept responsibility for the part they've played in creating their
predicaments. The reason is as much pragmatic as it is ethical: When
you're obsessed with how people have done you wrong, you have little
ambition to change the behavior in yourself that led you into the mess.
While I endorse this approach, I also know that dogmatic adherence to it
can warp your mental health as much as any other form of fanaticism.
That's why I urge you to enjoy an unapologetic Blame Fest. Choose a time
when you will find fault with everyone except yourself. Howl in protest at
the unfair slights people have committed against you. Wallow in self-pity
as you visualize the clueless jerks who have done you wrong. For best
results, bark your complaints in the direction of no one but God, an
inanimate object, or your mirror
++++++++++++++++++++++++
To read other news and features from my book, go here:
http://snipurl.com/l9o3
You can buy the book here:
AMAZON
http://snipurl.com/krjj
BARNES & NOBLE
http://snipurl.com/krjn
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
OTHER PRONOIA RESOURCES:
BOOK
*The Red Book: A Deliciously Unorthodox Approach to Igniting Your Divine
Spark* by Sera Beak
http://snipurl.com/14ttp
Sera Beak will appear at Book Passage Bookstore in Corte Madera, CA on
Sunday, January 7 at 1 pm. http://www.bookpassage.com
*The Red Book* is one of my favorite books of 2006, and I wrote a
glowing blurb of it, which appears on the back of the book: "If you're
hungry for real magic but allergic to self-righteous jive, sit yourself down
at this feast."
IMAGES
Hubble Telescope Image Gallery
http://tinyurl.com/bn50
(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.
**********************************************
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Week beginning January 4
Copyright 2007 by Rob Brezsny
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
ARIES (March 21-April 19): The coming year will be a favorable time for
you to prostrate yourself in prayer on mountaintops, to grunt ferocious
promises into the night wind while standing on rooftops, to dance
yourself into an ecstatic state and then meditate on your life's
bottomless questions, and to make love with funky spiritual grace while
flying on a plane. Catch my drift, Aries? Doing anything that combines
heights and depths will put you in alignment with cosmic rhythms.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): It's possible you'll live for 150 years.
Scientific studies on how to outwit the aging process are generating
increasingly compelling data, and so is psychospiritual research into the
attitudes and emotions that encourage longevity. The coming year will be
prime time for you to make yourself aware of these explorations, and to
adjust your lifestyle accordingly. Here are two places to start your
investigation: (1) the article "I'm Going to Live Forever" at
http://tinyurl.com/6w4wh; (2) the book *Fantastic Voyage: Live Long
Enough to Live Forever,* by Ray Kurzweil and Terry Grossman at
http://tinyurl.com/nv35y.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): *Jargon Watch* author Gareth Branwyn defines
"obstacle illusion" as "something that looks like it will be a huge problem,
but turns out not to be." This is your theme for early 2007, Gemini. You
may imagine you'll have to face a lot of resistance to your dreams, when
in fact you won't. You might even gear up for confrontations that don't
actually need to take place. Ironically, though, the willpower and tenacity
you summon while expecting to face difficulties could prove valuable. So
maybe it's fine if at first you don't realize that the obstacles are illusions.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): I predict that you won't punch out Paris Hilton
in a bar in 2007. Nor will you buy your own Lear jet, train to be a Shaolin
Kung Fu monk, or get a clip-on nose ring. Leather chaps? I bet you won't
wear them even once, nor will you sneak into your old high school at night
and spray-paint obscenities on the walls. In the coming year, you might,
on the other hand, get a tattoo of the glyph for infinity. You may obtain a
ceremonial sword and use it in a ritual to symbolically cut away a certain
dead-end fantasy you've been clinging to even though it's no damn good
for you. You could also go on a quest to satisfy your oldest curiosity, and
learn a lot about how to control your emotions without repressing them.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Would you like some inspiration as you muse and wonder about your
upcoming adventures in 2007?
In this week's EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES, I give you Part One of a
long-term, in-depth exploration of your destiny in the coming year. Find
out more at http://RealAstrology.com.
The audio horoscopes are also available by phone at 1-877-873-4888 or
1-900-950-7700.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): From a metaphorical perspective, Leo, the 2006
chapter of your life story could have been titled "Asleep in the Garden."
Beautiful fertility and fertile beauty have surrounded you, but you've been
more aware of them in your dreams and subconscious mind than in your
conscious waking life. I expect that to change in 2007. That's why I'm
envisioning a new chapter that'll be called "Awake in the Garden."
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Patriarch Bartholomew, the leader of the
Orthodox Christian Church, has a flock of 300 million. Unlike most other
religious leaders, he crusades for the preservation of the environment.
"To commit a crime against the natural world is a sin," he says. "For
humans to cause species to become extinct and to destroy the biological
diversity of God's creation; for humans to contaminate the Earth's waters,
land, air, and life with poisonous substances: These are sins." The
astrological omens suggest that he'll be a good role model for you in
2007, Virgo. You'll generate lush personal dividends if you intensify your
intention to live in harmony with nature and invoke a spiritual zeal as you
defend your planet against its despoilers.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): I predict that sometime in the coming year two
rich attorneys will offer you $20,000 if you'll deliver a cursed diamond to
their shaman in Brazil for exorcism. But you will demand that they not
only give you the money, but also introduce you to their good friend
Angelina Jolie. They'll balk at that, and the deal will fall through. But then
you'll write a movie script based on your fantasy of the experience you
might have had if you had actually done the deal, and you'll sell the script
to a producer who gets Angelina Jolie to be one of the stars. And if that
exact scenario doesn't happen as prophesied, Libra, I bet you'll have a
comparable adventure or two that will revolve around the power of your
imagination, your determination to hold out for exactly what you want,
and a rich harvest of poetic justice.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): On the first Monday of every month, a vision
of the Virgin Mary appears on the back porch of Audrey Hoff's house in
Miami. Even if you usually have no interest in curiosities like this, Scorpio, I
predict that in 2007 you'll be involved in a comparable phenomenon. It
won't necessarily feature the Virgin Mary, but will be in alignment with
your particular belief system. So if you're a Buddhist, you may have
dreams of the Buddha visiting your bedroom. If you're a gay Republican,
you might have vivid waking visions of Abraham Lincoln and Ronald
Reagan making holy love in a log cabin. If you're an atheist, you could
have a series of spectacular epiphanies that prove to you with ever-more
certainty that there is no God.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): If 2006 sometimes felt like the Year of
Perpetual PMS (even for you men), 2007 will quickly make you forget any
bloated, edgy feelings that may still linger. The coming months may in
fact feel like the Year of Perpetual Ovulation (even for you men). I bet
you'll often feel horny not just for sexual adventures, but for other kinds
of intimate exchanges that make you smarter and wilder.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Your power animal in 2007 will be the
hare, whose front legs are shorter than its back legs, allowing it to run
uphill with exceptional speed. What this means, Capricorn, is that while
you will have more ascents to make than usual in the coming months, you
will also be well-equipped to carry them out with efficiency and power.
The steep challenges you face might feel daunting to anyone else, but
your heightened ability to conquer them will often inspire you to approach
them with relish.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Some people imagine that the Aquarian
Age, if it ever kicks in, will be an airy-fairy affair, rife with crystal healings
and dolphin channeling. We'll be surrounded by neo-hippie do-gooders
who spread sentimental love. But that's all wrong. The real Aquarian Age
will bring a revolution in our political and economic structures, fueled by
the Internet and other technologies. There'll be intelligent machines with
whom we'll develop complex relationships. Sexual identities will mutate
and expand, leading to at least seven distinct genders, and there'll be a
host of new ways to experience erotic pleasure. Advances in anti-aging
research, nanotechnology, and genetic manipulation will mutate many
ideas about what it means to be human. You are by no means obligated
to be on the front lines of this revolution, Aquarius. But if you do feel
inclined to hang out there, 2007 will be the most adventurous year of
your life so far.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): "Picture the Grand Canyon," says Buddhist
teacher Jack Kornfield. "Every hundred years, a child comes by and
throws a mustard seed into it. In the time it takes to fill the hole in the
earth with mustard seeds, one mahakalpa will have passed. To perfect the
virtuous heart--the joy of integrity--takes a thousand mahakalpas." If
that's true, Pisces, then you've still got a lot of work to do. However, the
planets are aligned in such a way as to suggest you could make unusually
great progress toward the goal of perfecting the virtuous heart in 2007.
For best results, meditate often on the phrase "the joy of integrity." Get
very familiar with the pleasurable emotion that comes from acting with
impeccability. And try out this idea from Gandhi: Integrity is the royal road
to your inner freedom.
*************************************************
HOMEWORK: Make a prediction about the world not in the decadent
gloom-and-doom tradition, but in the new zoom-and-bloom tradition.
Write me at http://FreeWillAstrology.com
*********************************************
WANT TO GET YOUR CHART DONE?
I'm not doing personal charts these days, but I highly recommend my
favorite astrological colleague, RO LOUGHRAN. Her approach closely
matches my own. In our many discussions about astrology over the years,
we've had a major influence on each other's work.
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
*********************************************
NEED TO CHANGE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS?
To subscribe or unsubscribe to this newsletter, or to change the address
where you receive it, go to:
http://www.freewillastrology.com/newsletter/
Once you do subscribe, be sure to add my address,
televisionary@comcast.net, to your address book or spam filter
"whitelist" so that my newsletter won't be treated as spam and filtered
out. Or tell your company's IT group to allow this address to pass through
any filtering software they may have set up.
If my emails don't reach your inbox, you should also look in your "Bulk
Mail" or "Junk Mail" folder.
I totally respect your privacy. I'll never sell or give away your address to
anyone.
*********************************************
Submissions sent to the Free Will Astrology Weekly 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 such submissions for length, style, and content.
Requests for anonymity will be honored with submissions;
otherwise, reader names, screen names, or initials will be used.
Please be sure to note your preference when sending to us. We
are not responsible for unsolicited submission of any creative
material.
Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2006 Rob Brezsny
********************************************