Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter http://ezezine.com
Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
January 16, 2008
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http://FreeWillAstrology.com
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"The capacity to blunder slightly is the real marvel of DNA. _Without this
special attribute, we would still be anaerobic bacteria and there would be
no music."
- Lewis Thomas, *Lives of a Cell*
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WHAT'S TO COME?
BRAINSTORM ABOUT THE BIG PICTURE OF YOUR LIFE
with the help of my
Expanded Audio Horoscopes for the Coming Year
Go to http://RealAstrology.com
You can still listen to my long-range, in-depth explorations of your destiny
in 2008. Each report in the three-part series is about 6-9 minutes long.
What will be the story of your life in 2008? How can you exert your free
will to create the adventures that'll bring out the best in you, even as you
find graceful ways to cooperate with the tides of destiny?
If you'd like a high-octane boost of inspiration to fuel you in your quest
for beauty and truth and love and justice and meaning, tune in to my
meditations on your long-term outlook.
A new forecast for this week is also available.
To find out more about Your BIG PICTURE horoscopes, go to
http://RealAstrology.com.
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My book
*PRONOIA IS THE ANTIDOTE FOR PARANOIA:
How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings*
is available for sale at http://tinyurl.com/qaj62
Here's an excerpt:
SHADOW SCHOOL
You're a gorgeous mystery with a wild heart and a lofty purpose. But like
all of us, your psyche also harbors a portion of the world's sickness: a
mess of repressed longings, enervating wounds, ignorant delusions, and
unripe powers. It has been known by many names, including demon and
devil. Psychologist Carl Jung called it the shadow. He believed it was the
lead that the authentic alchemists of the Middle Ages sought to
transmute into gold.
*
"I am superior to you only in one point," Narcissus tells Goldmund in
Hermann Hesse's novel Narcissus and Goldmund. "I'm awake, whereas you
are only half awake, or completely asleep sometimes. I call a man awake
who knows in his conscious reason his innermost unreasonable force,
drives, and weaknesses, and knows how to deal with them."
*
Astrologer Steven Forrest has a different name for the shadow: stuff.
"Work on your stuff," he says, "or your stuff will work on you." He means
that it will sabotage you if you're not aggressive about identifying,
negotiating with, and transforming it.
*
"You have to recognize the demons or else they'll annoy you like
mosquitoes. But if you acknowledge their existence, if you say, 'All right,
here's a cookie, go sit in the corner,' then you can go about your work
and you don't have to go into depression because of it." --James
Broughton, as told to interviewer Jack Foley in The Alsop Review, "Big
Joy: Octogenarian--An Interview with James Broughton,"
http://tinyurl.com/k4ech
*
"The unconscious sends all sorts of vapors, odd beings, terrors, and
deluding images up into the mind; for the human kingdom, beneath the
floor of the comparatively neat little dwelling that we call our
consciousness, goes down into unsuspected Aladdin caves. There not
only jewels but also dangerous jinn abide: the inconvenient or resisted
psychological powers that we have not thought or dared to integrate into
our lives." --Joseph Campbell, *The Hero With a Thousand Faces*
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The shadow is not inherently evil. If it is ignored or denied, it may become
monstrous to compensate. Only then is it likely to "demonically possess"
its owner, leading to compulsive, exaggerated, "evil" behavior.
*
"Whatever is rejected from the self, appears in the world as an event,"
said Jung. If you disown a part of your personality, it'll materialize as an
unexpected detour.
Everyone who believes in the devil is the devil.
*
"Nothing determines who we will become so much as those things we
choose to ignore." --Sandor McNab
*
"There is no generally effective technique for assimilating the shadow. It
is more like diplomacy and is always an individual matter. First one has to
accept and take seriously the existence of the shadow. Second, one has
to become aware of its qualities and intentions. This happens through
conscientious attention to moods, fantasies, and impulses. Third, a long
process of negotiation is unavoidable." --Daryl Sharp, Jung Lexicon: A
Primer of Terms and Concepts; also available at http://tinyurl.com/znxn3
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"The shadow is not only the dark underside of the personality. While much
of it consists of inferior, primitive, unadapted, and awkward qualities, it
also contains vitalizing instincts, sleeping abilities, and positive moral
qualities that have long been buried or never been conscious. These
unacknowledged personal characteristics are often seen or hallucinated in
others through the mechanism of projection." --Daryl Sharp, Jung Lexicon:
A Primer of Terms and Concepts; also available at
http://tinyurl.com/znxn3
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"The best political, social, and spiritual work we can do is to withdraw the
projection of our shadow onto others." --Carl Jung
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"Suffering can't be avoided," James Broughton told Jack Foley. "The way
to happiness is to go into the darkness of yourself. That's the place the
seed is nourished, takes its roots and grows up, and becomes ultimately
the plant and the flower. You can only go upward by first going
downward." --James Broughton, as told to interviewer Jack Foley in The
Alsop Review, "Big Joy: Octogenarian--An Interview with James
Broughton," http://tinyurl.com/k4ech
*
The alchemists said the magic formula for enlightenment was Visita
Inferiora Terrae Rectificando Invenies Occultum Lapidem, or "Seek out the
lower reaches of the earth, perfect them, and you will find the hidden
stone" (the treasured Philosopher's Stone). Jungian psychologists might
describe the process this way: Find the ignorant, wounded parts of your
psyche, perfect them, and you will awaken your hidden divinity.
*
"The great epochs in our lives are at the points when we gain the courage
to rebaptize our badness as the best in us." --Friedrich Nietzsche
*
In the best-known version of the Greek myth, Persephone is dragged
down into the underworld by Hades, whose title is "Pluto." But in earlier,
pre-patriarchal tales, she descends there under her own power, actively
seeking to graduate from her virginal naiveté by exploring the intriguing
land of shadows.
"Pluto" is derived from the Greek word plutus, meaning "wealth."
Psychologist James Hillman says this refers to the psyche-building riches
available in Pluto's domain. Hades, he says, is "the giver of nourishment to
the soul."
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The goddess Hecate also lives in the underworld. According to poet
Robert Graves, she is the mistress of sorcery, "the goddess of ghosts and
night-terrors, of phantoms and fearful monsters." On the other hand, he
notes, Hecate "presides at seed time and childbirth; she grants
prosperity, victory, plentiful harvests to the farmer and rich catches to
the fisherman."
How can a single deity embody such seemingly contradictory archetypes?
Graves: She symbolizes "the unconscious in which beasts and monsters
swarm. This is not the living hell of the psychotic, but a reservoir of
energy to be brought under control, just as Chaos was brought to cosmic
order under the influence of the spirit."
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In the New World, it won't be your material wealth that will win you the
most bragging points. Nor will it be the important people you know or the
deals you've swung or the knowledge you've amassed or your mate's
attractiveness. What will bring you most prestige and praise in the
civilization to come will be your success in transmuting lead into gold--
how thoroughly you have integrated your shadow and tapped into its
resources.
*
Here's a corollary to Jesus's injunction to love thy neighbor as thyself: "I
will love the dark, difficult side of my neighbor--not just the attractive,
friendly side--and I will encourage it to express itself in constructive
ways."
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"If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere
insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate
them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and
evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to
destroy a piece of his own heart?"
--Alexander Solzhenitsyn, *The Gulag Archipelago*
*
Ancient legend says that a giant cobra--normally a fearsome predator--
shielded Buddha with its expansive hood as he meditated in the wilderness
during a terrible week-long storm.
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OTHER PRONOIA RESOURCES:
LEARNING TO LOVE YOU MORE
Entertaining "assignments" from artist Miranda July
http://learningtoloveyoumore.com/
Perform the phone call someone else wished they could have.
Give advice to yourself in the past.
Reread your favorite book from fifth grade.
Make a portrait of your friend's desires.
DON'T JUST QUESTION AUTHORITY -- GIVE IT THE THIRD DEGREE
The "Question Authority" Proposal
http://tinyurl.com/2murnt
VOTE FOR FREEDOM?
The "Open-Source Political Party" Proposal
http://tinyurl.com/2r4ed9
(Note: I endorse these because I like them. They are 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 January 17
Copyright 2008 by Rob Brezsny
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): When Doris Lessing was informed she'd
won the Nobel Prize for Literature, she said, "I couldn't care less." What
prompted her to be so blasé about receiving the world's foremost award
for writers? Can you imagine what her state of mind was? I think you'll be
able to after this week, Capricorn. You're likely to get a major ego stroke
that isn't all that big a deal to you, mostly because you already know how
valuable you are and don't need external confirmation of that fact.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): While riding my bicycle through a quiet
neighborhood this afternoon, I saw two girls fiddling with the gate of a tall
wooden fence. They were frustrated because it wouldn't open and let
them inside. One kicked the gate. The other tried unsuccessfully to climb
up to reach down over the top to the latch on the other side. Finally, the
younger girl put her hand under the gate and managed to free some
obstruction on the other side. The gate opened. "I got it! I got it!" she
yelled, jumping up and down with exhilarated triumph. I foresee those
words and that emotion flying out of you soon when you, too, finally open
a metaphorical door that has been stuck.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): The President of the United States is George
W. Bush, but the *Secret* President of the United States is . . . well, I
can't tell you, can I, because then he or she wouldn't be secret anymore,
right? I can reveal this, though: The Secret President of the United States
is working furiously behind the scenes to create a world in which
generosity, not fear, is the prime motivator -- a world whose moral
system is rooted in beauty, love, pleasure, and liberation instead of
control, repression, propaganda, and profit. And the Secret President of
the United States has a special assignment for you to carry out in the
coming months, Pisces. Are you ready to become more of a leader than
you've ever been before? Do you have the courage to be an inspirational
role model who motivates people through the power of beauty, love,
pleasure, and liberation?
ARIES (March 21-April 19): I urge you to spend 2008 turning all of your
pretty good but half-developed notions into a few brilliant, fully formed
ideas. While you're at it, melt down your hundreds of wishy-washy wishes
and recast them into three driving desires. This is the Year of Pinpoint
Aim, Aries, also known as the Year of Lasering Your Focus and the Year of
Seeing with Fierce Clarity. Psyche yourself up for a major campaign to cut
the crap so the essence can shine.
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EXPLORING YOUR LONG-RANGE FUTURE
Would you like some inspiration as you muse and wonder about your
upcoming adventures in 2008?
You can still listen to my long-range, in-depth explorations of your destiny
in 2008. Each report in the three-part series is about 6-8 minutes long.
Go to http://RealAstrology.com
for these EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES
A new short-range forecast for this week is also available.
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TAURUS (April 20-May 20): My sensitive poet friend Carson taught
criminals in a penitentiary how to write haiku poems. Novelist Margaret
Atwood gave a class on the absurdist writing of Franz Kafka to engineers
in British Columbia. And in 2008 I'll ask you to share your gifts with
people you've always assumed wouldn't be receptive to you, let alone be
able to benefit from your unique talents. Get ready to push past your
boundaries in the coming months, Taurus. Extend your sphere of influence
and appeal to a larger audience.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): As I approached a pick-up truck from behind
while out driving my car, I saw an unlikely bumper sticker. It said "Surf
Colorado." But Colorado is a landlocked place, I thought to myself, more
than a thousand miles from the ocean. At the next red light, I got closer
to the truck and was able to read the fine print: "In your river kayak, you
don't need an ocean to catch a wave." What a perfect message to convey
to my Gemini readers, I mused, and resolved to write it into this
horoscope. In fact, you are currently in a phase when you don't need an
ocean to surf. Nor, for that matter, do you need a plane in order to fly, a
soulmate to achieve romantic rapture, or money to be rich. Your
imaginative powers are peaking at the same time as your resourcefulness.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): "Dear Rob: Help! When I give love I feel
powerful but when I accept love I feel weak. So even though I dearly crave
love, when someone tries to give it to me I run away. I'm afraid of the
vulnerability that comes from being the recipient of the gift; I'm afraid of
being in debt to the person who's offering it; I'm afraid of the loss of
control that comes from not providing myself with everything I need; and
I'm afraid that if I accept love, I'll get addicted to it, and then how will I
cope if it goes away? What can I do? -Cowardly Crab." Dear Crab: In the
coming weeks, the universe will conspire to help you find new ways to
think about these riddles. You'll have tremendous access to the precise
kind of courage you need.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): I want to call your attention to a scene in the
independent film *Autism: The Musical.* Neal is a 12-year-old autistic boy
who has never spoken a complete sentence, not even to his beloved
mother Elaine. He can barely form words. If you ask him to say "bar," he'll
say "rahb." Elaine brings him to a therapist who guides autistic kids in
using a machine that produces vocal sounds corresponding to words the
kids type on a keyboard. For the first time, Neal's mom hears a message
from her son: "Mom, I'm going to put you on the spot. You need to do
more listening." I expect you will soon experience a metaphorically
comparable event, Leo: A source you love will communicate with you in a
novel way. Be receptive. Listen hard.
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LET'S IMAGINE WHAT BEAUTIFUL MYSTERIES
MIGHT COME YOUR WAY IN 2008
What hidden factors will be massaging your destiny in 2008? Could you
use some hints about how to prepare for the adventures awaiting you in
the next 12 months?
You can still listen to my long-range, in-depth explorations of your destiny
in 2008. Each report in the three-part series is about 6-8 minutes long.
Go to http://RealAstrology.com
for these EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES
A new short-range forecast for this week is also available.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In 1954, the writer Albert Camus said, "A
person's life purpose is nothing more than to rediscover, through the
detours of art or love or passionate work, those one or two images in the
presence of which his heart first opened." In the first month of 2008, a
humble astrology columnist, yours truly, used Camus' words to direct
Virgos towards one of their primary tasks in the year ahead.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): A few months ago I went to a costume party
on the Cruise Ship Ecstatic, which was docked in San Francisco Bay. The
theme was "The Ecstatic Muse: What is the future of your own turn-on?" I
recommend you make that your meditation in the coming weeks, Libra.
According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you're overdue for a
rigorous inventory of your approach to creating rapture, bliss, and joy. If
in the course of your investigations you find you've been neglecting this
essential aspect of your physical and mental health, take dramatic steps
to upgrade your zeal. It's time to get more aggressive about feeling
excited.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Internet pundit Ariana Huffington realized she
was working too hard when she got so exhausted she passed out and
broke her cheekbone on her desk. Resolved to give herself more slack,
she decided to carry just two Blackberries with her at all times instead of
the three that had been her constant companions. I request that you
perform at least two similar acts of self-care in the coming week, Scorpio.
They could come in the form of either eliminating complications, as
Huffington did, or else adding luxurious treats. For example, you might
want to arrange to be massaged in warm water by a team of charismatic
healers singing you love songs and lullabies.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Ask not what you can do for your
country; ask what your country can do for you. The same advice applies
to your relationship with your family, job, closest companion, circle of
friends, and favorite group. During this brief period when enlightened
selfishness is the wise thing to pursue, don't get caught up obsessing on
how you can serve them. Diplomatically request that they serve you.
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HOMEWORK: What is the idea, feeling, or attitude you're most enslaved
to? What can you do to escape your slavery? Go to
http://FreeWillAstrology.com and click on "Email Rob."
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WANT TO GET YOUR CHART DONE?
I'm not doing personal charts, but I highly recommend my 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://YourSoulJourney.com
She can also be reached at roloughran@comcast.net
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P.S. I totally respect your privacy. I'll never sell or give away your address
to anyone.
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Submissions sent to the Free Will Astrology Weekly Newsletter
or in response to "homework assignments" may be
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Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2008 Rob Brezsny
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