Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter http://ezezine.com
Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
July 30, 2008
+
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
+
"The unhappy person resents it when you try to cheer him up, because
that means he has to stop dwelling on himself and start paying attention
to the universe. Unhappiness is the ultimate form of self-indulgence.
When you're unhappy, you get to pay a lot of attention to yourself. You
get to take yourself oh so very seriously."
- Tom Robbins, *Jitterbug Perfume*
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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:
UNABASHED PRONOIA THERAPY, Part Two
10. Become a rapturist, which is the opposite of a terrorist: Conspire to
unleash blessings on unsuspecting recipients, causing them to feel good.
Before bringing your work as a rapturist to strangers, practice with two
close companions. Offer them each a gift that fires up their ambitions. It
should not be a practical necessity or consumer fetish, but rather a
provocative tool or toy. Give them an imaginative boon they've been
hesitant to ask for, a beautiful thing that expands their self-image, a
surprising intervention that says, "I love the way you move me."
11. "There are two ways for a person to look for adventure," said the
Lone Ranger, a TV character. "By tearing everything down, or building
everything up." Give an example of each from your own life.
12. To many people, "sacrifice" is a demoralizing word that connotes
deprivation. Is that how you feel? Do you make sacrifices because you're
forced to, or maybe because your generosity prompts you to incur a loss
in order to further a good cause?
Originally, "sacrifice" had a different meaning: to give up something
valuable in order that something even more valuable might be obtained.
Carry out an action that embodies this definition. For instance, sacrifice a
mediocre pleasure so as to free yourself to pursue a more exalted
pleasure.
13. Are other people luckier than you? If so, psychologist Richard
Wiseman says you can do something about it. His book The Luck Factor
presents research that proves you can learn to be lucky. It's not a
mystical force you're born with, he says, but a habit you can develop.
How? For starters, be open to new experiences, trust your gut wisdom,
expect good fortune, see the bright side of challenging events, and
master the art of maximizing serendipitous opportunities.
Name three specific actions you'd like to try in order to improve your
luck.
14. Conjure up an imaginary friend and have an intimate conversation with
him and her for at least 10 minutes. Bear in mind that this talk can be a
rational creative act, not an excursion into lunacy. Composer Robert
Schuman had long dialogues with his imaginary friends, Florestan and
Eusebius, who provided valuable ideas for his musical scores. W.S. Merwyn
wrote a poem in which he recounted the surprising counsel of his teacher
John Berryman: "He suggested I pray to the Muse/ get down on my knees
and pray/ right there in the corner and he/ said he meant it literally."
15. Some scholars believe the original Garden of Eden was where Iraq
stands today. Though remnants of that ancient paradise survived into
modern times, many were obliterated during the American war on Iraq in
2003. A Beauty and Truth Laboratory researcher who lives near the
confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers kept us posted on the fate
of the most famous remnant: the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Until the invasion, it was a gnarled stump near Nasiriyah. But today it's
gone; only a crater remains.
Let this serve as an evocative symbol for you as you demolish your old
ideas about paradise, freeing you up to conjure a fresh vision of your ideal
realm.
16. The primary meaning of the word "healing" is "to cure what's
diseased or broken." Medical practitioners focus on sick people.
Psychotherapists wrestle with their clients' traumas and neuroses.
Philanthropists donate their money and social workers contribute their
time to helping the underprivileged. I am in awe of them all. The level of
one's spiritual enlightenment, I believe, is more accurately measured by
helping people in need than by meditation skills, shamanic shapeshifting,
supernatural powers, or religious knowledge.
But I also believe in a second kind of healing that is largely unrecognized:
to supercharge what is already healthy; to lift up what's merely sufficient
to a sublime state. Using this definition, describe two acts of healing: one
you would enjoy performing on yourself and another you'd like to provide
for someone you love.
17. Is the world a dangerous, chaotic place with no inherent purpose,
running on automatic like a malfunctioning machine and fundamentally
inimical to your happiness? Or are you surrounded by helpers in a friendly
universe that gives you challenges in order to make you smarter and
wilder and kinder? Trick questions! The answers may depend, at least to
some degree, on what you believe is true.
Formulate a series of experiments that will allow you to objectively test
the hypothesis that the universe is conspiring to help you.
18. Those who explore pronoia often find they have a growing capacity to
help people laugh at themselves. While few arbiters of morality recognize
this skill as a mark of high character, I put it near the top of my list. In my
view, inducing people to take themselves less seriously is a supreme
virtue. Do you have any interest in cultivating it? How might you go about
it?
19. "God offers to every mind its choice between truth and repose,"
wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson. "Take which you please; you can never have
both." Give an example from your own life that refutes or proves
Emerson's assertion.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
To read news and features from my book, go here:
http://tinyurl.com/lhwx2
You can buy the book here:
AMAZON
http://tinyurl.com/qaj62
POWELLS
http://tinyurl.com/3dsx6q
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
OTHER PRONOIA RESOURCES:
PRONOIA NEEDS YOU TO BE CREATIVE
Stimulate Your Creativity
http://tinyurl.com/44vb6s
PRONOIA NEEDS YOU TO MEDITATE
Mini-Meditations For People Who Don't Have Time To Meditate
http://tinyurl.com/6aokjl
PRONOIA NEEDS YOU TO WAKE UP
"Is the Universe Waking Up?"
http://tinyurl.com/46tvjb
(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.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Week beginning July 31
Copyright 2008 by Rob Brezsny
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): I would love to see you walking down the street
dressed in a feathered headdress and white boots and leopard-print
cashmere pants, plus maybe some scarlet velvet gloves and a silk t-shirt
that says, "You don't scare me." To present yourself in such a bold and
forthright manner would be in perfect alignment with your astrological
omens. If that particular form of expression doesn't feel right to you,
please find an equivalent that does.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Could you get access to a crane with a
wrecking ball? How about a chainsaw or sledgehammer? Metaphorically
speaking, you may need some heavy equipment to do all the demolition
work that's necessary right now. Among the structures that could be due
for destruction: a mental block you've been preserving out of perverse
nostalgia; a prison cell you lock yourself inside on your off days; a half-
built bridge you're no longer interested in or capable of completing; a
pedestal on which your fallen idol used to stand; and a door you nailed
shut in order to seal yourself off from a person with whom you still have
unfinished business.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): This is your best chance in a long time to meet
people you've always wanted to meet. It's also a favorable time to turn
pretty good connections into excellent collaborations, and to adjust your
role in your web of alliances so it's closer to where you want it to be.
None of these fine developments in your social life will magically unfold on
their own, however. You can't just sit back passively and hope that
cosmic forces will somehow make them happen. So formulate your
intentions crisply and act aggressively to manifest them.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Don't just shamble down to the pizzeria and
gobble a slab of greasy cheese, tomato sauce, and dough. Instead,
arrange for an interesting person who likes you to home-deliver a pizza
lovingly prepared by a gourmet chef. For that matter, Scorpio, don't
tolerate mediocrity or the lowest common denominator in *any* area of
your life. The Season of the Peak Experience is here -- a time when you
have a sacred duty to give your best, commune with the highest, and ask
for excellence.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
LISTEN TO AN EXPANDED HOROSCOPE
In addition to the horoscopes that you read here, I create additional in-
depth audio horoscopes for your inspiration.
They're not repeats or elaborations of the stuff you find here, but entirely
fresh explorations of your astrological omens, designed to help you tune
in to your soul's code.
Try them at http://RealAstrology.com.
They're available by phone at 1-877-873-4888
or 1-900-950-7700.
They're $6 if you access them on the Web, or $1.99 per minute over the
phone.
"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 pick up my telepathic requests and
answer them in your expanded audio 'scopes."
-Marion H., Birmingham, AL
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I don't recommend that you go on a
spiritual retreat at the Zen monastery near Mount Kumgang in North
Korea. As exquisite as the place is, the repressive government's secret
police are suspicious of tourists and would probably make your trip
miserable. Likewise, don't take a vacation on the gorgeous beaches of
eastern Somalia. Pirates prowl the coastal areas of that lawless land, and
anyone can buy a hand grenade for $10 at the outdoor markets in nearby
Mogadishu. No, Sagittarius, while it is an excellent time to leave your
familiar haunts and expose yourself to exotic scenes, you should be
acutely discerning about where you go. In my opinion, you need a
sanctuary that simultaneously surprises you and deepens your sense of
being at home in the world.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): "You have to love life when you're in really
deep trouble," said poet Robin Blaser. So what about if, on the other
hand, you're in only shallow trouble? Do you have a mandate to just sort
of *like* life a little more? Or can you, with a little work, exploit the mild
disturbance that the shallow trouble provides in order to dramatically
pump up your adoration of life? I hope that your actions in the coming
week, Capricorn, will be a big "yes" in response to that question. I'm
happy to tell you that you can wangle a big boost from a small
inconvenience.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Some bars are now charging fines to people
who drunkenly puke on their floors. I advise you to stay out of such
places in the coming week. Better yet, don't get so wasted that you hurl
*anywhere.* It's one of those rare periods when every little sin will be
quickly punished, when every excess will provoke an equal and opposite
reaction. On the other hand, this is also a time when even minor eruptions
of virtue will be immediately rewarded, when every brave act and self-
disciplined shift will bring you an opportunity.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Two friends of mine, a couple engaged to be
wed, rode their bicycles for days up the Northern California coast from
San Francisco to Oregon. They saw many other riders pedaling from north
to south during their trip, but they rarely encountered anyone heading in
the same direction they were. Why? The wind was blowing against them
the entire way. When they stopped to rest they would sometimes meet
and talk with bicyclists whose destination was San Francisco. "Why are
you riding against the wind?" the other travelers inevitably wanted to
know. My friends enjoyed replying, "We're building our characters so we'll
be strong enough to stay in love after we're married." They're your role
models for the coming weeks, Pisces. Do some against-the-wind work to
prepare yourself for your next big assignment, which is to make your
intimate relationships more interesting and invigorating and enduring.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
LISTEN TO AN EXPANDED HOROSCOPE
In addition to the horoscopes that you're reading here, I create more in-
depth audio horoscopes for your inspiration. 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.
"The best part about your audio horoscopes is that they pat me on the
head and kick me in the ass at the same time." - Rita L., San Diego
"Your audio oracles go beyond helping me find the truth -- they inspire
me to find the WILD truth." - Patrick K., Montreal
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Work can be hazardous for the actors who
portray cartoon and fairy tale characters at Disney theme parks. The U.S.
Health and Safety Administration reports that one-third of them have
suffered on-the-job injuries. A prime cause of the mayhem: kids who kick
and punch, sometimes out of misplaced exuberance and other times out
of Lord-of-the-Flies-style malice. I wanted to preface my advice to you
with that story, Aries. Your assignment this week is to summon the
angelic 85 percent of your inner child to come out and play. As for the
other 15 percent -- the part of your inner child that might be inclined to
pummel Mickey Mouse or headbutt Cinderella: Keep that rascal under
wraps.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Sometimes hope is an irrelevant waste of
time, even a stupid self-indulgence. Let's say, for instance, that I'm really
hoping that a certain disagreeable person I've got to communicate with
won't answer when I call on the phone. That way I can simply leave a
message on his voice mail and avoid an unpleasant exchange. But it
doesn't matter what I hope. The guy will either answer or not, regardless
of what I want. But there is another kind of hope that's invigorating and
transformative. Let's say I have a hope that we humans will reverse the
environmental catastrophes we're perpetrating. Let's say that my hope
motivates me to live more sustainably and to inspire others to live more
sustainably. Then my hope is a catalyst. Meditate on these things, Taurus.
It's a perfect time for you to get very clear about the two kinds of hope.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): *The Futurist* magazine predicts that by
2025, there'll be a billion millionaires in the world. I hope you will be one
of them. If you do end up in that fortunate position, it may well be
because of the smart, aggressive actions you initiate in the next four
months. Cosmic tendencies are in place for you to ensure your prosperity
well into the future; now all you have to do is understand and capitalize
on those tendencies. Here's a good place to start: Spend some quality
time taking inventory of your financial life and brainstorming about a 17-
year plan to make you a millionaire.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): The world record for attaching clothespins to
one's face is 153. Even if you're tempted to surpass that mark, I beg you
not to. Inflicting pain on yourself in order to impress someone or prove a
point is never a good idea, but it's an especially misguided notion right
now. I wouldn't object, however, if you did the opposite, which is to
barrage yourself with pleasure in order to impress someone or prove a
point. In my astrological opinion, it's a perfect time to intensify your
commitment to making yourself feel good. This is true for many reasons,
but here's one of the most important ones: It will have a magically tonic
effect on your relationships with others.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
HOMEWORK: I dare you to bestow three blessings you've never even
dreamed of bestowing. Report results to me. Go to
http://FreeWillAstrology.com and click on "Email Rob."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
NEED TO CHANGE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS?
To join or leave the email list for this newsletter, or to change the address
where you receive it, go to:
http://www.freewillastrology.com/newsletter/
Once you do join, check all the below points to make sure you'll actually
receive the newsletter:
1. Add my address, televisionary@comcast.net, to your address book so
that the newsletter won't be treated as spam and filtered out.
2. Adjust your spam filter so it doesn't treat my address as a source of
spam.
3. Tell your company's IT group to allow my address to pass through any
filtering software they may have set up.
4. If my newsletters don't reach your inbox, look in your "Bulk Mail" or
"Junk Mail" folder.
5. The problems may not have to do with anything you do, but may
originate with your email provider. It may be using a "content filter" that
prevents my newsletter from ever reaching you at all. If you suspect
that's the case, complain. Tell your email provider to stop blocking my
newsletter from reaching you.
P.S. 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
2008 Rob Brezsny
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++