Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter http://ezezine.com
Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
June 9, 2010
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Expanded Audio Horoscopes
http://RealAstrology.com
For a pretty version of this newsletter:
http://bit.ly/6-09-10
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There's a new release from the soundtrack for my book
*PRONOIA IS THE ANTIDOTE FOR PARANOIA.*
It's called "You're a Prophet"
You can access it here:
http://bit.ly/YouProphet
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The revised and expanded version of my book *PRONOIA IS THE
ANTIDOTE FOR PARANOIA* is available at Amazon: http://bit.ly/Pronoia
and also at Powells:
http://bit.ly/PronoiaPowells
Much of the material below appears in the book:
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Q & A
(To read the entirety of this feature, go here:
http://bit.ly/FWA-QandA)
QUESTION. How can an intelligent, educated person possibly believe
astrology has any merit?
ROB BREZSNY. Many of the debunkers who're responsible for trying to
discredit astrology have done no research on the subject. They haven't
read smart astrological philosophers like Dane Rudhyar, don't know that
seminal astronomer Johannes Kepler was a skilled astrologer, and aren't
aware that eminent psychologist C.G. Jung cast horoscopes and believed
that "astrology represents the summation of all the psychological
knowledge of antiquity." The closest approach the fraudulent "skeptics"
usually make to the ancient art is to glance at a tabloid horoscope
column. To match their carelessness, I might make a drive-by of a strip
mall and declare that the profession of architecture is shallow and
debased.
That's one reason why these ill-informed "skeptics" spread so many
ignorant lies. For instance, they say that astrologers think the stars and
planets emit invisible beams that affect people's lives. The truth is, many
Western astrologers don't believe any such thing. Astrologer Richard
Tarnas says it well: Just as clocks tell time but don't create it, the
heavenly bodies show us the big picture but don't cause it.
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QUESTION. Because you pack your column with doses of humor and wild
imagery, some people think you don't take astrology seriously.
ROB. On the contrary, I think this proves how much respect I have for
astrology -- I mean REAL astrology. Not astrology as a superstitious belief
system that generates boring predictions in dead language about trivial
events that only our neurotic egos are obsessed with; but rather
astrology as a mytho-poetic symbol system that expands your
imagination about the big cycles of your life, liberates you from the
literalistic trance that the daily grind tends to trap you in, and opens you
up to the understanding that you're much more beautiful and full of
potential than you've been taught to believe.
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QUESTION. You have said that you believe in astrology "about 80
percent." What's up with the other 20 percent?
ROB. I use the same 80-20 approach with every belief system I love and
benefit from: science, psychology, feminism, and various religious
traditions like Buddhism and Christianity and paganism. I take what's
useful from each, but am not so deluded as to think that any single
system is the holy grail that the physicists call the "Theory of
Everything." Unconditional, unskeptical faith is the path of the fanatic and
fundamentalist, and I aspire to be a rowdy philosophical anarchist, aflame
with objectivity and committed to the truth that the truth is always
mutating.
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QUESTION. But don't you risk playing the same role the tabloid
astrologers do: enticing people to take on a superstitious approach to life
and seducing them into believing their fate is determined by supernatural
forces beyond the influence of their willpower?
ROB. I call what I do predicting the present, not forecasting the future. My
goal is to awaken my readers to the hidden agendas, unconscious forces,
and long-term cycles at work in their lives so that they can respond to
the totality of what's happening instead of to mere appearances. I want
to be a friendly shocker who helps unleash their imaginations, giving them
the power to create their destinies with the same liberated fertility that
great artists summon to forge their masterpieces.
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QUESTION. How do you write your column? Do you use actual astrological
data, or just go into a trance and let your imagination run wild?
TO READ THE REPLY TO THIS QUESTION, AS WELL AS THE REST OF THIS
FEATURE, go here:
http://bit.ly/FWA-QandA
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
BENEVOLENT CONSPIRACIES ABOUND
Fewer children are dying worldwide
http://tinyurl.com/2dtfccl
BE DISCRIMINATING IN YOUR USE OF CYNICISM
Well, no, we're not having more earthquakes than usual
http://tinyurl.com/yl6spqc
LAUGH, FOR GOD'S SAKE!
"I Need a Yogi"
Straight up karma hip hop -- maybe NSFW in the eyes of some people.
http://tinyurl.com/23bnpz6
THE EVIDENCE FOR PRONOIA IS MOUNTING
See it all in one place:
http://pronoiaresources.com
(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 June 10
Copyright 2010 by Rob Brezsny
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): If you have long conversations with the image
in the mirror this week, I won't call you a megalomaniacal narcissist. Nor
will I make fun of you if you paint 15 self-portraits, or google yourself
obsessively, or fill an entire notebook with answers to the question "Who
am I, anyway?" In my astrological opinion, this is an excellent time for you
to pursue nosy explorations into the mysteries of your core identity. You
have cosmic permission to think about yourself with an intensity you
might normally devote to a charismatic idol you're infatuated with.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): The website "Nietzsche Family Circus"
features collaborations between the sappy family-oriented comic strip
"Family Circus" and the austerely portentous wisdom of German
philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. Judging from your current astrological
omens, I'd say this is a perfect time for you to expose yourself to this
stuff. (It's at http://www.losanjealous.com/nfc/.) You need to toughen
up some of your weepy, sentimental urges and brighten up some of your
somber, melancholic tendencies.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Gather your rewards, Leo. Soak up the blessings.
Collect the favors you're owed. It's harvest time for you: your big chance
to reap the fruits you've been sowing and cultivating these past 11
months. And no, don't try to stretch out the process. Don't procrastinate
about plucking the ripe pickings. This really is the climax. The time for
your peak experience has arrived. If you postpone the harvest for another
two weeks, your beauties may start to go to seed.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): What are you waiting for, my dear Virgo? Your
future power spot has been exerting a strong pull on you. It has been
calling for you to come and seize the clout you deserve. But you have not
yet fully taken up the offer. As your designated nag and cheerleader, it is
my sacred duty to wave a red flag in front of your gorgeous face and
command you to pay attention. In my opinion, you need to drop what
you're doing, race over to the zone of engagement, and pounce. You're
more than ready to stake a claim to the increased authority you'll have a
mandate to wield in the coming months.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): If you've read my horoscopes for a while, you
know I'm the least superstitious astrologer on the planet. I champion the
cause of reason and logic, praise the beauty of science, and discourage
you from constantly scanning the horizon for fearful omens. And yet I'm
also a zealous advocate of the power of the liberated imagination. I
believe that the playful and disciplined use of fantasy can be a potent
agent for benevolent change in your life. That's why, in accordance with
the current astrological configurations, I suggest that you spend some
quality time in the coming week having imaginary conversations with the
person, living or dead, who inspires you the most.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): "I want to be everywhere at once and do
everything at the same time," writes one of my Scorpio readers, J.T. He's
in luck, because according to my analysis, your tribe is about to enjoy a
phase much like what he describes. "No more of this linear, one-day-at-a-
time stuff," he continues. "I want a whole week packed into each 24-hour
turn of the earth, with heavy doses of leisure time interwoven with
thrilling bouts of hard, creative labor. I want to live in a secret garden with
ten years of solitude and hang out at a street fair raging with conviviality.
I want to sing with angels and romp with devils in between walking the
dog, exercising at the gym, and chatting to perfectly ordinary people. I
want enough money to fill a swimming pool, and I want to live like there's
no such thing as money."
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YOU AND ME TOGETHER IN THE ETHERS
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 expanded astrology thingees help me remember who I really am." -
Gareth N., Toronto
"I never knew it was possible to get my butt kicked and my head patted
at the same time -- until I listened to you, Rob." -Kristi P., Portland, OR
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SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): If you live on the Danish island of Mando,
your only hope for driving your vehicle to the mainland and back is when
the tide is low. During those periods, the water often recedes far enough
to expose a rough gravel road that's laid down over a vast mudflat.
Winter storms sometimes make even low-tide passages impossible,
though. According to my reading of the astrological omens, Sagittarius,
there's a comparable situation in your life. You can only get from where
you are to where you want to go at certain selected times and under
certain selected conditions. Make sure you're thoroughly familiar with
those times and conditions.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): One of the leading intellectuals of the 20th
century, British author Aldous Huxley, wrote more than 20 books,
including *Brave New World.* In his later years he made a surprising
confession: "It is a bit embarrassing to have been concerned with the
human problem all one's life and find at the end that one has no more to
offer by way of advice than 'Try to be a little kinder.'" In accordance with
your current astrological omens, Capricorn, I'd like you to take a cue from
Huxley in the coming week. Proceed on the assumption that the smartest
thing you can do -- both in terms of bringing you practical benefits and
increasing your intelligence -- would be to deepen, expand, and intensify
your compassion.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Early in Marcel Proust's novel *In Search of
Lost Time,* the narrator stumbles upon a dizzying epiphany while having
a snack. He dips a small cake into his cup of tea, and when he sips a
spoonful, the taste of the sweet crumbs blended with the warm drink
transport him into an altered state. Inexplicably, he's filled with an "all-
powerful joy" and "exquisite pleasure" that dissolve his feelings of being
"mediocre, contingent, and mortal." The associations and thoughts
triggered by this influx of paradise take him many pages to explore. I
mention this, Aquarius, because I expect that you're about to have your
own version of this activation. A seemingly ordinary event will lead to a
breakthrough that feeds you for a long time. Be alert for it!
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Environmentalist Bill McKibben says that
humans are transforming the planet so drastically that we shouldn't refer
to it as "Earth" any more. To acknowledge the fact that we're well on our
way to living on a very different world, he suggests we rename our home
the "Eaarth." By this logic, maybe we should rename your sign Piisces.
The changes you're in the process of making this year are potentially so
dramatic that you will, in a sense, be inhabiting a new astrological sign by
January 2011. In your case, however -- unlike that of our planet -- the
majority of your alterations are likely to be invigorating and vitalizing. And
you're now entering a phase when you'll have maximum opportunity to
ensure that successful outcome.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): The "secret" is in plain sight. The "hidden
resource" is freely available for anyone who intends to use it with
integrity. The "lost key" is very close to where you left it when you last
used it. The "missing link" is missing only in the sense that no one
recognizes it for what it is. The "unasked question" is beaming toward
you from three directions. The "wounded talent" will be healed the
moment you stop thinking of it as wounded and start regarding it as
merely unripe.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): It's time for some image medicine, Taurus.
Wherever you are right now, I invite you to look down at your left palm
and imagine that you see the following scene: an infinity sign whose shape
is made not by a thin black line but by a series of small yellow rubber
duckies. The duckies are flowing along slowly in continuous motion. They
are all wearing gold crowns, each of which is studded with three tiny
rubies. With resonant tones that belie their diminutive and comic
appearance, the duckies are singing you your favorite song. It makes you
feel safe, brave, and at home in the world. What else can see you see
there? What happens next?
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HOMEWORK: Imagine yourself gazing into the eyes of the person you were
ten years ago. What do you want to say to him or her? Go to
Freewillastrology.com and click "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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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:
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Once you do join, check all the below points to make sure you'll actually
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1. Add my address, televisionary@comcast.net, to your address book so
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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
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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
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;
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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
2010 Rob Brezsny
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