Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter http://ezezine.com
Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
September 15, 2010
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See a pretty version of this newsletter: http://bit.ly/FWA-9-16
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UNHAPPY HOUR
There's a new release from the soundtrack for my book. It's called
"UNHAPPY HOUR." You can listen to it and read it here:
http://bit.ly/UnhappyHour
Here's how it begins:
You're invited to celebrate Unhappy Hour. It's a ceremony that gives you
a poetic license to rant and whine and howl and sob about everything that
hurts you and makes you feel bad.
During this perverse grace period, there's no need for you to be inhibited
as you unleash your tortured squalls. You don't have to tone down the
extremity of your desolate clamors. Unhappy Hour is a ritually
consecrated excursion devoted to the full disclosure of your primal clash
and jangle.
Here's the catch: It's brief. It's concise. It's crisp. You dive into your
darkness for no more than 60 minutes, then climb back out, free and
clear. It's called Unhappy Hour, not Unhappy Day or Unhappy Week or
Unhappy Year.
Do you have the cheeky temerity to drench yourself in your paroxysmal
alienation from life? Unhappy Hour invites you to plunge in and surrender.
It dares you to scurry and squirm all the way down to the bottom of your
pain, break through the bottom of your pain, and fall down flailing in the
soggy, searing abyss, yelping and cringing and wallowing.
That's where you let your pain tell you every story it has to tell you. You
let your pain teach you every lesson it has to teach you.
But then it's over. The ritual ordeal is complete. And your pain has to take
a vacation until the next Unhappy Hour, which isn't until next week
sometime, or maybe next month.
You see the way the game works? Between this Unhappy Hour and the
next one, your pain has to shut up. It's not allowed to creep and seep all
over everything, staining the flow of your daily life. It doesn't have free
reign to infect you whenever it's itching for more power.
Your pain gets its succinct blast of glory, its resplendent climax, but
leaves you alone the rest of the time.
If performed regularly, Unhappy Hour serves as an exorcism that empties
you of psychic toxins, while at the same time -- miracle of miracles -- it
helps you squeeze every last drop of blessed catharsis out of those
psychic toxins.
Pronoia will then be able to flourish as you luxuriate more frequently in
rosy moods and broad-minded visions. You'll develop a knack for
cultivating smart joy and cagey optimism as your normal states of mind.
Now let's get you warmed up for Unhappy Hour . . . .
TO READ (and hear) THE REST OF THIS PIECE, GO HERE:
http://bit.ly/UnhappyHour
Or buy the book! It's called *PRONOIA IS THE ANTIDOTE FOR PARANOIA*
and is available here: http://bit.ly/Pronoia
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
CYNICISM IS SUBSERVIENCE
"Optimism is a political act. Those who benefit from the status quo are
perfectly happy for us to think nothing is going to get any better. In fact,
these days cynicism is obedience." - Alex Steffen
http://www.worldchanging.com/
INSURRECTIONARY BLESSINGS!
The Kindness Revolution
http://www.carryoutkindness.com/
REBEL GROWERS
Turning an abandoned industrial building into an urban farm.
http://sweetwater-organic.com/blog/
(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 September 16
Copyright 2010 by Rob Brezsny
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): "Nothing is more conducive to peace of mind
than not having any opinions at all." German aphorist Georg Christoph
Lichtenberg said that, and now I'm offering it for you to use. Are you
game? Try this experiment: For seven days, divest yourself of your
opinions. And I mean *all* of them: opinions about politicians, celebrities,
immigration reform, rockabilly music, your friends' choices in mates --
everything. For this grace period, be utterly non-judgmental and open-
minded and tolerant. Allow everything to be exactly what it is without any
need to wish it were otherwise. By experiment's end, you'll probably feel
more relaxed than you have in a long time.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): The Latin motto "Dulcius ex aspiris" means
"Sweetness out of difficulty." It has a different meaning from "relief after
difficulty" or "character-building from difficulty." It suggests a scenario in
which a challenging experience leads not just to a successful outcome,
but also to a delicious, soothing harmony that would not have been
possible without the difficulty. This is what I foresee coming for you,
Libra.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Give the best gifts you can possibly give,
Scorpio. Don't hoard any of the intense blessings you have at your
disposal. It's time to unveil the fullness of your idiosyncratic generosity . .
. to bestow upon the world the naked glory of your complex mojo. Some
people will be better able than others to receive and use your zesty
offerings, and it's OK to favor them with more of your magnanimity. On
the other hand, don't spend too long worrying about the fine points of
how to disseminate your wealth. The important thing is to let it flow like a
river fresh from eternity.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): "Do not think you will necessarily be
aware of your own enlightenment," said Zen Buddhist teacher Dogen.
Which leads me to say: "Do not think you will necessarily be aware of
becoming a role model and potent influence." The way I see it, either of
those developments may happen in the coming weeks. Without suffering
any pangs of self-consciousness, you could suddenly find yourself thrust
into a higher, brighter, more powerful state of being. I doubt there'll be
any stress or strain involved. Rather, it will naturally occur while you're
being your strong-minded, expansive self, trying simply to rearrange the
world to conform to your vision of paradise.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Soon it will probably be time for you to
wrap up the Season of Exploration. You've surveyed the outlands and
fringe areas enough for now, right? I'm guessing that you've
reconnoitered the forbidden zones so thoroughly that you may not need
to do any more probing. Or am I wrong about this? Am I underestimating
your longing to push out to the frontiers and beyond? Maybe your
brushes with exotic creatures and tempting adventures have whetted
your appetite for even more escapades. I'll tell you what, Capricorn: I'm
going to trust your intuition on this one. Are you ready to rein in your
risk-taking, or are you hungry for more?
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): When I was living in Los Angeles in the
summer of 1986, I had a memorable dream. In the dream, I was dancing
with God. As best as I can describe it, the Divine Wow was a female
whirlwind exuding cool blue fire and singing ecstatic melodies. Now and
then I caught a glimpse of something that resembled a face and body, but
mostly she was a sparkling fluidic vortex that I moved in and out of as we
floated and tumbled and leaped. The contact was so vivid and visceral
that from that day forward I never again said, "I believe in God." My
experience was as real as making love with a human being; "belief" was
irrelevant. I predict that you will soon have a comparable encounter with a
primal force, Aquarius -- whatever passes for "God" in your world.
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LISTEN TO AN EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPE
In addition to the horoscopes 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.
"I don't much believe in astrology. But that doesn't seem to get in the
way of me deriving a whole lot of benefits from your expanded audio
horoscopes."
- A. Arrosto, Indianapolis
"You have an amazing aptitude for cutting through the lies I tell myself.
Thanks for the gentle shocks."
- T. Preneris, Toronto
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PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): The eighth-century theologian known as the
Venerable Bede compared our existence to a sparrow that flies in the
window of a royal castle while the king is enjoying a winter feast with his
entourage. Outside, a snowstorm is raging. Inside, there's a big fire in the
hearth that keeps everyone warm. But the sparrow doesn't stay in this
welcoming place; it quickly flies out another window on the other side of
the dining room, refraining from plucking any of the delicious scraps of
food the revelers have discarded. Bede says that the sparrow's actions
are like ours in our own approach to living our lives. Well, guess what,
Pisces: I don't think that will be true for you in the coming months.
Judging from the astrological omens, I suspect that once you fly into the
feast room, you won't depart like a restless, confused wanderer. You will
linger.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): When teen pop star Miley Cyrus appeared on
David Letterman's late-night TV talk show, band leader Paul Schaeffer
asked her if she lip-syncs to pre-recorded music during her performances.
Miley replied that no, she never fakes it. For evidence, she said, anyone
could go watch a Youtube clip from one of her concerts. Sometimes she
sounds terrible, which proves that she's risking the imperfection of
actually singing live. I urge you to follow Miley's lead in your own sphere,
Aries. In the coming week, you really do need to be as raw as the law
allows. Be your authentic self, please -- with no Auto-Tune-like
enhancements.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Here's your mantra: BIG GREEN LUCK
EVERYWHERE. I urge you to say it frequently in the coming days. Sing it
softly to yourself while you're driving your car or riding on public
transportation. Whisper it as a prayer before each meal. BIG GREEN LUCK
EVERYWHERE. Chant it in rhythm to your steps as you walk. Murmur it to
the tiny angel looking down at you from the ceiling just before you drop
off to sleep. Yell it out as you're dancing beneath the sky. BIG GREEN
LUCK EVERYWHERE. It'll work its magic even if you don't know exactly
why you're saying it or what it means.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): This is an excellent time for you to revamp
your relationship with your body. All the cosmic rhythms are aligned to
help you. How should you go about it? The first thing to do is formulate
your intentions. For example, would you like to feel more perfectly at
home in your body? Would you revel in the freedom of knowing that the
body you have is exactly right for your soul's needs? Can you picture
yourself working harder to give your body the food and sleep and
movement it requires to be at its best? If you have any doubts about how
to proceed, ask your body to provide you with clues.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): While growing up, U.S. president Abraham
Lincoln lived in Indiana for 14 years. The Lincoln Boyhood National
Memorial commemorates his time there. When my friend Janet was seven
years old, her second-grade class visited the place. While strolling around
outside, she found a Band-Aid on the ground and excitedly assumed it had
once graced a booboo on Old Abe himself. She took it home and secretly
used it as a talisman. When she rubbed it on her own wounds, it seemed
to have magical healing properties. Only later did she realize that Band-
Aids weren't invented until 55 years after Lincoln's death. No matter. The
artifact had done a superb job. I predict you will soon find a comparable
placebo, Cancerian.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Afghan farmers grow a lot of poppies -- more
than anywhere else in the world. While most of the crop is converted into
opium and heroin, it could just as well be used to create poppy seed
bagels -- as many as 357 trillion of them by one estimate. The way I see
it, Leo, you have a comparable choice ahead of you. A resource that's
neutral in its raw or natural state could be harnessed in a relatively good
cause or a not-so-good cause. And I bet you will be instrumental in
determining which way it goes.
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HOMEWORK: What's the one thing you would change about yourself if you
could? And why can't you? Go to Relastrology.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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Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2010 Rob Brezsny
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