Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter http://ezezine.com
Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
November 10, 2010
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For a prettier version of this newsletter, go here:
http://bit.ly/FWA-11-11
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IS PRONOIA JUST FOR RICH, COMFORTABLE PEOPLE? Part 6
Excerpted from *PRONOIA IS THE ANTIDOTE FOR PARANOIA*
available at Amazon: http://bit.ly/Pronoia
or Powells: http://bit.ly/PronoiaPowells
The Maasai people of Kenya don't have running water, toilets, or
electricity, and their per capita income is $300 a year. They use cattle
dung as plaster in building their homes because the scent helps repel
lions, which dislike it, from venturing too close.
And yet they are as happy with their lives as Forbes' magazine's "400
richest Americans" are with theirs -- even though the latter may live in
10,000-square-foot palaces with stained glass windows, French patio
doors, limestone kitchen counter tops, spas, wine cellars, and Olympic-
sized swimming pools.
This assertion comes from "Beyond Money: Toward an Economy of Well-
Being," a report done by psychologists Ed Diener and Martin E. P.
Seligman. On a scale of 1 to 7, where 1 is "extremely dissatisfied," 4 is
"neutral," and 7 means "extremely satisfied," the Maasai, the Inuit of
northern Greenland, and the wealthiest Americans all scored 5.8.
Paupers scratching out a livelihood in the slums of Calcutta registered a
score of 4.6, while international college students and the Amish of Illinois
weighed in at 4.9. Citing 150 other studies in their work, Diener and
Seligman conclude that economic factors are not necessarily correlated
with happiness levels, especially in the developed world.
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Meanwhile, according to the World Values Survey, published in *New
Scientist* magazine, Nigerians are the happiest people on the planet,
although 60 percent of them live below the poverty line. The next four
populations at the top of the list are Mexicans, Venezuelans, Salvadorans,
and Puerto Ricans. On the scale of the planet's wealthiest places, they
rank 63rd, 64th, 101st, and 163rd, respectively.
To be clear, Ed Diener notes in another report that on average, rich
people are happier than poor people. He also says that cultural context is
an important consideration in analyzing the relationship between financial
well-being and happiness.
A homeless man in California may have more money than a Maasai cattle-
herder but be less sanguine about his fate. That's because basic
necessities cost more for him and he is surrounded by people who are far
better off than he is.
But Diener also declares that happiness is harder to attain for those who
believe money is the most important factor in feeling good.
Echoing him, the World Values Survey goes so far as to say that "the
desire for material goods is actually a 'happiness suppressant,'" mirroring
the Buddhist assertion that the craving for earthly riches can be the
source of intense suffering.
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In calling attention to some of the surprisingly good news about the
developing world, I of course don't mean to imply that paradise is at hand.
My recognition of the underreported progress and miracles is not
equivalent to an endorsement of evil-doers.
And I trust that after having read the six-part series that's completed
here this week you won't go numb to the suffering of others and stop
agitating on their behalf.
Just the opposite: I hope that you will be energized by the signs of
creeping benevolence and waxing intelligence.
As you absorb the evidence that an aggressive strain of compassion is
loose in the world, maybe you will conclude that activism actually works,
and you'll be motivated to give yourself with confidence to the specific
role you can play in manifesting the ultimate goal: to create a heaven on
earth in which everyone alive is a healthy, free, self-actualized, spiritually
enlightened millionaire dedicated to living sustainably.
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"Is Pronoia just for Rich, Comfortable People?"
To read Part One of the series, go here: http://bit.ly/RichComfy
To read Part Two of the series, go here: http://bit.ly/RichComfy2
To read Part Three of the series, go here: http://bit.ly/RichComfy3
To read Part Four of the series, go here: http://bit.ly/RichComfy4
To read Part Five of the series, go here: http://bit.ly/RichComfy5
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
THE SELFISH BENEFITS OF PRONOIA
Want to Ward Off the Evil Eye? Just Be Nice
http://tinyurl.com/2det6e7
IN ADDITION TO FOOD, DRINK, SLEEP, AND AIR, YOU REALLY DO NEED
BEAUTY EVERY DAY
The world's most beautiful tree bark
http://tinyurl.com/23tgn93
IS BROCCOLI SENTIENT?
It may be time to stop the senseless slaughter of plants
http://tinyurl.com/PETAforPlants
(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 November 11
Copyright 2010 by Rob Brezsny
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): "I cannot seem to feel alive unless I am
alert," wrote author Charles Bowden, "and I cannot feel alert unless I push
past the point where I have control." Yikes! That's a pretty extreme
approach. But I suggest that you consider trying it out in the coming
week. If you hope to seize even one of the multiple opportunities that
are swirling in your vicinity, you will need both supreme focus and a
loosey-goosey willingness to respond to novelty. So don't tense up and
blank out and try to wrestle the mysterious flows into submission. Use
your sixth sense to find the groove, and relax into it.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): "Democracy is the worst form of
government except for all those others that have been tried," said
Winston Churchill. He was defending his favorite political system,
asserting that its imperfections are superior to the flaws of monarchy,
plutocracy, anarchy, theocracy, and the rest. I invite you to use a similar
gauge as you evaluate the belief system that's at the center of your life.
Does it sometimes lead you astray, cause you to see things that aren't
really there, and fill you with confusion -- but in ways that are more life-
enhancing than any other belief system you know of? Or is your belief
system actually kind of toxic? Should you consider replacing it with
another set of organizing principles? If it's the latter, now would be a
good time to begin making a change.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Connie Post, my beloved former editor at
the Dayton Daily News, sent me a haiku-like poem that I'd like you to
ponder: "November trees / which are living? / which are dead?" I'm
hoping this will put you in the mood to mull over an even bigger question,
namely: What parts of your own life are withering and what parts are
thriving? In my astrological opinion, it's very important that you know the
difference, and act accordingly.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Numerologists say the number 10 signifies
completion, wholeness, totality. It could rightly serve as your lucky
number in the coming weeks -- a symbol of your power to draw long-term
processes to a climax on your own terms. But you might also want to
consider using 11 as your emblem of good mojo. That number denotes
the drive to surpass the success you've earned before -- to transcend
easy triumphs and conventional wisdom so as to reach for a more
challenging conquest. Either way, Aquarius, I think you'll be flying high for
the foreseeable future, so there's no need to worry about which way you
should go. If you do choose 11, the risks will be somewhat greater and
the rewards more interesting.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In *Moby Dick,* Herman Melville suggested
that ideally a person should be a "patriot to heaven." Poet Gary Snyder
wrote, "I pledge allegiance to the soil / one ecosystem / in diversity /
under the sun / with joyful interpenetration for all." Seminal
environmentalist Edward Abbey said, "My loyalties will not be bound by
national borders . . . or limited in the spiritual dimension by one language
or culture. I pledge my allegiance to the damned human race, and my
everlasting love to the green hills of Earth, and my intimations of glory to
the singing stars, to the very end of space and time." I recommend you
experiment with this perspective in the coming weeks, Pisces. You don't
have to tone down your love for your tribe or country. Just see if you can
expand your sense of belonging . . . extend the borders of your comfort
zone . . . and feel at home everywhere you go.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Where I live, 35 percent of all high school
students confess (or brag) that they have engaged in binge drinking,
which is defined as imbibing five or more alcoholic drinks in a two-hour
period. According to my reading of the omens, your inner teenager may
soon be longing to flirt with that kind of intense and total release. Can I
talk him or her out of it? As much as I sympathize with the younger you's
need to escape the numbing effects of the daily grind, I'm asking the
adult you to step in and assert your authority. Try to find a more
constructive approach to liberation.
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MY OTHER HOROSCOPES
Factual information and reasonable thinking alone are not sufficient to
guide you through life's labyrinthine tests. You need and deserve regular
deliveries of uncanny revelation.
One of your inalienable rights as a human being should therefore be to
receive mysteriously useful omens on a regular basis. In this spirit, I offer
you the free weekly horoscopes you read in this newsletter.
If you ever want more, and think it's worth paying for, try my daily text
message 'scopes or my expanded audio 'scopes.
Go here to access them:
http://RealAstrology.com
The weekly forecasts are also available by phone:
1-877-873-4888 or 1-900-950-7700.
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TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Why did feathered dinosaurs evolve wings?
Paleontologists in Britain have a new theory: It added to their sexual
allure. The head researcher at the University of Manchester speculated
that "maybe they ran around with their arms outstretched to show off
how pretty their feathers were." Eventually those forearms became wings
that came in handy for flying. In other words, the power of flight did not
originate from the urge to fly but rather from the urge to be attractive.
Oddly enough, Taurus, this approach to understanding evolution would be
useful for you to meditate on in the coming weeks. According to my
reading of the astrological omens, you could develop some interesting
new capacities as you work to enhance your appeal to people who matter.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): On the subject of being divided, novelist Iris
Murdoch wrote the following: "He led a double life. Did that make him a
liar? He did not feel a liar. He was a man of two truths." Whether you
deserve the generosity of that interpretation still remains to be seen,
Gemini. It is possible that your version of doubleness will be rooted in
deceit or delusion rather than sincere and honest duality. Of course I'm
rooting for the latter. Please do all you can to ensure that you're being
authentic, not manipulative.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): My friend Ariel's six-year-old daughter Juno
doesn't understand why anyone would build streets that run in a straight
line. Isn't it more fun if the highways and byways are crooked and curvy?
Shouldn't people want to get to where they're going by veering this way
and that, relishing the playful twists and turns? That's where the best
action is, says Juno, and I agree: in the tweak, in the twirl, in the winding
way -- not in the beeline route that leaves no room for improvisation.
That's especially true for you right now, my fellow Cancerian.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Would you be delighted if I arranged to get an
offshore oil-drilling rig named after you? Probably not. Would you
celebrate if you won a prestigious all-expenses-paid vacation to the
hottest war zones in Afghanistan? I doubt it. So don't accept dubious
honors and gifts like those, Leo. Be clear that you're not interested in ego
strokes that are irrelevant to your long-term dreams. If you hope to get
the prize you're aiming for, you will have to say a definitive no to
supposedly good things that you don't really want.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The nature of the game is changing. Do you
know which game I'm referring to? I mean the one that everyone's playing
but no one's acknowledging they're playing. The rules of the game had
held steady for quite some time, but recently they began to shift. Now
even the game's rewards are in the process of metamorphosing. My
advice? You don't necessarily need to splash a big dose of raw candor all
over the place, but I do recommend that you at least tell yourself the
truth about what's going on.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): My Facebook friend Robert Goldberg has come
up with terms for you Libras that puts a more positive spin on your
reputation as a fence-sitter. He suggests "fence dancer" or "fence
warrior." You don't always deserve to be bestowed with those honorable
titles, of course. Sometimes you really do molder there in your
intermediate position, paralyzed by indecision and unable to do what's in
the best interests of anyone, including yourself. But on other occasions --
like now -- you have the power to use your in-between status dynamically,
coordinating the opposing interests to work as a whole that's greater
than the sum of the parts.
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HOMEWORK: What's the best, most healing trouble you could whip up
right now? 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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Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2010 Rob Brezsny
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