Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter http://ezezine.com
Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
May 23, 2012
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See a pretty version of this newsletter: http://bit.ly/LwJ9Am
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My book
*PRONOIA IS THE ANTIDOTE FOR PARANOIA*
is available at Amazon: http://bit.ly/Pronoia
or Powells: http://bit.ly/PronoiaPowells
Here's an excerpt:
EVIL IS BORING
To read the entire text of this piece, go here:
http://bit.ly/EvilisBoring
To hear a shorter audio version, go here:
http://bit.ly/A9cl4D
When an old tree in the rain forest dies and topples over, it takes a long
time to decompose. As it does, it becomes host to new saplings that use
the decaying log for nourishment.
Picture yourself sitting in the forest gazing upon this scene. How do you
describe it? Would you dwell on the putrefaction of the fallen tree while
ignoring the fresh life sprouting out of it? If you did, you'd be imitating
the perspective of many modern storytellers, especially the journalists
and novelists and filmmakers and producers of TV dramas. They devoutly
believe that tales of affliction and mayhem and corruption and tragedy
are inherently more interesting than tales of triumph and liberation and
pleasure and ingenuity.
Using the juggernaut of the media and entertainment industries, they
relentlessly propagate this covert dogma. It's not sufficiently profound or
well thought out to be called nihilism. Pop nihilism is a more accurate
term. The mass audience is the victim of this inane ugliness, brainwashed
by a multibillion-dollar propaganda machine that in comparison makes
Himmler's vaunted soul-stealing apparatus look like a child's backyard
puppet show. This is the engine of the phenomena I call the global
genocide of the imagination.
At the Beauty and Truth Lab, we believe that stories about the rot are
not inherently more captivating than stories about the splendor. On the
contrary, given how predictable and ubiquitous they are, stories about the
rot are actually quite dull. Obsessing on evil is boring. Rousing fear is a
hackneyed shtick. Wallowing in despair is a bad habit. Indulging in cynicism
is akin to committing a copycat crime.
To read the rest of "EVIL IS BORING," go here: http://bit.ly/EvilisBoring
To hear the audio version:
http://bit.ly/A9cl4D
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Steal This Image from *PRONOIA*: http://bit.ly/A5Lhuv
"I am totally opposed to all duality"
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
FIRST-CLASS HEALING
At an urban L.A. school, nature grows -- and test scores too
http://tinyurl.com/7bsqpdc
REASONABLE PEOPLE SOMETIMES TRIUMPH
Vermont becomes first state to ban fracking.
http://tinyurl.com/7sgk5ag
http://tinyurl.com/c6plqza
THIS DAY IN PRONOIAC HISTORY
Louis Armstrong plays for his wife in front of the Sphinx in 1961
http://i.imgur.com/Mo6g2.jpg
(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 May 24
Copyright 2012 by Rob Brezsny
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): "Sometimes I think and other times I am," said
French poet Paul Valery. Most of us could say the same thing. From what I
can tell, Gemini, you are now entering an intensely "I am" phase of your
long-term cycle -- a time when it will be more important for you to
exclaim "woohoo!" than to mutter "hmmm;" a time to tune in extra
strong to the nonverbal wisdom of your body and to the sudden flashes
of your intuition; a time when you'll generate more good fortune by
getting gleefully lost in the curious mystery of the moment than by
sitting back and trying to figure out what it all means.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Don't pretend you can't see the darkness.
Admit to its presence. Accept its reality. And then, dear Cancerian, walk
nonchalantly away from it, refusing to fight it or be afraid of it. In other
words, face up to the difficulty without becoming all tangled up in it. Gaze
into the abyss so as to educate yourself about its nature, but don't get
stuck there or become entranced by its supposedly hypnotic power. I
think you'll be amazed at how much safety and security you can generate
for yourself simply by being an objective, poised observer free of
melodramatic reactions.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): It's OK with me if you want to keep the lion as
your symbolic animal, Leo. But I'd like to tell you why I'm proposing that
you switch over to the tiger, at least for now. People who work with big
cats say that lions tend to be obnoxious and grouchy, whereas tigers are
more affable and easy to get along with. And I think that in the coming
weeks it'll be important for you to be like the tiger. During this time, you
will have an enhanced power to cultivate friendships and influence people.
Networking opportunities will be excellent. Your web of connections
should expand. By the way, even though lions are called kings of the
jungle, tigers are generally bigger, more muscular, and better fighters.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In 1977, the first Apple computers were built
in a garage that Steve Jobs' father provided for his son and Steve
Wozniak to work in. (You can see a photo of the holy shrine here:
http://tinyurl.com/AppleGarage.) I suggest you think about setting up
your own version of that magic place sometime soon: a basement,
kitchen, garage, warehouse, or corner of your bedroom that will be the
spot where you fine-tune your master plan for the coming years -- and
maybe even where you begin working in earnest on a labor of love that
will change everything for the better.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): I have a head's up for you, Libra. Do your best
to avoid getting enmeshed in any sort of "he said/she said" controversy.
(Of course it could be a "he said/he said" or "she said/she said" or "trans
said/intersex said" brouhaha, too -- you get the idea.) Gossip is not your
friend in the week ahead. Trying to serve as a mediator is not your strong
suit. Becoming embroiled in personal disputes is not your destiny. In my
opinion, you should soar free of all the chatter and clatter. It's time for
you to seek out big pictures and vast perspectives. Where you belong is
meditating on a mountaintop, flying in your dreams, and charging up your
psychic batteries in a sanctuary that's both soothing and thrilling.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In some Australian aborigine cultures, a
newborn infant gets two names from the tribal elders. The first is the
name everybody knows. The second is sacred, and is kept secret. Even
the child isn't told. Only when he or she comes of age and is initiated into
adulthood is it revealed. I wish we had a tradition similar to this. It might
be quite meaningful for you, because you're currently navigating your way
through a rite of passage that would make you eligible to receive your
sacred, secret name. I suggest we begin a new custom: When you've
completed your transformation, pick a new name for yourself, and use it
only when you're conversing with your ancestors, your teachers, or
yourself.
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EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES GO FURTHER
In addition to the horoscopes that come to you in this newsletter, I create
more in-depth audio horoscopes for your inspiration. I think of them as
my love letters to you. They're $6 if you access them on the Web, or
$1.99 per minute over the phone.
Try them at http://RealAstrology.com.
They're available by phone at 1-877-873-4888
or 1-900-950-7700.
"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
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SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Please raise your hand if you have ever
sought out a romantic connection with someone mostly because of the
way he or she looked. You shouldn't feel bad if you have; it's pretty
common. But I hope you won't indulge in this behavior any time soon. In
the coming weeks, it's crucial for you to base your decisions on deeper
understandings -- not just in regards to potential partners and lovers, but
for everything. As you evaluate your options, don't allow physical
appearance and superficial attractiveness to be the dominant factors.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The 21st flight of the 4.5-million-pound
Space Shuttle Discovery was supposed to happen on June 8, 1995. But
about a week before its scheduled departure, workers discovered an
unforeseen problem. Northern Flicker Woodpeckers had made a mess of
the insulation on the outer fuel tank; they'd pecked a couple of hundred
holes, some quite deep. To allow for necessary repairs, launch was
postponed for over a month. I'm choosing this scenario to serve as a
useful metaphor for you, Capricorn. Regard it as your notice not to ignore
a seemingly tiny adversary or trivial obstacle. Take that almost-
insignificant pest seriously.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): It's official: Dancing increases your
intelligence. So says a report in the *New England Journal of Medicine.*
Unfortunately, research found that swimming, bicycling, and playing golf
are not at all effective in rewiring the brain's neural pathways. Doing
crossword puzzles is somewhat helpful, though, and so is reading books.
But one of the single best things you can do to enhance your cognitive
functioning is to move your body around in creative and coordinated
rhythm with music. Lucky you: This is a phase of your astrological cycle
when you're likely to have more impulses and opportunities to dance.
Take advantage! Get smarter. (More info:
http://tinyurl.com/DanceSmart.)
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Your animal totem for the next phase of your
astrological cycle is a creature called a hero shrew. Of all the mammals in
the world, it has the strongest and heaviest spine proportionate to its
size. This exceptional attribute makes the tiny animal so robust that a
person could stand on it without causing serious harm. You will need to
have a backbone like that in the coming weeks, Pisces. Luckily, the
universe will be conspiring to help you. I expect to see you stand up to
the full weight of the pressures coming to bear on you -- and do it with
exceptional charisma.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): "My soul is a fire that suffers if it doesn't
burn," said Jean Prevost, a writer and hero of the French Resistance
during World War II. "I need three or four cubic feet of new ideas every
day, as a steamboat needs coal." Your soul may not be quite as blazing as
his, Aries, and you may normally be able to get along fine with just a few
cubic inches of new ideas per day. But I expect that in the next three to
four weeks, you will both need and yearn to generate Prevost-type levels
of heat and light. Please make sure you're getting a steady supply of the
necessary fuel.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Here's a great question to pose on a regular
basis during the next three weeks: "What's the best use of my time right
now?" Whenever you ask, be sure to answer with an open mind. Don't
assume that the correct response is always, "working with white-hot
intensity on churning out the masterpiece that will fulfill my dreams and
cement my legacy." On some occasions, the best use of your time may
be doing the laundry or sitting quietly and doing nothing more than
watching the world go by. Here's a reminder from philosopher Jonathan
Zap: "Meaning and purpose are not merely to be found in the glamorous,
dramatic moments of life."
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Homework: Write your ultimate personal ad. Address it to your current
partner if you're already paired. Share it with me at
http://Freewillastrology.com.
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Submissions sent to the Free Will Astrology Weekly Newsletter
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Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2012 Rob Brezsny
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