Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
May 17, 2017
+
See a pretty version of this newsletter: http://bit.ly/2pErBsn
+
My book *PRONOIA IS THE ANTIDOTE FOR PARANOIA*
is available at Amazon: http://bit.ly/Pronoia
or Powells: http://bit.ly/PronoiaPowells
Below are excerpts.
Here are practical ways I carry on the work of championing and
embodying the Divine Feminine:
I regard relationship as a crucible for spiritual work.
I think of the practical expression of kindness and compassion and ethical
behavior as an essential spiritual practice.
I assume that a crucial element of spiritual practice is the consciousness
and compassion we bring to the sometimes chaotic and messy details of
being human beings.
I proceed as if loving and caring for animals and plants and the Earth is
the test of our spiritual intentions.
I regard play and fun and humor as not diversions from "serious" spiritual
work, but rather being at the center of it.
There are more, but I'll stop for now. What about you? What are the
practical ways you carry on the work of loving Goddess? Tell me at
Truthrooster@gmail.com.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
DON'T GO NUMB!
How can we influence people to stop their extermination of nature? How
can we motivate people to stop committing genocide against animal
species? [Choose Method A or Method B or a blend of both.]
Method A.
1. Nag people with scientific data that shocks them into acknowledging
how much harm human activity is inflicting.
2. Shame them about the sin of bequeathing their descendants a
damaged, impoverished planet.
3. Badger them to dissolve the unethical greed that leads them to
consume so many of the earth's resources and produce too much waste.
4. Criticize them for being too stubborn and ignorant to change their
destructive habits.
5. Goad them with financial incentives to do the right thing even if they
don't want to do the right thing.
+
Method B.
6. Express smart love for the interconnected web of life.
7. Celebrate the fact that there are other forms of consciousness and
intelligence besides just the human kind.
8. Embody the hypothesis that spending time in wild places enhances
one's mental hygiene and physical health.
9. Value the feminine as much as the masculine.
10. Cultivate the art of empathy, and demonstrate how to make it work in
everything you do.
11. Show what it means to think with your heart and feel with your head.
12. Stay in close touch with the Mysterium, the other real world that is
the root of the material world.
13. Vow to bring the I-Thou dynamic to bear on all your relationships.
14. Be as curious about intimacy as you are about power.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
X-RATED PRONOIA
Much of my book *Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia* is rated PG. Some
is R. But there's one story that's X. Not in the same way that porn is.
While it's uninhibited in its rendering of ecstatic eroticism, it's a feminist
meditation on spiritual intimacy, not a heap of vulgar stereotypes.
Still, when the book came out, I decided not to send full copies of the
book to certain relatives of mine who are a bit prudish. So I came to a
compromise: Using a razor blade, I sliced out the nine pages in question
and gave my loved ones the mostly-intact remainder.
Here are those nine pages: http://bit.ly/OrgasmicOrigins
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
DISCIPLINE YOUR WILDNESS
Clarissa Pinkola Estés suggests that we all need to periodically go
cheerfully and enthusiastically out of our minds. Make sure, she says, that
at least one part of you always remains untamed, uncategorizable, and
unsubjugated by routine. Be adamant in your determination to stay
intimately connected to all that's inexplicable and mysterious about your
life.
At the same time, though, Estés believes you need to keep your unusual
urges clear and ordered. Discipline your wildness, in other words, and
don't let it degenerate into careless disorder.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
Baltimore's solar-powered water wheel has now removed 1.1 million lbs of
rubbish from the river.
http://tinyurl.com/k5dbo6w
The billionaire on a mission to save the planet from Trump.
http://tinyurl.com/mltdbon
Self-esteem might boost our egos, but self-compassion opens our hearts.
http://tinyurl.com/ls895uq
(Note: I endorse these because I like them. They aren't advertisements,
and I get no kickbacks.)
Please tell me your own nominations for PRONOIA RESOURCES:
Truthrooster@gmail.com.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Week beginning May 18
Copyright 2017 by Rob Brezsny
http://FreeWillAstrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): My pregnant friend Myrna is determined to
avoid giving birth via Caesarean section. She believes that the best way
for her son to enter the world is by him doing the hard work of squeezing
through the narrow birth canal. That struggle will fortify his willpower and
mobilize him to summon equally strenuous efforts in response to future
challenges. It's an interesting theory. I suggest you consider it as you
contemplate how you're going to get yourself reborn.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): I invite you to try the following meditation:
Picture yourself filling garbage bags with stuff that reminds you of what
you used to be and don't want to be any more. Add anything that feels
like decrepit emotional baggage or that serves as a worn-out
psychological crutch. When you've gathered up all the props and
accessories that demoralize you, imagine yourself going to a beach where
you build a big bonfire and hurl your mess into the flames. As you dance
around the conflagration, exorcise the voices in your head that tell you
boring stories about yourself. Sing songs that have as much power to
relieve and release you as a spectacular orgasm.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): In normal times, your guardian animal ally
might be the turtle, crab, seahorse, or manta ray. But in the next three
weeks, it's the cockroach. This unfairly maligned creature is legendary for
its power to thrive in virtually any environment, and I think you will have a
similar resourcefulness. Like the cockroach, you will do more than merely
cope with awkward adventures and complicated transitions; you will
flourish. One caution: It's possible that your adaptability may bother
people who are less flexible and enterprising than you. To keep that from
being a problem, be empathetic as you help them adapt. (P.S. Your
temporary animal ally is exceptionally well-groomed. Cockroaches clean
themselves as much as cats do.)
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Lady Jane Grey was crowned Queen of England in
July 1553, but she ruled for just nine days before being deposed. I invite
you to think back to a time in your own past when victory was short-
lived. Maybe you accomplished a gratifying feat after an arduous struggle,
only to have it quickly eclipsed by a twist of fate. Perhaps you finally
made it into the limelight but then lost your audience to a distracting
brouhaha. But here's the good news: Whatever it was -- a temporary
triumph? incomplete success? nullified conquest? -- you will soon have a
chance to find redemption for it.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): While shopping at a funky yard sale, I found
the torn-off cover of a book titled *You're a Genius and I Can Prove It.*
Sadly, the rest of the book was not available. Later I searched for it in
online bookstores, and found it was out of-print. That's unfortunate,
because now would be an excellent time for you to peruse a text like this.
Why? Because you need specific, detailed evidence of how unique and
compelling you are -- concrete data that will provide an antidote to your
habitual self-doubts and consecrate your growing sense of self-worth.
Here's what I suggest you do: Write an essay entitled "I'm an Interesting
Character and Here's the Proof."
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Leonardo da Vinci wrote a bestiary, an odd
little book in which he drew moral conclusions from the behavior of
animals. One of his descriptions will be useful for you to contemplate in
the near future. It was centered on what he called the "wild ass," which
we might refer to as an undomesticated donkey. Leonardo said that this
beast, "going to the fountain to drink and finding the water muddy, is
never too thirsty to wait until it becomes clear before satisfying himself."
That's a useful fable to contemplate, Libra. Be patient as you go in search
of what's pure and clean and good for you. (The translation from the
Italian is by Oliver Evans.)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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 here.
If you ever want more, and think it's worth paying for, try my EXPANDED
AUDIO HOROSCOPES. They're four-to-five-minute meditations on the
current state of your destiny and where you're headed.
To listen to your Expanded Audio Horoscope online, go to
http://RealAstrology.com.
Register and/or log in through the main page.
You can also listen over the phone by calling 1-877-873-4888.
The cost is $6 per sign on the Web (discounts available for bulk
purchases), or $1.99 per minute by phone.
The Expanded Audio Horoscopes work on most smart phones and tablets.
+
"Your Expanded Audio Horoscopes provide me with the Rest of the Story.
I'm not necessarily a believer in the scientific accuracy of astrology, but I
do think you've got a lot of practical wisdom to impart."
- M. Tennenbaum, New York
"No one knows more about me than me. But you're right up there near
the top of the list of people who do understand something about how I
tick. How is that possible?"
- R. Goren, Albuquerque
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): My friend Allie works as a matchmaker. She
has an instinctive skill at reading the potential chemistry between people.
One of her key strategies is to urge her clients to write mission
statements. "What would your ideal marriage look like?" she asks them.
Once they have clarified what they want, the process of finding a mate
seems to become easier and more fun. In accordance with the astrological
omens, Scorpio, I suggest you try this exercise -- even if you are already
in a committed relationship. It's an excellent time to get very specific
about the inspired togetherness you're willing to work hard to create.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In ancient Greek myth, Tiresias was a
prophet who could draw useful revelations by interpreting the singing of
birds. Spirits of the dead helped him devise his prognostications, too. He
was in constant demand for revelations about the future. But his greatest
claim to fame was the fact that a goddess magically transformed him into
a woman for seven years. After that, he could speak with authority about
how both genders experienced the world. This enhanced his wisdom
immeasurably, adding to his oracular power. Are you interested in a less
drastic but highly educational lesson, Sagittarius? Would you like to see
life from a very different perspective from the one you're accustomed to?
It's available to you if you want it.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): "You remind me of the parts of myself
that I will never have a chance to meet," writes poet Mariah Gordon-Dyke,
addressing a lover. Have you ever felt like saying that to a beloved ally,
Capricorn? If so, I have good news: You now have an opportunity to meet
and greet parts of yourself that have previously been hidden from you --
aspects of your deep soul that up until now you may only have caught
glimpses of. Celebrate this homecoming!
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): I predict that you won't be bitten by a dog
or embarrassed by a stain or pounced on by a lawyer. Nor will you lose
your keys or get yelled at by a friend or oversleep for a big appointment.
On the contrary! I think you'll be wise to expect the best. The following
events are quite possible: You may be complimented by a person who's in
a position to help you. You could be invited into a place that had
previously been off-limits. While eavesdropping, you might pick up a
useful clue, and while daydreaming you could recover an important
memory you'd lost. Good luck like this is even more likely to sweep into
your life if you work on ripening the most immature part of your
personality.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Time out. It's intermission. Give yourself
permission to be spacious and slow. Then, when you're sweetly empty --
this may take a few days -- seek out experiences that appeal primarily to
your wild and tender heart as opposed to your wild and jumpy mind. Just
forget about the theories you believe in and the ideas you regard as
central to your philosophy of life. Instead, work on developing brisk new
approaches to your relationship with your feelings. Like what? Become
more conscious of them, for example. Express gratitude for what they
teach you. Boost your trust for their power to reveal what your mind
sometimes hides from you.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): "A two-year-old kid is like using a blender, but
you don't have a top for it," said comedian Jerry Seinfeld. Would you like
to avoid a scenario like that, Aries? Would you prefer not to see what
happens if your life has resemblances to turning on a topless blender
that's full of ingredients? Yes? Then please find the top and put it on!
And if you can't locate the proper top, use a dinner plate or newspaper or
pizza box. OK? It's not too late. Even if the blender is already spewing
almond milk and banana fragments and protein powder all over the ceiling.
Better late than never!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Homework: Imagine what your life would be like if you even partially licked
your worst fear. Describe this new world. FreeWillAstrology.com
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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 join, check these points to ensure 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 spam.
3. Tell your company's IT group to let my address pass through any
filtering software they have set up.
4. If my newsletters don't reach your inbox, look in your "Bulk Mail" or
"Junk Mail" folder.
5. Problems could originate with your email provider. It may be using a
"content filter" that prevents my newsletter from reaching you. If you
suspect that's true, complain. Tell your email provider to stop blocking
my newsletter.
P.S. I totally respect your privacy. I'll never sell or give away your address
to anyone.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Submissions sent to Rob Brezsny's Astrology 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 submissions for length, style, and content.
Requests for anonymity will be honored. We are not responsible for
unsolicited submission of any creative material.
Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2017 Rob Brezsny
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++