Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
November 21, 2018
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See a pretty version of this newsletter: https://bit.ly/YourLoveAndBeauty
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GRATITUDE FESTIVAL
Would you like to make yourself smarter and more beautiful? Are you
interested in increasing your capacity for ecstasy and improving your
health?
Consider the possibility of celebrating regular Gratitude Festivals. During
these orgies of appreciation, you could confer praise and respect on the
creatures, both human and otherwise, that have played seminal roles in
inspiring you to become yourself. You would devote yourself to invoking
and expressing thanks.
Who teaches and helps you? Who sees you for who you really are? Who
nudges you in the direction of your fuller destiny and awakens you to
your signature truths? Who loves you brilliantly?
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GRATITUDE FOR GRAVITY
Have you said a prayer of gratitude any time recently for the fact that
your feet remain steadily on the earth? Gravity is giving you the same gift
it always does, pulling on you with neither too much nor too little force.
You should be glad for its versatility, too. It's working for the heavenly
bodies with the same tender attentiveness it bestows upon you._
As all the other planets do, the Earth relies on gravity's genius to keep
orbiting the sun in its ancient hallowed groove, thereby providing you with
all of the favorable environmental conditions you need to live.
Magicians of the Western Hermetic tradition say that gravity is actually a
form of love -- the irresistible attraction that all things have for each
other over even the vastest distances.
Meanwhile, a trillion other facets of nature's ingenious design are
expressing themselves as a skilled artist might. At the heart of the
masterpiece are the plants. With relentless grace, they perform the
everyday miracle of photosynthesis, using sunlight as a trigger to convert
water and carbon dioxide into the fuel they need.
If you're like me, you feel regular surges of adoration for this complex
alchemy, which pours oxygen into the air for us to breathe and ultimately
provides us with all of our food.
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GRATITUDE FOR NEGATIVE THOUGHTS
Meditation teacher Jack Kornfield espouses an interesting method for
dealing with negative and unwanted thoughts. Don't let them possess
you, he says, and don't assume you have to act them out.
On the other hand, don't struggle mightily to suppress them, either.
Instead, try this: Bow to the offending idea. Acknowledge and admire its
power. Express your gratitude and respect to it for galvanizing so much
of your psychic energy.
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WANT TO GET YOUR ASTROLOGICAL CHART READ?
If you want your personal chart done, I recommend a colleague whose
approach to reading astrology charts closely matches my own. She's my
wife, RO LOUGHRAN. She's at http://www.roloughran.com.
Ro utilizes a blend of well-trained intuition, emotional warmth, and
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.
In addition to over 30 years of astrological experience, Ro has been a
licensed psychotherapist for 17 years. She integrates psychological
insight with astrology's cosmological perspective.
Ro is based in California, but can do phone consultations and otherwise
work with you regardless of geographic boundaries.
Check out Ro's website at http://www.roloughran.com
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GRATITUDE FOR YOUR INTERESTING PROBLEMS
What ignorance do you deserve to be forgiven for? How might you
express gratitude for your most interesting problem? What could you do
to love your body better?
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UNLEASH THE UNSPOKEN PRAISE AND GRATITUDE
"I've been practicing radical authenticity lately," my friend Brandon told
me. "I'm revealing the blunt truth about unmentionable subjects to
everyone I know. It's been pretty hellish -- no one likes having the social
masks stripped away—but it's been ultimately rewarding."
"I admire your boldness in naming the currents flowing beneath the
surface," I replied, "but I'm curious as to why you imply they're all
negative. To practice radical authenticity, shouldn't you also express the
raw truth about what's right, good, and beautiful? Shouldn't you unleash
the praise and gratitude that normally go unspoken?"
Brandon sneered. He thought my version of radical authenticity was
wimpy. I hope you don't. As a budding pronoiac, you have a mandate to
be honest in both ways.
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THE EMOTION CALLED "ECSTATIC GRATITUDE" is when you feel genuine
thankfulness with such resplendent intensity that you generate a surge of
endorphins in your body and slip into a full-scale outbreak of euphoria.
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GRATITUDE IS THE ESSENCE OF BEAUTIFUL ART
"The essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude." -Friedrich
Nietzsche
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THE NUANCES OF GRATITUDE
Pronoia is fueled by a drive to cultivate happiness and a determination to
practice an aggressive form of gratitude that systematically identifies the
things that are working well.
But it is not a soothing diversion meant for timid Pollyannas strung out on
optimistic delusions.
It's not a feel-good New Age fantasy used to deny the harsh facts about
existence. Those of us who perceive the world pronoiacally refuse to be
polite shills for sentimental hopefulness.
On the contrary, we build our optimism not through a repression of
difficulty, but rather a vigorous engagement with it. We understand that
the best way to attract blessings is to grapple with the knottiest enigmas.
Each fresh puzzle is a potential source of future bliss—an exciting
teaching that may usher us to our next breakthrough.
Do you want to be a pronoiac player?_Blend optimistic rebelliousness with
open-hearted exuberance. Root your insurrectionary fervor in expansive
joy instead of withering hatred. Enjoy saying "no!" but don't make it the
wellspring of your vitality. Be fueled by blood-red yeses that rip against
the grain of comfortable ugliness.
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UNEXPECTED GRATITUDE
Imagine you're with a team of explorers in Antarctica. You're climbing the
2,000-foot granite spire called Rakekniven that thrusts up out of the ice
in Queen Maud Land. The temperature is 10 degrees below zero.
There's not a plant or animal in sight. The blinding white emptiness of the
wasteland beneath you fills you with desolate reverence, alienated awe,
and soaring gratitude. You are far from everything that normally gives you
comfort.
Why do you feel so good?
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
Anne Waldman is the maverick queen of wild women poets. She has
written 40 books of poetry that synergize rowdy spirituality and activist
politics.
When she performs, she chants and sings, often accompanied by
improvisational musicians. Her new book is TRICKSTER FEMINISM, which
NPR describes as a spellbook of incantatory magic.
On Tuesday night, November 20, Waldman will perform at Hauser & Wirth
Gallery in New York City in an event curated by my daughter Zoe Brezsny.
Joining her on the bill is poet Cedar Sigo, with an opening musical set by
electronic music genius Matthew Morandi of Jahiliyya Fields.
Hauser & Wirth is at 548 West 22nd Street. The show is from 7–10 pm.
It's free. More info:
https://www.facebook.com/events/249626369041117/
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Ethiopia's Prime Minister gives half the cabinet to women to restore
peace.
https://tinyurl.com/ybffxbqd
Bai Fangli, a Chinese walking-cab driver, donated 350,000 yuan
(US$54,958) over a span of 18 years to enable more than 300 poor
students to continue with their studies. He wore second hand discarded
clothes, lived in a shabby house, ate humble food, and donated most of
his income.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bai_Fangli
Indigenous Culture Reasserts Women's Power Through Dance
Native women revitalize ceremony to resist the legacy of patriarchy that
supports a long-entrenched history of abuse.
https://tinyurl.com/y73osvs2
(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.
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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Week beginning November 22
Copyright 2018 by Rob Brezsny
http://www.freewillastrology.com/horoscopes/
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): "You have two ways to live your life,"
writes spiritual teacher Joseph Vitale, "from memory or inspiration." In
other words, you can take your cues about how to live your life from what
happened in the past, or else you can make your decisions based on what
you're excited to do and become in the future. According to my analysis,
the next ten months will be an excellent time for you to fully embrace the
latter approach. And it all starts now.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You've always got more help available than
you imagine, and that's especially true these days. Both people you know
and people you don't know may come to your assistance and offer extra
support -- especially if you meet two conditions: 1. you sincerely believe
you deserve their assistance and support; 2. you clearly ask for their
assistance and support. Now here's more good news about the help that's
available. Whether or not you believe in spiritual beings, they, too, are
primed to offer blessings and resources. If you don't believe in their
existence, I invite you to pretend you do and see what happens. If you do
believe in them, formulate clear requests for what you'd like them to offer
you.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In one of his poems, Arthur Rimbaud
extolled the exquisite evenings when the mist soaked his face as he
strolled, and he sipped that heavenly dew till he was drunk. Was he
speaking literally or metaphorically? Probably both, if I know Rimbaud.
Anyway, Aquarius, I'd love for you to engage in similar exploits. What are
some natural adventures that might intoxicate you? What simple
pleasures may alter your consciousness, nudging you free of its habits?
Meditate with sweet abandon on how to free yourself through the power
of play and the imagination.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): It's illegal to hunt animals in Kenya. But
members of the Dorobo tribe circumvent the law to provide food for their
families. As three or more Dorobo men wander out on the savanna, they
wait for hungry lions to kill a wildebeest or other creature. Then they
stride toward the feasting beasts in a calm show of force until the
predators run away in confusion. The brave scavengers swoop in and
swiftly remove a portion of the wildebeest, then coolly walk away, leaving
plenty for the lions when they return to their meal. I bring this scene to
your attention, Pisces, because I suspect that in the coming weeks you
will have similar levels of courage and poise as you go after what you
want.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): In his autobiography *On the Move*,
neurologist Oliver Sacks praised his friend Jerry's curiosity and knowledge.
"Jerry has one of the most spacious, thoughtful minds I have ever
encountered, with a vast base of knowledge of every sort," wrote Sacks,
"but it is a base under continual questioning and scrutiny." So willing was
Jerry to question and re-evaluate his own assumptions that Sacks said he
had "seen his friend suddenly stop in mid-sentence and say, 'I no longer
believe what I was about to say.'" That's the gold standard to which I
hope you will aspire in the coming weeks, Aries. As bright and articulate
as you'll be, you will have an even higher calling to expand your mind
through continual questioning.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In recent years, a few pioneers have gotten
microchips implanted under their skin. These technological marvels enable
them to open doors and turn on lights with merely a wave of their hands,
or receive up-to-the-minute readings on what's transpiring inside their
bodies. Now an additional frontier has arisen: people using do-it-yourself
kits to experiment on their own DNA. For example, some have tweaked
their genes so their bodies create more muscle than is natural. I would
love for you to change yourself around in the coming weeks, Taurus, but
not in these particular ways. I'd rather see you do subtle psychological
and spiritual work. The astrological omens suggest it's a favorable time
for focused self-transformation.
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OUR COLLABORATION
I really do feel that you're here with me as I create these horoscopes. In a
sense, you're my assistant. Our telepathic connection is utterly palpable
and practical. The hopes and questions you project my way stream into
my higher mind, coloring my psychic environment and enriching my desire
to give you exactly what you need.
If you ever want more inspiration generated in that same collaborative
spirit -- beyond the horoscopes you're reading here -- keep in mind that
every week I also offer EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES for you. They're
four-to-five-minute meditations on the current state of your destiny.
These forecasts are different in tone and format from the written
horoscopes you read here in the newsletter.
To listen to your Expanded Audio Horoscope online, go to
https://freewillastrology.sparkns.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.
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GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Are you smart enough to take advantage of
the fact that your best relationships would benefit from bursts of
innovative energy in the coming weeks? Are you brave enough to banish
the ghost that still haunts your romantic life? Do you have the moxie to
explore frontiers with collaborators who play fair and know how to have
fun? Will you summon the curiosity and initiative to learn new strategies
about how to enhance your approach to intimacy? I'll answer those
questions in your behalf: yes, yes, yes, and yes.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Would you agree with me that there are both
boring, tiresome problems and fun, interesting problems? If so, read on.
According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you're at a fork in
your path where you could either get further involved with a boring,
tiresome problem or else a fun, interesting one. (I think you'll have to
engage with one or the other.) Of course, I'm rooting for you to
proactively wrangle with the fun, interesting one. Here's timely inspiration
from Cancerian author John W. Gardner: "We are continually faced with a
series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems."
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The Jharia Coalfield in eastern India is a 110-
square-mile reserve of underground coal. In some places, it's on fire, and
has been burning for over a hundred years. This isn't a good thing. It's
wasteful and causes pollution. But now I'll ask you to put aside that
scenario, and imagine a more benevolent kind of steadily burning fire: a
splendor in your soul that never stops radiating warmth and light; that
draws from an inexhaustible source of fuel; that is a constant source of
strength and courage and power. I'm happy to tell you that the coming
months will be a favorable time to establish and nurture this eternal
flame.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Marilyn Monroe, Georgia O'Keeffe, and
President Franklin Roosevelt were direct descendants of the pilgrims who
sailed from England to the New World on the famous Mayflower ship in
1620. I, on the other hand, am a direct descendant of a nineteenth-
century Slovakian coal miner who toiled in the underground darkness.
What about you, Virgo? Now would be a rich and provocative time to
reconnect with your roots; to remember where your people originated; to
explore the heritage that served as the matrix from which you sprouted.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): According to researchers who study animal
behavior at two Italian universities, chickens can do arithmetic. The birds
don't even need to be trained; the skill seems to be innate. (Read details
here: tinyurl.com/ChickensDoMath.) I'm wondering whether chickens born
under the sign of Libra might even be able to do algebra in the coming
weeks. According to my assessment of the astrological omens, the
mental acuity of many Libran creatures will be at a peak. How will you use
your enhanced intelligence?
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In March 2005, far more people than usual
won big money in a regional Powerball lottery in the U.S. The average for
each draw is four winners, but on this special occasion, 110 players were
awarded at least $100,000 and as much as $500,000. The reason for the
anomaly seemed to have been an oracle that appeared in a number of
widely distributed fortune cookies. It provided five of the six winning
numbers. Inspired by this crazy stroke of good fortune, and in accordance
with the favorable financial omens now coming to bear on you, I hereby
offer you six numbers to use as your lucky charms. Will they help you win
a game of chance? I can't be sure. At the very least, they will titillate and
massage the part of your psyche that is magnetic to wealth. Here they
are: 37. 16. 58. 62. 82. 91.
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Homework: How could you change yourself in order to get more of the
love you want? Go to FreeWillAstrology.com; click on "Email Rob."
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Submissions sent to Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
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Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2018 Rob Brezsny
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