Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
February 12, 2020
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See a pretty version of this newsletter:
https://bit.ly/YourBeautifulResponse
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ELATIONSHIP LOVE SPELLS FOR BEAUTY AND TRUTH LAB ALLIES
The Beauty and Truth Lab's rapturists have formulated a batch of personal
ads for you to borrow. If you're a Crafty Optimist or Mystical Activist or
Ceremonial Teaser who aspires to put the elation back in relationship,
check them out here:
https://bit.ly/LoveAd
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THE ECSTATIC ROOTS OF PRONOIA
"The Ecstatic Roots of Pronoia," a piece from my book, has graphic
references to love, tenderness, bliss, and rapture. Don't read it if you're
offended by such references. Here's a link:
https://tinyurl.com/EcstaticRoots
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CLUES TO YOUR LOVED ONES' MYSTERIES
"Everyone carries with them at least one piece to someone else's puzzle."
So wrote Lawrence Kushner in his book, *Honey from the Rock.*
In other words, you have in your possession certain clues to your loved
ones' destinies -- secrets they haven't discovered themselves.
Wouldn't you love to hand over those clues -- to make a gift of the puzzle
pieces that are most needed by the people you care about?
Search your depths for insights you've never communicated. Tell truths
you haven't found a way to express before now. More than you know, you
have the power to mobilize your companions' dreams.
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YOU CAN'T OWN LOVE
You understand that you can never own love, right? No matter how much
someone adores you today, no matter how much you adore someone, you
can't force that unique state of grace to keep its shape forever. It will
inevitably evolve or mutate, perhaps into a different version of tender
caring, but maybe not.
From there it will continue to change, into either yet another version of
interesting affection, or who knows what else?
Are you making any progress in getting the hang of this tricky wisdom?
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ACT LIKE YOU'RE IN LOVE
I invite you to act like a person who's in love. Even if you're not currently
in the throes of passion for a special someone, pretend you are.
Everywhere you go, exude that charismatic blend of shell-shocked
contentment and blissful turmoil that comes over you when you're
infatuated. Let everyone you meet soak up the delicious wisdom you exude.
Dispense free blessings and extra slack like a rich saint high on natural
endorphins.
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THE ANGEL OF YOUR RELATIONSHIP
Imagine that the merger of you and your best ally has created a third thing
that hovers near you, protecting and guiding the two of you. Call this third
thing an angel. Or call it the soul of your connection or the inspirational
force of your relationship. Or call it the special work the two of you can
accomplish together. And let this magical presence be the third point of
your love triangle.
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LOVE NEEDS IMAGINATION
"For a relationship to stay alive, love alone is not enough. Without
imagination, love stales into sentiment, duty, boredom. Relationships fail
not because we have stopped loving but because we first stopped
imagining."
- James Hillman
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SKILLFUL AUDACITY
Gertrude Stein defined love as "the skillful audacity required to share an
inner life." It suggests that expressing the truth about who you are is not
something that amateurs do very well. Practice and ingenuity are
required.
It also implies that courage is an essential element of successful intimacy.
You've got to be adventurous if you want to weave your life together with
another's.
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"I love you not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with
you. I love you not only for what you have made of yourself, but for what
you are making of me. I love you for the part of me that you bring out."
—Elizabeth Barrett Browning
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"Love imperfectly. Be a love idiot. Let yourself forget any love ideal."
—Sark
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"You are my inspiration and my folly. You are my light across the sea, my
million nameless joys, and my day’s wage. You are my divinity, my
madness, my selfishness, my transfiguration and purification. You are my
rapscallionly fellow vagabond, my tempter and star. I want you."
—George Bernard Shaw
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"I love you between shadow and soul. I love you as the plant that hasn’t
bloomed yet, and carries hidden within itself the light of flowers. I love
you without knowing how, or when, or from where. Because of you, the
dense fragrance that rises from the earth lives in my body, rioting with
hunger for the eternity of our victorious kisses."
—Pablo Neruda
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"Be my ruckus, my perfect non-sequitur. Be my circuit-breaker, my
lengthening shadows at dusk, my nest of pine needles, my second-story
window. Be my if-you-stare-long-enough-you’ll-see. Be my subatomic
particle. Be my backbeat, my key of C minor, my surly apostle, my
scandalous reparté, my maximum payload. Be my simmering, seething,
flickering, radiating, shimmering, and undulating."
—Andrew Varnon
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"Love is the only game where two can play and both win."
—Erma Freesman.
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When I think of you,
fireflies in the marsh rise
like the soul's jewels,
lost to eternal longing,
abandoning my body
—Izumi Shikibu
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"Love is a great beautifier."
—Louisa May Alcott
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Fall in love over and over again every day. Love your family, your
neighbors, your enemies, and yourself. And don't stop with humans. Love
animals, plants, stones, even galaxies.
—Mary Ann and Frederic Brussat
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"The air I breathe in a room empty of you is unhealthy. The merest
whisper of your name awakes in me a shuddering sixth sense. I am longing
for a kiss that makes time stand still."
—a blend of words from Edgar Allan Poe, Pamela Moore, and John Keats
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"We are pain and what cures pain, both. We are the sweet cold water and
the jar that pours. I want to hold you close like a lute, so that we can cry
out with loving. Would you rather throw stones at a mirror? I am your
mirror and here are the stones."
—Rumi
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"I love you more than it’s possible to love anyone. I love you more than
love itself. I love you more than you love yourself. I love you more than
God loves you. I love you more than anyone has ever loved anyone in the
history of the universe. In fact, I love you *more* than I love you."
—Me
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"For a relationship to stay alive, love alone is not enough. Without
imagination, love stales into sentiment, duty, boredom. Relationships fail
not because we have stopped loving but because we first stopped
imagining."
—James Hillman
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"Our love is like a well in the wilderness where time watches over the
wandering lightning. Our sleep is a secret tunnel that leads to the scent of
apples carried on the wind. When I hold you, I hold everything that
is–swans, volcanoes, river rocks, maple trees drinking the fragrance of
the moon, bread that the fire adores. In your life I see everything that
lives."
—Pablo Neruda
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"Your body needs to be held and to hold, to be touched and to touch. None of
these needs is to be despised, denied, or repressed. But you have to keep
searching for your body’s deeper need, the need for genuine love. Every
time you are able to go beyond the body’s superficial desires for love, you
are bringing your body home and moving toward integration and unity."
—Henri Nouwen
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"Let’s heat up the night to a boil. Let’s cook every drop of liquid out of our
flesh till we sizzle, not a drop of come left. We are pots on too high a
flame. Our insides char and flake dark like sinister snow idling down. We
breathe out smoke. We die out and sleep covers us in ashes. We lie without
dreaming, empty as clean grates. Yet we wake rebuilt, clattering and
hungry as waterfalls leaping off, rushing into the day, roaring our bright
intentions. It is the old riddle in the Yiddish song, what can burn and not
burn up, a passion that gives birth to itself every day."
—Marge Piercy
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SOLO INTIMACY
Whenever I write about romance and togetherness, I attract a storm of
complaints from readers who are solitary. "How dare you imply that
everyone has or should have a partner!?" is a typical protest. "I'm quite
content being alone!" is another.
Let it be known that I do not believe your happiness depends on having a
spouse or lover. What I do suspect, though, is that your soul needs some
sacred relationship in order to thrive, whether it's with a good friend, a
beloved animal, a beautiful patch of earth, the Divine Wow, or anything
that's not you.
Whenever I invite you to seek deeper, wilder communion, feel free to
interpret it as a call to explore any kind of intimacy that draws you closer
to the secret heart of the world.
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
In 2019, more Americans went to the library than to the movies. Yes,
really.
https://tinyurl.com/wegma2e
Portugal reaches 100% renewables, ends fossil fuel subsidies
https://tinyurl.com/tdvucvs
Researchers Use ‘Flash’ to Turn Plastic Trash and Food Waste into
Valuable Material
https://tinyurl.com/rnsnhh7
(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 February 13
Copyright 2020 by Rob Brezsny
https://FreeWillAstrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Aquarian author Derek Walcott had a
perspective on love that I suspect might come in handy for you during this
Valentine season. "Break a vase," he wrote, "and the love that reassembles
the fragments is stronger than that love which took its symmetry for
granted when it was whole." I urge you to meditate on how you could apply
his counsel to your own love story, Aquarius. How might you remake your
closest alliances into even better and brighter versions of themselves?
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Piscean poet Saul Williams wrote a
meditation I hope you'll consider experimenting with this Valentine
season. It involves transforming mere kisses into SUBLIME KISSES. If you
choose to be inspired by his thoughts, you'll explore new sensations and
meanings available through the act of joining your mouth to another's.
Ready? Here's Saul: "Have you ever lost yourself in a kiss? I mean pure
psychedelic inebriation. Not just lustful petting but transcendental
metamorphosis, when you became aware that the greatness of this other
being is breathing into you. Licking your mouth, like sealing a thousand
fleshy envelopes filled with the essence of your passionate being, and then
opened by the same mouth and delivered back to you, over and over
again—the first kiss of the rest of your life."
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Now that she's in her late forties, Aries
comedian and actress Tig Notaro is wiser about love. Her increased
capacity for romantic happiness has developed in part because she's been
willing to change her attitudes. She says, "Instead of being someone who
expects people to have all the strengths I think I need them to have, I
resolved to try to become someone who focuses on the strengths they do
have." In accordance with this Valentine's season's astrological omens,
Aries, I invite you to meditate on how you might cultivate more of that
aptitude yourself.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Taurus artist Joan Miró loved to daub
colored paint on canvases. He said he approached his work in the same way
he made love: "a total embrace, without caution, prudence thrown to the
winds, nothing held back." In accordance with astrological omens, I invite
you to invoke a similar attitude with all the important things you do in the
coming weeks. Summon the ardor and artistry of a creative lover for all-
purpose use. Happy Valentine Daze, Taurus!
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In 1910, Gemini businessman Irving Seery
was 20 years old. One evening he traveled to the Metropolitan Opera in
New York City to see an opera starring the gorgeous and electrifying
soprano singer Maria Jeritza. He fell in love instantly. For the next
thirty-eight years he remained a bachelor as he nursed his desire to
marry her. His devotion finally paid off. Jeritza married Seery in 1948.
Dear Gemini, in 2020, I think you will be capable of a heroic feat of love
that resembles Seery's. Which of your yearnings might evoke such
intensely passionate dedication? Happy Valentine Daze!
CANCER (June 21-July 22): I've been married twice, both times to the
same woman. Our first time around, we were less than perfectly wise in
the arts of relationship. After our divorce and during the few years we
weren't together, we each ripened into more graceful versions of
ourselves; we developed greater intimacy skills. Our second marriage has
been far more successful. Is there a comparable possibility in your life,
Cancerian? A chance to enhance your ability to build satisfying
togetherness? An opening to learn practical lessons from past romantic
mistakes? Now is a favorable time to capitalize. Happy Valentine Daze!
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ARE YOU THE HERO OF YOUR OWN LIFE?
"Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that
station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show." So begins
Charles Dickens' novel *David Copperfield.*
I'd like to inspire you to write a story of your own that begins like that.
That's why I provide these free horoscopes for you.
If you'd ever like even more assistance from me, tune into your
EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPE, which I create for you each week. They're
four-to-five-minute meditations on the current state of your destiny.
To buy and 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, with discounts for bulk purchases.
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"Your expanded horoscopes get more personal and intimate with me than
some of my closest friends. Thanks for the loving reflections."
- Ari S., Ann Arbor, MI
"When I listen to your audio 'scopes, my free will lights up."
- Alex D., Los Angeles
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LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In 1911, the famous Russian poet Anna
Akhmatova and the famous Italian painter Amedeo Modigliani were in love
with each other. Both were quite poor, though. They didn't have much to
spend on luxuries. In her memoir, Akhmatova recalled the time they went
on a date in the rain at the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris. Barely protected
under a rickety umbrella, they amused each other by reciting the verse of
Paul Verlaine, a poet they both loved. Isn't that romantic? In the coming
weeks, I recommend you experiment with comparable approaches to
cultivating love. Get back to raw basics. Happy Valentine Daze!
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): [Warning: Poetry alert! If you prefer your
horoscopes to be exclusively composed of practical, hyper-rational
advice, stop reading now!] Happy Valentine Daze, Virgo! I hope there's
someone in your life to whom you can give a note like the one I'll offer at
the end of this oracle. If there's not, I trust you will locate that person in
the next six months. Feel free to alter the note as you see fit. Here it is.
"When you and I are together, it's as if we have been reborn into luckier
lives; as if we can breathe deeper breaths that fill our bodies with richer
sunlight; as if we see all of the world's beauty that alone we were blind to;
as if the secrets of our souls' codes are no longer secret."
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In the course of your life, how many people
and animals have truly loved you? Three? Seven? More? I invite you to
try this Valentine experiment: Write down their names on a piece of
paper. Spend a few minutes visualizing the specific qualities in you that
they cherished, and how they expressed their love, and how you felt as you
received their caring attention. Then send out a beam of gratitude to each
of them. Honor them with sublime appreciation for having treasured your
unique beauty. Amazingly enough, Libra, doing this exercise will
magnetize you to further outpourings of love in the coming weeks.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): [Warning: Poetry alert! If you prefer your
horoscopes to be exclusively composed of practical, hyper-rational
advice, stop reading now!] Happy Valentine Daze, Scorpio! I invite you to
copy the following passage and offer it to a person who is receptive to
deepening their connection with you. "Your healing eyes bless the winter
jasmine flowers that the breeze blew into the misty creek. Your
welcoming prayers celebrate the rhythmic light of the mud-loving
cypress trees. Your fresh dreams replenish the eternal salt that
nourishes our beloved song of songs. With your melodic breath, you pour
all these not-yet-remembered joys into my body." (This lyrical message
is a blend of my words with those of Scorpio poet Odysseus Elytis.)
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): The poet Virgil, a renowned author in
ancient Rome, wrote three epic poems that are still in print today. His
second was a masterpiece called the *Georgics*. It took him seven years to
write, even though it was only 2,740 lines long. So on average he wrote a
little over one line per day. I hope you'll use him as inspiration as you toil
over your own labors of love in the coming weeks and months. There'll be
no need to rush. In fact, the final outcomes will be better if you do them
slowly. Be especially diligent and deliberate in all matters involving
intimacy and collaboration and togetherness.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): [Warning: Poetry alert! If you prefer
your horoscopes to be exclusively composed of practical, hyper-rational
advice, stop reading now!] Happy Valentine Daze, Capricorn! I invite you
to copy the following passage and offer it to a person who is ready to
explore a more deeply lyrical connection with you. "I yearn to earn the
right to your whispered laugh, your confident caress, your inscrutable
dance. Amused and curious, I wander where moon meets dawn, inhaling the
sweet mist in quest of your questions. I study the joy that my imagination
of you has awakened. All the maps are useless, and I like them that way.
I'm guided by my nervous excitement to know you deeper. Onward toward
the ever-fresh truth of your mysterious rhythms!"
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Homework: Want to get married to yourself?! The ritual's here:
https://tinyurl.com/YouCanMarryYourself
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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
2020 Rob Brezsny
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