Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
May 6, 2020
+
See a pretty version of this newsletter: https://bit.ly/YourRealFreedom
+
We've all seen many pictures of the coronavirus. Now here's a picture of
healthy white blood cells: https://tinyurl.com/WhiteBloodCellsHealthy
Let's focus on giving love and strength and cheer to our immune systems
so that they work in just the right way to ensure we don't get the virus, or
if we do, that we purge it gracefully from our beautiful bodies and remain
healthy.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
YOUR CONTENTMENT
If you can sit quietly after difficult news; if in financial downturns you
remain perfectly calm; if you can see others succeed without a twinge of
jealousy; if you can happily eat whatever is put on your plate; if you can
fall asleep after an intense day without a drink or a pill; if you can always
find contentment just where you are: You are probably a dog.
—Jack Kornfield
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
YOU ARE WORTH MORE
You are worth so much more than your productivity.
—Nicole Em
See the meme: https://tinyurl.com/YouAreWorthMore
Also see: https://tinyurl.com/y7ffre87
and https://www.facebook.com/radicalemprints?fref=nf
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
THE CORONAVIRUS PRAYER
by James Parker
Dear Lord,
In this our hour of doorknobs and droplets,
when masks have canceled our personalities;
in this our hour of prickling perimeters, sinister surfaces,
defeated bodies, and victorious abstractions,
when some of us are stepping into rooms humid with contagion,
and some of us are standing in the pasta aisle;
in this our hour of vacant parks and boarded-up hoops,
when we miss the sky-high roar of the city
and hear instead the tarp that flaps on the unfinished roof,
the squirrel giving his hingelike cry, and the siren constantly passing,
to You we send up our prayer, as follows:
Let not heebie-jeebies become our religion,
our new ideology, with its own jargon.
Fortify us, Lord. Show us how.
What would your saints be doing now?
Saint Francis, he was a fan of the human.
He’d be rolling naked on Boston Common.
He’d be sharing a bottle. No mask, no gloves,
shielded only by burning love.
But I don’t think we’re in the mood
for feats of antic beatitude.
In New York City, and in Madrid,
the saints maintain the rumbling grid.
Bless the mailman, and equally bless
the bus driver, vector of steadfastness.
Protect the bravest, the best we’ve got.
Protect the rest of us, why not.
And if the virus that took John Prine
comes, as it may, for me and mine,
although we’ve mostly stayed indoors,
well—then, as ever, we’re all Yours.
Until further notice,
AMEN
—by James Parker
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
GLOBAL SOLIDARITY IN BEHALF OF LOVE
When you go out and see the empty streets, the empty stadiums, the empty
train platforms, don't say to yourself, "It looks like the end of the world."
What you're seeing is love in action. What you're seeing, in that negative
space, is how much we do care for each other, for our grandparents, for
our immuno-compromised brothers and sisters, for people we will never
meet.
People will lose jobs over this. Some will lose their businesses. And some
will lose their lives.
All the more reason to take a moment, when you're out on your walk, or on
your way to the store, or just watching the news, to look into the
emptiness and marvel at all of that love.
Let it fill you and sustain you. It isn't the end of the world. It is the most
remarkable act of global solidarity we may ever witness.
—These words are from a video that was made by the Upper Springfield
Covid-19 Community Response Team in Belfast, Northern Ireland:
https://tinyurl.com/LoveResponse
Here's the video: https://tinyurl.com/y7rls7el
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
I DON'T KNOW ENOUGH
Let's normalize saying, "I don't know enough to have an opinion."
— Cecil Yongo
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
THE HEART'S NEW CAPITAL
Strong, compassionate souls reach
the plateau of the heart’s new capital.
Tears enhance their eyesight through the dark.
They're not afraid to suffer. They learn to give back
heaviness to the churning weight of the Earth,
its mountains and seas
—adaptation of a poem by Rainer Maria Rilke
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
THE IMPORTANT THING
The important thing is to tell yourself a life story in which you, the hero,
are primarily a problem solver rather than a helpless victim. This is
well within your power, whatever fate might have dealt you.
—Martha Beck
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
WHAT IS SUCCESS?
The criteria for success: you are free, you live in the present moment,
you are useful to the people around you, and you feel love for all
humanity.
- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Last week I celebrated the anniversary of the luckiest and most
monumental turning point in my life. 32 years ago today, I first met the
love of my life.
She has been crucial in my quest to become my True Self !
More: https://tinyurl.com/LoveAndLifeStory
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
Readers Have Reported So Many Good Deeds, We Can Barely Keep Up;
Here’s 10 to Get You Through the Day
https://tinyurl.com/y8qmqvuh
New Positive Podcast – Inspiring Daily COVID Updates
https://tinyurl.com/yben72pe
Americans in Stable Financial Positions Answer the Call to Donate Their
$1,200 Stimulus Checks
https://tinyurl.com/y8wtvaxz
Scuba Diving Group Swamped With Orders for Its Face Masks Made From
Recycled Ocean Plastic
https://tinyurl.com/ya2g4u8q
Comedian Jay Leno is Producing Face Shields 24/7 in His Garage to Give to
Health Care Workers
https://tinyurl.com/ybmlvhz5
One Million People Find Laughter During Isolation By Posting Pictures of
Costume-Themed Garbage Bin Outings
https://tinyurl.com/y9qx4rs2
Beaches See Huge Increase in Leatherback Sea Turtle Nests After Travel
Restrictions in Florida and Thailand
https://tinyurl.com/yc4plrgk
Video Gamers Join the Race to Produce COVID-19 Drugs With Innovative
Citizen-Science Project
https://tinyurl.com/yb8mf79l
(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.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
MY GIFT PAGE
If you enjoy reading my free horoscopes and free newsletter, I invite you
to make a contribution to support my work.
Visit my Gift Page — https://paypal.me/GiftsForRob — and contribute via
the "Friends and Family" option.
No pressure, though! Whether or not you donate, I will continue to give
away free stuff. And I understand that some of you don't have enough money
yourself, and it wouldn't make sense for you to give some to me.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Week beginning May 7
Copyright 2020 by Rob Brezsny
https://FreeWillAstrology.com
Grammar key: Asterisks equal *italics*
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): "The future belongs to those who see
possibilities before they become obvious," says businessperson and
entrepreneur John Sculley. You Tauruses aren't renowned for such
foresight. It's more likely to belong to Aries and Sagittarius people. Your
tribe is more likely to specialize in doing the good work that turns others'
bright visions into practical realities. But this Year of the Coronavirus
could be an exception to the general rule. In the past three months as well
as in the next six months, many of you Bulls have been and will continue
to be catching glimpses of interesting possibilities before they become
obvious. Give yourself credit for this knack. Be alert for what it reveals.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): For 148 uninterrupted years, American
militias and the American army waged a series of wars against the native
peoples who lived on the continent before Europeans came. There were
more than 70 conflicts that lasted from 1776 until 1924. If there is any
long-term struggle or strife that even mildly resembles that situation in
your own personal life, our Global Healing Crisis is a favorable time to
call a truce and cultivate peace. Start now! It's a ripe and propitious time
to end hostilities that have gone on too long.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Novelist Marcel Proust was a sensitive,
dreamy, emotional, self-protective, creative Cancerian. That may explain
why he wasn't a good soldier. During his service in the French army, he
was ranked 73rd in a squad of 74. On the other hand, his majestically
intricate seven-volume novel *In Search of Lost Time* is a
masterpiece—one of the 20th century's most influential literary works.
In evaluating his success as a human being, should we emphasize his poor
military performance and downplay his literary output? Of course not!
Likewise, Cancerian, in the coming weeks I'd like to see you devote
vigorous energy to appreciating what you do best and no energy at all to
worrying about your inadequacies.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): "Fortune resists half-hearted prayers," wrote
the poet Ovid more than 2,000 years ago. I will add that Fortune also
resists poorly formulated intentions, feeble vows, and sketchy
plans—especially now, during an historical turning point when the world
is undergoing massive transformations. Luckily, I don't see those lapses
being problems for you in the coming weeks, Leo. According to my
analysis, you're primed to be clear and precise. Your willpower should be
working with lucid grace. You'll have an enhanced ability to assess your
assets and make smart plans for how to use them.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Last year the Baltimore Museum of Art
announced it would acquire works exclusively from women artists in
2020. A male art critic complained, "That's unfair to male artists."
Here's my reply: Among major permanent art collections in the U.S. and
Europe, the work of women makes up five percent of the total. So what the
Baltimore Museum did is a righteous attempt to rectify the existing
excess. It's a just and fair way to address an unhealthy imbalance. In
accordance with current omens and necessities, Virgo, I encourage you to
perform a comparable correction in your personal sphere.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In the course of my life, I've met many sharp
thinkers with advanced degrees from fine universities—who are
nonetheless stunted in their emotional intelligence. They may quote
Shakespeare and discourse on quantum physics and explain the difference
between the philosophies of Kant and Hegel, and yet have less skill in
understanding the inner workings of human beings or in creating vibrant
intimate relationships. Yet most of these folks are not extreme outliers.
I've found that virtually all of us are smarter in our heads than we are in
our hearts. The good news, Libra, is that our current Global Healing
Crisis is an excellent time for you to play catch up. Do what poet Lawrence
Ferlinghetti suggests: "Make your mind learn its way around the heart."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
WOULD YOU LIKE FURTHER INSPIRATION?
My Expanded Audio Horoscopes offer suggestions about how you might
make best use of your time as you navigate your way through our Shared
Healing Crisis.
To buy and listen to your Expanded Audio Horoscope online, go to
https://RealAstrology.com
Register and/or log in through the main page.
+
The cost is $6 per sign. (Discounts are available for bulk purchases.)
You can also access the horoscopes for $1.99 per minute by phone at 1-
877-873-4888.
+
"Nothing's easy for me right now. Everything's hard. But your audio
horoscopes help me feel grounded in the midst of the struggle. They keep
me anchored to my own deepest reserves."
—Lara Y.
"Thanks for your contributions to my sanity, Rob. Your audio horoscopes
help me remember my strength!"
—Adele J.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Aphorist Aaron Haspel writes, "The less you
are contradicted, the stupider you become. The more powerful you
become, the less you are contradicted." Let's discuss how this counsel
might be useful to you in the coming weeks. First of all, I suspect you will
be countered and challenged more than usual, which will offer you rich
opportunities to become smarter. Secondly, I believe you will become
more powerful as long as you don't try to stop or discourage the influences
that contradict you. In other words, you'll grow your personal authority
and influence to the degree that you welcome opinions and perspectives
that are not identical to yours.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): "It's always too early to quit," wrote
author Norman Vincent Peale. We should put his words into perspective,
though. He preached "the power of positive thinking." He was relentless in
his insistence that we can and should transcend discouragement and
disappointment. So we should consider the possibility that he was overly
enthusiastic in his implication that we should NEVER give up. What do you
think, Sagittarius? I'm guessing this will be an important question for
you to consider in the coming weeks. It may be time to re-evaluate your
previous thoughts on the matter and come up with a fresh perspective. For
example, maybe it's right to give up on one project if it enables you to
persevere in another.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The 16-century mystic nun Saint Teresa
of Avila was renowned for being overcome with rapture during her
spiritual devotions. At times she experienced such profound bliss through
her union with God that she levitated off the ground. "Any real ecstasy is a
sign you are moving in the right direction," she wrote. I hope that you
will be periodically moving in that direction yourself during the coming
weeks, Capricorn. Although it may seem odd advice to receive during our
Global Healing Crisis, I really believe you should make appointments with
euphoria, delight, and enchantment.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Grammy-winning musician and composer
Pharrell Williams has expertise in the creative process. "If someone asks
me what inspires me," he testifies, "I always say, 'That which is
missing.'" According to my understanding of the astrological omens, you
would benefit from making that your motto in the coming weeks. Our
Global Healing Crisis is a favorable time to discover what's absent or
empty or blank about your life, and then learn all you can from exploring
it. I think you'll be glad to be shown what you didn't consciously realize
was lost, omitted, or lacking.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): "I am doing my best to not become a
museum of myself," declares poet Natalie Diaz. I think she means that she
wants to avoid defining herself entirely by her past. She is exploring
tricks that will help her keep from relying so much on her old
accomplishments that she neglects to keep growing. Her goal is to be free
of her history, not to be weighed down and limited by it. These would be
worthy goals for you to work on in the coming weeks, Pisces. What would
your first step be?
ARIES (March 21-April 19): According to Aries author and mythologist
Joseph Campbell, "The quest for fire occurred not because anyone knew
what the practical uses for fire would be, but because it was fascinating."
He was referring to our early human ancestors, and how they stumbled
upon a valuable addition to their culture because they were curious about
a powerful phenomenon, not because they knew it would ultimately be so
valuable. I invite you to be guided by a similar principle in the coming
weeks, Aries. Unforeseen benefits may emerge during your investigation
into flows and bursts that captivate your imagination.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Experiment: To begin the next momentous healing, tell the simple, brave,
and humble truth about yourself. Testify at 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:
https://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
2020 Rob Brezsny
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++