Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
September 15, 2010
FreeWillAstrology.com
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UNHAPPY HOUR
There's a new release from the soundtrack for my book.It's
called "Unhappy Hour." You can listen to it and read
it here: bit.ly/UnhappyHour
Here's how it begins:
You're invited to celebrate Unhappy Hour. It's a ceremony that
gives you a poetic license to rant and whine and howl and sob
about everything that hurts you and makes you feel bad.
During this perverse grace period, there's no need for you to
be inhibited as you unleash your tortured squalls. You don't have
to tone down the extremity of your desolate clamors. Unhappy Hour
is a ritually consecrated excursion devoted to the full disclosure
of your primal clash and jangle.
Here's the catch: It's brief. It's concise. It's crisp. You dive
into your darkness for no more than 60 minutes, then climb back
out, free and clear. It's called Unhappy Hour, not Unhappy Day
or Unhappy Week or Unhappy Year.
Do you have the cheeky temerity to drench yourself in your paroxysmal
alienation from life? Unhappy Hour invites you to plunge in and
surrender. It dares you to scurry and squirm all the way down
to the bottom of your pain, break through the bottom of your pain,
and fall down flailing in the soggy, searing abyss, yelping and
cringing and wallowing.
That's where you let your pain tell you every story it has to
tell you. You let your pain teach you every lesson it has to teach
you.
But then it's over. The ritual ordeal is complete. And your pain
has to take a vacation until the next Unhappy Hour, which isn't
until next week sometime, or maybe next month.
You see the way the game works? Between this Unhappy Hour and
the next one, your pain has to shut up. It's not allowed to creep
and seep all over everything, staining the flow of your daily
life. It doesn't have free reign to infect you whenever it's itching
for more power.
Your pain gets its succinct blast of glory, its resplendent climax,
but leaves you alone the rest of the time.
If performed regularly, Unhappy Hour serves as an exorcism that
empties you of psychic toxins, while at the same time -- miracle
of miracles -- it helps you squeeze every last drop of blessed
catharsis out of those psychic toxins.
Pronoia will then be able to flourish as you luxuriate more frequently
in rosy moods and broad-minded visions. You'll develop a knack
for cultivating smart joy and cagey optimism as your normal states
of mind.
Now let's get you warmed up for Unhappy Hour . . . .
TO READ (and hear) THE REST OF THIS PIECE, GO HERE: bit.ly/UnhappyHour
Or buy the book! It's called PRONOIA IS THE ANTIDOTE FOR
PARANOIA and is available here: bit.ly/Pronoia
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
CYNICISM IS SUBSERVIENCE
"Optimism is a political act. Those who benefit from the
status quo are perfectly happy for us to think nothing is going
to get any better. In fact, these days cynicism is obedience."
- Alex Steffen
worldchanging.com
INSURRECTIONARY BLESSINGS!
The Kindness Revolution
carryoutkindness.com
REBEL GROWERS
Turning an abandoned industrial building into an urban farm.
sweetwater-organic.com/blog/
(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 September 16
Copyright 2010 by Rob Brezsny
FreeWillAstrology.com
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
"Nothing is more conducive to peace of mind than not having
any opinions at all." German aphorist Georg Christoph Lichtenberg
said that, and now I'm offering it for you to use. Are you game?
Try this experiment: For seven days, divest yourself of your opinions.
And I mean all of them: opinions about politicians, celebrities,
immigration reform, rockabilly music, your friends' choices in
mates -- everything. For this grace period, be utterly non-judgmental
and open-minded and tolerant. Allow everything to be exactly what
it is without any need to wish it were otherwise. By experiment's
end, you'll probably feel more relaxed than you have in a long
time.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
The Latin motto "Dulcius ex aspiris" means "Sweetness
out of difficulty." It has a different meaning from "relief
after difficulty" or "character-building from difficulty."
It suggests a scenario in which a challenging experience leads
not just to a successful outcome, but also to a delicious, soothing
harmony that would not have been possible without the difficulty.
This is what I foresee coming for you, Libra.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
Give the best gifts you can possibly give, Scorpio. Don't hoard
any of the intense blessings you have at your disposal. It's time
to unveil the fullness of your idiosyncratic generosity . . .
to bestow upon the world the naked glory of your complex mojo.
Some people will be better able than others to receive and use
your zesty offerings, and it's OK to favor them with more of your
magnanimity. On the other hand, don't spend too long worrying
about the fine points of how to disseminate your wealth. The important
thing is to let it flow like a river fresh from eternity.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
"Do not think you will necessarily be aware of your own
enlightenment," said Zen Buddhist teacher Dogen. Which leads
me to say: "Do not think you will necessarily be aware of
becoming a role model and potent influence." The way I see
it, either of those developments may happen in the coming weeks.
Without suffering any pangs of self-consciousness, you could suddenly
find yourself thrust into a higher, brighter, more powerful state
of being. I doubt there'll be any stress or strain involved. Rather,
it will naturally occur while you're being your strong-minded,
expansive self, trying simply to rearrange the world to conform
to your vision of paradise.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
Soon it will probably be time for you to wrap up the Season of
Exploration. You've surveyed the outlands and fringe areas enough
for now, right? I'm guessing that you've reconnoitered the forbidden
zones so thoroughly that you may not need to do any more probing.
Or am I wrong about this? Am I underestimating your longing to
push out to the frontiers and beyond? Maybe your brushes with
exotic creatures and tempting adventures have whetted your appetite
for even more escapades. I'll tell you what, Capricorn: I'm going
to trust your intuition on this one. Are you ready to rein in
your risk-taking, or are you hungry for more?
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
When I was living in Los Angeles in the summer of 1986, I had
a memorable dream. In the dream, I was dancing with God. As best
as I can describe it, the Divine Wow was a female whirlwind exuding
cool blue fire and singing ecstatic melodies. Now and then I caught
a glimpse of something that resembled a face and body, but mostly
she was a sparkling fluidic vortex that I moved in and out of
as we floated and tumbled and leaped. The contact was so vivid
and visceral that from that day forward I never again said, "I
believe in God." My experience was as real as making love
with a human being; "belief" was irrelevant. I predict
that you will soon have a comparable encounter with a primal force,
Aquarius -- whatever passes for "God" in your world.
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LISTEN TO AN EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPE
In addition to the horoscopes you're reading here, I create more
in-depth audio horoscopes for your inspiration. Find out more
at RealAstrology.com.
The audio horoscopes are also available by phone at 1-877-873-4888
or 1-900-950-7700.
"I don't much believe in astrology. But that doesn't seem
to get in the way of me deriving a whole lot of benefits from
your expanded audio horoscopes."
- A. Arrosto, Indianapolis
"You have an amazing aptitude for cutting through the lies
I tell myself. Thanks for the gentle shocks."
- T. Preneris, Toronto
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PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
The eighth-century theologian known as the Venerable Bede compared
our existence to a sparrow that flies in the window of a royal
castle while the king is enjoying a winter feast with his entourage.
Outside, a snowstorm is raging. Inside, there's a big fire in
the hearth that keeps everyone warm. But the sparrow doesn't stay
in this welcoming place; it quickly flies out another window on
the other side of the dining room, refraining from plucking any
of the delicious scraps of food the revelers have discarded. Bede
says that the sparrow's actions are like ours in our own approach
to living our lives. Well, guess what, Pisces: I don't think that
will be true for you in the coming months. Judging from the astrological
omens, I suspect that once you fly into the feast room, you won't
depart like a restless, confused wanderer. You will linger.
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
When teen pop star Miley Cyrus appeared on David Letterman's
late-night TV talk show, band leader Paul Schaeffer asked her
if she lip-syncs to pre-recorded music during her performances.
Miley replied that no, she never fakes it. For evidence, she said,
anyone could go watch a Youtube clip from one of her concerts.
Sometimes she sounds terrible, which proves that she's risking
the imperfection of actually singing live. I urge you to follow
Miley's lead in your own sphere, Aries. In the coming week, you
really do need to be as raw as the law allows. Be your authentic
self, please -- with no Auto-Tune-like enhancements.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
Here's your mantra: BIG GREEN LUCK EVERYWHERE. I urge you to
say it frequently in the coming days. Sing it softly to yourself
while you're driving your car or riding on public transportation.
Whisper it as a prayer before each meal. BIG GREEN LUCK EVERYWHERE.
Chant it in rhythm to your steps as you walk. Murmur it to the
tiny angel looking down at you from the ceiling just before you
drop off to sleep. Yell it out as you're dancing beneath the sky.
BIG GREEN LUCK EVERYWHERE. It'll work its magic even if you don't
know exactly why you're saying it or what it means.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
This is an excellent time for you to revamp your relationship
with your body. All the cosmic rhythms are aligned to help you.
How should you go about it? The first thing to do is formulate
your intentions. For example, would you like to feel more perfectly
at home in your body? Would you revel in the freedom of knowing
that the body you have is exactly right for your soul's needs?
Can you picture yourself working harder to give your body the
food and sleep and movement it requires to be at its best? If
you have any doubts about how to proceed, ask your body to provide
you with clues.
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
While growing up, U.S. president Abraham Lincoln lived in Indiana
for 14 years. The Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial commemorates
his time there. When my friend Janet was seven years old, her
second-grade class visited the place. While strolling around outside,
she found a Band-Aid on the ground and excitedly assumed it had
once graced a booboo on Old Abe himself. She took it home and
secretly used it as a talisman. When she rubbed it on her own
wounds, it seemed to have magical healing properties. Only later
did she realize that Band-Aids weren't invented until 55 years
after Lincoln's death. No matter. The artifact had done a superb
job. I predict you will soon find a comparable placebo, Cancerian.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
Afghan farmers grow a lot of poppies -- more than anywhere else
in the world. While most of the crop is converted into opium and
heroin, it could just as well be used to create poppy seed bagels
-- as many as 357 trillion of them by one estimate. The way I
see it, Leo, you have a comparable choice ahead of you. A resource
that's neutral in its raw or natural state could be harnessed
in a relatively good cause or a not-so-good cause. And I bet you
will be instrumental in determining which way it goes.
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HOMEWORK:
What's the one thing you would change about yourself if you
could? And why can't you? Go to Relastrology.com
and click "Email Rob."
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WANT TO GET YOUR CHART DONE?
I'm not doing personal charts, but I highly recommend my astrological
colleague, RO LOUGHRAN. Her approach closely matches my own. In
our many discussions about astrology over the years, we've had
a major influence on each other's work.
Ro utilizes a blend of well-trained
intuition, emotional warmth, and
a high
degree of 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.
Ro is based in California, but
can do phone consultations and
otherwise
work with you regardless of geographic
boundaries.
Ro's website is at YourSoulJourney.com
She can also be reached at roloughran@comcast.net
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Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2010 Rob Brezsny
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