Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter October 13, 2010

Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
October 13, 2010
FreeWillAstrology.com

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IS PRONOIA JUST FOR RICH, COMFORTABLE PEOPLE? Part 2

Excerpted from PRONOIA IS THE ANTIDOTE FOR PARANOIA
available at Amazon: bit.ly/Pronoia
or Powells: bit.ly/PronoiaPowells

On many of the mornings when I wake up in my soft bed, surrounded by the perks of my temperature­ controlled home and ready to enjoy another mysteriously interesting day, I am visited by the urge to murmur a prayer of gratitude like "Thank you a billion and one times, Whoever or Whatever You are that gave me this lavish riot of beauty." I am flooded with ecstatic appreciation as I taste the honey mingle with the sour flesh of the organic grapefruit, or when my lover cracks a quirky joke right before she kisses me twice, once on each eyelid, or when my daughter emails me the enigmatic new poem she wrote.

But what brings me even sharper pangs of personal elation, what evokes an even more exuberant longing to celebrate, are those moments when I deeply feel the successes that are unfolding for human beings far away from me -- successes like the irrevocable decline of global poverty and child mortality (discussed in Part 1 of this series: bit.ly/RichComfy).

And I know many people who nurture a similar aim. Our numbers are growing. Before now, there has never before been a time when so many people have actively cultivated a capacity for transcendental empathy. Before now, there has never before been a time when millions and millions of us have taken concrete action to improve the well-being of those we've never met. We are currently living in the most compassionate moment in the history of civilization.

In his well-researched book Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being and Why No One Saw It Coming, Paul Hawken argues that organized political action devoted to advancing the rights of other people is a relatively new phenomenon, less than 200 years old. The drive to abolish slavery was where it began. In recent decades it has grown exponentially, becoming a global crusade to improve social justice, economic conditions, human rights, and environmental health. We take it for granted, but it is a surprising and unprecedented development.

By Hawken's estimates, there are well over a million organizations engaged in the effort, which thrives without centralized leadership, charismatic front men, or a fixed ideology. Because of its grass-roots ubiquity, it is largely invisible to the mass media and underestimated by politicians.

Some day, maybe 500 years from now, our descendants will have installed the art and science of universal compassion as the first law of civilization. And I bet they will give honor to us, the people alive on the planet today, as the heroes who gave critical mass to their prime directive.

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For those who are dogmatically predisposed to thinking that the world is a hellhole, no amount of contrary evidence will change their minds. The cynic who asked me the following question didn't really want an answer: "Tell me how your pronoia explains a child in Darfur starving to death after watching soldiers kill his mommy?"

While I don't claim to have the authoritative response to that accusation, I think it's worthwhile to consider the possibility that suffering is, among other things, a difficult gift we humans are given in order to prod our evolution.

On a personal level, our longing to escape our suffering is a primal force in making us smarter. On a collective level, nothing refines and ennobles us more than our passion to keep others from suffering. For every dead child in Darfur, 100 people in other places on the planet have responded with a commitment to create a world in which future Darfurs won't happen.

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TUNE IN NEXT WEEK to PART THREE of the series, "Is Pronoia Just for Rich, Comfortable People?"

To read Part One of the series, go here: bit.ly/RichComfy

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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:

MAYBE YOU'RE CAPABLE OF BEING HAPPIER THAN YOU THINK
Happiness levels are not predetermined. Genes and early life experience don't set a limit on a person's happiness.
tinyurl.com/22vmx2e

BE ALERT FOR UNEXPECTED DANCING
Seahorses prove their love
tinyurl.com/24k9ef9

PRONOIA SNEAKS INTO THE WORKPLACE
A company that respects workers' rights, health, and their union -- and not just in theory, but every working day.
tinyurl.com/33l9k9g

(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 October 14

Copyright 2010 by Rob Brezsny
FreeWillAstrology.com

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):

Usually you specialize in having a light touch. You'd rather nudge than push. Nimble harmony is more interesting to you than brute force. You prefer your influence on people to be appreciated, not begrudgingly respected. And I certainly don't want you to forsake any of those inclinations. But I would love to see you add a dash of aggressiveness and a pinch of vehemence to your repertoire in the coming week. I'd be thrilled if you raised your voice a bit and gesticulated more vigorously and projected your confidence with an elevated intensity. According to my reading of the astrological omens, your refined approach will benefit from a dose of subliminal thunder.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):

Time magazine created a list of the 50 worst inventions. Included among the most terrible creations that human ingenuity has ever come up with are plastic grocery bags, sub-prime mortgages, hydrogenated oils, and pop-up ads. Now let's switch our attention to your personal equivalents of these monstrosities. To climax the atonement phase of your own astrological cycle, I recommend that you do the following: 1. Identify the three worst ideas you have taken seriously during the past decade. 2. Carry out one formal action to correct or make amends for the consequences of each bad idea. 3. Really, truly, forgive yourself as best as you can.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):

For your assignment this week, I have borrowed from a list of suggestions offered by Sagittarius poet Kenneth Patchen in his book The Journal of Albion Moonlight. Feel free to improvise as you carry out at least three. 1. Discourage all traces of shame. 2. Bear no cross. 3. Extend all boundaries. 4. Blush perpetually in gaping innocence. 5. Burrow beneath the subconscious. 6. Pass from one world to another in carefree devotion. 7. Exhaust the primitive. 8. Generate the free brain. 9. Forego no succulent filth. 10. Verify the irrational. 11. Acquire a sublime reputation. 12. Make one monster at least. 13. Multiply all opinions. 14. Inhabit everyone.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):

Among Google searches starting with the phrase "who is," the top-rated is "God," while "Satan" is a distant tenth. Running ahead of Satan but behind God are Lady Gaga and Justin Beiber. If I were you, Capricorn, I wouldn't be Google-searching any bigger-than-life entities like those four in the coming week. The characters you need to research are non-divine, non-celebrity types who might bring interesting influences into your life -- people who would have a direct influence on your access to resources and on your ability to call forth the best from yourself.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):

Explorers found a 30,000-year-old carved stone artifact in a German cave and brought it to the University of Tubingen for study. Experts there determined that it had a dual purpose for the ancient humans who made it. Phallic-shaped with rings around one end, it was obviously a sex toy. But other markings indicated it was also used to start fires by striking it against flints. I'd like to make this power object your symbol of the week, Aquarius. You're in a phase when you should be alert for ways to mix business with pleasure and practicality with adventure.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):

You're not exceptionally scared of the dark, Pisces, but sometimes you seem to be intimidated by the light. You can summon the spunky courage to go crawling on your hands and knees through dank tunnels and spooky caves in quest of treasure that's covered in primordial goo, but you may play hard to get when you're offered the chance to unburden yourself of your cares in wide-open spaces. What's up with that? Don't get me wrong: I'm proud of your capacity to wrestle with the shadows in the land of the lost; I'm gratified by your willingness to work your karma to the bone. But I would also love you to get a share of rejuvenating rest and ease now and then. Do you think you could manage to have it both ways? I do.

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IF YOU WANT MORE FREE WILL ASTROLOGY,
TRY THE EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES

The horoscopes you read in this newsletter may be plenty for your needs.

But if you'd like to experience more of my thoughts about your current situation, you might want to try my EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES. They're 4-to-5 minute meditations on the state of your life and where you're going.

Sign in and access them here:
RealAstrology.com

The audio horoscopes are also available by phone at 1-877-873-4888 or 1-900-950-7700.

"Your expanded audio horoscopes are the next best thing to actually having you here next to me to remind me who I really am." - Alyssa R., Des Moines, Iowa

"When I listen to your audio 'scopes, my free will lights up." - Alex D., Los Angeles

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ARIES (March 21-April 19):

Until recently, no cricket had ever been observed pollinating a flower. All the evidence showed, in fact, that crickets don't help flowers -- they devour them. Then one night last January on the island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean, researchers discovered that the species known as the raspy cricket was responsible for pollinating wild orchids. They even caught the magic act on film. I regard this turn of events as akin to an upcoming development in your life: Someone or something that you've never thought of as a fertilizing force for you will become one.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):

My date and I decided to go see the film You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger. As we entered the theater, we passed a short, elderly Chinese woman in a brown uniform. She was bent over sweeping the floor. Suddenly she stood up straight, looked me in the eye, and extended her left hand toward me. Confused, I reached out toward her. She quickly pressed something in my hand, then returned to her sweeping. As I walked on, I unrolled the small paper scroll she had given me. It read, "Tell your Taurus readers they should be alert for helpful messages coming from sources they would usually ignore or neglect." I'm doing what she suggested.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):

Of all the signs in the zodiac, you are currently the best at carrying out the following activities: gliding, flowing, leaping, skipping, twirling, undulating, reverberating, galloping, and rub-a-dub-dubbing. I suspect that you will also excel at rumbling, romping, rollicking, cavorting, and zip-a-dap-doodling. If all goes well, Gemini -- which is to say you show how much you love your body and throw off any inhibitions you might have about celebrating your instinctual nature -- then you will be at the low end of the scale in performing these activities: shuffling, drooping, mumbling, wallowing, pigeonholing, and pussyfooting.

CANCER (June 21-July 22):

A reader wrote to me bemoaning the fact that her new Cancerian boyfriend is addicted to safety. She speculated that since he is a member of an astrological sign renowned for its timidity, she should probably either get used to the suffocating lack of action or else bolt from the relationship now. In reply, I sent her a quote from one of the most heroic Cancerians of the 20th century, Helen Keller: "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than exposure." Moral of the story: It's a ripe time for you to rise up and refute the people in your life who think you're a brooding wallflower.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):

Helping your fellow humans can literally enhance your strength. A Harvard study (tinyurl.com/BeExtraNice) proved that people who did good deeds or even visualized themselves doing good deeds had increased physical endurance and willpower. Unfortunately, the study showed that those who harbor nefarious intentions are also able to draw on extra fortitude. In other words, you can boost your energy by either being compassionate or evil. I highly recommend the former over the latter, Leo, especially now that you're entering a phase when it makes a lot of spiritual sense to build your courage, vigor, and tonicity.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):

"The art of medicine consists of amusing the patient while nature cures the disease," said French philosopher Voltaire. With this in mind, let's evaluate your current discomfort. From what I can tell, healing forces beyond your control and outside of your awareness are going to be working their mojo to chip away at your problem. But it will still be wise for you to occupy yourself in activities that you think will expedite the fix. Doing so will minimize your anxieties, allowing nature to do what it does best.

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HOMEWORK:

For one week, pretend to already be something you're on your way to becoming. Report your results by going to Freewillastrology.com and clicking "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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Submissions sent to the Free Will Astrology Weekly 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 such submissions for length, style, and content. Requests for anonymity will be honored with submissions; otherwise, reader names, screen names, or initials will be used. Please be sure to note your preference when sending to us. We are not responsible for unsolicited submission of any creative material.

Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright 2010 Rob Brezsny

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