Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
DECEMBER 11, 2013
FreeWillAstrology.com
+
My book
PRONOIA IS THE ANTIDOTE FOR PARANOIA
is available at Amazon: bit.ly/Pronoia
or Powells: bit.ly/PronoiaPowells
Below is an excerpt.
Some visionaries and prophets expect there to be a huge and sudden
shift in the world's story sometime in the coming years. A few
of them even predict that it will be "in the twinkling of
an eye" -- a sudden cascade of events that completely changes
everything everywhere.
They paint the scenario in broad, catastrophic strokes, expecting
something -- they're not sure what -- that will have the impact
of a large meteor strike or nuclear war or pandemic disease or
the depletion of the planet's oil reserves. Others harbor a more
benign but equally fuzzy expectation, speculating that maybe some
higher psychic powers will kick in to the multitudes all at once,
or that benevolent extraterrestrials will arrive to solve our
energy crisis.
What very few of the prophets do, however, is make a precise
prediction about what exactly will happen. Their visions contain
no assurances, no specifics. And in my view, that's worse than
useless. It fills us with a vague buzz of fear or amorphous sense
of hope, but offers no concrete directions about what to do to
prevent the dreaded thing or help create the hoped-for thing.
And the fact is, as I see it, they can't possibly know what the
Big Shift is -- if, that is, a Big Shift is really looming. The
very nature of any Big Shift will be so unexpected, so beyond
our imaginations, and so utterly alien to what we understand,
that we can't possibly delineate its contours in advance.
I'm reminded of Jung's formula, which is that we don't so much
solve our problems as we outgrow them. We add capacities and experiences
that eventually make us bigger than the problems.
This theory can be applied in reverse: If we have not yet grown
wiser than our current predicament, then we can't see what the
evolved state is beyond the predicament. Our minds are as-yet
incapable of embodying the vision that will catapult us beyond
the problem we're stuck in.
When the Big Shift comes, whether or not it comes in the twinkling
of an eye, it will be something that no one foresaw, let alone
described in detail. It will be beyond our comprehension, unlike
anything we could have visualized headed our way. (Thirty years
ago, did anyone imagine the Internet or the impact it's having?)
And if that's true, then the inescapable conclusion is: There's
no use trying to plan ahead for it. It's counterproductive to
hold a particular scenario in our mind as the likely development.
And it's downright crazy to harbor a chronic sense of dread about
an unknowable, unimaginable series of events.
The best way to prepare for a Big Shift is to cultivate mental
and emotional states that ripen us to be ready for anything:
* a commitment to not getting lost inside our own heads;
* a strategy to avoid being enthralled with the hypnotic lure
of painful emotions, past events, and worries about the future;
* a trust in empirical evidence over our time-worn beliefs and
old habits;
* a talent for turning up our curiosity full blast and tuning
in to the raw truth of every moment with our beginner's mind fully
engaged;
* and an eagerness to dwell gracefully in the midst of all the
interesting questions that tease and teach us.
Everything I just described also happens to be an excellent way
to prime yourself for a chronic, low-grade, always-on, simmering-at-low-heat
brand of ecstasy -- a state of being more-or-less permanently
in the Tao, in the groove, in the zone.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Find me on Facebook: bit.ly/BrezFB
Find me on Tumblr: freewillastrology.tumblr.com/archive
Find me on Twitter: twitter.com/FreeWillAstro
Expanded Audio Horoscopes: RealAstrology.com
Free excerpts from my most recent book: bit.ly/BeautyTruth
Sign up for daily astrological text messages: bit.ly/PuzEBT
Tip Jar for Me: bit.ly/TipsforRob
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Are you in quest of an Intimate Ally? A Soul Friend? A Wild Confidante?
Check out Match.com via Free Will Astrology's link: bit.ly/SoulMatch
Look for a Co-Pilot, Co-Conspirator, or Collaborator . . . an
Agent to represent you or a Disciple to worship you . . . a Secret
Sharer who'll listen better than anyone or an Amazing Accomplice
with whom you can practice the Art of Liberation.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
Immigrants to the U.S. are less likely to shoplift, skip work
or school, hurt people or engage in other antisocial behaviors
-- despite being poorer, more urbanized, and less educated than
people born in the States.
tinyurl.com/k6kzvf6
One Simple Idea: How Positive Thinking Reshaped Modern Life,
by Mitch Horowitz
"Serious skeptics, true believers, and seekers of every stripe
will want to read Mitch Horowitz's vibrant, probing, and richly
researched account of the impact of the positive-thinking movement
on every aspect of American life today. Filled with a cast of
remarkable characters and many lively tales, One Simple Idea
is a readable, responsible examination of the limits and possibilities
of mind-power as a source of constructive transformation."
- Judith Viorst
Germany Says No To Weaponized Drones
tinyurl.com/n5cf42n
(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.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Week beginning December 12
Copyright 2013 by Rob Brezsny
FreeWillAstrology.com
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
There are pregnant truths I could reveal to you right now that
I've decided not to disclose. I don't think you're prepared to
hear them yet. If I told you what they are, you wouldn't be receptive
or able to register their full meaning; you might even misinterpret
them. It is possible, however, that you could evolve rather quickly
in the next two weeks. So let's see if I can nudge you in the
direction of getting the experiences necessary to become ready.
Meditate on what parts of you are immature or underdeveloped --
aspects that may one day be skilled and gracious, but are not
yet. I bet that once you identify what needs ripening, you will
expedite the ripening. And then you will become ready to welcome
the pregnant truths.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
"Finifugal" is a rarely used English adjective that
I need to invoke in order to provide you with the proper horoscope.
It refers to someone who avoids or dislikes endings -- like a
child who doesn't want a bedtime story to conclude, or an adult
who's in denial about how it's finally time to wrap up long-unfinished
business. You can't afford to be finifugal in the coming days,
Capricorn. This is the tail end of your cycle. It won't be healthy
for you to shun climaxes and denouements. Neither will it be wise
to merely tolerate them. Somehow, you've got to find a way to
love and embrace them. (P.S. That's the best strategy for ensuring
the slow-motion eruption of vibrant beginnings after your birthday.)
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
According to 20th-century British author John Cowper Powys,
"A bookshop is a dynamite-shed, a drugstore of poisons, a
bar of intoxicants, a den of opiates, an island of sirens."
He didn't mean that literally, of course. He was referring to
the fact that the words contained in books can inflame and enthrall
the imagination. I think you will be wise to seek out that level
of arousal in the coming weeks, Aquarius. Your thoughts need to
be aired out and rearranged. Your feelings are crying out for
strenuous exercise, including some pure, primal catharses. Do
whatever it takes to make sure that happens.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
"I am not fearless," says Mexican journalist and women's
right advocate Lydia Cacho, "but I'm not overtaken by fear.
Fear is quite an interesting animal. It's like a pet. If you mistreat
it, it will bite, but if you understand it and accept it in your
house, it might protect you." This is an excellent time to
work on transforming your fright reflexes, Pisces. You have just
the right kind of power over them: strong and crafty and dynamic,
but not grandiose or cocky or delusional. You're ready to make
your fears serve you, not drain you.
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected President of the United States
four times, more often than any other president. We can conclude
that he was one of the most popular American leaders ever. And
yet he never won a majority of the votes cast by the citizens
of his home county in New York. I foresee the possibility of a
comparable development in your life. You may be more successful
working on the big picture than you are in your immediate situation.
It could be easier for you to maneuver when you're not dealing
with familiar, up-close matters. What's outside your circle might
be more attracted to your influence than what's nearer to home.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
In 2009, actress Sandra Bullock starred in three films, two of
which earned her major recognition. For her performance in All
About Steve, she was given a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst
Actress. Her work in The Blind Side, on the other hand,
won her an Oscar for Best Actress. I'm thinking that you may experience
a similar paradox in the coming days, Taurus. Some of your efforts
might be denigrated, while others are praised. It may even be
the case that you're criticized and applauded for the same damn
thing. How to respond? Learn from Bullock's example. She gave
gracious acceptance speeches at the award ceremonies for both
the Golden Raspberry and the Oscar.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
WHAT NEW INFLUENCES ARE HEADED YOUR WAY?
How do you want to create your life story in the coming weeks?
How can you exert your free will to seek out the adventures that'll
bring out the best in you, even as you find graceful ways to cooperate
with the tides of destiny?
If you'd like help in figuring it all out, consider trying my
EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES. They're four-to-five-minute meditations
on the current state of your destiny and where you're headed.
Find out more at RealAstrology.com.
The audio horoscopes are also available by phone at 1-877-873-4888.
"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
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
Almost 2,000 years ago, a Roman doctor named Scribonius Largus
developed recipes for three different kinds of toothpaste. One
contained the ashes of burned-up deer antler, aromatic resin from
an evergreen shrub known as mastic, and a rare mineral called
sal ammoniac. His second toothpaste was a mix of barley flour,
vinegar, honey, and rock salt. Then there was the third: sun-dried
radish blended with finely ground glass. Let's get a bit rowdy
here and propose that these three toothpastes have metaphorical
resemblances to the life choices in front of you right now. I'm
going to suggest you go with the second option. At the very least,
avoid the third.
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
Are you feeling a bit pinched, parched, and prickly? Given the
limitations you've had to wrestle with lately, I wouldn't be surprised
if you were. Even though you have passed some of the sneaky tests
and solved some of the itchy riddles you've been compelled to
deal with, they have no doubt contributed to the pinched, parched
prickliness. Now what can be done to help you recover your verve?
I'm thinking that all you will have to do is respond smartly to
the succulent temptations that life will bring your way in the
coming weeks.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
Have you ever situated yourself between two big bonfires on
a beach and basked in the primal power? Was there a special moment
in your past when you found yourself sitting between two charismatic
people you loved and admired, soaking up the life-giving radiance
they exuded? Did you ever read a book that filled you with exaltation
as you listened to music that thrilled your soul? These are the
kinds of experiences I hope you seek out in the coming week. I'd
love to see you get nourished stereophonically by rich sources
of excitement.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
Mythically speaking, this would be a propitious time for you
to make an offering to the sea goddess. In dreams or meditations
or fantasies, I suggest you dive down into the depths, find the
supreme feminine power in her natural habitat, and give her a
special gift. Show her how smart you are in the way you express
love, or tell her exactly how you will honor her wisdom in the
future. If she is receptive, you may even ask her for a favor.
Maybe she'll be willing to assist you in accessing the deep feelings
that haven't been fully available to you. Or perhaps she will
teach you how to make conscious the secrets you have been keeping
from yourself.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
Don't linger in a doorway, Libra. Don't camp out in a threshold
or get stuck in the middle of anything. I understand your caution,
considering the fact that life is presenting you with such paradoxical
clues. But if you remain ambivalent too much longer, you may obstruct
the influx of more definitive information. The best way to generate
the clarity and attract the help you need will be to make a decisive
move -- either in or out, either forward or backward, either up
or down.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
"It's a rare person who wants to hear what he doesn't want
to hear," said TV talk show host Dick Cavett. I will love
it if you make yourself one of those rare types in the coming
week, Scorpio. Can you bring yourself to be receptive to truths
that might be disruptive? Are you willing to send out an invitation
to the world, asking to be shown revelations that contradict your
fixed theories and foregone conclusions? If you do this hard work,
I promise that you will be granted a brainstorm and a breakthrough.
You might also be given a new reason to brag.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
HOMEWORK:
What holiday gifts do you want? Express your outrageous demands
and humble requests. Freewillastrology.com.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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
2013 Rob Brezsny
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
|
