Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
MAY 14, 2014
EVIL IS BORING
To read the entire text of this piece, go here:
http://bit.ly/EvilisBoring
To hear a shorter audio version, go here:
http://bit.ly/A9cl4D
When an old tree in the rain forest dies and topples over, it takes a long time to decompose. As it does, it becomes host to new saplings that use the decaying log for nourishment.
Picture yourself sitting in the forest gazing upon this scene. How do you describe it? Would you dwell on the putrefaction of the fallen tree while ignoring the fresh life sprouting out of it? If you did, you'd be imitating the perspective of many modern storytellers, especially the journalists and novelists and filmmakers and producers of TV dramas. They devoutly believe that tales of affliction and mayhem and corruption and tragedy are inherently more interesting than tales of triumph and liberation and pleasure and ingenuity.
Using the juggernaut of the media and entertainment industries, they relentlessly propagate this covert dogma. It's not sufficiently profound or well thought out to be called nihilism. Pop nihilism is a more accurate term. The mass audience is the victim of this inane ugliness, brainwashed by a multibillion-dollar propaganda machine that in comparison makes Himmler's vaunted soul-stealing apparatus look like a child's backyard puppet show. This is the engine of the phenomena I call the global genocide of the imagination.
At the Beauty and Truth Lab, we believe that stories about the rot are not inherently more captivating than stories about the splendor. On the contrary, given how predictable and ubiquitous they are, stories about the rot are actually quite dull. Obsessing on evil is boring. Rousing fear is a hackneyed shtick. Wallowing in despair is a bad habit. Indulging in cynicism is akin to committing a copycat crime . . .
To read the rest of "EVIL IS BORING," go here: http://bit.ly/EvilisBoring
To hear the audio version:
http://bit.ly/A9cl4D
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Steal This Image from *PRONOIA*: http://bit.ly/A5Lhuv
"I am totally opposed to all duality"
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What if there's no contradiction between being your idiosyncratic self in love with your life and serving others with the best gifts you have to give?
What if exploring your inner world to activate your personal genius dovetails perfectly with fighting to recreate the soulless culture we're embedded in?
What if working on your own salvation makes you a more effective force in liberating others from their suffering?
Are you turned off by the authoritarian, libido-mistrusting perversity of the right-wing moral code, but equally reluctant to embrace the atheism embedded in the left wing's code of goodness?
Are you hungry for a value system rooted in beauty, love, pleasure, and liberation instead of order, control, politeness, and fear, but allergic to the sophistry of the New Age?
Are you apathetic toward the saccharine goodness evangelized by sentimental, superstitious fanatics, but equally bored by the intellectuals who worship at the empty-hearted shrine of scientific materialism?
It may be time for you to whip up your very own moral code. If you do, you might want to keep the following guidelines in mind:
1. A moral code becomes immoral unless it can thrive without a devil and enemy.
2. A moral code grows ugly unless it prescribes good-natured rebellion against automaton-like behavior offered in its support.
3. A moral code becomes murderous unless it's built on a love for the fact that EVERYTHING CHANGES ALL THE TIME, and unless it perpetually adjusts its reasons for being true.
4. A moral code will corrupt its users unless it ensures that their primary motivation for being good is because it's fun.
5. A moral code deadens the soul of everyone it touches unless it has a built-in sense of humor.
Are you in quest of an Intimate Ally? A Soul Friend? A Wild Confidante?
Check out Match.com via Free Will Astrology's link: http://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.
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
Srinivasa Ramanujan was one of India's greatest mathematical geniuses. He lacked formal training and his work was thought peculiar by his fellow mathematicians, but he made dramatic breakthroughs that are highly regarded. He attributed his success to the Hindu goddess Namakkal. She appeared regularly in his dreams, where she revealed innovative formulas he had only to verify when he awoke.
http://tinyurl.com/c39bcd7
We’re getting richer. With all the gloom around the economy, is the world actually growing wealthier?
http://tinyurl.com/msppjfs
New solar panels are cheaper, more environmentally sustainable
Tin can replace lead in new, more efficient solar cell design
http://tinyurl.com/k2lys5l
See a compendium of pronoiac resources:
http://pronoiaresources.com
(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 May 15
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): I see you as having more in common with a marathon runner than a speed racer. Your best qualities tend to emerge when you're committed to a process that takes a while to unfold. Learning to pace yourself is a crucial life lesson. That's how you get attuned to your body's signals and master the art of caring for your physical needs. That's also how you come to understand that it's important not to compare yourself constantly to the progress other people are making. Having said all that, Taurus, I want to recommend a temporary exception to the rule. Just for now, it may make sense for you to run fast for a short time.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): If you fling handfuls of zucchini seeds on the ground of a vacant lot today, you shouldn't expect neat rows of ripe cucumbers to be growing in your backyard in a couple of weeks. Even if you fling zucchini seeds in your backyard today, you shouldn't expect straight rows of cucumbers to be growing there by June 1. Let's get even more precise here. If you carefully plant zucchini seeds in neat rows in your backyard today, you should not expect ripe cucumbers to sprout by August. But here's the kicker: If you carefully plant cucumbers seeds in your backyard today, and weed them and water them as they grow, you can indeed expect ripe cucumbers by August.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): "If we want the rewards of being loved," says cartoonist Tim Kreider, "we have to submit to the mortifying ordeal of being known." How are you doing with this trade-off, Cancerian? Being a Crab myself, I know we are sometimes inclined to hide who we really are. We have mixed feelings about becoming vulnerable and available enough to be fully known by others. We might even choose to live without the love we crave so as to prop up the illusion of strength that comes from being mysterious, from concealing our depths. The coming weeks will be a good time for you to revisit this conundrum.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): There's a piece of art on the moon: a ceramic disk inscribed with six drawings by noted American artists. It was carried on the landing module of the Apollo 12 mission, which delivered two astronauts to the lunar surface in November 1969. One of the artists, Leo maverick Andy Warhol, drew the image of a stylized penis, similar to what you might see on the wall of a public restroom. "He was being the terrible bad boy," the project's organizer said about Warhol's contribution. You know me, Leo. I usually love playful acts of rebellion. But in the coming weeks, I advise against taking Warhol's approach. If you're called on to add your self-expression to a big undertaking, tilt in the direction of sincerity and reverence and dignity.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The planet we live on is in constant transformation. Nothing ever stays the same. To succeed, let alone survive, we need to acclimate ourselves to the relentless forward motion. "He not busy being born is busy dying," was Bob Dylan's way of framing our challenge. How are you doing with this aspect of life, Virgo? Do you hate it but deal with it grudgingly? Tolerate it and aspire to be a master of it someday? Whatever your current attitude is, I'm here to tell you that in the coming months you could become much more comfortable with the ceaseless flow -- and even learn to enjoy it. Are you ready to begin?
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): "It isn't that I don't like sweet disorder," said English author Vita Sackville-West, "but it has to be judiciously arranged." That's your theme for the week, Libra. Please respect how precise a formulation this is. Plain old ordinary disorder will not provide you with the epiphanies and breakthroughs you deserve and need. The disorder must be sweet. If it doesn't make you feel at least a little excited and more in love with life, avoid it. The disorder must also be judiciously arranged. What that means is that it can't be loud or vulgar or profane. Rather, it must have wit and style and a hint of crazy wisdom.
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LOVE YOUR 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." So let me ask you: Are you becoming the hero of your own life? Are you figuring out the secrets of how to create your destiny -- and not just waiting around for destiny to happen to you?
If you'd like help in this noble work, 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.
They are not repeats or extensions of the written 'scopes you read here for free. They are entirely fresh explorations of your astrological omens, and are designed to help you tune in to your soul's code. (P.S. They're not free.)
Register and/or sign in at http://RealAstrology.com/
They're available on your tablets and smart phones as well as your computers.
"Your Expanded Audio Horoscopes provide me with the Rest of the Story. I'm not necessarily a believer in the scientific accuracy of astrology, but I do think you've got a lot of practical wisdom to impart."
- M. Tennenbaum, New York
"No one knows more about me than me. But you're right up there near the top of the list of people who do understand something about how I tick. How is that possible?"
- R. Goren, Albuquerque
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SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): I have three sets of questions for you, Scorpio. First, are you anyone's muse? Is there a person who draws inspiration from the way you live? Here's my second query: Are you strong medicine for anyone? Are you the source of riddles that confound and intrigue them, compelling them to outgrow their narrow perspectives? Here's my third inquiry: Are you anyone's teacher? Are you an influence that educates someone about the meaning of life? If you do play any of these roles, Scorpio, they are about to heat up and transform. If you don't currently serve at least one of these functions, there's a good chance you will start to soon.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): According to my reading of the astrological omens, you should draw inspiration from this Chinese proverb: "Never do anything standing that you can do sitting, or anything sitting that you can do lying down." In other words, Sagittarius, you need extra downtime. So please say NO to any influence that says, "Do it now! Be maniacally efficient! Multitask as if your life depended on it! The more active you are the more successful you will be!" Instead, give yourself ample opportunity to play and daydream and ruminate.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In Raymond Chandler's pulp fiction novel *Farewell, My Lovely,* his main character is detective Philip Marlowe. At one point Marlowe says, "I needed a drink, I needed a lot of life insurance, I needed a vacation, I needed a home in the country. What I had was a coat, a hat and a gun." In accordance with your astrological omens, Capricorn, I'm asking you to figure out how you might be like Marlowe. Are there differences between what you think you need and what you actually have? If so, now is an excellent time to launch initiatives to fix the discrepancies.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): There's a slightly better chance than usual that you will have a whirlwind affair with a Bollywood movie star who's on vacation. The odds are also higher than normal that you will receive a tempting invitation from a secret admirer, or meet the soul twin you didn't even know you were searching for, or get an accidental text message from a stranger who turns out to be the reincarnation of your beloved from a previous lifetime. But the likelihood of all those scenarios pales in comparison to the possibility that you will learn big secrets about how to make yourself even more lovable than you already are.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Author Eva Dane defines writer's block as what happens "when your imaginary friends stop talking to you." I suspect that something like this has been happening for you lately, Pisces -- even if you're not a writer. What I mean is that some of the most reliable and sympathetic voices in your head have grown quiet: ancestors, dear friends who are no longer in your life, ex-lovers you still have feelings for, former teachers who have remained a strong presence in your imagination, animals you once cared for who have departed, and maybe even some good, old-fashioned spirits and angels. Where did they go? What happened to them? I suspect they are merely taking a break. They may have thought it wise to let you fend for yourself for a while. But don't worry. They will be back soon.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): When the path ahead divides in two, Aries, I am hoping you can work some magic that will allow you to take both ways at once. If you do master this riddle, if you can creatively figure out how to split yourself without doing any harm, I have a strong suspicion that the two paths will once again come together no later than August 1, possibly before. But due to a curious quirk in the laws of life, the two forks will never again converge if you follow just one of them now.
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Homework: What's the thing you lost that should stay lost? What's the thing you lost that you should find? http://FreeWillAstrology.com