Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
MAY 14, 2008
FreeWillAstrology.com
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"The transfiguration of matter occurs through wonder."
- James Hillman
"In any system, whether a corporation, a family, or the
inner arrangements of the human psyche, a vigorous 'no' to the
good of the whole may serve the good of the whole and increase
its power even more than a compliant 'yes.'"
- James Hillman
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My book
PRONOIA IS THE ANTIDOTE FOR PARANOIA:
How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings
is available for sale at
tinyurl.com/qaj62
Here's an excerpt:
THE 80-PERCENT RULE
Readers of my horoscope column "Free Will Astrology"
are sometimes surprised when I say I only believe in astrology
about 80 percent. "You're a quack?!" they cry. Not at
all, I explain. I've been a passionate student of the ancient
art for years. About the time my overeducated young brain was
on the verge of desertification, crazy wisdom showed up in the
guise of astrology, moistening my soul just in time to save it.
"But what about the other 20 percent?" they press on.
"Are you saying your horoscopes are only partially true?"
I assure them that my doubt proves my love. By cultivating a
tender, cheerful skepticism, I inoculate myself against the virus
of fanaticism. This ensures that astrology will be a supple tool
in my hands, an adaptable art form, and not a rigid, explain-it-all
dogma that over-literalizes and distorts the mysteries it seeks
to illuminate.
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During the question-and-answer segment of one of my performances,
an audience member got hostile. "Why do you diss science
so much?" he complained. "Science is the source of a
lot of pronoia, so I would think you'd love it."
My accuser obviously hadn't read much of my work. Otherwise he'd
have gathered many clues that belied his theory. In my column,
for instance, I often quote reverently from peer-reviewed scientific
journals like Nature and Scientific American. And I regularly
extol the virtues of the scientific method. "Some of my best
friends are scientists," I teased the heckler.
The fact is, I critique science no more than I do all of the
systems of thought I respect and use. I believe in science about
80 percent -- same as I do in astrology, psychology, Deconstructionism,
feminism, Qabalah, Buddhism, left-wing political philosophy, and
22 others.
I do think science has the greatest need of loving skepticism,
though. As the dominant ideology of our age, it has a magisterial
reputation comparable to the infallibility accorded to the medieval
Church. Its priestly promoters sell it as the ultimate arbiter
of truth; as an approach to gathering and evaluating information
that trumps all others.
Here's another problem: Though science is an elegant method of
understanding the world, only a minority of its practitioners
live up to its high standards. The field is dominated by men motivated
as much by careerism and egotism as by a rigorous quest for excellence.
This is common behavior in all spheres, of course, but it's a
special problem for a creed that the intellectual elite promotes
as the premier method for knowing the truth.
There's a further complication: Scientists are no less likely
to harbor irrational biases and emotional fixations than the rest
of us. They purport to do just the opposite, of course. But in
fact they simply hide their unconscious motivations better, aided
by the way the scientific establishment relentlessly promotes
the myth that its practitioners are in pure service to objective
truth. This discrepancy between the cover story and the actual
state of things is, again, a universal tendency, not confined
to science. But it's particularly toxic in a discipline that presents
itself as the very embodiment of dispassionate investigation.
There are many scientists who, upon reading these words, might
discharge a blast of emotionally charged, non-scientific derision
in my direction. Like true believers everywhere, they can't accept
half-hearted converts. If I won't buy their whole package, then
I must be a superstitious, fuzzy-brained, New Age goofball.
To which I'd respond: I love the scientific approach to understanding
the world. I aspire to appraise everything I experience with the
relaxed yet eager curiosity and the skeptical yet open-minded
lucidity characteristic of a true scientist.
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SACRED ADVERTISEMENT
"The 80-Percent Rule" is brought to you by this excerpt
from Deena Metzger's prayer:
"Let us learn the secret language of light again. Also the
letters of the dark. Learn the flight patterns of birds, the syllables
of wolf howl and bird song, the moving pantomime of branch and
leaf, valleys and peaks of whale calls, the long sentences of
ants moving in unison, the combinations and recombinations of
clouds, the codices of stars. Let us, thus, reconstitute the world,
sign by sign and melody by melody.
"Let us sing the world back into the very Heart of the Holy
Name of God."
- Deena Metzger, Prayers for a Thousand Years, edited
by Elizabeth Roberts and Elias Amidon
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To read news and features from my book, go here: tinyurl.com/lhwx2
You can buy the book here:
AMAZON
tinyurl.com/qaj62
POWELLS
tinyurl.com/3dsx6q
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To listen to and get a free download of "Kick Your Own Ass,"
a song from my band's CD Give Too Much, go here:
tinyurl.com/5n4cs8
To buy the CD, go here:
tinyurl.com/yqy42p
All the lyrics on the CD are here:
tinyurl.com/6s5ymz
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OTHER PRONOIA RESOURCES:
PEP SQUAD FOR THE DIVINE IN US ALL
The Shamanic Cheerleaders
shamaniccheerleaders.com
They've performed with me several times. I've written a testimonial
about them, which I will reproduce in full here because it's a
concise statement of what I admire about pronoia in action:
The Shamanic Cheerleaders are masters of boisterous reverence,
connoisseurs of wild compassion, and dispensers of rowdy
blessings.
In addition to being pretty and sexy, they are smart and funny,
not at all like their profane android brethren who shimmy mechanically
while shouting out encouragement to football creatures. Rather,
the Shamanic Cheerleaders are like laughing Hindu goddesses who
chant lyrical invocations as they leap and undulate, stirring
up only the
wisest streams of kundalini -- the kind that inspires you to be
an insanely gorgeous genius who longs to make love to all of creation.
I get happy whenever I think about all the ways the Shamanic
Cheerleaders have roused me to perpetrate acts of playful revolution.
That's why every morning upon awakening I visualize them doing
a cheer and why every night before I say my prayers I perform
one of their cheers. The morning meditation reminds me to carry
out a series of spiral hallelujahs throughout the day, and my
evening ritual puts me in a crazy spiritual mood that often helps
me induce lucid dreams while I'm "sleeping."
The Shamanic Cheerleaders get my vote for Best Dancing Dissident
Bodhisattvas of the Millennium, and if they ever run for office
I will contribute a billion dollars of my future lottery winnings
to buy them the best spin doctors on the planet . . . although,
come to think of it, they don't really need spin doctors since
they themselves are experts at healing through whirling. They
cast benevolent spells that don't put people into trances, but
rather snap them out of trances.
I kiss their holy feet. I study their bouncing wit. I greedily
gather up their tricks and treats. They are an advance guard of
rebel creators devoted to committing sacred uproar. They are shock
troops fighting for the beautiful truths that will save the world
by turning it upside-down.
EVERYTHING IS CONSCIOUS
The Vegetation Liberation Front
Stop the Flower Slaughter!
tinyurl.com/5tphu6
YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT AND EAT AND EAT
How to Buy Non-GMO Food
tinyurl.com/46bxpz
(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
Copyright 2008 by Rob Brezsny
FreeWillAstrology.com
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
The daytime TV soap opera The Young and the Restless
has been the most highly-rated show in its time slot for more
than a thousand consecutive weeks. First appearing in 1973, the
show ascended to the top slot in 1988 and has never slipped since.
I'm happy to announce that in 2008 you have the potential to begin
a comparable run of success, Taurus. Whether you're able to cash
in on that potential may depend on the preparations you make in
the coming weeks.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
"Pain is weakness leaving the body," says fitness trainer
Mark Duval. If that's true, you have gotten a lot stronger in
recent weeks. By my astrological reckoning, you've shed a few
months' worth of emotional distress, you've purged a few years'
worth of frustration, and you've exorcised a couple of lifetimes'
worth of confused dreams. Congratulations on all the new vitality
you've earned through your constructive losses.
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
As part of the arrangement your soul entered into before you
were born, you were given the mission to accomplish five specific
miracles. Three of these you have not yet even guessed the nature
of. Why? For one thing, none of your elders or teachers ever named
them for you while you were growing up. Secondly, you have been
overly timid about imagining what you're capable of. That's the
bad news, Cancerian. The good news is that you're very close to
the mystery spot where one of those undiscovered dreams has been
moldering.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
"The maxim for any love affair," wrote Charles Williams,
"is 'Play and pray, but do not pray when you are playing
and do not play when you are praying.' We cannot yet manage such
simultaneities." But I strongly disagree with Williams, especially
in regards to your destiny in the coming weeks. According to my
analysis of the astrological omens, you can and should play while
you pray, and pray while you play. In fact, I recommend that you
blend reverence and irreverence in every way you can imagine.
Explore the revolutionary concept of sacred fun.
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LISTEN TO AN EXPANDED HOROSCOPE
In addition to the horoscopes that come to you in this newsletter,
I create audio horoscopes for your inspiration. They discuss themes
and cover material that I don't have room to deal with in the
written horoscopes.
They're $6 if you access them on the Web, or $1.99 per minute
over the phone.
Try them at RealAstrology.com.
By phone: 1-877-873-4888 or 1-900-950-7700.
"Your audio horoscopes help me love myself better, and I
mean that in a non-narcissistic way."
- Deva P., Indianapolis
"I'm really grateful for the way you pick up my telepathic
requests and answer them in your expanded audio 'scopes."
- Marion H., Birmingham, AL
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VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
Seems you're pushing to learn all you can from places and ideas
you barely even know existed a few months ago. Your experiments
continue to provide such valuable lessons that you'd rather not
wrap them up yet. That's fine. No rush. Take your time. We here
at the Grind will welcome you back anytime you're ready. We completely
understand if you want to stay out there on a limb until you're
absolutely sure that the butterfly won't have any reason to try
changing back into a caterpillar.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
"Dear Rob: I've been a Libra all my life, and I'm always
puzzled by those who say that Librans have trouble making decisions.
My experience of the Libra approach to life is that we are connoisseurs
of completeness. We work hard to be considerate of other people's
viewpoints. We strive to include all the applicable information
in our deliberations, even if it's at odds with our personal perspective.
Now it's true that urgency and speed are the cultural norms. 'If
it can't happen immediately, I'm not interested in it' is an approach
that has infected the majority. In that light, Librans may seem
wishy-washy and hesitant. But in fact, we're actually thoughtful
and judicious. Please help correct the bad stereotype about us.
- Discerning Libra." Dear Discerning: You make excellent
points. I will pass them on to my Libra readers because it's crucial
that in the days ahead they avoid being misinterpreted in the
way you described.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
A journalist visiting the home of Nobel Prize-winning physicist
Niels Bohr was surprised to see a horseshoe nailed to the wall.
"Can it be that you, of all people, believe a horseshoe will
bring you good luck?" he asked. "Of course not,"
Bohr replied, "but I understand it brings you luck whether
you believe it or not." I suggest you adopt the physicist's
mindset in the coming week, Scorpio. Without dumbing down your
powers of logic, be open to the possibility that you will benefit
from forces that are beyond your imagining or unaccounted for
by your belief system. [Source: Living Biographies of Great
Scientists, by Henry & Dana Lee Thomas.]
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
In his folk song "Farewell to the Gold," Nic Jones
tells the story of a failed gold prospector. After two years of
finding no more than a few flecks of the precious metal, the unlucky
man is giving up his search. "Farewell to the gold / that
never I found," he sings. "Goodbye to the nuggets /
that somewhere abound. / For it's only when dreaming / that I
see them gleaming / down in the dark deep underground." If
I'm reading the omens correctly, Sagittarius, it's time for you,
too, to say goodbye to a quest that hasn't panned out. Yes, it'll
be sad. But here's the happy ending: Within a month of the time
you surrender, you'll be led to a better quest with more chance
of success.
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LISTEN TO AN EXPANDED HOROSCOPE
In addition to the horoscopes that you're reading here, I create
audio horoscopes for your amusement and 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.
"The best part about your audio horoscopes is that they
pat me on the head and kick me in the ass at the same time."
- Rita L., San Diego
"Your audio oracles go beyond helping me find the truth
-- they inspire me to find the WILD truth."
- Patrick K., Montreal
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CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
During your entire life, you have maybe never been as free as
you are now from the need to be rescued by some savior. You don't
need anyone to rescue you from your own dark fantasies because,
at least for the moment, your bright fantasies have rendered them
obsolete. You don't need anyone to liberate you from oppression
or enslavement, because you are fully empowered to do the job
yourself. You don't even need anyone to deliver you from evil,
since your recent hard work has made evil allergic to you.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
The complexity of your current astrological aspects almost overwhelmed
me. I couldn't see how to compose a meaningful oracle in the face
of such rich and confounding prospects. I was stumped. Then, as
my deadline approached, the unthinkable happened: I decided to
goof off. Fleeing my office, I wandered down to the beach, where
I strolled aimlessly and emptied my mind. At one point I spied
a fortune cookie perched absurdly on top of a fence post. The
moment I broke it open and read the fortune inside, I knew I'd
found the perfect message for you. It said, "If you have
a difficult task, give it to a lazy man. He will find an easier
way to do it."
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
In their lust to prove there's no God, atheists often invoke
the existence of suffering. "What kind of deity," one
asked me, "allows a child in Darfur to starve to death after
seeing soldiers kill his mommy?" While I don't claim to have
the authoritative answer to that accusation, I think it's worthwhile
to consider the possibility that suffering is a gift God gives
us in order to prod our evolution. On a personal level, your longing
to escape your suffering is a primal force in making you 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 radical commitment to create a world in which future Darfurs
won't happen. These are worthy ideas for you to meditate on in
the coming weeks. You will have a tremendous capacity to convert
your old wounds, as well as the old wounds of others, into brilliant
opportunities.
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
I hope you've been trying to bolster your stick-to-it-iveness,
Aries. I trust you've been pumping up your follow-through and
supercharging your determination. If you haven't been attending
to this unglamorous yet heroic work, play catch-up. Your final
exam will be administered no later than May 24. Here's a sneak
preview of some of the material you'll be tested on. If a teammate
drops the ball, do you: a. quit the game; b. throw the ball in
your teammate's face; c. pick up the ball and start running in
the direction your teammate was supposed to?
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HOMEWORK:
What's the most important thing you've never done? Testify by
going to FreeWillAstrology.com
and clicking on "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,
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Astrology column, and Free Will
Astrology website. We reserve
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Requests for anonymity will be
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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
2008 Rob Brezsny
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