Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter
NOVEMBER 18, 2009
FreeWillAstrology.com
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"You need regular doses of unreasonable beauty, sublime
anomalies, beguiling ephemera, and inexplicable joys."
- PRONOIA Is the Antidote for Paranoia
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The revised and expanded version of my book PRONOIA IS THE
ANTIDOTE FOR PARANOIA is available at Amazon: tinyurl.com/lxpnyt
Go to Youtube and watch me give some pep talks and crazed lectures,
drawn from material in the book. Here's a page with links to many
of the videos: tinyurl.com/lyr99n
Or for instant gratification:
Glory in the Highest
A Spell to Re-Genius Yourself,
Part One
A Spell to Re-Genius Yourself,
Part Two
Evil Is Boring
Pronoia News Network
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Now here's an excerpt from the book.
Many visionaries and prophets expect there to be a huge and sudden
shift in the world's story sometime soon. Whether it happens on
December 21, 2012 or a later date, a sizable proportion of them
even predict that it will be "in the twinkling of an eye"
-- a sudden cascade of events that completely changes everything
everywhere.
Some 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. 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 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.
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
HAD ENOUGH OF FAIL?
Succeed Blog
A collection of the world's most epic, awesome, mind-blowing Succeeds.
succeedblog.org
I'LL MEET YOU WHERE SPIRITUALITY AND ACTIVISM COLLABORATE
Networks of Grace: A Guide to Sacred Activism by Andrew
Harvey
tinyurl.com/yldafwg
YOU NEED SPLASHES OF BEAUTY EVERY DAY
The World's Best Microscope Photography
tinyurl.com/yje5zym
(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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Become a fan of my Facebook page here: tinyurl.com/nkay2n
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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Week beginning November 19
Copyright 2009 by Rob Brezsny
FreeWillAstrology.com
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
Have you resolved every last detail of your unfinished business?
Have you tied up the loose ends, flushed out the lingering delusions,
and said your final goodbyes to the old ways and old days? "Yes,"
you say? You're absolutely positive? Well then, it is with a deep
sense of pleasure and relief that I hereby unbound you and unleash
you. You are officially cleared for take-off into the wild blue
yonder or the fizzy red vortex or the swirling green amazement,
whichever you prefer.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
"There is a saying that when the student is ready, the teacher
appears," writes Clarissa Pinkola Estes in her book Women
Who Run with the Wolves. But the magic of that formula may
not unfold with smooth simplicity, she says: "The teacher
comes when the soul, not the ego, is ready. The teacher comes
when the soul calls, and thank goodness -- for the ego is never
fully ready." I'd love it if the information I just provided
encouraged you to feel right at home with the jarring yet nurturing
lessons that are on the way.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
In the ancient Greek epic poems the Iliad and the Odyssey, the
nature of the psyche was portrayed differently from the way it
is today. It was understood that people received information directly
from the gods -- not as vague feelings or abstract guesswork,
but rather in the form of actual voices. In other words, divine
beings spoke directly to human beings. These days that's regarded
as crazy; witness the incredulous reactions that most smart people
had when George W. Bush said God personally told him to invade
Iraq. With that as subtext, I'm going to prophesy that a deity
will soon have a message for you. Be careful, though. An imposter
may also slip you tips that you'd best ignore. How to tell the
difference? The real thing won't make you feel inflated or urge
you to cause harm.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
In the coming week, keep a lookout for invisible snakes, pretend
ghosts, and illusory dragons. Be prepared to gaze upon gruff displays
that are no threat to you and hints of fermenting chaos that will
never materialize. In other words, Pisces, your subconscious mind
may be prone to conjuring up imaginary problems that have little
basis in reality. I exhort you to fling them aside like a superhero
brushing off toy monsters.
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
"A chief event of life is the day in which we have encountered
a mind that startled us," wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson. My wish
for you, Aries, is that you will have many such days in the coming
weeks. In fact, I hope that you will be blessed over and over
again with the hair-raising thrill of having your imagination
pricked, causing it to half-blossom, half-explode. To get the
most out of the fantastic possibilities, set aside any tendency
you might have to be a know-it-all, and instead open up your heart's
mind and your mind's heart as wide and deep as they will go.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
In the beginning of his career, poet Linh Dinh loved to stay
up late and write, sometimes riding a creative surge till dawn.
The power of the darkness unleashed a stark fertility. He was
free to think thoughts that were harder to invoke during the bright
hours when hordes of wide-awake people were pouring their chattering
thoughts out into the soup. Dinh's habits changed as he aged,
though, in part because he got married and chose to keep more
regular hours. But his early imprint has stayed alive inside him.
"Now I can write at any time of the day," he says, "because
I always carry the night inside of me." In accordance with
your astrological omens, Taurus, I'm making that your prescription
for the coming week: Carry the night inside you during the day.
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LISTEN TO AN EXPANDED 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.
"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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GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
Mark, a friend of mine who lives in New Jersey, sent an overnight
package via UPS to Jerry, a friend of his who lives 30 miles away
in Pennsylvania. The delivery arrived on time, so Mark was happy
with the service. But in checking the tracking information online,
he discovered a curious thing: His package was loaded onto three
different airplanes, passed through five different UPS offices,
and eventually traveled over a thousand miles in order to arrive
at Jerry's house. I expect there'll be a comparable scenario in
your world, Gemini: A wish will be fulfilled by a very circuitous
route.
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
Strictly speaking -- going purely by the astrological omens --
I conclude that you would generate amazing cosmic luck if you
translated the Beatles' song "Norwegian Wood" into Punjabi,
wore shoes made of 18th-century velvet, or tried out for a Turkish
volleyball team. I doubt you'll get it together to pull off those
exotic feats, however, so I'll also provide some second-best suggestions.
You won't receive quite as much cosmic assistance from doing them,
but you'll still benefit considerably. Here are the back-ups:
Begin planning where and when you'll take a sacred vacation in
2010; meditate on who among your current allies is most likely
to help you expand your world in the next 12 months; decide which
of your four major goals is the least crucial to pursue; and do
something dramatic to take yourself less seriously.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
The most popular hobby in my home country of America -- even
more popular than owning guns and pressing lawsuits -- is cultivating
fears. From agonizing about being lonely to ramping up paranoia
about pandemic illnesses to worrying about the collapse of the
economy, my fellow citizens love to fret. Outside the U.S., angst
accumulation ranks almost as high on the list of pastimes. Luckily,
you Leos are less likely to wallow than most of the other signs
-- especially these days. That's why I hope you'll take a leadership
role in the coming weeks, when many people will be dipping even
deeper than usual into the fetid trough of scaremongering. Please
help dispel this trend! Be your most radiant and courageous self
-- even bigger and brighter than usual.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
An article in the Online Noetics Network profiled the work of
Robert Muller, who served as Assistant Secretary-General of the
United Nations. It said that Muller is "one of the best informed
human beings on the planet," with an "encyclopedic grasp
of the facts concerning the state of the world." And yet
Muller doesn't keep up with the news as it's reported in the media.
Instead, he simply talks to people, either in person as he travels,
or on the phone, or through written correspondence. These interactions
provide him with all the understanding he needs. I recommend that
you try Muller's approach for a while, Virgo. Assume that you
can get all the information you really need by gathering first-hand
reports from people about what's actually happening in their lives.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
I think it's high time to mess with the tried and true formulas.
In order to do the most good for the most people, and to regenerate
a wounded and weak part of yourself, you simply must create some
cracks in the way things have always been done. You must push
beyond your overly safe limits. But wait! Before you plunge ahead,
make sure you understand this: If you want to break the rules
properly, you've got to study them and analyze them and learn
them inside out.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
"There's nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going
to be a butterfly," said philosopher Buckminster Fuller.
I encourage you to make that your personal motto in the coming
weeks, Scorpio. From what I can tell, you are capable of generating
a transformation that will look impossible to casual observers.
You have the power to change something that everyone said would
never change.
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HOMEWORK:
Make a guess about what you will be most proud of 15 years from
today. 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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Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright
2009 Rob Brezsny
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