Imagine Feeling Healthy & Secure & Happy
It won't hurt to try!
GAZING INTO THE ABYSS OF HAPPINESS
More and more creative people find they do their best work when they're feeling healthy and secure.
We know writers who no longer need to be drunk or in agony in order to shed the numbness of their daily routine and tap into the full powers of their imagination.
We have filmmaker friends whose best work flows not from the depths of alienated self-doubt but rather from the heights of well-earned bliss.
Musician P. J. Harvey is the patron saint of this breed. "When I'm contented, I'm more open to receiving a lot of inspiration," she testified. "I'm most creative when I feel safe and happy."
At the Beauty and Truth Lab, we've retired the archetype of the tormented genius. We have zero attraction to books and movies and songs by depressed jerks whose work is celebrated but who treat other people abominably.
Stories about supposedly interesting creeps don't rouse our perverse fascination, because we've broken our addiction to perverse fascination.
When hearing about illustrious creators who brag that they feel most stimulated when they're angry or miserable, we unleash the Official Beauty and Truth Lab Histrionic Yawn.
•
Sadly, many storytellers and artists are still addicted to the old delusions about the risks of good mental health. Even those who don't view peace of mind as a threat to their creative power often believe that it's a rare commodity attainable only through dumb luck.
"One cannot divine nor forecast the conditions that will make happiness," said novelist Willa Cather. "One only stumbles upon them by chance, in a lucky hour, at the world's end somewhere."
There is another obstacle to overthrowing the status quo. Oppressively nice, indiscriminately optimistic, sentimental comfort-hoarders give happiness a bad name. They seem to justify Flaubert's mean-spirited observation that "To be stupid, selfish, and have good health are three requirements for happiness, though if stupidity is lacking, all is lost."
Here's a third blotch on the reputation of happiness: that it's mostly an absence of pain. In The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, Sogyal Rinpoche frames the issue well: "Would you prefer the happiness of scratching a mosquito bite over the happiness of not having a mosquito bite in the first place?"
•
It's possible to define a more supple variety of happiness that does not paralyze the will or sap ambition.
For the first clue about how to proceed, we turn to Buddhist researchers Rick Foster and Greg Hicks. In their book How We Choose to Be Happy: The 9 Choices of Extremely Happy People, they reveal that the number one trait of happy people is a serious determination to be happy.
Bliss is a habit you can cultivate, in other words, not an accident that you stumble upon by chance, in a lucky hour, at the world's end somewhere.
For another clue about how to conjure up a kind of happiness that does not anesthetize the soul, we call on Kenneth Koch. Here's what he wrote about Nobel Prize-winning poet Saint-John Perse: "So many poets have the courage to look into the abyss. But Perse had the courage to look into happiness."
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
CAN WE BE HAPPY WITHOUT BEING RICH?
The Maasai people of Kenya don't have running water, toilets, or electricity, and their per capita income is $300 a year. They use cattle dung as plaster in building their homes because the scent helps repel lions, which dislike it, from venturing too close.
And yet they are as happy with their lives as Forbes' magazine's "400 richest Americans" are with theirs—even though the latter may live in 10,000-square-foot palaces with stained glass windows, French patio doors, limestone kitchen counter tops, spas, wine cellars, and Olympic-sized swimming pools.
This assertion comes from "Beyond Money: Toward an Economy of Well-Being," a report done by psychologists Ed Diener and Martin E. P. Seligman.
On a scale of 1 to 7, where 1 is "extremely dissatisfied," 4 is "neutral," and 7 means "extremely satisfied," the Maasai, the Inuit of northern Greenland, and the wealthiest Americans all scored 5.8.
Paupers scratching out a livelihood in the slums of Calcutta registered a score of 4.6, while international college students and the Amish of Illinois weighed in at 4.9.
Citing 150 other studies in their work, Diener and Seligman conclude that economic factors are not necessarily correlated with happiness levels, especially in the developed world.
+
Meanwhile, according to the World Values Survey, published in New Scientist magazine, Nigerians are the happiest people on the planet, although 60 percent of them live below the poverty line.
The next four populations at the top of the list are Mexicans, Venezuelans, Salvadorans, and Puerto Ricans. On the scale of the planet's wealthiest places, they rank 63rd, 64th, 101st, and 163rd, respectively.
+
To be clear, Ed Diener notes in another report that on average, rich people are happier than poor people.
He also says that cultural context is an important consideration in analyzing the relationship between financial well-being and happiness.
A homeless man in California may have more money than a Maasai cattle-herder but be less sanguine about his fate. That's because basic necessities cost more for him and he is surrounded by people who are far better off than he is.
But Diener also declares that happiness is harder to attain for those who believe money is the most important factor in feeling good.
Echoing him, the World Values Survey goes so far as to say that "the desire for material goods is actually a 'happiness suppressant,'" mirroring the Buddhist assertion that the craving for earthly riches can be the source of intense suffering.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
VERY GOOD NEWS
The rise of modernity served many extraordinary purposes, says Ken Wilber in his book A Brief History of Everything"
the rise of democracy;
the banishing of slavery in the US, Brazil, France, Denmark, Mexico;
the emergence of liberal feminism;
the differentiation of art and science and morality;
the widespread emergence of empirical sciences;
an increase in average life span of almost three decades;
the introduction of relativity and perspectivism in art and morals and science;
the move from ethnocentric to worldcentric morality;
and the undoing of dominator social hierarchies.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
GROSS NATIONAL HAPPINESS
Calculated annually, the Gross National Product (GNP) is the standard by which countries gauge their prosperity. In an age when other values are subservient to the obsession with material wealth, the GNP is in essence a measure of the current worth of the Holy Grail.
The Buddhist nation of Bhutan has rebelled against this vulgarity, proposing a different accounting system: Gross National Happiness (GNH). While it takes into consideration economic development, it also includes factors like the preservation of the environment, enrichment of the culture, and quality of governance.
Here's an example of how Bhutan has raised its GNH. Its scenic beauty could potentially generate a huge tourist industry. But strict limits have been placed on the numbers of foreign visitors, ensuring the land won't be trampled and despoiled.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
WHAT IF EVERYTHING'S ALIVE?
Yua is a term the Yupiit people of Alaska use for the spirit that inhabits all things, both animate and inanimate. A rock, for instance, has as much yua as a caribou, spruce tree, or human being, and therefore merits the same measure of compassion.
If a Yupiit goes out for a hike and spies a chunk of wood lying on a frozen river bank, she might pick it up and put it in a new position, allowing its previously hidden side to get fresh air and sun. In this way, she would bestow a blessing on the wood's yua.
(Source: Earl Shorris, "The Last Word," Harper's)
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
DO NOT BE DAUNTED
Do not be daunted by the insurmountability of the world’s grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly, now. You are not obligated to complete the work but neither are you free to abandon it.
— The Talmud
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
Dutch Milestone: Quarter-Million Pounds of Plastic Cleared From Great Pacific Garbage Patch. https://tinyurl.com/ymn2u38v
Watch a Drone Save a 14-Year-old From Drowning in Powerful Spanish Current. https://tinyurl.com/dd9td3bm
Village Tackles Speeding by Planting Thousands of Flowers Because Drivers Slow Down as They Pass By. https://tinyurl.com/4n6muxfn
Best Friends Have Met in a Photo Booth Every 5 Years Since They Were Ten—Now It’s their 50th Anniversary. https://tinyurl.com/3x47sn26
+
For a lot more pronoiac resources and ideas, read my book Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings
Available at Bookshop.org: https://tinyurl.com/548hp8y8
Available at Powells: https://bit.ly/PowellsPronoia
Available at Barnes & Noble: https://tinyurl.com/PronoiaBN
Available at Amazon: https://bit.ly/Pronoia
A free preview of the book is available here: https://tinyurl.com/PronoiaPreview
+
Please tell me your own nominations for PRONOIA RESOURCES: Truthrooster@gmail.com.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
SIGN UP!
I have made it possible for subscribers to my newsletter to pay a subscription fee to me for my newsletter, BUT ONLY IF THEY WANT TO AND CAN AFFORD TO!
I have offered my astrology newsletter free of charge for the past 22 years, and I will continue to do so for the next 22 years at least.
If, however, you are sufficiently prosperous and feel comfortable about donating money to me, I welcome it. Please know, though: I am TOTALLY FINE if you don't donate.
Sign up here: Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com
+
P.S.: No pressure, though! I understand that some of you don't have enough money yourself, and it wouldn't make sense for you to give some to me.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Week beginning August 11
Copyright 2022 by Rob Brezsny
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): One of the inspiring experiments I hope you will attempt in the coming months is to work on loving another person as wildly and deeply and smartly as you love yourself. In urging you to try this exercise, I don't mean to imply that I have a problem with you loving yourself wildly and deeply and smartly. I endorse your efforts to keep increasing the intensity and ingenuity with which you adore and care for yourself. But here's a secret: Learning to summon a monumental passion for another soul may have the magic power of enhancing your love for yourself.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Musician Viv Albertine has recorded four albums and played guitar for the Slits, a famous punk band. She has also written two books and worked as a TV director for 20 years. Her accomplishments are impressive. Yet she also acknowledges that she has spent a lot of time in bed for many reasons: needing to rest, seeking refuge to think and meditate, recovering from illness, feeling overwhelmed or lonely or sad. She admiringly cites other creative people who, like her, have worked in their beds: Emily Dickinson, Patti Smith, Edith Sitwell, and Frida Kahlo. I mention this, Virgo, because the coming days will be an excellent time for you to seek sanctuary and healing and creativity in bed.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Libran author Katherine Mansfield wrote, "The mind I love must have wild places, a tangled orchard where dark damsons drop in the heavy grass, an overgrown little wood, the chance of a snake or two, and a pool that nobody’s fathomed the depth of." Be inspired by her in the coming weeks, Libra. I suspect you will flourish if you give yourself the luxury of exploring your untamed side. The time is ripe to wander in nature and commune with exciting influences outside your comfort zone. What uncharted frontier would you enjoy visiting?
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): When you are functioning at your best, you Scorpios crave only the finest, top-quality highs. You embrace joys and pleasures that generate epiphanies and vitalizing transformations. Mediocre varieties of fun don't interest you. You avoid debilitating indulgences that provide brief excitement but spawn long-term problems. In the coming weeks, dear Scorpio, I hope you will embody these descriptions. It's crucial that you seek gratifications and delectations that uplift you, ennoble you, and bless your future.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): "Wish on everything," advises Sagittarian author Francesca Lia Block. "Pink cars are good, especially old ones. And first stars and shooting stars. Planes will do if they are the first light in the sky and look like stars. Wish in tunnels, holding your breath and lifting your feet off the ground. Birthday candles. Baby teeth." Your homework during the next two weeks, Sagittarius, is to build a list of further marvels that you will wish on. It's the Magic Wish season of the year for you: a time when you're more likely than usual to encounter and generate miracles. Be proactive! Oh, and very important: What are your three top wishes?
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Author Aldous Huxley wrote, "That people do not learn much from the lessons of history is the most important lesson that history has to teach." While his observation is true much of the time, I don't think it will be so for you in the coming weeks. I suspect you will triumph over past patterns that have repeated and repeated themselves. You will study your life story and figure out what you must do to graduate from lessons you have finally, completely learned.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
EXTRA BONUS SUPPORT
Factual information and reasonable thinking alone are not sufficient to guide you through life’s labyrinthine tests. You need and deserve regular deliveries of uncanny revelation.
One of your inalienable rights as a human should therefore be to receive mysteriously useful omens on a regular basis. In this spirit, I offer you the free weekly horoscopes you read here.
If you ever want more, try my EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES. They're four-to-five-minute meditations on the current state of your destiny and where you're headed.
I also create SUNBURSTS, daily text message horoscopes.
To listen to your Expanded Audio Horoscope or order SUNBURSTS, go to https://RealAstrology.com
Register and/or log in through the main page.
+
The cost for the Audio Horoscopes is $7 per sign. (Discounts are available for bulk purchases.)
+
"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
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In the film I Origins, a scientist says this to a lover: "When the Big Bang happened, all the atoms in the universe were smashed together into one little dot that exploded outward. So my atoms and your atoms were together then . . . my atoms have always known your atoms." Although this sounds poetic, it's true in a literal sense: The atoms that compose you and me and everyone else were originally all squeezed together in a tiny space. We knew each other intimately! The coming days will be an excellent time to celebrate your fundamental link with the rest of the universe. You'll be extra receptive to feeling connection. You'll be especially adept at fitting your energy together with others'. You'll love the sensation of being united, merged, blended.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): My Piscean friend Luna sent me a message that sums up how I feel about you these days. I'll repeat it here in the hope it will inspire you to be perfectly yourself. Luna said, "Every time I meet someone who was born within like two weeks of my birthday, I end up with the impression that they are the loopiest and wisest person I've met in a long time. They are totally ridiculous and worthy of profound respect. They are unhinged and brilliantly focused. They are fuzzy-headed dreamers who couldn't possibly ever get anything practical accomplished and they are lyrical thinkers who charm me with their attunement to the world's beauty and impress me with their understanding of how the world works. Hahahahaha. Luckily for me, I know the fool is sacred."
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Tips to get the most out of the coming weeks: 1. Exercise your willpower at random moments just to keep it limber. 2. Be adept at fulfilling your own hype. 3. Argue for fun. Be playful and frisky as you banter. Disagree for the sport of it, without feeling attached to being right or needing the last word. 4. Be unable to understand how anyone can resist you or not find you alluring. 5. Declare yourself President of Everything, then stage a coup d'état. 6. Smile often when you have no reason to. 7. If you come upon a "square peg, round hole" situation, change the shape of the hole.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): If I had to choose a mythic deity to be your symbolic helper, I would pick Venus. The planet Venus is ruler of your sign, and the goddess Venus is the maven of beauty and love, which are key to your happiness. But I would also assign Hephaestus to you Tauruses. He was the Greek god of the metalworking forge. He created Zeus's thunderbolts, Hermes' winged helmet, Aphrodite's magic bra, Achilles' armor, Eros' bow and arrows, and the thrones for all the deities in Olympus. The things he made were elegant and useful. I nominate him to be your spirit guide during the next ten months. May he inspire you to be a generous source of practical beauty.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): To be a true Gemini, you must yearn for knowledge—whether it's about coral reefs, ancient maps of Sumer, sex among jellyfish, mini-black holes, your friends' secrets, or celebrity gossip. You need to be an eternal student who craves education. Are some things more important to learn than others? Of course, but that gauge is not always apparent in the present. A seemingly minor clue or trick you glean today may become unexpectedly helpful a month from now. With that perspective in mind, I encourage you to be promiscuous in your lust for new information and teachings in the coming weeks.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Cancerian drummer Ringo Starr is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Though he has received less acclaim than his fellow Beatles, many critics recognize him as a skillful and original drummer. How did he get started? At age 13, he contracted tuberculosis and lived in a sanatorium for two years. The medical staff encouraged him to join the hospital band, hoping it would stimulate his motor skills and alleviate boredom. Ringo used a makeshift mallet to bang the cabinet near his bed. Good practice! That's how his misfortune led to his joy and success. Is there an equivalent story in your life, Cancerian? The coming months will be a good time to take that story to its next level.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Homework: Imagine what you will be doing exactly one year from today. Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
NEED TO CHANGE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS?
To join or leave the email list for this newsletter, or to change the address where you receive it, go to:
If my newsletters don't reach your inbox, look in your "Bulk Mail" or "Junk Mail" folder.
P.S. I totally respect your privacy. I'll never sell or give away your address to anyone.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Submissions sent to Rob Brezsny's Astrology 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 submissions for length, style, and content.
Requests for anonymity will be honored. We are not responsible for unsolicited submission of any creative material.
Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright 2022 Rob Brezsny
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Loved listening to Gazing into the Abyss of Happiness. Your voice added a whole new dimension. Nice touch. Every day and every way you seem to get better and better. I must have really been in the mood to receive some joy, happiness and sparklings truths because this Newsletter was just one great big hug. Thank you Rob. Some much love!!!!!
The Yupiit - so happy to learn of them - these must be my people.