In Praise of the Gorgeous Turmoil

The Magnificently Unbearable Sublime Chaos

Art by Indigenous Australian artist Wingu Tingima

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In Praise of the Gorgeous Turmoil

To be alive on Earth is to inhabit a poignant, astonishing, confounding paradox.

The same world that breaks our heart with injustice also staggers us with beauty. The body that will betray us with pain, age, and illness is also the instrument of every pleasure and embrace.

We are trapped in time and blessed with consciousness. This cursed exaltation is simultaneously the cruelest joke and the most extravagant gift.

One of my ways of managing the impossibly wondrous enigma is to conjure up names for it. I stitch together poetic and wayward strings of words like prayer beads, fashioning phrases that acknowledge both the outlandish burden and the exquisite privilege of incarnation.

There’s magic in the naming. When I call this realm of ours “The Breathing Bleeding Beautiful Mess” or “The Glorious Carnage of Conscious Aliveness,” I’m not trying to solve the riddle or keep it at a distance. I’m welcoming and exulting in the home we all share.

The designations I offer below are love letters: The Sacred Welter of Resplendent Turmoil; The Blessed Turbulence of Confounding Splendor; The Resplendent Confusion of Marvelous Mayhem; The Shimmering Shambles of Magic Mayhem.

Each phrase is a burst of recognition that being mortal, blissful, vulnerable, grateful, confused, heartbroken, and astounded isn’t a problem to be fixed but a condition to be celebrated with gleeful, resilient ingenuity.

When we name the exalted havoc, we claim it. We say yes to the sacred jumble of beauty and bewilderment. We exult in the absurdly awesome tangle of grief and rapture. We welcome every spectacular, terrible, miraculous minute of the glittering disarray we call home.

This is fierce consecration: treating our luminous agonies and delightful ordeals not as afflictions to transcend but as prodigious treasures to be squeezed for every drop of meaning, pleasure, connection, and reverent revelry they contain.

So here’s my toast to the magnificent struggle of mortal radiance. Here’s to naming it, claiming it, and diving deeper into the wild heartbeat of the lyrical tumult with determination, humor, and unreasonable hope.

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I encourage you to send me some of your own Paradox Blessings. Below are some of mine.

The Sacred Welter of Resplendent Turmoil

The Blessed Turbulence of Confounding Splendor

The Gorgeous Confusion of Marvelous Mayhem

The Shimmering Mess of Magic Bedlam

The Wild Tenderness of Everyday Pandemonium

The Joyous Torment Blooming Everywhere

The Glittering Snarl of Jumbled Jubilation

The Ecstatic Tumult of Convulsive Aliveness

The Bewildering Miracle of Broken Perfection

The Holy Confusion of Exquisite Torment

The Luminous Agony of Wondrous Embodiment

The Fevered Grace of the Glittering Shambles

The Magnificently Unbearable Blast of Sublime Chaos

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Addendum: In Praise of the Sublime, Stupendous Privilege

To be a human being is a great privilege and honor. It’s not a burden to be escaped or denigrated, but a treasure to be cherished and used with maximum glee and relish.

Poet John Keats called this startling place we live in “the vale of soul-making.” It’s a forge, a classroom, a crucible, a sometimes-brutal apprenticeship in becoming more awake and more real.

It’s also a playground, a banquet, and a wild improvisational theater where consciousness gets to experiment with trillions of textures and moods.

To be here at all is an astonishing blessing, even on the days when it hurts: to be entrusted with a body that carries out routine miracles every minute of every day; to wield the improbable magic of consciousness; to ramble through our mysterious destiny packed with epic storylines; and to never cease marveling as we meander through WHAT THE HELL IS THIS GLORIOUS EPIC UPROAR?

We weren’t summoned into a spa. We were invited into a raucous, demanding, unpredictable ArtRitualGame that in my view is the most fantastic gift available in this or any universe.

And since we’re participants, not spectators, the proper response to such a staggering privilege is to reciprocate: to offer beauty back to the swirling, throbbing masterpiece, to tilt our hearts toward praise and celebration even as we mend, grieve, joke, and stumble.

Every breath is an act of collaboration with the universe’s dreaming; every kindness is a way of keeping the world’s vast conversation vibrant. We are apprentices in creation, trading astonishment with trees and tides and the invisible intelligences that sculpt time.

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Art: Jaime Ibarra

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FOLLOW YOUR BLISS . . . AND FOLLOW YOUR BLISTERS, TOO

When I was a young starving artist, I heeded the counsel of mythologist Joseph Campbell, who advised seekers like me to “to follow your bliss.”

He implied that if we find out what we love to do and devote ourselves to that captivating assignment with zeal and imagination, we will ultimately live our best life possible.

In his later years, Campbell worried that too many people had misinterpreted “follow your bliss” to mean “do what comes easily.” That’s all wrong, he said. Anything worth doing takes work and struggle. He added, “Maybe I should have said ‘follow your blisters.’”

There was another misunderstanding that plagued Campbell’s wisdom. Many people mistakenly believed he had said, “Follow your bliss and the money will eventually come.”

But he never said that. Yes, he suggested that helpers and opportunities would most likely appear as we pursue the dreams that give us joy and meaning. But he never implied riches would flow our way.

Luckily for me, I was following my blisters as well as my bliss right from the beginning. I was disciplined, persistent, and indefatigable in my dedication to learning how best to express my creativity.

Also luckily, I wasn’t under the illusion that following where the muses led me would necessarily earn me a decent living. I was prepared to live in poverty if that was the price for my dogged fervor.

And I did live in poverty for over 18 years. Though that was an ordeal, the far more important fact was that I was always in love with the world. My adoration for the life I was given never wavered.

And then came a surprising, almost miraculous breakthrough phase when my astrology column began to garner wide syndication. I could hardly believe that so much grace flowed my way, though I had strenuously paved the way for it.

Since then, I’ve never gotten rich, but I’ve earned enough money to have a family and raise a daughter. These days, I drive my 18-year-old 2008 Honda Element, live in a rental house as I always have, and rarely buy new clothes. But I’m ecstatic that I have enough revenue to hire the artists and editors who have helped me edit and design the eleven books I’ve been working on and plan to self-publish during the next 18 months.

I love writing the “Free Will Astrology” column and hope to continue to do so for many years. It’s an ever-fresh inspiration for me, constantly challenging in all the best ways, and a joy to share with so many readers who appreciate it.

It’s also the main way I earn a living.

All this is my way of saying I was wildly gratified that many of you newsletter readers responded to my plea in last week’s edition to become paid subscribers. Thank you!

If you’d like to review that previous newsletter, it’s here: tinyurl.com/HealingReadiness

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Art by Evan Ingersoll and Gael McGill

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Check out my YouTube channel: youtube.com/@BeautyAndTruthLab

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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

Week of February 12

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Poet Mary Oliver asked her readers, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” This Valentine season, I propose a collaborative version of this prod: Ask those you care for to help you answer Oliver’s question, and offer to help them answer it for themselves. Now is an excellent time to act on the truth that vibrant intimacy involves the two of you inspiring each other to fulfill your highest callings. Do whatever it takes to make both of you braver and bolder as you learn more about who you are meant to be.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Can you care for stressed people without making it your duty to rescue them? Can you offer support without being taken advantage of? I hope so, Pisces. Life is inviting you to be more skilled about expressing your love without compromising your own interests. How? First, offer affection without signing up for endless service. Second, don’t let your empathy blur into entanglement. Third, monitor your urge to care so it doesn’t weaken your sovereignty. Your gift for soothing others’ struggles evokes my deep respect, but it’s most effective when it’s subtle and relaxed. Give people room to carry out their own necessary work.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): “The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them,” wrote Ernest Hemingway. This Valentine season, I propose you experiment with his approach. Take a smart risk with people who have shown glimmers of reliability but whom you haven’t fully welcomed. Don’t indulge in reckless credulity, just courageous and discerning openness. Be vulnerable enough to discover what further connection might bloom if you lead with faith rather than suspicion. Your willingness to believe in someone’s better nature may help bring it forth.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Taurus singer Barbra Streisand addressed her legendary perfectionism. She said that truly interesting intimacy became available for her only after she showed her dear allies her full array of selves, not just her shiny, polished side. In alignment with astrological omens, I encourage you to experiment with the daring art of unfinished revelation. Let the people you care for witness you in the midst of becoming. Share your uncertainties, your half-formed thoughts, and your works in progress. Surprise! Your flaws may prove as endearing as your achievements.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Author Anaïs Nin wrote, “Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.” I believe this understanding of camaraderie should be at the heart of most Geminis’ destinies. It’s your birthright and your potential superpower to seek connections with people who inspire you to think thoughts and feel feelings you would never summon by yourself. You have an uncanny knack for finding allies and colleagues who help you unveil and express more of your total self. Now is a good time to tap further into these blessings.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Poet David Whyte said that “heartbreak is unpreventable.” It’s “the natural outcome of caring for people and things over which we have no control.” But here’s the redemptive twist: Your capacity to feel heartbreak proves you have loved well. Your shaky aches are emblems of your courageous readiness to risk closeness and be deeply affected. So let’s celebrate your tender heart not despite its vulnerability but because of it. You should brandish your sensitivity as a superpower.

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If you would like to support my work, please consider:

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LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Choreographer Twyla Tharp said she fell in love with her husband partly because “he was the only person who didn’t seem impressed by me.” I will extrapolate from that to draw this conclusion: Our most valuable allies might show their most rigorous respect by seeing us clearly. This Valentine season, Leo, I invite you to test the hypothesis that being thoroughly known and understood is more crucial than being regularly praised and flattered. Enrich your connections with the perceptive souls who love you not for your highlight reel but for your raw, genuine self.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The famously kind and caring author Anne Lamott confessed, “I thought such awful thoughts that I cannot even say them out loud because they would make Jesus want to drink gin straight out of the cat dish.” That’s a liberating insight. She revealed that even kind, caring people like her harbor messy internal chaos. This Valentine season, Virgo, I dare you to share a few of your less-than-noble thoughts with soulful characters whom you trust will love you no matter what. Let them see that your goodness coexists with your salty imperfections. Maybe you could even playfully highlight the rough and rugged parts of you for their entertainment value. What’s the goal? To deepen spirited togetherness.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): How do we eagerly and daringly merge our fortunes with another person while maintaining our sovereign selfhood? How do we cultivate interesting togetherness without suppressing or diluting our idiosyncratic beauty? In some respects, this is a heroic experiment that seems almost impossible. In other respects, it’s the best work on the planet for anyone who’s brave enough to attempt it. Luckily for you Libras, this is potentially one of your superpowers. And now is an excellent time to take your efforts to the next level of heartful grittiness.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Here’s a quote by the character Carrie Bradshaw from the TV show Sex and the City: “The most exciting, challenging, and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you can find someone to love the you that you love, that’s fabulous.” I invite you to make this a prime meditation, Scorpio. To begin, get extra inspired by your own mysterious beauty: captivated by your own depths, fascinated by your mysterious contradictions, and delighted by your urge for continual transformation. The next step is to identify allies and potential allies who appreciate the strange magnificence you treasure in yourself. Who devoutly wants you to fulfill your genuine, idiosyncratic soul’s code? Spend the coming weeks enriching your connections with these people.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): This Valentine season, I propose that you infuse your intimate life with a fun dose of playful curiosity. Visualize your beloved allies, both current and potential, as unfolding mysteries rather than solved puzzles. Ask them provocative questions you’ve never thought to ask before. Wonder aloud about their simmering dreams and evolving philosophies. (Brezsny’s Togetherness Rule #1: When you think you’ve figured someone out completely, the relationship withers.) In fact, let’s make this one of your assignments for the next five months: Heighten and nurture your nosiness about the beautiful people you love. Treat each conversation as an expedition into unexplored territory. (Brezsny’s Togetherness Rule #2: A great way to stoke their passion for you and your passion for them is to believe there’s always more to discover about each other.)

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Ecologists studying symbiosis know that successful partnerships aren’t always between similar organisms. Some bonds link the fortunes of radically different creatures, like clownfish and sea anemones or oxpeckers and buffalo. Each supplies resources or protection the other lacks, often assuring they live more successfully together than they would on their own. This is useful information for you right now. At least one of the allies you need looks nothing like you. Their genius is orthogonal to yours, or they have skills you don’t. The blend may not be comfortable, but I bet it’s the precise intelligence you need to achieve what you can’t accomplish alone.

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