Let's Celebrate Our Stories

Our souls are made of stories!

My new book is for sale: ASTROLOGY IS REAL: REVELATIONS FROM MY LIFE AS A HOROSCOPE COLUMNIST.

It's a blend of a memoir, oracles for readers, and essays about the art of astrology and poetic intelligence. The eclectic tone ranges from pop to literary; from lyrical to philosophical; from critiques of hyper-rational, machine-style thinking to a celebration of the scientific method and soulful thinking.

ASTROLOGY IS REAL is a book you don’t have to read sequentially from beginning to end. You can start anywhere and read here and there, trusting your intuition to find exactly what you need, exactly when you need it.

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MY CANCER STORY

When I was diagnosed with Stage III-B colon cancer in 2016, one of my many emotional responses was confusion. I was too young to die! I had so many more books to write and so much more music to make.

Another aspect of the confusion was that I had always slept well, exercised a lot, and eaten great food: an organic Mediterranean diet.

I was scared but determined to survive. I did surgery, chemotherapy, and all the integrative medicine I could afford, like acupuncture, naturopathy, cranial sacral therapy, Chinese herbs, and many others.

Five years later, by the time the cancer was officially gone for good, I realized there had been a lucky element in getting waylaid. To my surprise, I was grateful for the gifts the ordeal blessed me with.

Being so close to death for so long had the effect of honing my compassionate understanding of life and ripening my creative powers.

It made me softer and fiercer; humbler and more confident; crazier in the best ways and more determined to do what I could to alleviate the world’s suffering.

Surviving cancer deepened my wild devotion to the playfully sacred arts of inspiration and liberation.

I don't mean to suggest it was all good, though! A lot of suffering came my way. For example, the new books I had been working on were seriously delayed. It's only recently that the first of what I hope to be 21 new books has appeared: Astrology Is Real: Revelations from My Life as an Oracle.

Two further new books should emerge by early 2024: a two-volume novel called Lucky Rivers: Book One of Love Stories for the Earth and Lucky Storms: Book Two of Love Stories for the Earth. (I am currently offering excerpts from these books for paying subscribers to my newsletter.)

If you have questions about the journey with cancer, leave comments and I'll do my best to answer them.

Further down in this newsletter, I provide a few readers' questions, along with my answers.

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No chickens were harmed during the creation of my new book, Astrology Is Real: Revelations from My Life as an Oracle. In fact, they were treated with love and tenderness.

Excerpt from the book:

WHERE DOES HELP COME FROM?

I get many requests from people who are slogging through challenging dilemmas and would like my personal advice.  

I wish I could help! The inquiries are often well thought-out and infused with emotional intelligence. I feel poignant pangs of empathy. 

Unfortunately, I can’t respond. My various projects are delightfully consuming; I can’t add further tasks, no matter how interesting they might be. But I’ve developed a response to people who seek my direct input. I offer it below. 

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Dear Beloved Champion: 

I’m honored that you regard me as a potential helper who might provide answers or solace. But it wouldn’t be responsible for me to offer advice without knowing more about the complexities of your problems. And I can’t give the time necessary to explore those complexities. 

As you seek to clarify your situation, I suggest you go on a retreat. During this time of withdrawal from the world’s madness, you would try to avoid all media and to be as silent and relaxed as possible. 

You don’t necessarily have to travel to a distant sanctuary. You can do it in your own home. And there’s no need to strive to do the retreat perfectly. Do the best you can. 

During the first part of your retreat, spend a few hours visualizing in your mind’s eye the entire story of your life, from your earliest memory to the present moment. 

During the second phase of your retreat, establish contact with the highest source of wisdom and love within you. You can call this source God or Goddess or your Guardian Angel or Higher Self. Spend luxurious time in dialogue with this source, making sure to ruminate on these questions: 

1. “What is it I want more than anything else?” 

2. “What is true about me? Who am I, really? 

3. “What is the best way to serve the mission I came to Earth to carry out? What are the best gifts I have to offer people and animals?” 

4. “What path will allow me to ultimately learn the most about wise love?” 

5. “How do I need to change so as to get what I want, carry out my life’s mission, and learn about wise love? What influences and attitudes do I need to eliminate?” 

During the third phase of the process, write a mission statement: what you want to accomplish by the time you die many years hence. Then create an overall plan of the actions you will take to fulfill that mission statement. Include three actions you will take in the next month to get more serious about accomplishing your mission. 

During the fourth phase, visualize the following scenarios in lush detail:  

• That God/Goddess/Something Very Big and Mysterious and Intelligent loves you 

• That the entire universe is conspiring to give you the lessons and blessings and kicks in the ass and liberations you need exactly when you need them  

• That you are primed and eager to welcome love and guidance  

PS: I’m a big believer in trusting your intuition. Even if it doesn’t lead you to what your ego thinks is a successful outcome, your intuition will inevitably guide you to the experiences your soul needs. 

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Below is another excerpt from Astrology is Real.

For all signs, here’s an invitation: 

Glide inward and downward even as you spiral homeward and upward.  

Keep going until you gently collide and merge with the shrewdest and craftiest and kindest source you know—call it your higher self, your holy guardian angel, the Divine Wow or Blooming HaHa, the genius of nature, or your wild luminous soul bloom gusto.  

As you are gloriously entangled there in blissful sagacity, pose this inquiry: What do I need to become aware of that I wouldn’t even know to ask about? 

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BEING AVAILABLE FOR HEALING

In my psychotherapy session this past week, I realized on a visceral level that there are some people who are in so much pain, who are so overwhelmed by their suffering — physical, mental, or emotional — that it's hard for them to be aware of, let alone welcome, certain blessings and healings that may be nearby and available.

I aspire to be a source of blessing and healing for anyone in pain who is drawn to my work. But at the same time, I never want to force my blessings and healings on anyone. I respect that some people are not yet ready for help; I honor their free will about what influence or inspiration they want to take in.

With those caveats, I pray to my spirit allies to help me find ways to gently crack open a willingness to be blessed and healed in anyone who is ready for such gifts.

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PS: Whoever is reading this: I hope that you can and will feel how much you are loved—and how much healing and how many blessings may be available to you.

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READERS’ QUESTIONS AND MY ANSWERS ABOUT MY CANCER STORY

Joanie S. writes: I was diagnosed with cancer four days ago. I am scared and am in a state of disequilibrium. After your diagnosis, is there anything you did in the first few weeks to help you move into a fighting mindset set?

Rob Brezsny: Briefly, here's what I did:

1. In meditation and visualization sessions, I gathered together my inner team of spirit helpers and discussed with them what we needed to do for me to stay alive. I also asked them to show me whether there were any valuable insights to be gained from the experience that would help me become a wiser, more compassionate soul.

2. I did meticulous research on the best possible resources I could call on from Western medicine and Integrative Medicine.

3. I gathered a team of helpers in the material realm, including a naturopath who specializes in oncology and an Integrative MD who would help me coordinate the healing efforts.

4. I resolved to be fully involved in my healing — call on expert opinions, but also, to some degree, trust my questions and intuitions and keep doing research using reliable sources.

5. I gathered potent symbols of my healing and kept them in a prominent place in my environment. One of those symbols was the Tarot Strength card.

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Kaspar T.: What healing modalities did you call on?

Rob Brezsny Surgery and chemo were essential. My meditation practice, including listening to healing guided visualizations: essential. Also very important: psychotherapy, naturopathy, Chinese herbs, acupuncture, off-label use of the diabetes drug Metformin, vigorous exercise, the best possible food, and a variety of supplements, including IV Vitamin C, green tea, sulfuraphane, and others.

This audio CD was helpful to me during the time I got chemo: A Guided Meditation to Help with Chemotherapy — Guided imagery and Affirmations to Reduce Anxiety and the Side Effects of Cancer Treatment by Belleruth Naparstek.

Belleruth Naparstek has other great guided visualization CDs, as well.

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Judy V.: What did you find most comforting from your loved ones when you were unwell?

Rob Brezsny: When they told me they loved me and told me why they loved me and told me why they wanted me to keep living.

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Dear Readers: I will conclude by saying that each person's cancer relationship is unique. If you are dealing with cancer, what worked for me may or may not work for you. Don't take what I have said here as authoritative medical advice.

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To read my thoughts and feelings in response to the ongoing tragedy in the Middle East, GO HERE.

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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

For This Perfect Moment

© Copyright 2023  Rob Brezsny

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Who would have guessed that elephants can play the drums really well? On a trip to Thailand, Scorpio musician Dave Soldier discovered that if given sticks and drums, some elephants kept a steadier beat than humans. A few were so talented that Soldier recorded their rhythms and played them for a music critic who couldn’t tell they were created by animals. In accordance with astrological omens, I propose that you Scorpios seek out comparable amazements. You now have the potential to make unprecedented discoveries.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Sagittarian novelist Shirley Jackson wrote, "No live organism can continue for long to exist under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids dream." Since she wrote that, scientists have gathered evidence that almost all animals dream and that dreaming originated at least 300 million years ago. With that as our inspiration and in accordance with astrological omens, I urge you to enjoy an intense period of tapping into your dreams. To do so will help you escape from absolute reality. It will also improve your physical and mental health and give you unexpected clues about how to solve problems.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Capricorn writer Kahlil Gibran believed an essential human longing is to be revealed. We all want the light in us to be taken out of its hiding place and shown. If his idea is true about you, you will experience major cascades of gratification in the coming months. I believe you will be extra expressive. And you will encounter more people than ever before who are interested in knowing what you have to express. To prepare for the probable breakthroughs, investigate whether you harbor any fears or inhibitions about being revealed—and dissolve them.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): November is Build Up Your Confidence Month. In the coming weeks, you are authorized to snag easy victories as you steadily bolster your courage to seek bigger, bolder triumphs. As much as possible, put yourself in the vicinity of people who respect you and like you. If you suspect you have secret admirers, encourage them to be less secretive. Do you have plaques, medals, or trophies? Display them prominently. Or visit a trophy store and have new awards made for you to commemorate your unique skills—like thinking wild thoughts, pulling off one-of-a-kind adventures, and inspiring your friends to rebel against their habits.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): I’m glad we have an abundance of teachers helping us learn how to be here now—to focus on the present moment with gratitude and grace. I love the fact that books on the art of mindfulness are now almost as common as books about cats and cooking. Yay! But I also want to advocate for the importance of letting our minds wander freely. We need to celebrate the value and power of NOT always being narrowly zeroed in on the here and now. We can’t make intelligent decisions unless we ruminate about what has happened in the past and what might occur in the future. Meandering around in fantasyland is key to discovering new insights. Imaginative ruminating is central to the creative process. Now please give your mind the privilege of wandering far and wide in the coming weeks, Pisces.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): "Our bodies sometimes serve as the symbolic ground where order and disorder fight for supremacy," writes storyteller Caroline Kettlewell. Here's good news, Aries: For you, order will triumph over disorder in the coming weeks. In part through your willpower and in part through life's grace, you will tame the forces of chaos and enjoy a phase when most everything makes sense. I don't mean you will have zero problems, but I suspect you will have an enhanced power to solve problems. Your mind and heart will coordinate their efforts with exceptional flair.

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MY ADDITIONAL ASTROLOGICAL SERVICES

Contrary to what some horoscope fans believe, there’s no such thing as predestination. Fate is a tricky, wiggly sucker that keeps changing its inclination about where it wants to go. Your willpower has a role to play in that drama. As the astrological saying goes, “The stars may impel, but they don’t compel.”

That’s why I’ve never really considered myself a fortuneteller. I prefer to think that my service is as a psychic intelligence agent, helping you expose the hidden patterns and unconscious forces that may be affecting your life without your knowledge. If I “predict” anything, it’s not so much the future as the missing part of the present.

If you would like to call on my other astrological help, beyond these written horoscopes, consider buyong my EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES and/or SUNBURSTS, Daily Text Message Horoscopes.

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TAURUS (April 20-May 20): I recently endured a three-hour root canal. Terrible and unfortunate, right? No! Because it brought profound joy. The endodontist gave me nitrous oxide, and the resulting euphoria unleashed a wild epiphany. For the duration of the surgery, I had vivid visions of all the people in my life who love me. I felt their care. I was overwhelmed with the kindness they felt for me. Never before had I been blessed with such a blissful gift.Now, in accordance with your astrological omens, I invite you to induce a similar experience—no nitrous oxide needed. It's a perfect time to meditate on how well you are appreciated and needed and cherished.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Unless you are very unusual, you don’t sew your clothes or grow your food. You didn’t build your house, make your furniture, or forge your cooking utensils. Like most of us, you know little about how water and electricity arrive for your use. Do you have any notion of what your grandparents were doing when they were your age? Have you said a prayer of gratitude recently for the people who have given you so much? I don’t mean to put you on the spot with my questions, Gemini. I’m merely hoping to inspire you to get into closer connection with everything that nourishes and sustains you. Honor the sources of your energy. Pay homage to your foundations.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Cancerian singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega has had a modest but sustained career. With nine albums, she has sold over three million records, but is not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She has said, "I always thought that if I were popular, I must be doing something wrong." I interpret that to mean she has sought to remain faithful to her idiosyncratic creativity and not pay homage to formulaic success. But here's the good news for you in the coming months, fellow Cancerian: You can be more appreciated than ever before simply by being true to your soul's inclinations and urges.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): "Everything in the world has a hidden meaning," wrote Greek author Nikos Kazantzakis. Did he really mean everything? Your dream last night, your taste in shoes, your favorite TV show, the way you laugh? As a fun experiment, let's say that yes, everything has a hidden meaning. Let's also hypothesize that the current astrological omens suggest you now have a special talent for discerning veiled and camouflaged truths. We will further propose that you have an extraordinary power to penetrate beyond surface appearances and home in on previously unknown and invisible realities. Do you have the courage and determination to go deeper than you have ever dared? I believe you do.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): How many glowworms would have to gather in one location to make a light as bright as the sun? Probably over a trillion. And how many ants would be required to carry away a 15-pound basket of food? I’m guessing over 90,000. Luckily for you, the cumulative small efforts you need to perform so as to accomplish big breakthroughs won’t be nearly that high a number. For instance, you may be able to take a quantum leap after just six baby steps.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In the 17^th century, John Milton wrote a long narrative poem titled Paradise Lost. I’ve never read it and am conflicted about the prospect of doing so. On one hand, I feel I should engage with a work that has had such a potent influence on Western philosophy and literature. On the other hand, I’m barely interested in Milton’s story, which includes boring conversations between God and Satan and the dreary tale of how God cruelly exiled humans from paradise because the first man, Adam, was mildly rebellious. So what should I do? I’ve decided to read the *Cliffs Notes* study guide about *Paradise Lost*, a brief summary of the story. In accordance with astrological omens, I suggest you call on similar shortcuts, Libra. Here’s your motto: if you can’t do the completely right thing, try the partially right thing.