Let’s choose the best possible problems

. . . since we will ALWAYS need and have problems

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Disclaimers about my work and play as an astrologer:

I don't use any version of astrology that claims some planets and some houses are "malefic."

I don't believe that planets are in "detriment" or "fall" in particular signs.

I don't regard planetary retrogrades as inherently problematic.

I don't think we should do anything differently when the moon is "void of course."

I don't treat the aspects of square and opposition as being inherently negative and troublesome.

I don't believe that solar or lunar eclipses portend peril or distress.

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There is no such thing as an inherently bad or ominous astrological configuration.

No such thing as a planetary transit that signifies destruction or doom.

No such thing as aspects in our chart that justify our fear.

All omens deserve to be interpreted in ways that provide guidance and teaching.

All omens are revelations about how to successfully wrangle with our problems, perpetrate liberation, ameliorate suffering, find redemption, and perform the tricky maneuvers and ingenious tweaks that enable us to slip free of our mind-forged manacles and discover the deeper meanings beneath our experiences.

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For more musings like those above, I recommend you read my upcoming book, ASTROLOGY IS REAL: REVELATIONS FROM MY LIFE AS A HOROSCOPE COLUMNIST.

It blends memoir, essays about astrology, and oracles for YOU, dear reader.

The book will emerge this spring. Meanwhile, I’m serializing it on Substack for paid subscribers. It’s available as a bonus newsletter every Tuesday.

This week, Part Five is available.

Read Part 1 here: https://tinyurl.com/RealAstrology1

Read Part 2 here: https://tinyurl.com/RealAstrology2

Read Part 3 here: https://tinyurl.com/RealAstrology3

Read Part 4 here: https://tinyurl.com/RealAstrology4

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Dear Readers,

I've gathered all the long-term, big-picture horoscopes I’ve written for you and bundled them in one place. Here's a compendium of your forecasts for 2023:

https://tinyurl.com/BigPicture2023

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GOOD, INTERESTING PROBLEMS

I am very much committed to diving in to the challenges and problems life brings. I know of no other more effective strategy for self-transformation than conversing with and seeking cooperation with our shadows.

In listing my astrological “Disclaimers” above, my point is that contrary to what some astrologers assert, there are no aspects or configurations that are inherently dangerous, misery-inducing, sickening, or impossible to redeem.

I also feel it's crucial to understand that there are relatively good problems and relatively bad problems: in the sense that some problems are more likely to activate our highest beauty and love, whereas some problems are more likely to demoralize and demean us. Some problems are relatively interesting and invigorating, whereas others tend to be boring and debilitating.

We will ALWAYS have problems. We NEED problems. However, we also have some power to choose the best possible problems.

When astrology is serving us best, it helps us define and engage with the best possible problems. It inspired us to redefine and reframe our challenges as redemptive opportunities—enabling us to summon the life foce necessary to use them to our advantage.

To accomplish that goal, we need to shun interpretations of astrology that diminish our free will and fill us with fear. We need to transcend small-minded versions of astrology that disempower us and weaken our resolve to live the life we want.

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We should feel excited about the problems we confront and our ability to deal with them. Solving problems is one of the highest and most sensual of all our brain functions.

—Robert Anton Wilson

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JUPITER IS THE MOON CHAMPION

Here’s the astronomy news: Jupiter has taken the crown for most moons, with a new tally of 92: https://tinyurl.com/2pau3hmk

Congratulations, dear planet! We love you! And thanks for clearing away all those wayward asteroid and comets so they don't plummet into the Earth. Much gratitude!

Yes, Jupiter literally protects Earth: https://tinyurl.com/4m5j53ya

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Here’s the astrological perspective: When we are in intense and intimate relationship with Jupiter, we are invited to risk growth and expansion; to take proactive responsibility for seeking the rich experiences that our souls long for; to aggressively enhance our lust for life and joie de vivre.

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PS: In my worldview, Jupiter is a sentient being whose 11-dimensional consciousness is too far beyond humans' perception for us to be in conscious resonance with.

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USEFUL CRITIQUES

A commenter on Facebook wrote this message to me: "Seriously .. and I say this with love ... Lately, your horoscopes have not been as great as they were in the past. 🙁"

I told her this: "I welcome any specific critiques of my work that might help me improve the service I aspire to offer. A generalized ‘I don't like what you're doing anymore’ isn't a constructive critique I can benefit from. To aid my growth as a writer and a person, please be specific about what you think has changed and how I could improve.”

I extend the same invitation to anyone reading this. Let me know how I can upgrade, refine, deepen, or polish the playful work and workful play I offer you.

If you’d like to send me useful critiques, please do so at Newsletter@FreeWillAstrology.com

Image: portrait of the artist as a young tiger

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HELP WITH TRAUMA

One of my readers addressed an inquiry to the public. She said:

Hello, community. I am looking for trauma resources: practitioners who understand and work with what is alive in the body. I know about Generative Somatics and the Strozzi Institute and Gabor Maté’s work. Any others you recommend?

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Here's what I wrote in response: In working with my own trauma, I have had good experiences with Somatic Experiencing Therapy. You can find a practitioner here: https://traumahealing.org/

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To read what other people advised about therapists and healers who work with trauma, go here: https://tinyurl.com/2p93v967

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HOPE PUNK

My work with the concept of PRONOIA has much in common with HOPEPUNK.

Alexandra Rowland writes: ”Hopepunk says that genuinely and sincerely caring about something, anything, requires bravery and strength.

“Hopepunk isn’t ever about submission or acceptance: It’s about standing up and fighting for what you believe in.

“It’s about standing up for other people. It’s about DEMANDING a better, kinder world, and truly believing that we can get there if we care about each other as hard as we possibly can, with every drop of power in our little hearts.“

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Here's an interview with Alexandra Rowland, who originated the term "hope punk": https://tinyurl.com/47ep2caj

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WILD GEESE  
by Mary Oliver

You do not have to be good.

You do not have to walk on your knees 
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.

Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.

Meanwhile the world goes on.

Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain 
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
The mountains and the rivers.

Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air, 
are heading home again.

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

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GUESS WHAT

“Guess what: God created beings not to act in a morality play but to experience what is unfathomable, to elicit what can become, to descend into the darkness of creation and reveal it to him, to mourn and celebrate enigma and possibility. The universe is a whirling dervish, not a hanging judge in robes.”

—Richard Grossinger

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LOOKING FOR CO-CONSPIRATORS

Do you vow to conspire with me to perpetrate lucid dreams and intimate empathy and revolutionary fucks and plain old everyday miracles that will overthrow the psychopathic misogynist plutocratic militarism that desecrates the ecosphere?

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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

Week of March 2

Copyright 2022 by Rob Brezsny

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Piscean author and activist W. E. B. Dubois advised us to always be willing to give up what we are. Why? Because that's how we transform into a deeper and stronger version of ourselves. I think you would benefit from using his strategy. My reading of the astrological omens tells me that you are primed to add through subtraction, to gain power by shedding what has become outworn and irrelevant. Suggested step one: Identify dispiriting self-images you can jettison. Step two: Visualize a familiar burden you could live without. Step three: Drop an activity that bores you. Step four: Stop doing something that wastes your time.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): In 1993, I began work on my memoirish novel *The Televisionary Oracle*. It took me seven years to finish. The early part of the process was tough. I generated a lot of material I didn't like. Then one day, I discovered an approach that liberated me: I wrote about aspects of my character and behavior that needed improvement. Suddenly everything clicked, and my fruitless adventure transformed into a fluidic joy. Soon I was writing about other themes and experiences. But dealing with self-correction was a key catalyst. Are there any such qualities in yourself you might benefit from tackling, Aries? If so, I recommend you try my approach.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Two Taurus readers complained that my horoscopes contain too much poetry and flair to be useful. In response, I'm offering you a prosaic message. It's all true, though in a way that’s more like a typical horoscope. (I wonder if this approach will spur your emotional intelligence and your soul’s lust for life, which are crucial areas of growth for you these days.) Anyway, here’s the oracle: Take a risk and extend feelers to interesting people outside your usual sphere. But don't let your social adventures distract you from your ambitions, which also need your wise attention. Your complex task: Mix work and play; synergize business and pleasure.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Astrologer Jessica Shepherd advises us to sidle up to the Infinite Source of Life and say, "Show me what you've got." When we do, we often get lucky. That's because the Infinite Source of Life delights in bringing us captivating paradoxes. Yes and no may both be true in enchanting ways. Independence and interdependence can interweave to provide us with brisk teachings. If we dare to experiment with organized wildness and aggressive receptivity, our awareness will expand, and our heart will open. What about it, Gemini? Are you interested in the charming power that comes from engaging with cosmic contradictions? Now’s a favorable time to do so. Go ahead and say, "Show me what you've got” to the Infinite Source of Life.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): "Only a lunatic would dance when sober," declared the ancient Roman philosopher Cicero. As a musician who loves to dance, I reject that limiting idea—especially for you. In the upcoming weeks, I hope you will do a lot of dancing-while-sober. Singing-while-sober, too. Maybe some crying-for-joy-while-sober, as well as freewheeling-your-way-through-unpredictable-conversations-while-sober and cavorting-and-reveling-while-sober. My point is that there is no need for you to be intoxicated as you engage in revelry. Even further: It will be better for your soul’s long-term health if you are lucid and clearheaded as you celebrate this liberating phase of extra joy and pleasure.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Poet Mary Oliver wondered whether the soul is solid and unbreakable, like an iron bar. Or is it tender and fragile, like a moth in an owl's beak? She fantasized that maybe it's shaped like an iceberg or a hummingbird's eye. I am poetically inclined to imagine the soul as a silver diadem bedecked with emeralds, roses, and live butterflies. What about you, Leo? How do you experience your soul? The coming weeks will be a ripe time to home in on this treasured part of you. Feel it, consult with it, feed it. Ask it to surprise you!

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EXPLORING THE BIG PICTURE OF YOUR LONG-RANGE FUTURE

Would you like some inspiration as you muse and wonder about your upcoming adventures in 2023?

You can still listen to my long-range, in-depth explorations of your destiny in the coming months. Each report in the three-part series is 7 to 13 minutes long.

To hear these three-part, in-depth reports, go here:

https://RealAstrology.com

Register and/or log in through the main page, click "Play Readings", and then select "Part 1" or “Part 2” or “Part 3” of the "Long Term Prediction for 2023."

The cost for the Expanded Audio Horoscopes is $7 per sign. (You can get discounts for multiple purchases.)

A new short-range forecast for this week is also available.

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Art by Michelle Possum Nungurrayi

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VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): According to the color consultant company Pantone, Viva Magenta is 2023's color of the year. According to me, Viva Magenta is the lucky hue and power pigment for you Virgos during the next ten months. Designer Amber Guyton says that Viva Magenta "is a rich shade of red that is both daring and warm." She adds that its "purple undertone gives it a warmth that sets it apart from mere red and makes it more versatile.” For your purposes, Virgo, Viva Magenta is earthy and exciting; nurturing and inspiring; soothing yet arousing. The coming weeks will be a good time to get the hang of incorporating its spirit into your life.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): If you are not working to forge a gritty solution, you may be reinforcing a cozy predicament. If you're not expanding your imagination to conjure up fresh perspectives, you could be contributing to some ignorance or repression. If you're not pushing to expose dodgy secrets and secret agendas, you might be supporting the whitewash. Know what I'm saying, Libra? Here's a further twist. If you're not peeved about the times you have wielded your anger unproductively, you may not use it brilliantly in the near future. And I really hope you will use it brilliantly.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Storyteller Martin Shaw believes that logic and factual information are not enough to sustain us. To nourish our depths, we need the mysterious stories provided by myths and fairy tales. He also says that conventional hero sagas starring big, strong, violent men are outmoded. Going forward, we require wily, lyrical tales imbued with the spirit of the Greek word *metis*, meaning "divine cunning in service to wisdom." That's what I wish for you now, Scorpio. I hope you will tap into it abundantly. As you do, your creative struggles will lead to personal liberations. For inspiration, read myths and fairy tales.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Many astrologers don’t give enough encouragement to you Sagittarians on the subject of home. I will compensate for that. I believe it’s a perfect time to prioritize your feelings of belonging and your sense of security. I urge you to focus energy on creating serenity and stability for yourself. Honor the buildings and lands you rely on. Give extra appreciation to the people you regard as your family and tribe. Offer blessings to the community that supports you.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): If you are like 95 percent of the population, you weren't given all the love and care you needed as a child. You may have made adaptations to partly compensate for this lack, but you are still running a deficit. That's the bad news, Capricorn. The good news is that the coming weeks will be a favorable time to overcome at least some of the hurt and sadness caused by your original deprivation. Life will offer you experiences that make you feel more at home in the world and at peace with your destiny and in love with your body. Please help life help you! Make yourself receptive to kindness and charity and generosity.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): The philosopher Aldous Huxley was ambitious and driven. Author of almost 50 books, he was a passionate pacifist and explorer of consciousness. He was a visionary who expressed both dystopian and utopian perspectives. Later in his life, though, his views softened. “Do not burn yourselves out,” he advised readers. “Be as I am: a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it.” Now I’m offering you Huxley’s counsel, Aquarius. As much as I love your zealous idealism and majestic quests, I hope that in the coming weeks, you will recharge yourself with creature comforts.

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Homework: What’s something you’d be wise to let go of? What’s something to hold on to even tighter? Newsletter.FreeWillastrology.com

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Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter

Let’s choose the best possible problems