Rebellious Hope

Summoning the right blend of constructive anger and vibrant love

In my newsletter two weeks ago, I spoke of the difference between toxic positivity that undermines our wisdom and effectiveness . . . and authentic positivity that harnesses our sacred rage and grief in quest of healing: tinyurl.com/WeRiseUpSinging

I have never valued the toxic forms of positivity, which might also be called fake positivity, ignorant positivity, unwarranted positivity, even dangerous positivity.

The positivity I cultivate is the kind that passionately celebrates all the things in our lives that work well . . . even as it rigorously identifies where the suffering and pathology are, and makes powerful plans to heal what’s broken.

+

As many of you know, I have written the definitive book on the subject of PRONOIA. It’s defined as the theory that life is constantly conspiring to bring us experiences that free us from our suffering, show us how to heal ourselves, inspire us with a sense of purpose, and give us opportunities to grow smarter, kinder, and wilder.

Some people have a casual knowledge of PRONOIA but haven’t actually read the book. They may be surprised by the fact that I'm heartbroken and outraged about Trump's grotesque, horrific victory.

"It's not pronoiac to be so sad and angry," one such person said to me.

To correct that misunderstanding, I will offer a relevant passage from my book Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia:

Pronoia is fueled by a drive to cultivate soulful happiness and a determination to practice an aggressive form of gratitude that nourishes the things that are working well. But it is not a soothing diversion for naive wishers and hopers who are strung out on optimistic delusions.

Pronoia is not a feel-good New Age fantasy used to deny the harsh facts about existence. Those of us who perceive the world pronoiacally refuse to be polite shills for sentimental hopefulness.

On the contrary, we build our optimism not through a repression of difficulty, but rather a vigorous engagement with it. We understand that the best way to attract blessings is to grapple with the knotty enigmas.

Each fresh puzzle is a potential source of future bliss — an exciting teaching that may usher us to our next breakthrough.

Do you want to be a pronoiac player? Blend rebelliousness with open-hearted exuberance. Root your insurrectionary fervor in expansive joy instead of withering hatred. Enjoy saying "no!" but don't make it the wellspring of your vitality. Be fueled by big red yeses that rip against the grain of comfortable ugliness and careless injustice.

CAN OUR STRUGGLE ALSO BE A FORM OF PLAY?

A voice in my dream said this to me about how we could respond to the Trumpocalypse:

• “Let’s try out the belief that redemption might ultimately come from this disaster. Let’s experiment with the theory that the destructive forces unleashed by the Trumpocalypse are desperation moves to preserve a dying paradigm. These rotting cultural energies will dramatically fail, paving the way for unprecedented regeneration. And we are wise to affirm that the hard work of birthing the new paradigm requires us to steadfastly cultivate a lust for life.”

I agree with the voice in my dream . . . and would add the following:

• We've got to be both wrathful insurrectionaries and exuberant devotees of justice and compassion. We must cultivate cheerful buoyancy even as we resist the delusions that have been carefully crafted and seductively packaged by selfish, empathy-deprived deceivers. We have to learn how to stay in good yet unruly moods as we overthrow the last wheezing, withered remnants of the old order.

So yes, as we nurture our love for life on our beautiful planet, as we foster our joie de vivre, we also need to tap into the fuel of our anger and grief.

In that spirit, I'm meditating on these questions:

• How do we summon the right blend of constructive anger and vibrant love?

• How do we refrain from hating other people even as we fight fiercely against the hatred and danger they have helped unleash?

• How do we cultivate zest and vigor even as we neutralize the bigoted, autocratic poisons that are on the loose?

• How can we be both wrathful insurrectionaries and exuberant lovers of life?

• How can we stay in good yet unruly moods as we overthrow the mass delusions that are metastasizing?

• In the face of the danger, how do we remain intensely dedicated to building beauty and truth and justice and love — even as we keep our imaginations wild and hungry and free?

• Can our struggle also be a form of play?

Below is an excerpt from a brilliant essay by Joan Westenberg. I’ve linked to it so you can read the entire thing. https://tinyurl.com/OptimistPlaybook

REBEL OPTIMISM: HOW WE THRIVE IN A BROKEN WORLD

by Joan Westenberg

The world is crumbling in real time—I’m not here to argue that point. We’ve got rising seas swallowing cities, political chaos run by arsonist clowns with their pants on fire trying to set everything else alight, inequality so vast it feels cosmic, wars driven by fragile egos and unpaid cultural debts, and a never-ending apocalyptic parade marching through our news feeds like a sick joke. Pessimism isn’t just fashionable; it feels logical. Despair seems like the only sane response.

But what if despair is the real con — a sticky, sugary trap that feeds off our paralysis? What if our fixation on everything falling apart is blinding us to cracks of light breaking through the rubble? To the opportunities quietly unfolding while we’re too busy scrolling through the next disaster? Despair is a heavy, immobilizing force. And in a world on fire, inaction is its most dangerous side effect.

Optimism in today’s climate feels counterintuitive — it feels almost radical. And yet? Perhaps it’s precisely the counterbalance we need. Not the saccharine positivity of ignoring reality, but a measured, resilient optimism: the conviction that things can get better and that each of us has a role to play in making it so.

Lately, I’ve been digging deeper into the case for radical, stubborn, rebel optimism—a philosophy that doesn’t sugarcoat reality but stares straight into the void and says, “Not today, you fucker.” It’s not naive cheerleading; it’s weaponizing hope as a refusal to bow to the inertia of despair. The data backs it, history proves it, and action demands it . . . .

Read the rest of Joan Westernerg’s essay: https://tinyurl.com/OptimistPlaybook

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Listen to This Is a Perfect Moment

More info about “This Is a Perfect Moment”: https://tinyurl.com/ThisIsaPerfectMoment

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

For the Week of December 5

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In his song “Voodoo Child," Sagittarian musician Jimi Hendrix brags, "Well, I stand up next to a mountain / And I chop it down with the edge of my hand.” I encourage you to unleash fantasies like that in the coming days, Sagittarius. Can you shoot lightning bolts from your eyes? Sure you can. Can you change water into wine? Fly to the moon and back in a magic boat? Win the Nobel Prize for Being Yourself? In your imagination, yes you can. And these exercises will prime you for an array of more realistic escapades, like smashing a mental block, torching an outmoded fear, and demolishing an unnecessary inhibition or taboo. To supercharge your practical power, intensify your imagination’s audacity.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The name of my column is “Free Will Astrology” because I aspire to nurture, inspire, and liberate your free will. A key component in that effort is to help you build your skills as a critical thinker. That’s why I encourage you to question everything I tell you. Don’t just assume that my counsel is always right and true for you. Likewise, I hope you are discerning in your dealings with all teachers, experts, and leaders—especially in the coming weeks and months. You are in a phase of your cycle when it’s even more crucial than usual to be a good-natured skeptic who poses exuberant, penetrating questions. To serve your soul’s health, refine your practice of the art of creative rebellion.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Be like a beautifully made fountain that people love to visit, Aquarius. Not like a metaphorical geyser or stream or waterfall out in the natural world, but a three-tiered marble fountain. What does that entail? Here are hints. The water of the fountain cascades upward, but not too high or hard, and then it showers down gently into a pool. Its flow is steady and unflagging. Its sound is mellifluous and relaxing. The endless dance of the bubbles and currents is invigorating and calming, exuberant and rejuvenating. Be like a fountain.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Around this time of year, persimmon trees in my neighborhood have shed their leaves but are teeming with dazzling orange fruits. Pomegranate trees are similar. Their leaves have fallen off but their red fruits are ready to eat. I love how these rebels offer their sweet, ripe gifts as our winter season approaches. They remind me of the current state of your destiny, Pisces. Your gorgeous fertility is waxing. The blessings you have to offer are at a peak. I invite you to be extra generous as you share your gifts with those who are worthy of them—and maybe even a few who aren’t entirely worthy.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Blaming others for our problems is rarely helpful. If we expend emotional energy focusing on how people have offended and hurt us, we diminish our motivation to heal ourselves. We may also get distracted from changing the behavior that ushered us into the mess. So yes, it’s wise to accept responsibility for the part we have played in propagating predicaments. However, I believe it's also counterproductive to be relentlessly serious about this or any other psychological principle. We all benefit from having mischievous fun as we rebel against tendencies we have to be dogmatic and fanatical. That’s why I am authorizing you to celebrate a good-humored Complaint Fest. For a limited time only, feel free to unleash fantasies in which you uninhibitedly and hilariously castigate everyone who has done you wrong.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): What you are experiencing may not be a major, earth-shaking rite of passage. But it’s sufficiently challenging and potentially rewarding to qualify as a pivotal breakthrough and turning point. And I’m pleased to say that any suffering you’re enduring will be constructive and educational. You may look back at this transition as a liberating initiation. You will feel deep gratification that you have clambered up to a higher level of mastery through the power of your intelligent love and feisty integrity.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

SUPPORT

If you would like to support my work

please consider

buying my books

and/or

buying my Expanded Audio Horoscopes and Daily Horoscopes

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Meme words by Mary Oliver

+

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): You are now about halfway between your last birthday and next birthday. In the prophecy industry, we call this your Unbirthday Season. It is usually a time when you receive an abundance of feedback—whether you want it or not. I encourage you to want it! Solicit it. Even pay for it. Not all of it will be true or useful, of course, but the part that is true and useful will be very much so. You could gather a wealth of information that will help you fine-tune your drive for success and joy in the months to come.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Legend tells us that the Buddha achieved enlightenment while meditating beneath the Bodhi Tree in Bihar, India. He was there for many weeks. At one point, a huge storm came and pelted the sacred spot with heavy rain. Just in time, the King of Serpents arrived, a giant cobra with a massive hood. He shielded the Buddha from the onslaught for the duration. Now I am predicting that you, too, will receive an unexpected form of protection and nurturing in the coming weeks. Be ready to open your mind about what help looks and feels like. It may not be entirely familiar.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In written form, the Japanese term oubaitori is comprised of four kanji, or characters. They denote four fruit trees that bloom in the spring: cherry, plum, peach, and apricot. Each tree’s flowers blossom in their own sweet time, exactly when they are ready, neither early nor late. The poetic meaning of oubaitori is that we humans do the same: We grow and ripen at our own unique pace. That’s why it’s senseless to compare our rate of unfoldment to anyone else’s. We each have our own timing, our own rhythm. These ideas are especially apropos for you right now, Leo.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): I hope you will hunker down in your bunker. I hope you will junk all defunct versions of your spunky funkiness and seek out fresh forms of spunky funkiness. In other words, Virgo, I believe it’s crucial for you to get as relaxed and grounded as possible. You have a mandate to explore ultimate versions of stability and solidity. Shore up your foundations, please. Grow deeper roots. Dig down as deep as you can to strengthen and tone your relationship with the core of your being.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Every one of us is a hypocrite at least some of the time. Now and then, we all ignore or outrightly violate our own high standards. We may even engage in behavior that we criticize in others. But here’s the good news for you, Libra. In the coming weeks and months, you may be as unhypocritical as you have ever been. According to my analysis of the astrological, omens, you are likely to be consistently faithful to your ideals. Your actual effects on people will closely match your intended effects. The American idiom is, “Do you practice what you preach?” I expect the answer to that question will be yes as it pertains to you.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Author George Orwell advised us that if we don’t analyze and understand the past, we are likely to repeat the mistakes of the past. Alas, few people take heed. Their knowledge of our collective history is meager, as is their grasp of recurring trends in their personal lives. But now here’s the good news, dear Scorpio: In the coming months, you will have exceptional power to avoid replicating past ignorance and errors—IF you meditate regularly on the lessons available through a close study of your life story.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •