Should I Be Briefer?

Wrong question!

Reminder: I’ve written four sets of horoscopes that preview the Big Picture of your life in 2026. Read them here: tinyurl.com/BigPicture2026

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SHOULD I BE BRIEFER?

In recent months, I’ve been getting more messages from my readers to the effect that they wish I would write more briefly. They have trouble reading longer things.

I feel compassion for them. I understand that attention spans are shrinking and that many find it hard to focus on concentrated writing for longer than a few minutes.

But I’m very sure of the fact that I am not writing any more voluminously than I ever have.

(My upcoming eleven books will be another story. They will indeed be voluminous. But I’m talking here about my newsletter, horoscope column, and social media.)

And the truth is, my writing has become increasingly succinct and well-crafted over the years.

I have composed a response to those who have asked me to be briefer. It’s below.

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Dear Readers —

I appreciate you letting me know how you experience my writing. I understand that we’re all swimming in cultural currents that make sustained attention increasingly difficult. The forces pulling at our focus are real and relentless, and I sympathize with that struggle.

Here’s what I can tell you from my side: I’ve been writing my ideas and feelings into prose and poetry and song lyrics for decades. My current labors of love are actually more concise and carefully crafted than they’ve ever been. I do at least three drafts (usually more) of everything I publish, working diligently not to be lazy about what I say.

From my perspective, I’m not being long-winded; I’m being precise.

I realize this might sound like a paradox if you’re finding it hard to get to the end of what I write. But the difficulty may not be about length. It may be about depth, or density of meaning, or the quality of attention required to track what I’m offering. Those are different things.

My creative expressions have always asked for intensity from my readers. They smuggle interesting ruminations into accessible formats, but they still require rigorous engagement. I’ve never written for skimming. I love communicating with people who are willing to slow down and dig into unpredictable language and nonstandard ideas.

I won’t be changing this. My care with words and refusal to dumb down or speed up are what have enabled me to reach millions of readers for a long time. It’s what makes the work transformative rather than just temporarily diverting.

If my writing feels too long for you, I understand. You might save the pieces for moments when you have more spaciousness. Or you might decide this isn’t the right time for reading my stuff. Both of those responses are valid.

But I won’t be writing less or simpler to accommodate the cultural spell that’s shrinking everyone’s attention spans. That would be a betrayal of my calling, and it would ultimately shortchange you, since what you’re hungry for (even if it’s uncomfortable) is to be moved—to think and feel things you don’t encounter elsewhere.

Rowdy blessings,

Rob

Photo: Me sitting on the Buick Wildcat car parked in the driveway of the abandoned house where Philip K. Dick wrote his book Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep

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AND YET . . .

There’s an additional story to tell.

Over the next 18 months, I will be releasing 11 books—more than 2,000 pages of rich, sprawling, celebratory prose. It’s long, intense, and deep. It’s exuberantly and unapologetically expansive.

When I consulted a psychic about these upcoming books, he laughed. He joked that my long years of disciplined brevity—my many thousands of short, sweet weekly horoscopes—had earned me the karmic right to be gloriously, extravagantly long-form.

He said the Universe was granting me permission to fulfill my most generous, spacious, sweeping urges.

I thank the Universe for this authorization! What a gift it is to have spent an eon proving I can be brief, precise, economical—and then to be handed a license to bloom into unrestrained expression.

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Check out my music on Bandcamp: televisionary.bandcamp.com/

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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

Week of January 29

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In ecology, there’s a concept called “keystone species.” This refers to organisms that have a huge effect on their environment relative to their abundance. Remove them, and the whole ecosystem shifts. I bring this up, Aquarius, because I believe you are currently functioning as a keystone species in your social ecosystem. You may not even be fully aware of how much your presence influences others. And here’s the challenge: You shouldn’t let your impact weigh on your conscience. You don’t have to sacrifice yourself as you carry out your service. Instead, ask how you can contribute to the common good while also thriving yourself. Ensuring your well-being isn’t selfish; it’s essential to the gifts you provide and the duties you perform.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): I foresee a dose of real magic becoming available to you: equivalent to an enchanted potion, a handful of charmed seeds, or a supernatural spell. But owning the magic and knowing how to use it are two different matters. There’s no promise you will instantly grasp its secrets. To give yourself the best shot, follow a few rules: 1. Keep it quiet. Only share news of your lucky charm with those who truly need to hear about it. 2. Before using it to make wholesale transformations, test it gently in a situation where the stakes are low. 3. Whatever you do, make sure your magic leaves no bruises behind.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): In 1953, Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay of Nepal became the first climbers to trek to the summit of Mount Everest. They both said later that the climb down was as important and challenging as the ascent. The lesson: Achievement doesn’t end when you reach the peak. Aries, you may be nearing or have just passed a high point of effort or recognition. Soon you will need to manage the descent with aplomb. Don’t rush! Tread carefully as you complete your victory. It’s not as glamorous as the push upward, but it’s equally vital to the legacy of the climb.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Aurora borealis occurs when highly charged particles from the Sun strike molecules high in the Earth’s atmosphere, causing them to glow. The display that looks like gorgeous magic is actually our planet’s invisible magnetic shield and upper atmosphere lighting up under the pressure of an intense solar storm. Dear Taurus, I think your life has a metaphorical resemblance. The strength you’ve been quietly maintaining without much fanfare has become vividly apparent because it’s being activated. The protection you’ve been offering and the boundaries you’ve been holding are more visible than usual. This is good news! Your shields are working.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “Nothing in excess” was the maxim inscribed on the ancient Temple of Apollo at Delphi. “Moderation is a chief moral virtue,” proclaimed the philosopher Aristotle. But I don’t recommend those approaches for you right now, Gemini. A sounder principle is “More is better” or “Almost too much is just the right amount.” You have a holy duty to cultivate lavishness and splendor. I hope you will stir up as many joyous liberations and fun exploits as possible.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): When sea otters sleep, they sometimes hold each other’s paws to keep from drifting apart. This simple, instinctive act ensures they remain safe and connected. I suggest making their bond your power symbol for now, Cancer. You’ll be wise to formulate a strong intention about which people, values, and projects you want to be tethered to. And if sea otters holding hands sounds too sentimental or cutesy to be a power symbol, you need to rethink your understanding of power. For you right now, it’s potency personified.

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WHAT INTERESTING STORIES AND MYSTERIES ARE HEADING YOUR WAY IN THE YEAR AHEAD

Who do you want to become in 2026? Where do you want to go and what do you want to do? Would you like some inspiration as you muse and wonder about your upcoming adventures?

My EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES, offer you a three-part survey of your long-term, in-depth destiny in the coming year.

To listen to your BIG PICTURE horoscopes online, go to

https://RealAstrology.com

Select Part 1, Part 2, or Part 3 of the Long-Term Prediction for your sign. Each part is different.

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The cost for the Expanded Audio Horoscopes is $7 per sign if you purchase 7 tokens for $7. (You can get discounts for purchasing larger token packages.)

Each forecast is 8 to 11 minutes long.

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LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): To be healthy, we all need to continually be in the process of letting go. It’s always a favorable phase to shed aspects of our old selves to make room for what comes next. The challenge for you Leos is to keep showing up with your special brightness even as parts of you die away to feed new growth. So here are my questions: What old versions of your generosity or courage are ready to compost? What fiercer, wilder, more sustainable expression of your leonine nature wants to emerge? The coming weeks will be an excellent time to stop performing the hero you used to be and become the hero you are destined to become.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The Haudenosaunee people practice “seventh-generation thinking”: making decisions based on their impact seven generations into the future. You would be wise to incorporate the spirit of their visionary approach, Virgo. Here’s the problem: You’re so skilled at fixing what needs urgent attention that you sometimes neglect what’s even more important in the long run. So I will ask you to contemplate what choices you could you make now that will be blessings to your future self. This might involve ripening an immature skill, shedding a boring obligation that drains you, or delivering honest words that don’t come easily. Rather than obsessing on the crisis of the moment, send a sweet boost to the life you want to be living three years from now.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Are you open to the idea that new wisdom doesn’t always demand struggle and strain? In the days ahead, I invite you to move as if the world is deeply in love with you; as if every element, every coincidence, every kind pair of eyes is cheering you forward. Imagine that generous souls everywhere want to help you be and reveal your best self. Trust that unseen allies are rearranging the flow of fate to help you grow into the beautiful original you were born to be. Do you dare to be so confident that life loves you?

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Psychologist James Pennebaker did studies showing that people who write about traumatic experiences for just 15 minutes a day show improved immune function, fewer doctor visits, and better emotional health. But here’s a key detail: The benefits don’t come from the trauma itself or from “processing feelings.” They come from constructing a narrative: making meaning, finding patterns, and creating coherence. The healing isn’t in the wound. It’s in the story you shape from the wound’s raw material. You Scorpios excel at this alchemical work. One of your superpowers is to take what’s dark, buried, or painful and transform it through the piercing attention of your intelligence and imagination. The coming weeks will be an excellent time to do this.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In Jewish mysticism, tikkun olam means “repair of the world.” This is the idea that we’re all responsible for healing what’s broken. But the teaching also says you’re not required to complete the work; you’re only asked to not abandon it. This is your message right now, Sagittarius: You don’t have to save everyone. You don’t have to heal everything, and you don’t even have to finish the projects you’ve started. But you can’t abandon them entirely, either. Keep showing up. Do what you can today. That’s enough. The work will continue whether or not you complete it. Your part is to not walk away from your own brokenness and the world’s. Stay engaged.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The Talmud teaches that “every blade of grass has an angel bending over it, whispering, ‘Grow, grow.’” I sense that you are now receiving the extra intense influence of your own guardian angels, Capricorn. They aren’t demanding or threatening, just encouraging. Please tune into their helpful ministrations. Don’t get distracted by harsher voices, like your internalized critic, the pressure of impossible standards, or the ghost of adversaries who didn’t believe in you. Here’s your assignment: Create time and space to hear and fully register the supportive counsel. It’s saying: Grow. You’re allowed to grow. You don’t have to earn it. Just grow.

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