Tension is who you think you should be
Relaxation is who you are
Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are.
—Chinese proverb
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WRITE A LETTER TO THE FUTURE YOU
I invite you to write a letter to the person you'll be one year from today. Tell this Future You that you've taken a vow to accomplish three feats by then.
Say why these feats are more important to you than anything else. Describe them. Brainstorm about what you'll do to make them happen. Draw pictures or make collages that capture your excitement about them.
Then create a sanctified space where you will put this letter. Open it one year from today.
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Dancer: Caeli La
Photographer: Kyer Wiltshire
Words: Eduardo Galeano
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COURTING A BREAKTHROUGH
Search your memory and recall a time when you pushed yourself to your limits as you labored over
a task you cared about very much.
At that time, you worked with extreme focus and intensity. You were rarely bored and never resentful about the enormous effort you had to expend.
You loved throwing yourself into this test of willpower, which stretched your resourcefulness and compelled you to grow new capacities.
What was that epic breakthrough in your past?
Once you know, move on to your next exercise: Imagine a new assignment that fits this description, and make plans to bring it into your life in the near future.
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ADDED FEATURES IN THE NEW PRONOIA E-BOOK
I’m excited that my book is finally available as an eBook: Pronoia is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings.
Plus, the eBook includes a new foreword, "Subversive, Transformative Hope," and a new piece, “Strange Blessings,” that weren't in the Revised and Expanded edition.
Below is how "Strange Blessings" begins.
When I was 19 years old, a stranger shot me with a gun. The attack happened on Duke University's East Campus in Durham, North Carolina. It was 1:30 a.m. on a night in May.
I was walking from my friend's home near the campus to the Greyhound bus station downtown, where I planned to hop a bus to Philadelphia at 2:30.
Too bad I couldn't afford a taxi. My backpack was heavy, I was already sleepy, and the trek would take 40 minutes.
I had passed Baldwin Auditorium at the north end of the campus. As I looped behind Brown Residence Hall, two prowlers stepped out from behind a tree.
They were both holding shotguns and stood less than 20 feet away. One spoke to me: "Do you know where the auditorium is?" I was petrified and confused.
A few moments later, I heard a bang, then felt a whoosh of tiny missiles piercing the right side of my buttocks.
I knew I was in trouble. Would they fire again? My questionable strategy was to fall on the ground and pretend I was dead. I hoped they would think they had killed me. There'd be no need to bombard me with more rounds.
Unfortunately, I collapsed in a way that I could not see them. I lay there in a heap, not knowing their next move. Were they creeping closer to pull the trigger again, or were they fleeing the scene of the crime?
I worked hard to act like a dead man, trying to betray no motion. It was almost impossible to keep from shivering and avoid taking deep breaths . . . .
[story continued in the Pronoia ebook]
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PRONOIA as an ebook at Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/PronoiaEbook
PRONOIA as an ebook at Barnes and Noble: https://tinyurl.com/PronoiaNook
If you have the Apple Books app, click on it and search for "Pronoia."
You can also buy the hard-copy edition of PRONOIA: Available at Bookshop.org: https://tinyurl.com/548hp8y8
Available at Powells: https://bit.ly/PowellsPronoia
Available at Barnes & Noble: https://tinyurl.com/PronoiaBN
Available at Amazon: https://bit.ly/Pronoia
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ARE YOU CONSPIRING?
All of creation is conspiring to shower you with blessings. But here's my question: Are you conspiring to shower all of creation with your blessings?
I invite you to say, "I love all of creation."
Life is crazily and innocently in love with you. Are you ready to be crazily and innocently in love with life?
I invite you to say, "I love the high and the low, the light and the dark, the yes and the no."
The universe always gives you what you need when you need it. But are you willing to give the universe what it needs when it needs it?
I invite you to say, "The deeper I love, the smarter I grow. The stronger I love, the more I know. The bigger I love, the better I see. The wilder I love, the freer I be."
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SUBVERSIVE POWER OF JOY
The subversive power of joy by Janey Stephenson: “The unexpected, spontaneous and pleasantly disruptive nature of collective celebration is one of the great equalisers of social and political struggle.
“Holding onto and centering joy is a vital tactic for personal and group resilience, as well as political resistance to an agenda that seeks to enforce hierarchy and division through mass fear.
“Authoritarianism is directly incompatible with collective joy; it demands fear, obedience, hierarchy and an obsession with security and preparation for war.
“The unexpected, spontaneous and pleasantly disruptive nature of collective joy takes people off guard and is one of the great equalizers of social and political struggle.”
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“Liberation movements have a long history of communal dance. The writer Barbara Ehrenreich has documented the history of collective joy in her book Dancing In The Streets. She argues that collective and ecstatic dancing is a nearly universal “biotechnology” for binding groups together.
“Physical movement—a powerful escalation of typical protest chanting—not only releases emotion, it also creates bonding, trust and equality, dissolving hierarchy and increasing a sense of community.”
More: https://tinyurl.com/y88le9dq
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VIKTOR FRANKL ON HOW LOVE IS KEY TO UNDERSTANDING
“Love is the only way to grasp another human being in the innermost core of his personality. No one can become fully aware of the very essence of another human being unless he loves him. By his love he is enabled to see the essential traits and features in the beloved person; and even more, he sees that which is potential in him, which is not yet actualized but yet ought to be actualized.
"Furthermore, by his love, the loving person enables the beloved person to actualize these potentialities. By making him aware of what he can be and of what he should become, he makes these potentialities come true.”
— Holocaust survivor, Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning
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I love Frankl’s quote, but also feel a longing to translate it into a the language of another gender:
“Love is the only way to grasp another human being in the innermost core of her personality. No one can become fully aware of the very essence of another human being unless she loves her. By her love she is enabled to see the essential traits and features in the beloved person; and even more, she sees that which is potential in her, which is not yet actualized but yet ought to be actualized.
"Furthermore, by her love, the loving person enables the beloved person to actualize these potentialities. By making her aware of what she can be and of what she should become, she makes these potentialities come true.”
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SPIRITUAL FAST
There is both a physical and a spiritual fast.
In the physical fast, the body abstains from food and drink.
In the spiritual fast, the faster abstains from anger, rage, malice, and vengeance. One abstains from idle and foul talk, empty rhetoric, slander, condemnation, flattery, lying and spiteful talk.
—Basil of Caesarea
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PS: The above message doesn't advise us to ALWAYS abstain from anger: only to take breaks from it every now and then.
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“I will facilitate people in the mainstream world to become overwhelmed with desire, ferocious arousal and lust for a more sustainable, regenerative world, enflamed and engorged with erotic passion for a more beautiful, mutualistic, community based, easeful, magical abundant way of being.”
- Jason Hine, https://www.facebook.com/jason.hine1
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I'm working on creating 12 astrology books, one for each of the signs. For the cover images, I will be using gorgeous mandalas from these two artists:
https://www.instagram.com/mandal.ana.s/
https://www.instagram.com/mayuminakabayashi/
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TRIBAL ELDERS
Who are the tribal elders you celebrate and draw sustenance from?
Here are a few of my favorites:
Martin Shaw: https://drmartinshaw.com/
Rebecca Solnit: https://www.facebook.com/rebecca.solnit
Joanna Macy: https://www.joannamacy.net/
Tracy K. Smith: https://poets.org/poet/tracy-k-smith
Jason Hine: https://www.facebook.com/jason.hine1
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
Sacred land returned to indigenous people in Virginia. https://tinyurl.com/3mcunjvn
Common Clay in Kitty Litter Could Be the Friendliest Way to Cut Emissions and Fight Climate Change. https://tinyurl.com/2p98ux9x
Ashes Scattered After Her Dog Dies Formed Miraculous Shape in the Wind: "They Never Truly Leave Us." https://tinyurl.com/yszsuz7y
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Please tell me your own nominations for PRONOIA RESOURCES: Truthrooster@gmail.com.
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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Week beginning May 26
Copyright 2022 by Rob Brezsny
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): "Reality is not simply there; it does not simply exist," claimed author Paul Celan. "It must be sought out and won." I think that is excellent advice for you right now. But what does it mean in practical terms? How can you seek out and win reality? My first suggestion is to put your personal stamp on every situation you encounter. Do something subtle or strong to make each event serve your specific interests and goals. My second suggestion is to discern the illusions that other people are projecting and avoid buying into those misunderstandings. My third suggestion is to act as if it's always possible to make life richer, more vivid, and more meaningful. And then figure out how to do that.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Wilma Mankiller was the first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. She said, "The cow runs away from the storm, while the buffalo charges directly toward it—and gets through it quicker." Political analyst Donna Brazile expounded on Mankiller's strategy: "Whenever I'm confronted with a tough challenge, I do not prolong the torment. I become the buffalo." I recommend Mankiller's and Brazile's approach for you and me in the coming days, my fellow Cancerian. Now please excuse me as I race in the direction of the squall I see brewing in the distance.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The New Yorker is an influential Pulitzer Prize-winning magazine that features witty writing and impeccable fact-checking. In 2017, its stories exposed the extensive sexual misconduct committed by movie mogul Harvey Weinstein—and helped lead to his prosecution. How did the magazine get its start? It was co-founded in 1925 by Harold Ross, who had dropped out of school at age 13. He edited every issue for the next 26 years. I'm sensing the possibility of a comparable development in your life, Leo. In the coming months, you may get involved in a project that seems to be beyond the reach of your official capacities or formal credentials. I urge you to proceed as if you can and will succeed.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Virgo-born Jocko Willink is a retired naval officer and author. In his book Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual, he lays down his manifesto: "Become the discipline—embrace its cold and relentless power. And it will make you better and stronger and smarter and faster and healthier than anything else. And most important: It will make you free." While I don't expect you to embrace Willink's rigorous ethic with the same fanatical grip, I think you will benefit from doing the best you can. The cosmic rhythms will support you if you make a fun and earnest effort to cultivate liberation through discipline.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “Some nights you are the lighthouse, some nights the sea," writes Libran author Ocean Vuong. According to my astrological analysis, you are better suited to be the lighthouse than the sea in the coming days. Lately, you have thoroughly embodied the sea, and that has prepared you well to provide illumination. You have learned new secrets about the tides and the waves. You are attuned to the rhythms of the undercurrents. So I hope you will now embrace your role as a beacon, Libra. I expect that people will look to your radiance to guide and inspire them.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): "Movie people are possessed by demons, but a very low form of demons," observes author Edna O'Brien. She should know. She has hung out with many big film stars. Since you're probably not in the movie business yourself, your demons may be much higher quality than those of celebrity actors and directors. And I'm guessing that in the coming weeks, your demons will become even finer and more interesting than ever before—even to the point that they could become helpers and advisors. For the best results, treat them with respect and be willing to listen to their ideas.
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LOSING WHAT'S NO GOOD FOR YOU
A psychic once told me that my first name "Rob" is an apt description of my spiritual function.
"You're here on earth to rob people of their godawful belief that life is a miserable ordeal," she advised me. "Your job is to steal away the habits that sap their life energy; to rip off the sorry dogmas that blind them to the wondrous feats their imaginations are capable of."
I don't know if I have fully earned that glowing promise, but I aspire to do so.
If you ever want more information and inspiration generated in this spirit -- beyond the horoscopes you're reading here -- keep in mind that every week I also offer EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES for you. They're four-to-five-minute meditations on the current state of your destiny.
To listen to your Expanded Audio Horoscope online, go to https://RealAstrology.com
Register and/or log in through the main page.
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The cost is $6 per sign online. (Discounts are available for bulk purchases.)
You can also listen over the phone by calling 1-877-873-4888. The cost is $1.99 per minute. Each forecast is 4-5 minutes long.
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"I always feel like I know myself better after listening to your audio 'scopes."
—June Roseville, Austin, TX
"Your audio horoscopes calm me down when I'm too manic and pep me up when I'm down."
—Arthur Trachten, Cleveland, OH
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SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I'm all in favor of you getting what you yearn for. I have no inhibitions or caveats as I urge you to unleash all your ingenuity and hard work in quest of your beautiful goals. And in the hope of inspiring you to upgrade your ability to fulfill these sacred prospects, I offer you a tip from Sagittarian author Martha Beck. She wrote, "To attract something that you want, become as joyful as you think that thing would make you."
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): According to author Caroline Myss, "You should see everything about your life as a lesson." Whoa! Really? Each trip to the grocery store should be a learning opportunity? Myss says yes! For example, let's say you're in the snack foods aisle and you're tempted to put Doritos Nacho Cheese Tortilla Chips and Lay's Barbecue Potato Chips in your cart. But your gut is screaming at you, "That stuff isn't healthy for you!" And yet you decide to ignore your gut's advice. You buy and eat both bags. Myss would say you have squandered a learning opportunity: "You've harmed yourself by blocking your intuitive voice," she writes. Now, in accordance with astrological omens, Capricorn, here's your homework assignment: Regard every upcoming event as a chance to learn how to trust your intuition better.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): An Aquarian poet was disturbed when a suitor told her, "I'm really very fond of you." She responded, "I don't like fond. It sounds like something you would tell a dog. Give me love, or nothing. Throw your fond in a pond." I don't advise you to adopt a similar attitude anytime soon, Aquarius. In my oracular opinion, you should wholeheartedly welcome fondness. You should honor it and celebrate it. In itself, it is a rich, complex attitude. And it may also lead, if you welcome it, to even more complex and profound interweavings.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): "I need a playlist of all the songs I used to love but forgot about," wrote Tumblr blogger Yuyuuyuyuu. I think you could use such a playlist, too, Pisces. In fact, I would love to see you receive a host of memos that remind you of all the things you love and need and are interested in—but have forgotten about or neglected. The coming weeks will be an excellent time to recover what has been lost. I hope you will re-establish connections and restore past glories that deserve to accompany you into the future.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): In defining the essential elements at play in a typical Aries person's agenda, I'm not inclined to invoke the words "sometimes" or "maybe." Nor do I make frequent use of the words "periodically," "if," or "ordinarily." Instead, my primary identifying term for many Aries characters is "NOW!!!" with three exclamation points. In referring to your sign's experiences, I also rely heavily on the following descriptors: pronto, presto, push, directly, why not?, engage, declare, activate, venture into, enterprising, seize, deliver, and wield. You are authorized to fully activate and deploy these qualities in the next three weeks.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): I like Joan Didion's definitions of self-respect. As you enter a favorable phase for deepening and enhancing your self-respect, they may be helpful. Didion said self-respect is a "sense of one's intrinsic worth," and added, "People who respect themselves are willing to accept the risk that the venture will go bankrupt, that the liaison may not turn out to be one in which every day is a holiday. They are willing to invest something of themselves." And maybe the most essential thing about self-respect, according to Didion, is that it is "a discipline, a habit of mind that can never be faked but can be developed, trained, coaxed forth."
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Homework: Is there a postponed dream that you might be able to resume working to fulfill? What is it? Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com
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NEED TO CHANGE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS?
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Submissions sent to Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter or in response to "homework assignments" may be published in a variety of formats at Rob Brezsny's discretion, including but not limited to newsletters, books, the Free Will Astrology column, and Free Will Astrology website. We reserve the right to edit submissions for length, style, and content.
Requests for anonymity will be honored. We are not responsible for unsolicited submission of any creative material.
Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright 2022 Rob Brezsny
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How about this:
“Love is the only way to grasp another human being in the innermost core of their personality. No one can become fully aware of the very essence of another human being unless they love.
By their love they are enabled to see the essential traits and features in the beloved person; and even more, they see that which is potential in them, which is not yet actualized but yet ought to be actualized.
"Furthermore, by their love, the loving person enables the beloved person to actualize these potentialities. By making them aware of what they can be and of what they can become, they make these potentialities come true.”
Thank you for sustaining me every Tuesday and enriching my life!
Jolayne Copper