What If the World Loves Us?

How can we be receptive to life's nonstop blessings?

Apr 18, 2023

Decades ago, I wrote my first horoscope column for the Santa Cruz newspaper Good Times. This past week, they featured three stories about my work.

https://tinyurl.com/GoodTimesBrezsny

https://tinyurl.com/BrezsnyBeginnings

https://tinyurl.com/RobIndiaJoze

Here’s how the Good Times article starts:

Rob Brezsny’s “Free Will Astrology” columns, reflections and meditations fill thousands and thousands of pages.

His forthcoming opus, Astrology Is Real: Revelations from My Life as a Horoscope Columnist, covers 598 pages; his subsequent novel Lucky Storms adds enough (752 pages) that it will be split in two.

Given the density and divinity woven into his insights, 70,000 words in columns alone every year delivers a lot.

But the soul of all that can be distilled down to one word: love.

Brezsny-style love.

Delirious, absurd, passionate, irrational, observational, strategic and sustainable love. Love for the finch at his birdfeeder, the eelgrass by the shore, the guy who stole his bike.

He describes it as “a chronic form of ecstatic awareness.”

Below are more excerpts from the interview in the Good Times.

GOOD TIMES: Way back when, last time I visited you, you told me the next project would be a book on mastering a “chronic form of ecstatic awareness.” Does that hold?

ROB BREZSNY: In some ways, all my books are about that. The books serve as my laboratory to cultivate, refine and deepen that awareness, to make it work in new and ever-fresh ways.

For me to live in ecstatic awareness, for the prayer to work, I have to keep reinventing it. That’s the paradox, the great uproarious up-flow of creative power.

GOOD TIMES: You mention “altered states” as key.

ROB BREZSNY: The key to chronic ecstatic awareness is to continually cultivate altered states. I don’t think we need psychedelics for that, though I’m all in favor of that technology for those who find it helpful.

For me, the playful work of getting into altered states is not just an either-or thing. It’s not a matter of either being in routine, mundane consciousness or else tripping one’s brains out. There are a trillion in-between altered states.

We can create altered states from moment to moment with our beginner’s mind unfurled—being willing to play with and love whatever’s in front of us. The fun trick is to be in a state of full-body readiness in which we are surpriseable and receptive to the possibility of being delighted, influenced, educated.

Pure perception is our ever-available entry into altered states. If we open our eyes, open our ears and become fully welcoming to what’s in front of us, we’re going to be changed. Every moment brings something we’ve never experienced before.

An example right now would be how your question germinated in me a stream of revelations and ideas.

Meditation practitioner and molecular biologist Jon Kabat-Zinn said, “Mindfulness is wise and affectionate attention.”

Borrowing from the Hindu school of Lila, I’m very much immersed in the understanding that life is the divine play of God and Goddess. We are participants in a sublime, mysterious art project.

At the core of the action is relationship and interplay. The intimate back-and-forth constantly reinvents and reinvigorates and reveals. As we improvise and transform, responding to each other’s improvisations, we have the blissful power to be each other’s muses.

Elizabeth Gilbert said, “You need to learn how to select your thoughts just the same way you select your clothes every day. This is a power you can cultivate.”

I choose to be inclined toward coalescing altered states of awareness that override and outwit my habit mind.

GOOD TIMES: Receptivity is important to you, as you point out in a chapter from Pronoia, even when you encounter, say, white supremacists.

ROB BREZSNY: My habit mind tends toward progressive political ideas. That’s fine. If my habit mind happens to be conditioned by something noble and beautiful, I approve.

But I remind myself not to be continually enraged about the toxic culture that evangelical Christians create and its danger to human life. I can’t live with grace if I’m pumped up with overwhelming indignation, for one thing.

And though the wrath might motivate me to take action on behalf of social justice, which is a good thing, too much anger can be draining and demoralizing.

Talking with my therapist, I came to a useful realization: The right-wing bigots and haters are acting out of primal terror. They are scared to death of the beautiful new world that’s coming. I saw and felt this in a visceral way because I was willing to momentarily set aside my fury, my habit mind, so as to behold their naked depths.

This realization doesn’t make me any less fervent about neutralizing the bigots’ toxic effects. But it enables me to relax into a more visionary and strategic understanding of what I’m up against.

I admire the Buddhist practice of adopting detachment from turmoil and angst. It’s healthy for me to cultivate a serene, poised center of gravity in the midst of chaos.

But the objectivity I strive for in my detachment is very warm and wet. It’s imbued with love and empathy. That’s the only way I can truly understand anyone or anything.

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My upcoming book is titled

Astrology Is Real: Revelations from My Life as a Horoscope Columnist.

I’m offering sneak peeks to paid subscribers of my newsletter. This week I’m publishing the 12th installment.

Start here to read my first-ever astrology book: https://tinyurl.com/RealAstrology1

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I dedicate a whole room in my home to physically and visually arrange the chapters and page sequences of my books

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IMAGINE THAT EVERYTHING DESIRES YOU

All the words in this section were written by Jane Brunette at https://tinyurl.com/y6np62lz

Instead of being the one who does the desiring, imagine instead that everything desires you.

Your morning coffee really wants you to taste it.

The trees are yearning for you to notice the bright green of their leaves.

The breeze wants you to enjoy it’s soft touch on your cheek.

Even the ground under your shoes is waiting for you to notice the lively sensation it creates as you walk.

Suddenly, the world lights up — and so do you. When we feel wanted, it’s natural to feel enlivened in response. Our desire takes its rightful place as the fire of presence and enjoyment of what is, instead of the burning need to get what’s not here.

Doing this practice, we will derive satisfaction from a whole variety of ordinary things that we normally overlook, since our attention won’t be occupied with waiting for a specific object to please us.

Now, there is no need to wait, because everything we encounter has satisfaction built into it. With desire spread out all over the world, its enlivening quality is no longer confined to one object that we may or may not get.

This little game can trick you into mindful presence, even as it helps wear down your usual relationship to desire.

It is a simple, playful way to meditate as you go about your daily life. Try it for short little bursts — and rather than thinking of it as a task, let the enjoyment that comes be the fuel that naturally makes you want to do it more and more.

—Jane Brunette

https://tinyurl.com/JaneBrunetteNewsletter

https://www.flamingseed.com/

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OBVIOUS SECRETS

All the words in this section were written by William Sebrans, who’s at https://otherwiseworld.com

1. Many pressing things are resolved or made unnecessary by simply waiting.

Conversely, waiting that has become mechanically habitual degrades into deadly procrastination.

2. There is great restorative dignity and holy self-empowerment in playing to the best of one’s ability the hand one is dealt, however unwinning it may seem.

3. Six minutes of walking outdoors solves more problems than 60 minutes of labored thinking.

4. Many, if not most, of the thoughts that arise and pass in a day, when observed, are revealed to be either useless, unsavory, or at best, harmless.

To call those thoughts my own is neither flattering, uplifting, nor accurate.

5. A shower can bestow a temporary taste of being born again. It's fine to have one for that purpose alone with no further justification.

6. Beauty is pointless wonder and as vital as oxygen or B vitamins.

7. No life, however charmed, is unvisited by searing disappointment, numbing grief, chilling betrayal, dull routine, crushing defeat, or exasperating detail.

8. Nearly every arising phenomenon in life has a continuum of possible expression — from dark shadow to mundane to exalted.

This is equally true of planetary influence, salad dressing, teaching Italian, gift wrapping, and conversation among each other.

When going for the exalted, and it is a choice, we do good for the body, the soul, and our world.

It’s good for business, too.

9. One reliably resurrecting act of love and friendship, maybe the most achievable, is to pay the other person full attention.

10. Shallow breathing and uninspired posture are two of the most pervasive causes and effects of a stunted life and a deranged planet.

We and our planet need our deep breathing and noble bearing. Both are available right in this moment, cost not a penny, require no extra time nor special training to set right. The price of admission is only loving attention, which is a lot — and enough.

11. Truth, without beauty, is a soul-less tattered flag rallying no one and nothing real.

Beauty, without truth, is a cracked, hollow vessel — a decorative container for gilded dung.

12. When gathered together around the dining table, it is salubrious to joyfully take the last piece of pie on the plate, sans nervous half-splitting.

Most everyone watching is secretly empowered by such bold belonging and relaxed self-assertion. If not, it is probably the wrong table.

13. The greatest gift we can offer to any situation, moment, or person is a positive state of heart and mind. That’s the great harmonizer and possibility engine. Nearly everything else that is done or said in its absence is either too indirect, strategic, contrived, or expensive.

14. Context is everything. Strict rulebooks are for dummies, it must be said.

Nearly every statement, action, alliance, or belief has a context where it is appropriate in that situation and for that moment.

15. Location, location, location — the three-pronged maxim in real estate — is equally valid as a moral compass and in defining variable arcs of destiny.

Some places require different codes of action or non-action. Some environments evoke the best versions of ourselves; in others, we wither.

In any case, we have no choice but to try and bloom where we are planted.

16. The phrase "I do not know" is often the shortest, most effective, and least expensive way of staying honest.

—William Sebrans, https://otherwiseworld.com

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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

Week beginning April 20

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Satirical Taurus author Karl Kraus defined "sentimental irony" as "a dog that bays at the moon while pissing on graves." Please avoid that decadent emotion in the coming weeks, Taurus. You will also be wise to reject any other useless or counterproductive feelings that rise up within you or hurtle toward you from other people, like "clever cruelty" or "noble self-pity" or "sweet revenge." In fact, I hope you will be rigorous about what moods you feed and what influences you allow into your sphere. You have a right and a duty to be highly discerning about shaping both your inner and outer environments. Renewal time is imminent.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In his poem "October Fullness," Pablo Neruda says, "Our own wounds heal with weeping, / Our own wounds heal with singing." I agree. I believe that weeping and singing are two effective ways to recover from emotional pain and distress. The more weeping and singing we do, the better. I especially recommend these therapeutic actions to you now, Gemini. You are in a phase when you can accomplish far more curative and restorative transformations than usual.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): After careful analysis of the astrological omens and a deep-diving meditation, I have concluded that the coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to indulge in an unprecedented binge of convivial revelry and pleasure. My advice is to engage in as much feasting and carousing as you can without completely ignoring your responsibilities. I know this may sound extreme, but I am inviting you to have more fun than you have ever had—even more fun than you imagine you deserve. (You do deserve it, though.) I hope you will break all your previous records for frequency and intensity of laughter.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In 1886, Vincent van Gogh bought a pair of worn-out shoes at a Paris flea market. When he got home, he realized they didn’t fit. Rather than discard them, he made them the centerpiece of one of his paintings. Eventually, they became famous. In 2009, a renowned gallery in Cologne, Germany, built an entire exhibit around the scruffy brown leather shoes. In the course of their celebrated career, six major philosophers and art historians have written about them as if they were potent symbols worthy of profound consideration. I propose that we regard their history as an inspirational metaphor for you in the coming weeks. What humble influence might be ready for evocative consideration and inspirational use?

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Gliding away from the routine for rendezvous with fun riddles? I approve! Delivering your gorgeous self into the vicinity of a possibly righteous temptation? OK. But go slowly, please. Size up the situation with your gut intuition and long-range vision as well as your itchy fervor. In general, I am pleased with your willingness to slip outside your comfortable enclaves and play freely in the frontier zones. It makes me happy to see you experimenting with AHA and WHAT-IF and MAYBE BABY. I hope you summon the chutzpah to find and reveal veiled parts of your authentic self.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): The German word Sehnsucht refers to when we have a profound, poignant yearning for something, but we don’t quite know what that something is. I suspect you may soon be in the grip of your personal Sehnsucht. But I also believe you are close to identifying an experience that will quench the seemingly impossible longing. You will either discover a novel source of deep gratification, or you will be able to transform an existing gratification to accommodate your Sehnsucht. Sounds like spectacular fun to me. Clear some space in your schedule to welcome it.

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EXTRA HELP

Would you enjoy getting further insights into the intriguing twists and turns of your amazing journey? Are you ready to seek more help from me in solving the riddles that confuse you?

Check out your EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES at https://Realastrology.com

Did you know that I also write daily horoscopes called Sunbursts, available as text messages? They're shorter than the weekly 'scopes, but more frequent. They cost 57 cents a day if you sign up for a subscription.

If you think you might enjoy getting regular bursts of inspiration from me to illuminate your adventures, register and/or sign in at https://RealAstrology.com

Click on "Daily Sunbursts" in the left-hand panel.

If you need help, contact my tech support team at freewillcs@gmail.com

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SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Most of us have at some time in the past been mean and cruel to people we loved. We acted unconsciously or unintentionally, perhaps, but the bottom line is that we caused pain. The coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to atone for any such hurts you have dispensed. I encourage you to be creative as you offer healing and correction for any mistakes you've made with important allies. I'm not necessarily suggesting you try to resume your bond with ex-lovers and former friends. The goal is to purge your iffy karma and graduate from the past. Perform whatever magic you have at your disposal to transform suffering with love.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): The blues singer-songwriter B. B. King wasn't always known by that name. He was born Riley B. King. In his twenties, when he began working at a Memphis radio station, he acquired the nickname "Beale Street Blues Boy.” Later, that was shortened to "Blues Boy," and eventually to "B. B." In the spirit of B. B. King's evolution and in accordance with astrological omens, I invite you to identify areas of your life with cumbersome or unnecessary complexities that might benefit from simplification.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Proboscis monkeys live in Borneo and nowhere else on earth. Their diet consists largely of fruits and leaves from trees that grow only on Borneo and nowhere else. I propose we make them your anti-role model in the coming months. In my astrological opinion, you need to diversify your sources of nourishment, both the literal and metaphorical varieties. You will also be wise to draw influences from a wide variety of humans and experiences. I further suggest that you expand your financial life so you have multiple sources of income and diversified investments.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): It's challenging to track down the sources of quotes on the Internet. Today, for instance, I found these words attributed to the ancient Greek philosopher Plato: "I enjoy the simple things in life, like recklessly spending my cash and being a disappointment to my family." That can't be right. I’m sure Plato didn’t actually say such things. Elsewhere, I came upon a review of George Orwell's book Animal Farm that was supposedly penned by pop star Taylor Swift: "Not a very good instructional guide on farming. Would NOT recommend to first-time farmers." Again, I'm sure that wasn't written by Swift. I bring this up, Aquarius, because one of your crucial tasks these days is to be dogged and discerning as you track down the true origins of things. Not just Internet quotes, but everything else, as well—including rumors, theories, and evidence. Go to the source, the roots, the foundations.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In accordance with astrological omens, I’m turning over this horoscope to Piscean teacher Esther Hicks. Here are affirmations she advises you to embody: "I'm going to be happy. I'm going to skip and dance. I will be glad. I will smile a lot. I will be easy. I will count my blessings. I will look for reasons to feel good. I will dig up positive things from the past. I will look for positive things where I am right now. I will look for positive things in the future. It is my natural state to be a happy person. It's natural for me to love and laugh. I am a happy person!"

ARIES (March 21-April 19): In English, the phrase "growing pains" refers to stresses that emerge during times of rapid ripening or vigorous development. Although they might feel uncomfortable, they are often signs that the ongoing transformations are invigorating. Any project that doesn't have at least some growing pains may lack ambition. If we hope to transcend our previous limits and become a more complete expression of our destiny, we must stretch ourselves in ways that inconvenience our old selves. I'm expecting growing pains to be one of your key motifs in the coming weeks, dear Aries. It's important that you don't try to repress the discomfort. On the other hand, it's also crucial not to obsess over them. Keep a clear vision of what these sacrifices will make possible for you.

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Homework: Make a guess about when you will fulfill your number one goal. Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com

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Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter

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