What the Muses Ask
The State of My Union
In this newsletter, I’m giving you a State of the Union address about the 20 new books that my Muses and I have been working on for the last 14 years.
The first book to appear is ASTROLOGY IS REAL: Revelations from My Life as an Oracle. In a few days, it will be for sale at the usual online stores.
My next book after ASTROLOGY IS REAL is a novel, LUCKY STORMS. This week, I begin offering serialized excerpts of it for my paid newsletter subscribers.
Here’s what New York Times' bestselling author adrienne maree brown says about Lucky Storms.
"With LUCKY STORMS, Rob Brezsny unleashes his wild imagination and his multiple ways of seeing and knowing into a visceral love note. It’s a novel that feels like a song, a set of spells, a tantric dance, and a fierce fight for this earth.
“Brezsny invites us into a way of dreaming that can weave us back into relationship with each other, with all that has lived and all that will live."
—adrienne maree brown, New York Times bestselling author of Pleasure Activism and Grievers Trilogy
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LUCKY STORMS continues the saga that began with my earlier novel, THE TELEVISIONARY ORACLE.
The series will continue with two future novels, THE OTHER REAL WORLD: Reports from the Secret Frontier and SACRED WORLD PARTY.
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Here's another blurb for LUCKY STORMS, from the sublime witch Amanda Yates Garcia (whose fabulous newsletter is here).
Amanda writes:
“We begin the story of LUCKY STORMS, appropriately, on the edge of an ecological apocalypse. But Rob Brezsny is one of the few writers I know who won’t deliver us into the hands of despair.
“Instead he uses his medicinal and ecstatic love for the world to help us become the kind of people who recognize joy as both a weapon and a cure.
“LUCKY STORMS was written by a shape-shifter. Reading it, you’ll join the protagonists in becoming ivory-billed woodpeckers, Indian rhinoceroses, and rattlesnakes.
“You’ll become a connoisseur of bark beetles, enjoy a brief moment as the breath of Rimbaud. You’ll team up with Medusa, Skeleton Woman, and Harriet Tubman. You’re in for a wild ride.
“But my favorite part about this book? It’s also a love story. The kind we hardly ever get to read about, with lovers who age and only find each other more exhilarating as they go.
“Lovers who see into each other’s inner worlds, and by the powers of their celebratory gaze, collaborate in bringing talismans of compassion back into the outer world where they can work their magic.
“This is the kind of book that makes you believe in love, and that no matter the horrors of history, life is worth living. Lucky Storms proves that not only can dreams come true, they can change the world.”
—Amanda Yates Garcia, author of Initiated: Memoir of a Witch
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Here’s a brief history of my books in recent decades.
In 2000, I published THE TELEVISIONARY ORACLE.
In 2005, I published my original book about PRONOIA.
In 2009, I published the updated version: PRONOIA IS THE ANTIDOTE FOR PARANOIA: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings: REVISED AND EXPANDED.
A lot of people still don’t know about this second edition. They only know about the original version! Which makes me sad.
The REVISED AND EXPANDED version has over 63,500 new words and 73 new illustrations. That's 55% additional material beyond what the first edition had.
Basically, there's a whole extra new PRONOIA book crammed into it. There are two extra chapters, 18 completely new pieces, plus 14 new Sacred Advertisements.
Many of the original pieces of the book are revised and expanded, as well. A central piece in the book, "Glory in the Highest," is nine times longer than it was in the original.
In 2022, I came out with the first e-book version of PRONOIA. It has even more new material: a new foreword and a new piece, “Strange Blessings,” that weren't in the Revised and Expanded edition.
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From 2009 to 2011, I worked on a solo music and spoken word project. After having been a rock singer and composer for many years, I decided to remain equally intense but turn down the volume a bit.
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Here’s me in my office. I spread my work out on tables, since I've found I can't truly evaluate my own writing if I only see it on a computer screen. To fully recognize what works and doesn't work, I need to see it inscribed with ink on paper.
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In 2011, I began playful work on what would eventually become 20 books. I have been joyfully toiling at this massive project ever since. Only now is the first of these books ready for publication.
One might logically ask, “Why didn’t you work on and complete one book at a time, rather than meandering among 20 different unfinished manuscripts?”
My answer is that my Muses had other plans. They apparently wanted my work on some books to inform and transform my writing in other books. I have honored their wishes. Their guidance has served me well for a very long time.
This has resulted in some frustration, though! I would have loved to publish my next book sooner than 14 years after PRONOIA came out!
The good news is that ASTROLOGY IS REAL is ready and LUCKY STORMS is getting closer to being ready.
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Oh, by the way, there were two health-related reasons for the delays in my work. From 2011 to 2013, I had a neurological malady that gave me daily flu-like symptoms. Another symptom, chronic vertigo, made it impossible for me to drive a vehicle. I’m amazed I was able to work at all, but I did.
In 2016, I was diagnosed with cancer. I had surgery, followed by six months of chemotherapy and then a whole lot of both integrative medical care and alternative medical treatment. Thank Goddess for all those healing geniuses who conspired with my own Inner Healer to get rid of the cancer for good.
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Another reason it has taken more than a while to complete my 20 books is that I have other gigs!
I write a weekly horoscope column. I create and record weekly expanded audio horoscopes. I offer daily text message horoscopes. My weekly newsletter, which you’re reading, gets a lot of my beloved attention.
My social media work is extensive, too, with regular posts on two Facebook pages, Instagram, Twitter, Threads, and Tumblr.
More work tables in the garage.
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Here’s a list of my books to come:
ASTROLOGY IS REAL: Revelations from My Life as an Oracle
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Three novels:
LUCKY STORMS
THE OTHER REAL WORLD: Reports from the Secret Frontier
SACRED WORLD PARTY
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12 astrology books, one for each sign
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY: Love Oracles to Liberate Your Imagination: Aries
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY: Love Oracles to Liberate Your Imagination: Taurus
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY: Love Oracles to Liberate Your Imagination: Gemini
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY: Love Oracles to Liberate Your Imagination: Cancerian
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY: Love Oracles to Liberate Your Imagination: Leo
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY: Love Oracles to Liberate Your Imagination: Virgo
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY: Love Oracles to Liberate Your Imagination: Libra
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY: Love Oracles to Liberate Your Imagination: Scorpio
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY: Love Oracles to Liberate Your Imagination: Sagittarius
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY: Love Oracles to Liberate Your Imagination: Capricorn
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY: Love Oracles to Liberate Your Imagination: Aquarius
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY: Love Oracles to Liberate Your Imagination: Pisces
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Four books of poetry:
SOUL FLESH: Potion Songs and Wonder Tales to Beautify Our Truths and Truthify Our Beauty
SOUL REVELS: Ellxir Verses and Splendor Tales to Salve Our Wounds and Galvanize Our Love
SOUL RAPPORT: Intimacy Magic, Synergy Delight, and Flux Artistry
SOUL DEVOTIONS: Experiments in Sacred Transgression, Friendly Shock, and Insurrectionary Adoration
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I would love it if you would send me good vibes and telepathic encouragement as I work on completing these books!
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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Week of September 21
© Copyright 2023 Rob Brezsny
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LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): My favorite creativity teacher is author Roger von Oech. He produced the Creative Whack Pack, a card deck with prompts to stimulate imaginative thinking. I decided to draw one such card for your use in the coming weeks. It’s titled EXAGGERATE. Here's its advice: "Imagine a joke so funny you can't stop laughing for a month. Paper stronger than steel. An apple the size of a hotel. A jet engine quieter than a moth beating its wings. A home-cooked dinner for 25,000 people. Try exaggerating your idea. What if it were a thousand times bigger, louder, stronger, faster, and brighter?” (PS: My analysis of the astrological omens suggests it's a favorable time for you to entertain brainstorms and heartstorms and soulstorms. For best results, EXAGGERATE!)
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): If you buy a bag of popcorn and cook it in your microwave oven, there are usually some kernels at the bottom that fail to pop. As tasty as your snack might be, you may still may feel cheated by the duds. I will be bold and predict that you won’t have to deal with such duds in the near future—not in your popcorn bags and not in any other area of your life, either literally or metaphorically. You’re due for a series of experiences that are complete and thorough and fully bloomed.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Writer George Bernard Shaw observed that new ideas and novel perspectives "often appear first as jokes and fancies, then as blasphemies and treason, then as questions open to discussion, and finally as established truths." As you strive to get people to consider fresh approaches, Sagittarius, I advise you to skip the "blasphemies and treason" stage. I think that if you proceed with compassion and good humor, you can go directly from "jokes and fancies" to "questions open to discussion." But one way or another, please be a leader who initiates shifts in your favorite groups and organizations. Shake things up with panache and good humor.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Novelist and astrologer Forrest E. Fickling researched which signs are the worst and best in various activities. He discovered that Capricorns are the hardest workers, as well as the most efficient. They get a lot done, and they are expeditious about it. I suspect you will be at the peak of your ability to express these Capricornian strengths in the coming weeks. Here’s a bonus: You will also be at the height of your power to enjoy your work and be extra likely to produce good work. Take maximum advantage of this grace period!
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): The British band Oasis has sold over 95 million records. The first song they ever released was "Supersonic." Guitarist Noel Gallagher wrote most of its music and lyrics in half an hour while the rest of the band was eating Chinese take-out food. I suspect you will have that kind of agile, succinct, matter-of-fact creativity in the coming days. If you are wise, you will channel it into dreaming up solutions for two of your current dilemmas. This is one time when life should be easer and more efficient than usual.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): "When sex is really, really good," writes Piscean novelist Geoff Nicholson, "I feel as though I’m disappearing, being pulverized, so that I’m nothing, just particles of debris, smog, soot, and skin floating through the air." Hmmmm. I guess that's one version of wonderful sex. And if you want it, you can have it in abundance during the coming weeks. But I encourage you to explore other kinds of wonderful sex, as well—like the kind that makes you feel like a genius animal or a gorgeous storm or a super-powered deity.
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LOVE YOUR LIFE!
How's your fight for freedom going? Are you making progress in liberating yourself from your unconscious obsessions, bad habits, and conditioned responses? Are you turning out to be the hero of your own life?
For assistance and inspiration, tune in to my EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES.
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 $7 per sign online. (Discounts are available for bulk purchases.)
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Working is one of my favorite ways to play
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ARIES (March 21-April 19): So it begins: the Building and Nurturing Togetherness phase of your astrological cycle. The next eight weeks will bring excellent opportunities to shed bad relationship habits and grow good new ones. Let’s get you in the mood with some suggestions from intimacy counselors Mary D. Esselman and Elizabeth Ash Vélez: "No matter how long you’ve been together or how well you think you know each other, you still need to romance your partner, especially in stability. Don’t run off and get an extreme makeover or buy into the red-roses-and-champagne bit. Instead, try being kind, receptive, and respectful. Show your partner, often and in whatever tender, goofy way you both understand, that their heart is your home."
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): From May 2023 to May 2024, the planets Jupiter and Uranus have been and will be in Taurus. I suspect that many Taurus revolutionaries will be born during this time. And yes, Tauruses can be revolutionaries. Here's a list of some prominent rebel Bulls: Karl Marx, Malcolm X, activist Kathleen Cleaver, lesbian feminist author Adrienne Rich, Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh, artist Salvador Dali, playwright Lorraine Hansberry, and dancer Martha Graham. All were wildly original innovators who left a bold mark on their cultures. May their examples inspire you to clarify and deepen the uniquely stirring impact you would like to make, Taurus.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Gemini writer Joe Hill believes the only fight that matters is "the struggle to take the world’s chaos and make it mean something." I can think of many other fights that matter, too, but Hill’s choice is a good one that can be both interesting and rewarding. I especially recommend it to you in the coming weeks, Gemini. You are poised at a threshold that promises substantial breakthroughs in your ongoing wrangles with confusion, ambiguity, and enigma. My blessings go with you as you wade into the evocative challenges.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Author Crescent Dragonwagon has written over 50 books, so we might conclude she has no problem expressing herself fully. But a character in one of her novels says the following: "I don’t know exactly what I mean by 'hold something back,' except that I do it. I don’t know what the 'something' is. It’s some part that’s a mystery, maybe even to me. I feel it may be my essence or what I am deep down under all the layers. But if I don’t know what it is, how can I give it or share it with someone even if I wanted to?" I bring these thoughts to your attention, Cancerian, because I believe the coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to overcome your own inclination to "hold something back."
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In her book Undercurrents: A Life Beneath the Surface, psychologist and author Martha Manning says she is more likely to experience epiphanies in "grocery stores and laundromats, rather than in the more traditional places of reverence and prayer." She marvels that "it's in the most ordinary aspects of life" that she is "offered glimpses of the extraordinary." During these breakthrough moments, "the baseline about what is good and important in my life changes." I suspect you will be in a similar groove during the coming weeks, Leo. Are you ready to find the sacred in the mundane? Are you willing to shed your expectations of how magic occurs so you will be receptive to it when it arrives unexpectedly?
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): "These are the bad facts," says author Fran Lebowitz. "Men have much easier lives than women. Men have the advantage. So do white people. So do rich people. So do beautiful people." Do you agree, Virgo? I do. I'm not rich or beautiful, but I'm a white man, and I have received enormous advantages because of it. What about you? Now is a good time to tally any unearned blessings you have benefited from, give thanks for them, and atone by offering help to people who have obtained fewer favors. And if you have not received many advantages, the coming months will be an excellent time to ask for and even demand more.
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Great wonderful creative and loving vibes coming your way today & always. You are a treasure.
I read your messages for several years now, sometimes send it or extracts to friends or other persons; I discovered by you some great authors poets and even substack !! that has driven me to try some new things and contact new people .. perhaps will change some parts of my life I dont want anymore .. Please could you think about translate your books in french !!??? (and more languages !) ? i try to improve my english but for those books I'm not ready !
(I'd like to order sometimes for your audio or sms messages too, but it's the same : I think an audio will be too much difficult for me to understand without transcription and/or translation.. )
so you are sometimes an unique breathing- gift in hard living, even if I'm not a total mystic or believing person, but really, your look and poetry and larger views on life and world often helped me to return to more near myself and smile to life beauty , so I thank you . You do a great work ! ;)