You Have Only Begun to Love
You've Only Begun to Imagine the Fullness of Life
But we have only begun
to love the earth.
We have only begun
to imagine the fullness of life.
How could we tire of hope?
—Denise Levertov
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DREAM AND SCHEME ABOUT YOUR LONG-RANGE FUTURE
with my 3-part EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES for the Coming Year:
What new influences will be headed your way in 2022? What fresh resources will you be able to draw on? How can you conspire with life to create the best possible future for yourself?
This week, my EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES feature Part 3 of the long-range, in-depth explorations of your destiny in 2022.
Part 1 and Part 2 of your Big-Picture Predictions, which I offered the last two weeks, are also still available.
What will be the story of your life in 2022? How can you exert your free will to create the adventures that'll bring out the best in you, even as you find graceful ways to cooperate with the tides of destiny?
To listen to your BIG PICTURE horoscopes online, go to https://RealAstrology.com
Register and/or log in through the main page, and then click on the link "Long Range Prediction, Part 3"
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The cost for the Expanded Audio Horoscopes is $6 per horoscope. (You can get discounts for multiple purchases.)
Each forecast is 7-9 minutes long.
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P.S. You can also still access my Sneak-Peek at 2022. In these Expanded Audio Horoscopes, I describe some major themes I think you'll be working and playing with in 2022. After you register and/or log in, click on "Three Weeks Ago (Dec 21, 2021)."
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I've prepared written horoscopes that report on your Big-Picture, Long-Range Destiny in 2022. Read them here:
https://tinyurl.com/BigPicture2022
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INSCRUTABLE PRONOIA THERAPY
Experiments and exercises in becoming a tenderly objective, cagily candid, fanatically balanced Master of Iconoclastic Listening
1. I invite you to send out a big "Hey!" and "What's up?" to all the little voices in your head. Start with the still, small voice that's always ready to provide concise responses to the ingenious questions you come up with.
But please also consider acknowledging every one of the other little voices as well—even the crabby, reactive naysayer that's forever on the lookout for insults to your dignity, however tiny or unintentional; even the worrywart that wakes you up in the middle of the night to pester you with doubts and fears.
What would it be like to love all the little voices in your head? To celebrate their vitality, their persistence, their attentiveness?
Maybe you're lucky to have such a zealous group of advisors, even if all but one of them are off the mark some of the time.
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2. Fairy tales are full of characters who suffer loss and hardship for trying to be something they're not. If they ever change their ways and accept the truth about themselves, their luck improves dramatically.
It's interesting, then, to contemplate the fact that our culture adores film and TV actors, who get extensive training in pretending to be someone other than who they really are. We nurse a similar obsession with politicians, whose specialty resembles that of actors: Their vocation requires them to dissemble constantly.
Are you one of the enthralled? Do you share our collective entrancement with people who lie about themselves for a living? If so, experiment with what happens if you wean yourself. Try being cautious about exposing yourself to influences that might encourage you to be something you're not.
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3. In , Uruguayan author Eduardo Galeano writes, "The fishermen of the Colombian coast must be learned doctors of ethics and morality, for they invented the word sentipensante, or 'feeling-thinking,' to define language that speaks the truth."
Describe a time when you pulled off the feat of thinking with your heart and feeling with your head.
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4. Many of us don't always know what we feel. We may have a vivid sense that we feel something, but we're not sure what it is. That's why musicians, writers, actors, and other creative people play such a crucial role in our emotional lives. Their work can help us articulate the enigmas fermenting within us.
But here's the problem: A majority of the artists who are easiest for us to find aren't exceptionally smart or original; they specialize in expressing hackneyed feelings.
Many of the very best creators "remain in relative obscurity because of their resistance to formula efforts," writes journalist Alan Cabal. "Mediocrities latch onto whatever hits and repeat it endlessly in pursuit of cash or celebrity or both." If we look to the latter for illumination, we're cheated.
Your assignments: Get tough with the lazy or wounded part of you that is drawn to the mediocrities.
Compile a roster of virtuosos who have developed a high level of proficiency in extracting esthetically exciting meaning from the fascinating chaos around us.
Expose yourself exclusively to their work, devotedly avoiding the mediocrities' stuff, for a given period, say 100 days. Describe how this transforms you.
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5. "The greatest thing a human soul ever does in this world is to see something," wrote art critic John Ruskin in his book Modern Painters. "To see clearly is poetry, prophecy, and religion, all in one."
Proposed experiment: Lay aside everything you think you know, suspend your reflex to impose your beliefs on every situation you encounter, and behold the world exactly as it is.
Assume that by doing so you can change everything you see into a more beautiful version of itself.
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6. The factor most likely to drive us to addiction or illness is a lack of intimate contact with spirit. We all need a daily dose of vastness.
Paradoxically, many of us would also benefit from more microscopic vision. Because we're so deprived of divine connection, we're half-dreaming all the time; our unconscious pining for the eternal source distracts us from the vivid little glories that are splayed out around us.
And so we miss the Divine Wow from both directions.
Try this: Prime your connection with spirit by focusing your attention on tones and shapes you usually miss: reflections in windows, the sky between the oak tree's branches, the shadows on the water, the two different emotions in a friend's eyes and mouth.
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7. To the ancient Chinese, pigs were sacred because they could eat anything and turn it into energy. The creatures were regarded as masters of transmutation. Nothing, not even garbage, was unusable to them.
The Chinese aspired to be like pigs in the sense of being able to learn from and derive benefit from every experience, not just the tidy, tasteful ones.
Borrowing this strategy, name two garbage-like experiences that you could turn into fuel for your growing urge to be a pronoiac co-conspirator.
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8. Is it really healthy to have a shrill, 25-words-or-less opinion about everything, as radio and TV talk shows seem to imply?
Would anyone object if now and then you served as a compassionate witness about the hot-button issues? Is it conceivable that you could simply sit on the fence in the midst of the wars of words and beam articulate sympathy at both sides?
Yes, you can. You have the rebellious resourcefulness to be a freedom fighter without hating anyone. Go out and prove it. Document your success here.
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9. "You may enjoy this movie if you shut down enough brain cells. I turned off all except the ones needed to remember where I parked my car."
This observation comes from a critic's evaluation of Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, but I've read similar comments in many reviews of other films and entertainment.
Indeed, it's an approach that many intelligent people employ routinely in response to the shiny slop our culture offers up.
What about you? Do you assume you have to make yourself dumber in order to have fun? Has the well-crafted inanity of the world caused you to shut down your sensitivity? Work to reverse this trend. You'll receive help from unexpected sources if you do.
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10. There is a proverb from the American culture of the 21st century that I'd like to run by you: "Never reveal all you know, confess everything you feel, show how much you care, or give all you have."
Prove this proverb wrong. Cultivate power by revealing all you know, confessing everything you feel, showing how much you care, and giving all you have.
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11. Oceans are not exactly teeming with life. In fact, they're mostly barren, and could rightly be called "wet deserts."
Likewise, not all your emotions, even those that come in floods, are fertile. Some are automatic reactions that have discharged thousands of times since they were first programmed into you many years ago.
They're often negative, and are not organic but mechanical, being inappropriate to the events that seem to stimulate them. They became fixtures when you were a very different person than you are now.
Identify these.
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12. In her book Vodou Visions, Sallie Ann Glassman argues that Vodou (the preferred spelling among its practitioners) is an authentic religious tradition worthy of respect.
She acknowledges that some of its beliefs may seem unusual. For instance, Vodou's calm, gentle, sweet spirits are not always forces for good, while some of its hot, turbulent, revolutionary spirits are not necessarily bad.
Although not a practitioner of Vodou, Raymond Chandler had some related counsel: "The disease of niceness cripples more lives than alcoholism."
Borrow this meme. Monitor the calm, gentle, sweet spirits in your life for the possibility that they may act as agents of deception or passivity.
Be inspired by the creator gods and goddesses of ancient myth, who playfully forged millions of beautiful things using wind, mud, tears, and lightning.
Tap into the fiery aspect of your nature that drove you out of your mother's womb and into this world in the hour when you were born.
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13. For 24 hours, call everything by a name different from the one it usually has. Example: Call the TV a "hyacinth," call the refrigerator a "cloud," and call a chair an "electric knowing."
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IS PRONOIA JUST FOR RICH, COMFORTABLE PEOPLE?
All of creation is conspiring to shower us with blessings. Life is crazily in love with us — brazenly and innocently in love with us. The universe always gives us exactly what we need, exactly when we need it.
But wait a minute. What about all the people in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Arab world, and Oceania who don’t have enough to eat and a comfortable place to sleep?
How about the victims of war and epidemics, and the oppressed who live under the rule of tyrants, and the innocents whose lives are distorted by bigotry? Where’s their glory in the highest? Why should they feel grateful?
For my ideas about this subject, go to https://tinyurl.com/PronoiaGlory3
Here's an excerpt:
In calling attention to some of the surprisingly good news about the world, I of course don't mean to imply that paradise is at hand.
My recognition of the underreported progress and miracles is not equivalent to an endorsement of evil-doers. And I trust that after reading these words you won't go numb to the suffering of others and stop agitating on their behalf.
Just the opposite: I hope that you will be energized by the signs of creeping benevolence and waxing intelligence.
As you absorb the evidence that an aggressive strain of compassion is loose in the world, maybe you will conclude that activism actually works, and you'll be motivated to give yourself with confidence to the specific role you can play in manifesting the ultimate goal: to create a heaven on earth in which everyone alive is a healthy, free, self-actualized, spiritually enlightened millionaire dedicated to living sustainably.
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For more about PRONOIA, go here:
https://tinyurl.com/PronoiaGlory1
https://tinyurl.com/PronoiaGlory2
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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:
Magic Mushrooms Are Safe to Treat Mental Health Conditions, Says Another Landmark Trial. https://tinyurl.com/ycknv3a7
Whales Once Walked Along the Coasts of North America … Wait, What? https://tinyurl.com/2p8vp25s
The Most Stunning Moments For Animals in 2021 Will Make You Cheer – and Love Them Even More. https://tinyurl.com/4hz76ak3
Shaq Brings 2,000 Nintendo Switches and PS5s To Underprivileged Kids On Christmas: A Long List of His Good Deeds. https://tinyurl.com/2p9am45u
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For a lot more pronoiac resources and ideas, read my book Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings
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
A free preview of the book is available here: https://tinyurl.com/PronoiaPreview
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Tell me your own nominations for PRONOIA RESOURCES: Truthrooster@gmail.com.
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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Week beginning January 13
Copyright 2022 by Rob Brezsny
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Capricorn biologist Robin Wall Kimmerer wrote a meditative book about moss. It was her response to questions she had been wondering about: Why has this inconspicuous plant persevered for 350 million years? While so many other species have gone extinct, why has moss had staying power through all the Earth's climate changes and upheavals? And what lessons does its success have for us? Here are Kimmerer's conclusions: Moss teaches us the value "of being small, of giving more than you take, of working with natural law, sticking together." In accordance with astrological omens in 2022, Capricorn, I believe moss should be your role model. (Kimmerer's book is Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses.)
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Author Joyce Carol Oates has been very successful and has won several major awards. But she describes her job as arduous and time-consuming. "I work very slowly," she testifies. "It's like building a ladder, where you're building your own ladder rung by rung, and you're climbing the ladder. It's not the best way to build a ladder, but I don't know any other way." I wouldn't always recommend her approach for you, Aquarius, but I will in 2022. As long as you're willing to accept gradual, incremental progress, you'll get a lot of fine work done.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): I've selected a quote for you to use as one of your guiding principles in 2022. I urge you to undertake a specific action in the next 24 hours that will prove you mean to take it seriously. Here's the wisdom articulated by Piscean rabbi and philosopher Marc-Alain Ouaknin: "People must break with the illusion that their lives have already been written and their paths already determined." It's reinvention time, dear Pisces.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): The coming months will be an excellent time for you to explore the art of Soulful Bragging. Do you deserve any of the titles below? If so, feel free to use them liberally throughout 2022. 1. Practical Idealist with Flexible Strategies. 2. Genius of Interesting Intimacy. 3. Jaunty Healer with Boisterous Knowledge of the Soul's Ways. 4. Free-Wheeling Joker Who Makes People Laugh for Righteous and Healing Reasons. 5. Skillful Struggler. 6. Empathy Master with a Specialty in Creative Compassion. 7. Playful Reservoir of Smart Eros. 8. Purveyor of Feisty Wisdom and Cute Boldness. 9. Crafty Joy-Summoner.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Most people who use tobacco products are at risk of having shorter life spans than they might have otherwise had. Smoking is detrimental to health. Those who smoke in their twenties and thirties may cut ten years off their longevity. But here's some good news: If you kick your tobacco habit before age 40, you will regain most of those ten years. I bring this to your attention because I'd like it to serve as a motivational tale for you in 2022. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you will have more power than ever before to escape any harmful addictions and compulsions you have—and begin reclaiming your full vitality.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In May 1974, the Grateful Dead introduced a new wrinkle to their live musical performances. Playing at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, they amplified their music through a "Wall of Sound": 604 speakers piled high, together channeling 26,000 watts of energy. Had any band ever treated their fans to a louder volume and crisper tones? I'd like to make this breakthrough event one of your top metaphors for 2022. According to my analysis, it will be a great year for you to boost your signal. I invite you to distribute your message with maximum confidence and clarity. Show the world who you are with all the buoyant flair you can rouse.
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LET'S IMAGINE WHAT INTERESTING STORIES AND MYSTERIES MIGHT BE COMING YOUR WAY IN THE YEAR AHEAD
Who do you want to become in 2022? 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?
In this week's EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES, I offer you Part 3 of MY long-term, in-depth exploration of your destiny in the coming year.
Part 1 and Part 2 are still available.
To listen to your BIG PICTURE horoscopes online, go to https://RealAstrology.com
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The cost for the Expanded Audio Horoscopes is $6 per sign. (You can get discounts for multiple purchases.)
Each forecast is 7-9 minutes long.
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"Your long-range audio horoscopes encouraged me to think bigger about my life. As I listened, I could feel my shrunken expectations melting away."
—Therese Pembroke, San Diego
"Your big-picture horoscopes filled the gaps in my imagination. They woke up the fun plot twists that had been just on the tip of my ability to visualize."
—Ani Kraft, Brattleboro, VT
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CANCER (June 21-July 22): Philosopher Emil Cioran said he despised wise philosophers. Why? Because they practice prudent equanimity, which he regarded as empty and sterile. In Cioran's view, these deep thinkers avoid strong feelings so they can live in cool safety, free from life's nerve-wracking paradoxes. I agree with him that such a state is undesirable. However, Cioran contrasted it with the lives of the normal people he admired, who are "full of irreconcilable contradictions" and who "suffer from limitless anxiety." My question for Cioran: Are there no other options between those two extremes? And my answer: Of course there are! And you can be proof of that in 2022, Cancerian. I expect you'll be full of deep feelings, eager for new experiences, and infused with a lust for life—with less anxiety and fewer irreconcilable contradictions than ever before.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In 1838, 29-year-old naturalist Charles Darwin was early in his career. He had not developed his theory of evolution, and was not yet a superstar of science. He began ruminating about the possibility of proposing marriage to his cousin Emma Wedgwood. If married, he wrote: "constant companion and a friend in old age; the charms of music and female chit-chat—good things for one's health." If not married: "no children; no one to care for one in old age; less money for books, loss of time, and a duty to work for money." I bring this to your attention, Leo, because I suspect that in 2022, you may be tempted and inspired to deeply interweave your fate with the fates of interesting characters. A spouse or partner or collaborator? Could be. Maybe a beloved animal or spirit guide? Have fun making your list of pros and cons!
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): What were your favorite toys when you were a child? Now would be a good time to retrieve fond memories of them, and even acquire modern versions so you can revive the joy they gave you. In my astrological analysis, you'll be wise to invite your inner child to play a bigger role in your life as you engage in a wide range of playtime activities. So yes, consider the possibility of buying yourself crayons, Legos, dolls and puppets, video games, squirt guns, roller skates, yo-yos, jump ropes, and board games. And don't neglect the pleasures of blanket forts, cardboard boxes, mud pies, and plain old sticks.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In his novel The Story of a Marriage, Andrew Sean Greer asks, "Does love always form, like a pearl, around the hardened bits of life?” My answer would be, "No, not always, but when it does, it's often extra sweet and enduring." One of my wishes and predictions for you in 2022, Libra, is that love will form around your hardened bits. For best results, be open to the possibility that difficulty can blossom into grace. Look for opportunities that are seeded by strenuous work.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): "It is worth living long enough to outlast whatever sense of grievance you may acquire." Author Marilynne Robinson wrote that, and I recommend her thought as one of your uplifting meditations in 2022. According to my reading of the astrological omens, the coming months will be a favorable time to dismantle and dissolve as many old grievances as you can. This could and should be the year you liberate yourself from psychic grunge—for the sake of your own mental, physical, and spiritual health as much as for the sake of others'.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Some critics view author Diana Wynne Jones as a genius in her chosen field: fantasy novels for children and young adults. She had a generous spirit, asserting, "I have this very strong feeling that everybody is probably a genius at something; it’s just a question of finding this." If you are still unsure what your unique genius consists of, Sagittarius, I believe 2022 will show you in detailed glory. And if you do already know, the coming months will be a time when you dramatically deepen your ability to access and express your genius.
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Homework: What's the most important thing for you to get rid of in 2022? Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com
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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.
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Contents of the Free Will Astrology Newsletter are Copyright 2022 Rob Brezsny
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Always takes my breath away, how precise Rob is in speaking to the silent, unresolved uncertainties I have barely articulated to myself. There they are, laid wide open for me to see in full, to challenge me at many levels to see, to know, to appreciate all that I have. The sharper vision and deeper knowing fill me with gratitude. Thank you, Rob.