You Know What To Do

and you know how to do it

Jan 23, 2024

Dear Readers,

I've gathered all the long-term, big-picture horoscopes I wrote for you in recent weeks, and bundled them in one place. Here's a compendium of your forecasts for 2024:

https://tinyurl.com/BigPicture2024

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MAESTRO OF THE OBVIOUS — excerpted from my ASTROLOGY IS REAL

I am a Maestro of the Obvious. I'm a simpleton who states truths that are hard to see because they are so easy to see. Here's one: Many institutions in our culture do bad and self-serving things.

The institutions that do bad and self-serving things are corporations, religions, governments, the media, big science, medicine, the pharmaceuticals, academia, publishing, the film and art and music industries, the big tech companies, professional sports, and every other system I neglected to name. All of them.

Here's what we maestros of the obvious do: Toward all the bad and self-serving institutions, we develop a discerning skepticism, based on accurate evidence. We criticize them. We do what we can to reform them. And we acknowledge that they may also do some good and helpful things that we are grateful for.

So we go forward, holding in our minds a poised understanding of their contradictions, as intelligent fools do. We cultivate an awareness that everything on earth is flawed and imperfect, and that many imperfect and flawed things (though not all) also have value and beneficence.

We meditate on the psychological concept of co-emergence, which postulates that every beautiful, useful thing is intertwined with some challenging problem; and that many challenging problems have some inspiration and education to offer us.

We meditate on what my daughter said when she was five years old: "There's nothing in the world that is either all good or all bad."

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LOVE OUR IMPERFECTIONS — excerpted from my ASTROLOGY IS REAL

I propose we set aside a time twice every year when we celebrate our gaffes, flaws, and bloopers.

During this crooked holiday, we aren’t bereft with embarrassment about the false moves we have made.

We don’t decry our bad judgment or denounce our delusional behavior. Instead, we forgive ourselves for our sins.

We work to understand and feel compassion for the ignorance that led us astray.

Maybe we even find redemptive value in our lapses. We come to see that they saved us from some painful experience or helped us avoid getting a supposed treasure that would have ultimately been a booby prize. At the very least, they taught us how not to act in the future.

We could call it the Love Our Imperfections Celebration.

THE ART OF CHANGING OUR MINDS — excerpted from my ASTROLOGY IS REAL

Every election campaign season, voters rant about candidates who have been inconsistent. Horrors! How dare they change their minds about the issues?

I don’t understand the complaint. In my view, growing riper and wiser requires us to keep changing our minds forever. In 2008, for example, Barack Obama opposed same-sex marriages. In 2012, he reversed his position. A wise decision!

In support of my hypothesis that it’s often healthy to evolve our ideas and feelings, I offer quotes on the subject below.

Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.

—George Bernard Shaw

The man who never alters his opinion is like standing water, and breeds reptiles of the mind.

—William Blake

I wanted to be a ballerina. I changed my mind.

—Beverly Cleary

Like all weak men, he laid an exaggerated stress on not changing one's mind.

—W. Somerset Maugham

The snake that cannot cast its skin has to die. As well the minds which are prevented from changing their opinions; they cease to be mind.

—Friedrich Nietzsche

Only the strongest people have the pluck to change their minds, and say so, if they see they have been wrong in their ideas.

—Enid Blyton

A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do.

—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sometimes, being true to yourself means changing your mind. Self changes, and you follow.

—Vera Nazarian

The interesting thing is always to see if you can find a fact that will change your mind about something, to test and see if you can.

—Diane Sawyer

Almost all of my many passionate interests, and my many changes of mind, came through books.

—Annie Dillard

Do I contradict myself? Very well, then, I contradict myself; I am large—I contain multitudes.

—Walt Whitman

The willingness to change one’s mind in the light of new evidence is a sign of rationality, not weakness.

―Stuart Sutherland

I came from a different mind-set growing up, and my mind has changed.

—Katy Perry

Total loyalty is possible only when fidelity is emptied of all concrete content, from which changes of mind might naturally arise.

—Hannah Arendt

There is no point in asking me general questions because I am always changing my mind.

—Michel Houellebecq

You have the RIGHT to change your mind.

—Oprah Winfrey

A person is a fluid process, not a fixed and static entity; a flowing river of change, not a block of solid material; a continually changing constellation of potentialities, not a fixed quantity of traits.

—Carl Rogers

We are the sum of our efforts to change who we are. Identity is no museum piece sitting stock-still in a display case, but rather the endlessly astonishing synthesis of the contradictions of everyday life.

—Eduardo Galeano

PS: Jungian analyst Arnold Mindell explores the relationship between mind and body. He thinks we can achieve optimal physical health if we are devoted to shedding outworn self-images. In his book The Shaman's Body, he writes, "You have one central lesson to learn—to continuously drop all your rigid identities. Personal history may be your greatest danger."

Kate Bornstein, author of Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women and the Rest of Us, agrees. Raised as a boy, she later became a woman, but ultimately renounced gender altogether. "I love being without an identity," she says. "It gives me a lot of room to play around."

Dear Fellow Aspirants on the Path of Waking Up Again and Again — Please consider leaving a review for my new book, ASTROLOGY IS REAL, on Amazon.

Even if you don't buy it, reviewing it will give me a boost.

Go here to read and listen to lots of excerpts from ASTROLOGY IS REAL.

Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Week of January 25
© Copyright 2024  Rob Brezsny

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): "All good writing is swimming under water and holding your breath," wrote author F. Scott Fitzgerald. I'd like to expand that metaphor and apply it to you, Aquarius. I propose that your best thinking and decision-making in the coming weeks will be like swimming under water while holding your breath. What I mean is that you'll get the best results by doing what feels unnatural. You will get yourself in the right mood if you bravely go down below the surface and into the depths and feel your way around.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In honor of this pivotal time in your life story, I offer four pronouncements. 1. You can now be released from a history that has repeated itself too often. To expedite this happy shift, indulge in a big cry and laugh about how boring that repeated history has become. 2. You can finish paying off your karmic debt to someone you hurt. How? Change yourself to ensure you won’t ever act that way again. 3. You can better forgive those who wounded you if you forgive yourself for being vulnerable to them. 4. Every time you divest yourself of an illusion, you will clearly see how others’ illusions have been affecting you.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Aries author Dani Shapiro has published six novels, three bestselling memoirs, and a host of articles in major magazines. She co-founded a writer’s conference, teaches at top universities, and does a regular podcast. We can conclude she is successful. Here's her secret: She feels that summoning courage is more important than being confident. Taking bold action to accomplish what you want is more crucial than cultivating self-assurance. I propose that in the coming weeks, you apply her principles to your own ambitions.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Throughout history, there has never been a culture without religious, mythical, and supernatural beliefs. The vast majority of the world’s people have believed in magic and divinity. Does that mean it’s all true and real? Of course not. But nor does it mean that none of it is true and real. Ultra-rationalists who dismiss the spiritual life are possessed by hubris. Everything I’ve said here is prelude to my oracle for you: Some of the events in the next three weeks will be the result of magic and divinity. Your homework is to discern which are and which aren’t.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Several wise people have assured me that the pursuit of wealth, power, popularity, and happiness isn't as important as the quest for meaningfulness. If you feel your life story is interesting, rich, and full of purpose, you are successful. This will be a featured theme for you in the coming months, Gemini. If you have ever fantasized about your destiny resembling an ancient myth, a revered fairy tale, a thousand-page novel, or an epic film, you will get your wish.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): "Life as we live it is unaccompanied by signposts," wrote author Holly Hickler. I disagree with her assessment, especially in regard to your upcoming future. Although you may not encounter literal markers bearing information to guide you, you will encounter metaphorical signals that are clear and strong. Be alert for them, Cancerian. They might not match your expectations about what signposts should be, though. So expand your concepts of how they might appear.

EXPLORING THE BIG PICTURE OF YOUR LONG-RANGE FUTURE

Would you like some inspiration and guidance as you muse and wonder about your upcoming adventures in 2024?

You can still listen to my long-range, in-depth explorations of your destiny in the coming months. Each report in the three-part series is 7 to 11 minutes long.

To hear these three-part, in-depth reports, go here:

https://RealAstrology.com

Register and/or log in through the main page. Under “Select Reading to Play,” choose "Part 1" or “Part 2” or “Part 3” of the "Long-Term Prediction for 2024."

The cost for the Expanded Audio Horoscopes is $7 per sign. (You can get discounts for multiple purchases.)

A new short-range forecast for this week is also available.

"The best part about your audio horoscopes is that they pat me on the head and kick me in the ass at the same time."

—Rita L., San Diego

"Your audio oracles go beyond helping me find the truth -- they inspire me to find the WILD truth."

—Patrick K., Montreal

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): I wrote a book called Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings Among its main messages: There’s high value in cultivating an attitude that actively looks for the best in life and regards problems as potential opportunities. When I was working on the book, no one needed to hear this advice more than me! Even now, I still have a long way to go before mastering the outlook I call "crafty optimism." I am still subject to dark thoughts and worried feelings—even though I know the majority of them are irrational or not based on the truth of what's happening. In other words, I am earnestly trying to learn the very themes I have been called to teach. What's the equivalent in your life, Leo? Now is an excellent time to upgrade your skill at expressing abilities and understandings you wish everyone had.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In 1951, filmmaker Akira Kurosawa made a movie adapted from The Idiot, a novel by his favorite author Fyodor Dostoevsky. Kurosawa was not yet as famous and influential as we would later become. That’s why he agreed to his studio's demand to cut 99 minutes from his original 265-minute version. But this turned out to be a bad idea. Viewers of the film had a hard time understanding the chopped-up story. Most of the critics’ reviews were negative. I bring this to your attention, Virgo, with two intentions: 1. I encourage you to do minor editing on your labor of love. 2 But don't agree to anything like the extensive revisions that Kurosawa did.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): I have selected a poem for you to tape on your refrigerator door for the next eight weeks. It's by 13th-century Zen poet Wu–Men. He wrote: "Ten thousand flowers in spring, the moon in autumn, / a cool breeze in summer, snow in winter. / If your mind isn’t clouded by unnecessary things, this is the best season of your life." My wish for you, Libra—which is also my prediction for you—is that you will have extra power to empty your mind of unnecessary things. More than ever, you will be acutely content to focus on the few essentials that appeal to your wild heart and tender soul.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Psychologist Carl Jung wrote, "Motherlove is one of the most moving and unforgettable memories of our lives, the mysterious root of all growth and change; the love that means homecoming, shelter, and the long silence from which everything begins and in which everything ends." To place yourself in rapt alignment with current cosmic rhythms, Scorpio, you will do whatever's necessary to get a strong dose of the blessing Jung described. If your own mother isn't available or is insufficient for this profound immersion, find other maternal sources. Borrow a wise woman elder or immerse yourself in Goddess worship. Be intensely intent on basking in a nurturing glow that welcomes you and loves you exactly as you are—and makes you feel deeply at home in the world.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In a set of famous experiments, physiologist Ivan Pavlov taught dogs to have an automatic response to a particular stimulus. He rang a bell while providing the dogs with food they loved. After a while, the dogs began salivating with hunger simply when they heard the bell, even though no food was offered. Ever since, "Pavlov's dogs" has been a phrase that refers to the ease with which animals' instinctual natures can be conditioned. I can't help but wonder what would have happened if Pavlov had used cats instead of dogs for his research. Would felines have submitted to such scientific shenanigans? I doubt it. These ruminations are my way of urging you to be more like a cat than a dog in the coming weeks. Resist efforts to train you, tame you, or manipulate you into compliance.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Before poet Louise Glück published her first book, Firstborn, it was rejected by 28 publishers. When it finally emerged, she suffered from writer's block. Her next book didn't appear until eight years after the first one. Her third book arrived five years later, and her fourth required another five years. Slow going! But here’s the happy ending: By the time she died at age 80, she had published 21 books and won the Pulitzer Prize and the Nobel Prize for Literature. By my astrological reckoning, you are now at a phase, in your own development, comparable to the time after Glück's fourth book: well-primed, fully geared up, and ready to make robust progress.

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