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You're Always at the Beginning

Never Underestimate Your Power as a Creator

Rob Brezsny

Jan 18, 2022

Nothing will tell you where you are. Each moment is a place you've never been.

—Mark Strand

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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 2022:

https://tinyurl.com/BigPicture2022

In addition to these, I've created EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES that go even further in Exploring Your Long-Term Destiny in 2022.

What will be the story of your life in the coming months? What new influences will be headed your way? What fresh resources will you be able to draw on? How can you conspire with life to create the best possible future for yourself?

To listen to these three-part, in-depth reports, go here: https://RealAstrology.com

Register and/or log in through the main page, and then access the horoscopes by clicking on "Long Range Prediction." (Choose from Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.)

If you'd like a boost of inspiration to fuel you in your quest for beauty and truth and love and meaning, tune in to my meditations on your Big-Picture outlook.

Each of the three-part reports is seven to nine minutes long. The cost is $6 per report. There are discounts for the purchase of multiple reports.

P.S. You can also listen to a short-term Expanded Audio Horoscope for the coming week.

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YOU'RE A PROPHET

(Hear me speak this: https://tinyurl.com/YouAreAProphet)

Your imagination is the single most important asset you possess. It's your power to create mental pictures of things that don't exist yet and that you want to bring into being. It's the magic wand you use to shape your future.

And so in your own way, you are a prophet. You generate countless predictions every day. Your imagination is the source, tirelessly churning out images of what you will be doing later.

The featured prophecy of the moment may be as simple as a psychic impression of yourself eating a fudge brownie at lunch or as monumental as a daydream of some year building your dream home by a lake or sea.

Your imagination is a treasure when it spins out scenarios that are aligned with your deepest desires.

In fact, it's an indispensable tool in creating the life you want; it's what you use to form images of the conditions you'd like to inhabit and the objects you hope to wield. Nothing manifests on this planet unless it first exists as a mental picture.

But for most of us, the imagination is as much a curse as a blessing. We're often just as likely to use it to conjure up premonitions that are at odds with our conscious values.

That's the result of having absorbed toxic programming from the media and from our parents at an early age and from other influential people in our past.

Fearful fantasies regularly pop up into our awareness, many disguising themselves as rational thoughts and genuine intuitions. Those fearful fantasies may hijack our psychic energy, directing it to exhaust itself in dead-end meditations.

Every time we entertain a vision of being rejected or hurt or frustrated, every time we rouse and dwell on a memory of a painful experience, we're blasting ourselves with a hex.

Meanwhile, ill-suited longings are also lurking in our unconscious mind, impelling us to want things that aren't good for us and that we don't really need. Anytime we surrender to the allure of these false and trivial and counterproductive desires, our imagination is practicing a form of black magic.

This is the unsavory aspect of the imagination that the Zen Buddhists deride as the "monkey mind." It's the part of our mental apparatus that endlessly spins out pictures that zip around with the energy of an agitated animal.

If we can stop locating our sense of self in the relentless surge of the monkey mind's slapdash chatter, we can be fully attuned to the life that's right in front of us. Only then are we able to want what we actually have.

But whether our imagination is in service to our noble desires or in the thrall of compulsive fears and inappropriate yearnings, there is one constant: The prophecies of our imagination tend to be accurate. Many of our visions of the future do come to pass.

The situations we expect to occur and the experiences we rehearse and dwell on are all-too-often reflected back to us as events that confirm our expectations.

Does that mean our mental projections create the future? Let's consider that possibility. What if it's at least partially true that what we expect will happen does tend to materialize?

Here's the logical conclusion: It's downright stupid and self-destructive to keep infecting our imaginations with pictures of loss and failure, doom and gloom, fear and loathing. The far more sensible approach is to expect blessings.

That's one reason why I'm reverent in composing my messages for you. If I'm to be one of the influences you invite into the intimate sanctuary where you hatch your self-fulfilling prophecies, I want to conspire with you to disperse fear and invoke relaxation and joy.

(Hear me speak this: https://tinyurl.com/YouAreAProphet)

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COMMUNING WITH TREES

Red K Elders writes: "People sometimes don’t believe that it is possible to commune with anything other than human. ‘I sat for an hour talking to a tree, and it didn’t say anything to me,’ they tell me.

"I ask them what did they give to the tree? Did they make offerings of food or drink or bodily emanations? Did they play it music or sing it a song? Did they dance for it so beautifully or gently ask if they may lovingly touch or hold it? Did they even introduce themselves properly and share a delicate secret from their innermost being?

"Other-than-human relationships are like any other in this respect. We have to show our caring, dare to reveal ourselves and continually build trust with each other over time.

"And let go of expecting anything from the other. Go with the attitude of ‘what I can do for this tree today that will honour it, express my gratitude for all its whole beingness and support its growth?’ Go continually, answering that question for yourself, before you even start expecting any interaction or answers from the tree.

"Then one day, the tree may speak to you, but it may not be with words, and it may happen so quickly you’ll miss it the first few times. Slow your whole body and elongate it into tree-time. Go again like a child, playful and with reverence. Pay exquisite attention to every nuance of the entire scene with all your senses wide open."

—Written by Red K Elders, https://www.facebook.com/redkelders

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THE MOON REALLY DOES AFFECT BIOLOGY

Fundamentalist materialists and practitioners of scientism have assured us forever that the moon doesn't and can't influence living creatures in any way. They have always been arrogantly wrong. Here's new scientific evidence to add to all the rest:

* Biological activity on Earth really is affected by the gravity of the sun and moon. https://tinyurl.com/mtdevrky

* Longitudinal observations call into question the scientific consensus that humans are unaffected by lunar cycles. https://tinyurl.com/mpn4k4h9

* The mood-altering power of the Moon. https://tinyurl.com/4nfarf26

* Association between lunar phase and sleep characteristics. https://tinyurl.com/2p8w64ts

* A study on the physical fitness index, heart rate, and blood pressure in different phases of lunar month on male human subjects: https://tinyurl.com/2p95evm8

* Effects of lunar phase on sleep in men and women. https://tinyurl.com/2p92aa7f

* The moon’s subtle effects on our sleep and mental health. https://tinyurl.com/bsuhvxna

* Synchronization of human sleep with the moon cycle under field conditions. https://tinyurl.com/2bzrcwsa

* Moon cycles exert an influence on menstruation and sleep patterns. https://tinyurl.com/5a7h47y4

* Menstrual cycles intermittently sync with moon cycles: A long-term study finds that these rhythms align at certain times of women’s lives, shedding new light on the controversial idea that lunar phases influence human reproduction. https://tinyurl.com/2c4dfjaf

* Effects of full-moon definition on psychiatric emergency department presentations. https://tinyurl.com/2p9cnwvy

* Shark attacks more likely during a full moon. https://tinyurl.com/ycxcdffy

* The gravitational tug of the sun and moon sends significant tremors through California's San Andreas Fault, and could potentially trigger full-blown earthquakes. https://tinyurl.com/39ut5vt9

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STAYING IN TOUCH WITH THE DEAD

My father died in December 2019. We have had several interesting conversations since then. Recently, we shared a laugh about what different characters we are and yet how important we have been to each other.

This was not an experience we shared or could have shared while he was alive. Our relationship is evolving!

The exchange between us happened on a Thursday afternoon while I was doing housework—no special meditative state required!

I highly recommend staying in touch with the spirits of loved ones who have passed.

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WILDNESS REVISED

In his book The Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart, Robert Bly says that to be wild is not to be crazy like a criminal or psychotic, but "mad as the mist and snow."

It has nothing to do with being childish or primitive, nor does it manifest as manic rebellion or self-damaging alienation.

The real marks of wildness, he asserts, are a love of nature, a delight in silence, a voice free to say spontaneous things, and an exuberant curiosity in the face of the unknown.

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STARHAWK ON VACCINATIONS

Karyne Kuzawski writes: Many people in the alternative spirituality community are anti-vaccine. When Neopagan feminist Starhawk got vaccinated, she received a lot of negative feedback from people saying she was going against her values. Why wasn’t she letting/helping her healthy immune system take care of her? I loved her response:

Starhawk wrote: What about herbal medicine and natural methods? Hey, I drink ginger tea whenever I feel fluish, or chomp on turkey tail mushrooms, and that generally works fine for me. I have a good, strong immune system.

But Covid-19 is not the flu. It's something our immune systems have not yet evolved to deal with.

When Europeans arrived on this continent, the indigenous people of the Americas were amazing herbalists, incredibly skilled healers, extremely knowledgeable about all the medicines of the land, and they ate completely wild, nutrient dense organic food—but they had never developed immunities to European diseases and tens of millions died.

For that matter, the old Witches of Europe were damn good herbalists but that wasn't much help, either, against the bubonic plague. I'm not arrogant enough to think that I'm in their league, anyway.

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MORE PRONOIA RESOURCES:

Alicia Keys Talks about the Universe Conspiring in Our Behalf: https://tinyurl.com/AliciaKeysPronoia

Watch Woman Save Bees By Rescuing Hives From Old Buildings With Her Bare Hands. https://tinyurl.com/2p9fjwza

Check Out the Greatest Snowflake Photos Ever Taken With Vividly High Resolution. https://tinyurl.com/bdm6eb2r

Major Turning Point in 2021 Saw Global Shipping Take Massive Steps to Reduce Emissions. https://tinyurl.com/mpbdv6y8

Teen Has Performed a Random Act of Kindness Every Day Since the Start of the Pandemic. https://tinyurl.com/2f8vcmva

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

Please tell me your own nominations for PRONOIA RESOURCES: Truthrooster@gmail.com.

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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

Week beginning January 20

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Self-help teachers and New Age gurus are fond of using metaphors about opening doors. They provide a lot of advice that encourages us to knock on doors, scout around for doors that are open just a crack, find keys to unlock doors, and even kick down doors. I will not be following their lead in this horoscope. In my opinion, the coming days are an excellent time for you to heed the contrary counsel of author Paulo Coelho: "Close some doors today. Not because of pride, incapacity, or arrogance, but simply because they lead you nowhere." Once you carry out this assignment, Aquarius, I believe you'll start finding interesting new doors to open.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In 2017, Piscean film director Jordan Peele released his debut film, Get Out. It was a success with both critics and audiences. A year later, Peele became the first Black screenwriter to win the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. As he accepted the Oscar, he said, "I stopped writing this movie about 20 times because I thought it was impossible." Personally, I'm glad Peele didn't give up his dream. Here's one reason why: He will serve as an excellent role model for you throughout 2022. As you reinvent yourself, Pisces, don't give up pushing ahead with persistence, courage, and a quest for what's most fun.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): In October 2021, the Vancouver Canucks hockey team played the Seattle Kraken team in a Seattle arena. A fan named Nadia Popovici noticed that the Canucks' equipment manager Brian Hamilton had an irregular mole on the back of his neck—possibly cancerous. She found a way to communicate her observation to him, urging him to see a doctor. In the ensuing days, Hamilton sought medical care and discovered that the mole was indeed in an early stage of melanoma. He had it removed. In the spirit of this inspiring story, Aries, I invite you to tell the people in your life things they should know but don't know yet—not just what might be challenging, but also what's energizing and interesting. Be their compassionate advisor, their agent for divine intervention.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Canadian-Jamaican songwriter and recording artist Kreesha Turner isn't a mega-star like Beyoncé or Rihanna, but she has had a successful music career. What's the secret to her constant creative output? Here's what she has said: "I love to surround myself with people who are the best at what they do. My idea is I want to be a sponge and absorb everything they teach, experience their energy, view them in their element, and have the opportunity to ask them questions." The coming year will be one of the best times ever for you to emulate her strategy, Taurus. And now is a perfect moment for formulating plans to make it happen.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Gemini author Lisa Cron says that when we're telling a story, we should give each successive scene "new information, rather than rehashing things we already know. Never tell us the same fact twice. Because it’s boring and stops the flow of the story. Never tell us the same fact twice. Because it’s boring and stops the flow of the story." In accordance with astrological omens, Gemini, I suggest you apply this counsel to everything you say and do in the next three weeks. Don't repeat yourself. Keep moving right along. Invite novelty. Cultivate surprises and unpredictability.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Years ago, I reluctantly gave up my music career. To do so was sad and hard. But it enabled me to devote far more time and energy to improving my writing skills. I published books and developed a big audience. I'm glad I did it. Here's another redemptive sacrifice I made earlier in my life: I renounced the chaotic pleasure of seeking endless new romantic adventures so I could commit myself to a relationship with one particular woman. In so doing, I learned a lot more about how to be a soulful human. I'm glad I did it. Is there potentially a comparable pivot in your life, my fellow Cancerian? If so, the coming weeks and months will be a favorable time to make a move.

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LET'S IMAGINE WHAT INTERESTING MYSTERIES MIGHT BE COMING YOUR WAY IN THE COMING YEAR

Would you like some inspiration as you muse and wonder about your upcoming adventures in 2022?

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 9 minutes long.

Go to https://RealAstrology.com to register and/or sign in through the main page.

Then access the Long-Term, Big-Picture EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES by clicking on "Long Range Prediction." Choose from Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

The cost for the Expanded Audio Horoscopes is $6 per sign. (You can get discounts for multiple purchases.)

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

"Your Expanded Audio Horoscopes provide me with the Rest of the Story. I'm not necessarily a believer in the scientific accuracy of astrology, but I do think you've got a lot of practical wisdom to impart."

—M. Tennenbaum, New York

"No one knows more about me than me. But you're right up there near the top of the list of people who do understand something about how I tick. How is that possible?"

—R. Goren, Albuquerque

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LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Leo actor Claudia Christian has appeared in over 50 films, including many in the science fiction genre. She has played a variety of roles in movies with more conventional themes. But as for the sci-fi stuff? She says, "Apparently, I’ve been typecast: I’m a Russian bisexual telepathic Jew." If Christian came to me for astrological advice right now, I would suggest that the coming months will be an excellent time for her and all of you Leos to slip free of any pigeonholes you've been stuck in. Escape the mold! Create niches for yourself that enable you to express your full repertoire.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The coming weeks will be a favorable time to meditate on your job and your calling—as well as the differences there may be between your job and your calling. In fact, I regard this as a phase when you can summon transformative epiphanies about the way you earn a living and the useful services you provide to your fellow humans. For inspiration, read this quote from photographer Margaret Bourke-White: "Even while you're in dead earnest about your work, you must approach it with a feeling of freedom and joy; you must be loose-jointed, like a relaxed athlete."

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Author Marguerite Yourcenar wrote, "All happiness is a work of art: The smallest error falsifies it, the slightest hesitation alters it, the least heaviness spoils it, the slightest stupidity brutalizes it." If what she says is true, it's bad news, isn't it? She makes it seem like cultivating joy and well-being is a superhuman skill that few of us can hope to master. Personally, I am not as stringent as Yourcenar in my ideas about what's required to generate happiness. But like her, I believe you have to work at it. It doesn't necessarily come easily and naturally. Most of us have never been taught how to cultivate happiness, so we must train ourselves to do it and practice diligently. The good news, Libra, is that the coming weeks will be an excellent time for you to upgrade your happiness skills.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In 1891, a cultural organization commissioned Scorpio sculptor Auguste Rodin to create a statue of beloved French author Honoré de Balzac. The piece was supposed to be done in 18 months, but it wasn't. For seven years, Rodin toiled, producing over 50 studies before finally finishing the piece. We shouldn't be surprised, then, that one of his mottoes was "Patience is also a form of action." I'm recommending Rodin-like patience to you in the coming weeks, Scorpio. Yours will be rewarded long before seven years go by.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): "I am ashamed of confessing that I have nothing to confess," wrote author Fanny Burney. Actor Jennifer Lawrence said, "I started to write an apology, but I don't have anything to say I'm sorry for." I nominate these two souls to be your role models for the coming weeks. In my astrological opinion, you are currently as immune to karmic boomerangs as it's possible to be. Your guilt levels are abnormally low. As far as I can determine, you are relatively free from having to answer to the past or defend your actions. How do you plan to make maximum use of this grace period?

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): "New truths become evident when new tools become available," declared Nobel Prize-winning medical physicist Rosalyn Sussman Yalow (1921–2011). She was referring to developments in science and technology, but I think her idea applies to our personal lives, too. And it so happens, in my astrological opinion, that the coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to acquire new tools that will ultimately lead you to discover new truths.

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Homework: What's the best blessing you could bestow on yourself right now? Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com

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