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Horoscopes by Rob Brezsny


Week of August 30th, 2007

♏ SCORPIO

(October 23-November 21)
Most intelligent people realize that global warming is underway. This awakening is good, but I'm worried that it may be diverting attention from a more profound crisis: the Mass Extinction Event that's killing off animal and plant species at a pace unmatched since the demise of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. While 87 percent of the population knows about global warming, less than five percent realize this bigger tragedy is unfolding. And that's crazy. The prospect of there being future draughts, rising ocean levels, and savage weather is daunting, but the far more devastating fact is that Earth's precious eco-diversity is dying now -- not just from global warming, but from pollution and a host of other mischief caused by humans. Our species is killing off thousands of creatures and plants that have shared the planet with us for millennia. The precipitous loss of frogs and bees alone suggests that we should be staging regular rituals of grieving, with symbolic million-mourner funeral processions. And what does this have to do with your horoscope, I mean besides it being a call to expand your understanding of our planet's environmental crisis? This: The scenario I've described is a metaphor for your personal life. What important issue might you be obsessing on in a way that blinds you to an even more all-encompassing issue? (P.S. For more information about the Mass Extinction Event, check out the website of my friend David Ulansey.)


Want more clues? Need further insight? For more evocative questions and pithy suggestions about your destiny in the coming week, check out your EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES

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SACRED ADVERTISEMENT
The Shinto monks of Iso, Japan, have a curious custom. Every 20 years since the year 772, they've dismantled their central shrine and rebuilt it from scratch. In so doing, they pass down the knowledge of their sacred construction techniques from generation to generation. It's also an effective way for the monks to participate eagerly in the transitoriness of life, rather than merely being resigned to it. They practice the art of death and rebirth not just in meditation but through a practical long-term ritual.

Can you think of an analogous custom you might create for your personal use?
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The preceding oracle comes from my book, PRONOIA Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings. It's available at Amazon or Powells.