Free Will Astrology


Horoscopes by Rob Brezsny


Week of February 4th, 2010

♈ ARIES

(March 21-April 19)
"Those who know how to win are much more numerous than those who know how to make proper use of their victories." So said the ancient Greek historian Polybius, and now I'm conveying the message to you. I hope it will serve as a spur in the wake of your recent triumph. Will you be content with merely basking in the glow, frittering away the provocative potentials? Or will you get down to business and use your new advantages to upgrade your destiny to what we might refer to as Aries 2.0?


I've gathered together all of your long-term, big-picture horoscopes and bundled them in one place. Click HERE to read a compendium of your forecasts for 2010. (In addition to these, I've also created EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES that go even further in exploring your destiny in 2010. Unlike the written freebies, the three-part audio reports cost money. Sign in and access them here.)

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SACRED ADVERTISEMENT
If you're typical, your natural curiosity was virtually extinguished at an early age by mediocre teachers, boring lessons, and oppressive classrooms. Have you ever wondered what your life would be like if your imagination hadn't been squelched? What adventures you might have sought out if your natural love of learning hadn't been crushed?

Let's launch a quest to undo the damage. Imagine I've handed you an undiploma: your official release from the soul-death of your formal education; the beginning of the healing of your wounded love of learning. What's the first thing you'll do to invoke a steady stream of inspired teachers and invigorating lessons?
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The preceding oracle comes from my new book, PRONOIA Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings.

♉ TAURUS

(April 20-May 20)
"Whatever shines should be observed," said 19th-century astronomer William Herschel, discoverer of the planet Uranus. He was referring to his specialty, heavenly bodies, but I'd like to expand the meaning for your use. According to my analysis, it has become very important for you to notice, observe, and think about anything that shines. Doing so will tune you in to exactly what you need to know in order to make the best decisions in the coming weeks.


I've gathered together all of your long-term, big-picture horoscopes and bundled them in one place. Click HERE to read a compendium of your forecasts for 2010. (In addition to these, I've also created EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES that go even further in exploring your destiny in 2010. Unlike the written freebies, the three-part audio reports cost money. Sign in and access them here.)

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When I lived in Santa Cruz, I had an acquaintance named Barnaby who lived at a remote rural community called Last Chance Farm. Combination shaman, wise elder, and lunatic, he would on rare occasions slip into town and lead me on fact-finding missions he dubbed whirlygigs. "Steep yourself with the intention of attracting lessons you don't know you need," he'd say, and then we'd meander the streets at random, going places I'd never been and striking up conversations with strangers with whom I seemingly had nothing in common. Barnaby described the whirlygig as an urban version of the walkabout, which for Aborigines is a time when they leave work and wander out into the bush to commune with the mysteries of nature.

Carry out your own whirlygig. When you're done, write an essay entitled, "People, Places, and Things I Didn't Know I Loved."
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The preceding oracle comes from my new book, PRONOIA Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings.

♊ GEMINI

(May 21-June 20)
"One doesn't discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time," wrote French author Andre Gide. I'm guessing that 2009 was a time when you embarked on such a search, Gemini -- a half-blind, groping exploration that asked you to leave the past behind without knowing where the future lay. By now, though, I suspect you have sighted the shore of your new frontier. If you haven't yet, it'll happen soon.


I've gathered together all of your long-term, big-picture horoscopes and bundled them in one place. Click HERE to read a compendium of your forecasts for 2010. (In addition to these, I've also created EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES that go even further in exploring your destiny in 2010. Unlike the written freebies, the three-part audio reports cost money. Sign in and access them here.)

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SACRED ADVERTISEMENT
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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The preceding oracle comes from my new book, PRONOIA Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings.

♋ CANCERIAN

(June 21-July 22)
I wonder if you can you handle this much healing intensity, Cancerian. The possibilities for transforming difficult parts of your life are substantial. I'll name a few ways this could play out: 1. A confusing riddle may be partially solved through a semi-divine intervention. 2. A sore spot could be soothed thanks to the power of your curiosity. 3. An ignorance that has caused you pain may be illuminated, allowing you to suffer less. 4. If you can summon the capacity to generously tolerate uncertainty, you may find and rehabilitate an orphaned part of your life. I'm not saying for sure that any of this stuff will happen, but the odds are favorable that at least one will.


I've gathered together all of your long-term, big-picture horoscopes and bundled them in one place. Click HERE to read a compendium of your forecasts for 2010. (In addition to these, I've also created EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES that go even further in exploring your destiny in 2010. Unlike the written freebies, the three-part audio reports cost money. Sign in and access them here.)

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The German religious reformer Martin Luther was fond of referring to the faculty of reason as a "damned whore." He believed it gave itself in service to any old theory, often propping up specious arguments rooted in hidden emotional agendas.

Though I regard my ability to reason as a prized asset, I confess to having some of Luther's mistrust. Like most of us, I have corrupted my logical mind by sometimes using it to disguise and rationalize my subjective biases.

Can you imagine having so much self-awareness that you never turn your reasoning ability into a whore? Are you willing to probe with merciless honesty for the unconscious feelings that drive you to believe what you do, and to analyze the ways you mask your subjective biases as "objective fact"? Could you suspend all your preconceptions and greet every situation with a scrupulously open mind? Try to live up to that high standard for a period of three days.

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The preceding oracle comes from my new book, PRONOIA Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings.

♌ LEO

(July 23-August 22)
What will it be, Leo? A time of rampaging ids and slamming doors and lost opportunities? Of strange smells and sweeping views of other people's hells? Or will this be the week you finally slip into the magic sanctuary and track down the secret formula? Will this be the breakthrough moment when you outmaneuver the "dragon" with that non-violent "weapon" you've been saving for when it was absolutely necessary? It really is up to you. Either scenario could unfold. You have to decide which one you prefer, and then set your intention.


I've gathered together all of your long-term, big-picture horoscopes and bundled them in one place. Click HERE to read a compendium of your forecasts for 2010. (In addition to these, I've also created EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES that go even further in exploring your destiny in 2010. Unlike the written freebies, the three-part audio reports cost money. Sign in and access them here.)

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SACRED ADVERTISEMENT
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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The preceding oracle comes from my new book, PRONOIA Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings.

♍ VIRGO

(August 23-September 22)
I don't mean to alarm you, but I think you may be in a light hypnotic trance right now. It's possible that the thrumming hum of your routine has shut down some of your normal alertness, lowering your awareness of certain situations that you really need to tune in to. Let's do something about this! When I count to three, you will hereby snap out of your daze and become fully awake. 1 . . . 2 . . . 3. Now look around you and get yourself more closely in touch with your immediate environment. Make an effort to vividly see and hear and smell everything that's going on. This will have the effect of mobilizing your subconscious mind. Then, for a period of at least five days, you'll have a kind of X-ray vision.


I've gathered together all of your long-term, big-picture horoscopes and bundled them in one place. Click HERE to read a compendium of your forecasts for 2010. (In addition to these, I've also created EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES that go even further in exploring your destiny in 2010. Unlike the written freebies, the three-part audio reports cost money. Sign in and access them here.)

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SACRED ADVERTISEMENT
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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The preceding oracle comes from my new book, PRONOIA Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings.

♎ LIBRA

(September 23-October 22)
You would stir up some good fortune for yourself if you brought meals to shut-ins or gave a little presentation at an old folks' home or donated your old laptop to a low-income family. Oddly enough, it's also an excellent time for you to scratch and claw for a bigger market share, or to get the upper hand on a competitor, or to bring your creative ideas to people in a position to help you. That's the odd thing about this week. Capitalist-style self-promotion and actualized compassion will not only coexist -- they'll have a symbiotic relationship.


I've gathered together all of your long-term, big-picture horoscopes and bundled them in one place. Click HERE to read a compendium of your forecasts for 2010. (In addition to these, I've also created EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES that go even further in exploring your destiny in 2010. Unlike the written freebies, the three-part audio reports cost money. Sign in and access them here.)

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SACRED ADVERTISEMENT
"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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The preceding oracle comes from my new book, PRONOIA Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings.

♏ SCORPIO

(October 23-November 21)
Last week was the anniversary of my very first weekly horoscope column, which appeared years ago in the Good Times, a newspaper in Santa Cruz, California. My initial effort was crude and a bit reckless compared to what I eventually learned to create. And yet it was imbued with a primal fervor and heartfelt adventurousness that had a certain charm, and many people seemed to find it useful. Today I bow down to that early effort, honoring it for the seed it sprouted and thanking it for the blessings it led to. I encourage you to do something similar to what I just described, Scorpio: Pay homage to the origins that made it possible for you to be who you have become.


I've gathered together all of your long-term, big-picture horoscopes and bundled them in one place. Click HERE to read a compendium of your forecasts for 2010. (In addition to these, I've also created EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES that go even further in exploring your destiny in 2010. Unlike the written freebies, the three-part audio reports cost money. Sign in and access them here.)

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SACRED ADVERTISEMENT
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 also acknowledge the others 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.

Love all the little voices in your head. Celebrate their vitality, their persistence, their attentiveness. Consider the possibility that you're lucky to have such a zealous group of advisors, even if all but one of them are off the mark a lot of the time.
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The preceding oracle comes from my new book, PRONOIA Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings.

♐ SAGITTARIUS

(November 22-December 21)
In the Choctaw language, there are two kinds of past tenses. In one, you speak about an event or experience that you personally know to be a fact. In the other, you deliver information that you have acquired second-hand and therefore can't definitely vouch for. In my perfect world, you Sagittarians would find a way to incorporate this perspective into all your communications during the coming week. In other words, you would consistently distinguish between the unimpeachable truth and the alleged truth. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, this would give you great power to influence the rhythms of life to flow in your favor.


I've gathered together all of your long-term, big-picture horoscopes and bundled them in one place. Click HERE to read a compendium of your forecasts for 2010. (In addition to these, I've also created EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES that go even further in exploring your destiny in 2010. Unlike the written freebies, the three-part audio reports cost money. Sign in and access them here.)

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SACRED ADVERTISEMENT
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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The preceding oracle comes from my new book, PRONOIA Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings.

♑ CAPRICORN

(December 22-January 19)
"The great composer does not set to work because he is inspired," wrote music critic Ernest Newman, "but becomes inspired because he is working. Beethoven, Wagner, Bach, and Mozart settled down day after day to the job in hand. They didn't waste time waiting for inspiration." I think what Newman said applies to those working in any field where creativity is needed -- which is really just about every field. Given your current astrological omens, Capricorn, it's especially apropos for you now. This is an excellent time to increase your mastery of the kind of discipline that spurs inventive thought and surprising breakthroughs.


I've gathered together all of your long-term, big-picture horoscopes and bundled them in one place. Click HERE to read a compendium of your forecasts for 2010. (In addition to these, I've also created EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES that go even further in exploring your destiny in 2010. Unlike the written freebies, the three-part audio reports cost money. Sign in and access them here.)

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SACRED ADVERTISEMENT
If you're a left-winger, you may think right-wingers are stupid or evil or both. If you're a right-winger, you probably hold the same attitudes about left-wingers. A similar pattern prevails between most other groups that hold opposing views. You're a rare person if you've never looked at a certain group of people and thought to yourself, "They are all sick idiots."

But I'm asking you to find out what it's like to dispense with judgments like that. In fact, try living without any scapegoats whatsoever. If even for an hour per week, visualize the possibility that those with whom you disagree might be sincere and well meaning.

I'm not suggesting this exercise merely because it's a nice thing to do. It will also have the effect of giving you access to parts of your own intelligence that have been closed off to you.
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The preceding oracle comes from my new book, PRONOIA Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings.

♒ AQUARIUS

(January 20- February 18)
I got an email from an Aquarian reader complaining that the astrologers she consulted in early 2009, including me, were wrong about the year ahead. All of us said it would be a time of expansion and opening for your tribe, a phase of rapid growth and fresh energy. But according to this reader, 2009 turned out to be very different. Every Aquarius she knew had a tough ride. Here's my response: Expansion and opening did indeed occur, but their initial effects weren't what you expected. They shattered the old containers of your life in order to make it possible for you to create new, bigger containers that would be more suitable for the person you're becoming. And this year, 2010, is when you will work in earnest to create those new containers. Now's a good time to dig in.


I've gathered together all of your long-term, big-picture horoscopes and bundled them in one place. Click HERE to read a compendium of your forecasts for 2010. (In addition to these, I've also created EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES that go even further in exploring your destiny in 2010. Unlike the written freebies, the three-part audio reports cost money. Sign in and access them here.)

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SACRED ADVERTISEMENT
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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The preceding oracle comes from my new book, PRONOIA Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings.

♓ PISCES

(February 19-March 20)
I wish you could aim tachyon particles through an inverted positronic array while simultaneously modulating synaptical relays through an anti-matter torque-buffer. This would bend the space-time continuum back to a point before your recent detour began. Then, armed with knowledge of the future, you'd be able to navigate your way more elegantly through the crazy mash of illusions and misunderstandings. But since the high-tech solution I described may not be possible, I suggest that instead you clear your head of theories about why people are doing what they're doing. Slow yourself down so completely that you can see the majestic flicker of eternity hidden in every moment. Be a flame of love, not a swamp of self-justification. And send humble notes and witty gifts to anyone whose links with you got tweaked.


I've gathered together all of your long-term, big-picture horoscopes and bundled them in one place. Click HERE to read a compendium of your forecasts for 2010. (In addition to these, I've also created EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES that go even further in exploring your destiny in 2010. Unlike the written freebies, the three-part audio reports cost money. Sign in and access them here.)

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SACRED ADVERTISEMENT
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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The preceding oracle comes from my new book, PRONOIA Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings.

© Rob Brezsny 1995-2024