FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Week of November 9
By Rob Brezsny
ARIES (March 21-April 19): When George W. Bush replaced Bill
Clinton as U.S. president, Bush's advisor Karl Rove decided to take
extraordinary measures in cleansing the White House of the previous occupants'
energy. Rove was especially obsessed with banishing the "evil
spirits" in Hillary Clinton's office, which is why he summoned three
Catholic priests to perform an exorcism. I urge you to do something equally
vivid in order to purge the lingering vibes of people and things that you know
are no good for you, Aries. Remember, though, that this has nothing to do with
perpetrating revenge or harm. It's all about cleansing and reprogramming those
parts of you that are still emotionally entangled with the bad influences.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Early in his film career, actor
Oliver Hardy often played the parts of bad guys. But when he joined with Stan
Laurel to collaborate on their series of comedic movies, he became a likable
buffoon. I predict you'll soon be the beneficiary of a comparable conversion,
Taurus. Some troubling or adversarial influence in your life will become warmer
and fuzzier, maybe even downright helpful and amusing. The psychological term
for a conversion this dramatic is enantiodromia. It refers to the process
whereby something changes into its opposite. It won't be as freakish as it
might initially appear. The unexpected transformation will be the result of an
organic process.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): My colleague Ro Loughran (www.yoursouljourney.com)
has an interesting theory about astrology. She starts with the hypothesis that
some version of reincarnation is true. Then she proposes that in each lifetime,
a soul chooses a particular astrological sign because the qualities of that sign
are what the soul wants to learn about. In other words, being born a Gemini
doesn't mean you're automatically a wizard at being a Gemini. On the contrary,
in this lifetime you've become a Gemini in order to master the art of being
one. You're here to get the hang of what it's like to be smart and versatile
and precise and witty. Your assignment is to keep yourself endlessly
entertained and build a strong center of gravity as you juggle a variety of
activities and ideas and friends. This week is a perfect time to meditate on
how lucky you are to have been given this gift, and to recommit yourself to
using it to the fullest.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): If you're ever in your life going to
be hired to model underwear or get invited by a magazine to expound on your
love-making secrets, it will happen soon. If you ever thought it might be fun
to see what might happen if you tried to hypnotize someone with your animal
magnetism or seduce someone with your telepathic magic, give it a go now. If
you've been waiting for the perfect moment to gather rosary beads, the Torah, a
Buddhist prayer wheel, a five-pointed silver star, and a statue of the Hindu
goddess Shakti, and then unleash a sexy prayer for your supreme dream in the
direction of every deity that might listen, this would be a good time.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The time is right to send out a big
"Hey!" and "Thank you!" 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
acknowledge 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. Love all the little
voices in your head, Leo. Celebrate their vitality, their persistence, their
attentiveness. 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.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Sometimes, Virgo, you're too damn
smart for your own good. You may describe a problem so brilliantly, for
instance, that you think you've solved it merely by talking about it, and never
get around to actually fixing it. On other occasions your fine mind runs amuck
in an orgy of razor-sharp analysis, cutting things apart in order to understand
them but not putting them back together again. I beg you not to indulge in
these excesses during the coming week. Your intelligence will be soaring beyond
even its usual exceptional levels, and it would be a shame for you not to
capitalize on it momentously.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): "Dear Rob: Most of the Librans I
know, including me, are adept at creating opportunities and generating energy
out of humbling experiences, which they seem to have plenty of. But is it too
much to ask that we might someday come into contact with bright new
possibilities that emerge from empowering experiences? Just wondering. -Overly
Patient Libra." Dear Overly Patient: Funny you should bring this up.
According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you're due to receive an
unexpected gift that will prime your ambitions. To encourage its arrival, I
suggest you ask clearly and playfully for a boisterous inspiration that will
fuel your lusty courage.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): "Talent hits a target no one
else can hit," said German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer. "Genius
hits a target no one else can see." That could and should apply to you,
Scorpio, at least during the month of November. I believe that you have a
heightened ability to access special talents that have been partially dormant
up till now. If you summon the gall to be almost crazily confident, you'll soon
be scoring bull's-eyes on targets that no one else can see, let alone hit.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Your soul's epic journey is in
the midst of a plot twist that's so complicated and beautiful, it would be
impossible to exhaust our discussion about its meaning. But I have to start
somewhere, so here goes. Among the many opportunities you now have, these are
among the most spectacular: (1) the possibility of making your existing
problems more interesting than they've ever been; (2) the possibility of
attracting fresh challenges that are more stimulating and useful than your same
old predictable dilemmas.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Climbing Mt. Everest bored the
renowned mountaineer Alex Lowe, even when he did it solo without any
supplemental oxygen. "Everest held none of the riddles he delighted in
solving on remote walls and unnamed ice smears," wrote
Outside
magazine. "He preferred places that offered
'serious consequences' and little in the way of record-book glory." One of
Lowe's colleagues added, "It was astonishing what Alex was able to do. And
do alone, without bragging." Lowe himself once said, "The best
climber is the one who has the most fun." I recommend his attitude for you
right now, Capricorn. Go after the accomplishments that make your heart sing rather
than those that make your ego swell.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In 1945, violinist Yehudi Menuhin
and pianist Benjamin Britten played their music for the recently freed inmates
of the Belsen concentration camp in Germany. I urge you to make them your role
models in the coming week. Give a generous sampling of your finest talents to
those less fortunate than you, or to someone who has just escaped a harrowing
ordeal. Aside from the blessing that will bestow on the recipient, it will also
set in motion beneficial developments in your own life.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Everyone has about 1,500 dreams a
year. Of those, maybe 1,420 are confusing, indecipherable, and can't be mined
for valuable revelations about the inner workings of your psyche by even the
most skilled dream interpreter. That leaves 80 intensely useful letters to your
conscious self from your deep unconscious. Any one of them could break you out
of self-defeating patterns and transform your life forever. This week there's
an especially high likelihood that your nightly adventures will be beautiful
teachings that are coherent enough to recall. What do you plan to do about it?
Homework: Which of your dead ancestors would you most like to talk to? Imagine conversations with them. Describe them by going to http://realastrology.com and clicking on "Email Rob."