Written in the Stars

Tori Amos believes that she was burned as a witch in a previous life. Astrologer Rob Brezsny brings this up because he believes this year will provide Aquarians with opportunities to heal from past hurts. “You will have a series of experiences that could help you recover from the illusion that being faithful to your truth is somehow wrong,” he writes. “Life will conspire with you to help you reclaim more of the full audacity to be your gorgeous, genuine self.”

I’ve written before about my acquired negativity about my writing and creativity. Whether it’s lack of acknowledgement, shaming, undue criticism, or pure mockery, I’ve learned that talking about my writing with most people is a no-win strategy. It’s something best kept under wraps. The fact that I still love it and engage in it is testament to my resilience. Or stupidity and possibly masochism.

But if life is going to heal something this year, I pick that.

This week marks the final forecast of 2023 for Aquarians and it’s a good one.

Rob Brezsny suggests that Aquarians adopt the shark as our soul creatures for 2024, but not because they are apex predators. Instead, he encourages us to emulate the shark’s longevity and endurance. Science proposes that sharks lived on Earth before the dinosaurs and existed in the universe prior to Saturn’s rings.

Key words for 2024: resolute, staunch, indomitable, sturdy, resilient.

F*ck yeah.

This week’s forecast for Aquarians draws from the life of famous Aquarian Charles Dickens, who experienced severe financial difficulties in his early 30s. At the end of his means, Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol in a compact six-week period, publishing the story shortly after its completion. The rest of the story – Dickens’ and his novel’s – are well known.

Rob Brezsny says that the near future will be a good time for Aquarians to take dramatic, focused – or even obsessive – action to fix a problem we’re having.

I like the thought, but I don’t have a relevant problem. Which I suppose is a good thing.

If it’s Wednesday, that means it’s time for another post about my horoscope, which appears to be my least-popular series, but I don’t care, because I’m just that contrary.

This week, Rob Brezsny shares some more thoughts on How to Be [Your Zodiac Sign]. My fellow Aquarians might recognize themselves in some of the following:

• Few people really understand you, so you may need to be your own best friend, the person that gets and encourages everything you do.
• There are no instructions on how to be an Aquarian, and if there were, we’d probably ignore them.
• People love you because you are freaky and eccentric and yet also sincere and kind. You are unconventional, non-conformist, unique, unusual, odd—and also trustworthy, tolerant, non-judgmental, and compassionate. You’re going to make me blush!
• You are often ahead of the game, sometimes so far ahead that the world needs time to catch up.

In the actual horoscope for this week, Brezsny shares a disgusting quote from Neil deGrasse Tyson, who says that the water molecules we drink have “passed through the kidneys of Socrates, Genghis Khan, and Joan of Arc.” So, if you think about Mongol pee when you brush your teeth tonight, thank Neil.

At the macro level though, it can be comforting to feel that we are connected to other beings, those here today and those who have gone before. Brezsny also suggests that when we deepen this connection with all aspects of life, we attract more help and support. If we’re all part of the same living universe, what helps one person helps the whole.

This week, Rob Brezsny touches on a topic I’ve hit a few times in the past year: giving back by paying it forward, with no expectation for a return on your investment. “Find the sweet spot where you love bestowing blessings for no other reason except this one: You are expressing your gratitude for the miraculous life you have been given,” he writes.

I’m not as connected to the community as I’d like, but I still pitch in where I’m able. In the last few months, I’ve given critiques at an in-person writing group and spent an evening sharing publishing information with a writer moving forward with self-publishing her novella.

I hope to do more of this in the next year. I’m in a good writing groove with my novel in progress and should have time to write more about craft issues and open discussions in various places. I’d like to have an intimate writing circle, but we’ll see. I haven’t yet cracked the code for putting one together and it might be more of a time commitment than I can handle.

I genuinely enjoy mentoring and cheerleading, especially for other writers. If I had my druthers (and the time and money), I’d have a formal process for engaging and encouraging. I hate to think that’s something that will have to wait until I’m retired, but there you go.

The great thing about writers – most of us – is our generosity. The community crabs are well outnumbered by writers who will freely share whatever they know – craft tips, paying markets, technical advice, marketing know-how, publishing practices, and more. We’re good eggs.

If you can help another writer, I hope you will. I think you’ll find the emotional rewards well worth your investment of time.

In this week’s horoscope for Aquarians, Rob Brezsny advises us to seek out advice from unconventional sources, such as a banker who uses the Tarot to forecast financial trends. “Now is a favorable time to take an inventory of your posse of teachers, helpers, and counselors,” he says. “Make sure it’s serving you well and providing maximum inspiration and support. Hot tip: It may be time to add a new facilitator or two to your entourage.”

My regular readers know that community and mentors have been a recurring theme on the blog. Where do we find them? How do we connect? What must we do to fit in? Community doesn’t simply happen. It’s hard to find a good one and even the best may not suit our vibes or the stage of our writing development. I know I’m not a unicorn, but some days I feel like I’m searching for one.

Oddly enough, the day after this horoscope was posted, I got a Facebook ad for a social platform and webinar series by my favorite, bar none, writer who also teaches and mentors. I am checking it out and will report back later. I may or may not have found a place to sit for a while, but at the least, I expect that anyone following this writer and interested in her platform would give good vibes. Wish me luck!

It’s another two-fer in the astrological realm this week, as Rob Brezsny shares excerpts from his new book, Astrology is Real: Revelations from My Life as an Oracle. This week, he publishes from a section called “How to be…” and since I’m an Aquarius, that’s all you get here. You other 11 signs can buy the book.

How to be an Aquarius

1. It’s not easy. Legendary Aquarian Tallulah Bankhead once said, “Nobody can be exactly like me. Even I have trouble doing it.” Amen, girl. (PS – If you get the chance to read TB’s biography, do it.)
2. Look forward. “Dream up creative solutions to problems that haven’t materialized yet,” Brezsny says. “Then apply your discoveries as you address problems that already exist. Your almost psychic capacity to foretell coming trends can be instrumental as you fix glitches in the here and now.” With all due modesty, I sometimes feel like I can predict the future, in a way that is not unlike watching a train about to collide with a car stuck on the tracks. I should write this stuff down, but I worry I’ll look insane.
3. One of Brezsny’s readers, Chandira Hensey, says “We may be called aloof and dispassionate, but the truth is we feel everything and need to work diligently to screen out the constant chatter we absorb. We benefit by escaping to wild places where the airwaves are quieter and where we can think our own thoughts and feel our own feelings.” YES. I had to develop a thick skin to keep myself from being cut to emotional ribbons.

In this week’s astrological forecast, Brezsny says that Aquarians have a leg up on our current problems. “You are smarter and wiser than you realize about the pressing issues that are now vying for your attention,” he says. “You know more than you know you know.”

I’m not sure what pressing issues I have going on right now. My day job is busy and more complex than usual, but also more challenging and therefore engaging. I feel like that’s mostly under control. I’ve scaled back my creative ambitions to a more manageable – and therefore enjoyable – level, and I’m getting lots more done on my most important projects.

Brezsny says that Aquarians have “earned this welcome phase of lucid certainty.” Maybe I was just ahead of schedule. But I’m always happy to discover new moments of insight, clarity, and peace.

Last week in Free Will Astrology, Rob Brezsny advised Aquarians to let our egos grow two sizes this season. This week, he announces that November is Build Up Your Confidence Month!

Aquarians (and others): This month, look for quick wins and low-hanging fruit to build up your confidence as you prep for big, bold, success. Surround yourself with people who like, respect, and encourage you. If you have any awards, display them prominently. If you don’t have any awards, make some up!

Print a certificate attesting to your wild creativity, problem-solving acumen, or grudging perseverance. The truly advanced may even visit a trophy store for a more permanent monument to your creative skills.

This week’s Free Will Astrology forecast for Aquarians will please the self-aggrandizing among us (myself included!)

The omens suggest that now is the right time for Aquarians to expand our egos one full size, perhaps two. In fact, we have a “sacred right” to engage in this exercise, according to Rob Brezsny. “I hope you will overcome any shyness you feel about expressing your talents, your intelligence, and your unique understanding of the world,” he says. He suggests that Aquarians dress as a charming braggart, charismatic egomaniac, or beautiful narcissist this Halloween.

It’s a Two-fer Tuesday from Free Will Astrology this week: auguries and a forecast!

In a special segment, Rob Brezsny offers general advice for his followers for the coming months. For Aquarians, he recommends thinking outside the box, using the example of Spencer Silver, a co-inventor of Post-it notes. When Silver describes the experiments used to develop the product, he notes that the conventional wisdom of the time said it couldn’t be done. If he’d listened, he never would have tried and the world would have had to wait for sticky notes. Brezsny recommends that we occasionally ignore the conventional wisdom in our path, even if it’s wisdom we have arrived at on our own. Instead, we should respect our intuition when it tells us we can accomplish something others say can’t be done.

In the weekly forecast for Aquarians, Brezsny offers similar advice for solving a riddle being contemplated by our higher minds. He suggests there are multiple solutions, but not all are optimal. Some might be intellectually smart but emotionally stupid. Some might sound good to our selfish lizard brains but might be hurtful to other people. Some solutions might be technically brilliant, but not much fun.

Brezsny urges Aquarians to circle the ideas – and there might be more than one – that are intellectually and emotionally intelligent, would help ourselves while also helping – or at least not hurting – others, and would be fun to accomplish.

This advice veers close to the Japanese concept of Ikigai, which I have long found fascinating. Ikigai is a way of viewing your interests and skills in a way that helps you find your life’s purpose and allows you to earn a living.

Your ikigai (iki = “life” and gai = “worth”) differs from other concepts, such as mission, passion, profession, or vocation.

When society has a need that it will pay you to fulfill, you have a vocation. When you are paid to do what you are good at, you may have found your profession. If you are good at something and love to do it, you have found your passion. If the world needs what you love, you may have found your mission.

But individually, these elements may not add up to a complete life. Your vocation may pay the bills, but might leave you feeling unfulfilled. If you love what you do, you may feel satisfied, but feel you are making no special contribution. If you do what you love or are helping fill a need in the world, you may feel satisfied, but your bank account may be empty.

When you are able to engage in work that you love using skills you have acquired and the world needs your contribution and is willing to pay for it, you have reached Ikigai.

I seek Ikigai in my creative work, but I have not reached it. I have a profession that allows me to use my skills, but I don’t feel like I’m filling any special need in the world. The world would get along quite fine without my company (don’t tell my boss). Writing is definitely my passion. I love it and I’m good at it (if I may say so).

But does the world need what I love? Not yet. As much as I’d like to believe that my writing is going to turn some heads, my ego knows better. It’s a rare novel that shifts a paradigm or comforts the afflicted. I have some idea of how I’d like to use my knowledge of creative writing to fill a need, but adding the element of vocation – getting paid to fulfill my sense of mission – remains elusive. Grand plans are grand, but coming up with the seed money ain’t easy.

But I’m close, and I have more blessings than many, and for that I’m grateful. I like my job and am very good it and it pays well. Most people I know can’t say two of those things, much less all three. And I fucking love writing and I can spend my free time indulging it, whenever I want. Being single sucks sometimes, but on the other hand, I can spend an entire Sunday at my writing desk and no one else gets a say in the matter. There have been years I didn’t have peace in my home and I appreciate it now.

Going back to my Aquarian forecast:

I’m not sure what big problem is bouncing around my higher mind. I’m always fretting about something. Before I find the smart, compassionate, fun solution, I need to decide what conundrum I’m trying to solve.