Rob Brezsny

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Pisces (February 19-March 20) In the 1997 film Austin Powers, International Man of Mystery, the lead character announces that “’Danger’ is my middle name.” Ever since, real people in the UK have been legally making “Danger” their middle name with surprising regularity. I think it would be smart fun for you Pisceans to […]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Aquarius! (January 20-February 18) Do you feel oppressed by Valentine’s Day? Maybe you’re single and reject the cultural bias that says being in an intimate relationship is the healthy norm. Or maybe you’re part of a couple but are allergic to the cartoonish caricatures of romance that bombard you during the marketing assault. […]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Pisces! (February 19-March 20) From 2010 to 2012, Eric Garcetti worked as an actor on the TV cop shows The Closer and its spin-off series Major Crimes. He played the mayor of Los Angeles. Then in 2013, he ran for the office of LA’s mayor in real life, and won. It was a […]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Aquarius! (January 20-February 18) Do you feel oppressed by Valentine’s Day? Maybe you’re single and reject the cultural bias that says being in an intimate relationship is the healthy norm. Or maybe you’re part of a couple but are allergic to the cartoonish caricatures of romance that bombard you during the marketing assault. […]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Aquarius! (January 20-February 18) Back in 2002, three young men launched YouTube, in part motivated by a banal desire. They were frustrated because they couldn’t find online videos of the notorious incident that occurred during the Super Bowl halftime show, when Janet Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction exposed her breast. In response, they created the […]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Aquarius!(January 20-February 18) The Aquarian author Georges Simenon (1903-1989) wrote more than 200 novels under his own name and 300 more under pseudonyms. On average, he finished a new book every 11 days. Half a billion copies of his books are in print. I’m sorry to report that I don’t think you will […]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Capricorn! (December 22-January 19) The Flemish artist Jan van Eyck (1385-1441) was renowned for his innovative mastery of oil painting. He signed many of his works not just with his name but also with his motto: Als ick kan. Its idiomatic translation is “The best I can do.” What he meant was that […]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Capricorn! (December 22-January 19) Can you guess what combination of colours makes the most vivid visual impact? Psychologists say it’s black on yellow. Together they arrest the eye. They command attention. They activate a readiness to respond. According to my reading of the astrological omens, this is the effect you can and should […]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Capricorn! (December 22-January 19) In 1588, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the ruler of Japan, confiscated the swords, daggers and spears belonging to every citizen. He announced they would be melted down and used to make a giant Buddha statue. I’d love to see you undertake a comparable transformation in 2014, Capricorn. You shouldn’t completely shed […]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Sagittarius! (November 22-December 21) Many farms in California’s Tulare County grow produce for supermarket chains. Here’s the problem: Those big stores only want fruits and vegetable that look perfect. So if there are brown spots on the apples or if the zucchinis grow crooked or if the carrots get too big, they are […]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Sagittarius! (November 22-December 21) There are pregnant truths I could reveal to you right now that I’ve decided not to disclose. I don’t think you’re prepared to hear them yet. If I told you what they are, you wouldn’t be receptive or able to register their full meaning; you might even misinterpret them. […]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Sagittarius! (November 22-December 21) The standard dictionary says that “righteous” is a word that means virtuous and highly moral. The slang dictionary says that “righteous” describes someone or something that’s absolutely genuine and wonderful. Urbandictionary.com suggests that “righteous” refers to the ultimate version of any type of experience, especially “sins of pleasure” like […]