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Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia, Revised and Expanded: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings
Readers were instantly beguiled by Rob Brezsny's new approach to the humble horoscope when his "Free Will Astrology" column first appeared in 1996. Instead of the generic, one-size-fits-all style of similar columns, Brezsny used witty parables, tender rants, cultural riffs, pagan wisdom, and lively rituals in his playfully positive readings. He brings that same sensibility—and the same message of a smiling universe—to this self-help book for people who may be skeptical about self-help books. Brezsny persuasively advises readers to go along with the universe's good intentions, but his rejection of cynicism and a bleak view of human nature isn't rooted in denial. On the contrary, he makes a case for a cagey optimism that requires a vigorous engagement with the dark forces. He asks us to rethink life as a sublime game created for our amusement and illumination. The book is a chameleon of a tome. You can read it straight through, slowly and surely, or else pick it up and open it at random for tasty hits of inspiration as the spirit moves you. You can even start at the end and weave your way backward. Brezsny has substantially updated this edition—he added nearly one hundred pages—by expanding various sections, adding more than a dozen new pieces and a new chapter, and providing readers with a number of playtime activities and exercises that let them participate through their own writing and drawing. "Brezsny's horoscopes are like little valentines, buoyant and spilling over with mischievousness. They're a soul prognosis." —The New York Times
From the Trade Paperback edition.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
400 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 31, 1999
150 people are currently reading
1763 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 139 reviews
January 5, 2009
Ok, so in a nutshell, this book is the reason that I know my current girlfriend, her daughter, several other good friends, and why I always have a particularly happy picture in my head when I get frustrated (at least once I remember to remember the picture :).
That said, none of that had to do with reading the book, but it sure set the bar high. When I finally got to actually READ it, I found it to be a delightful and fun combination of ideas and activities that I still play with regularly, two years after first encountering it and its author (Rob Brezny). He's a hoot on his own, and that's a separate topic lol...
I enjoy being able to pick this up, open it randomly, and find something that I can use to poke at my current experience. There is plenty of variety available throughout the book. To my surprise, I found a fount of writing and tidbits that encourage greater awareness and accountability, rather than the woowoo check-in-to-check-out fluff I'd been anticipating. The book is inviting and self-deprecating at the same time, encouraging me (and you...) to take it all with a grain of salt, believe none of it and still play with all of it anyway.
If you enjoy a life that flows well and effortlessly, then this book is a fun complement to an already elegant experience. If the stick is so far up there that you can scratch your tonsils with it, then this book might be for you as well, because if it you don't find some fun in it to tickle your fancy, it is definitely big enough for your to knock yourself senseless with but a single well-placed swing. Either way, life's looking better all ready, eh?! :P
Get it, try it, and have some fun... who cares if its because of the book?
:) Mark
PS - I must say, much to my delight, this IS NOT an academic treatise on the philosophical and pragmatic ramifications of introducing the physiology, psychology, biology or any other -ology of happiness, fun or beingness. Yes, there are plenty of opportunities to get blood flowing in the grey matter in the book. Ultimately, its about your experience, not your perceptual reference to the structural manifestation of the biological response evoked by the illusion of fun. *cough* ENJOY!
That said, none of that had to do with reading the book, but it sure set the bar high. When I finally got to actually READ it, I found it to be a delightful and fun combination of ideas and activities that I still play with regularly, two years after first encountering it and its author (Rob Brezny). He's a hoot on his own, and that's a separate topic lol...
I enjoy being able to pick this up, open it randomly, and find something that I can use to poke at my current experience. There is plenty of variety available throughout the book. To my surprise, I found a fount of writing and tidbits that encourage greater awareness and accountability, rather than the woowoo check-in-to-check-out fluff I'd been anticipating. The book is inviting and self-deprecating at the same time, encouraging me (and you...) to take it all with a grain of salt, believe none of it and still play with all of it anyway.
If you enjoy a life that flows well and effortlessly, then this book is a fun complement to an already elegant experience. If the stick is so far up there that you can scratch your tonsils with it, then this book might be for you as well, because if it you don't find some fun in it to tickle your fancy, it is definitely big enough for your to knock yourself senseless with but a single well-placed swing. Either way, life's looking better all ready, eh?! :P
Get it, try it, and have some fun... who cares if its because of the book?
:) Mark
PS - I must say, much to my delight, this IS NOT an academic treatise on the philosophical and pragmatic ramifications of introducing the physiology, psychology, biology or any other -ology of happiness, fun or beingness. Yes, there are plenty of opportunities to get blood flowing in the grey matter in the book. Ultimately, its about your experience, not your perceptual reference to the structural manifestation of the biological response evoked by the illusion of fun. *cough* ENJOY!
June 16, 2010
I mean the following statement with the utmost respect for Rob Brezny, of whom I am big fan. This book belongs in the unnamed genre that resides somewhere between sacred oracle text and toilet reading. I have, indeed, swapped out the old worn psychic dictionary and swapped in this text. Ok, I didn't really read this entire book from front to back, but I don't think it's designed to be read so linearly. I think this book gets 3.5-4 stars, pending on how cynical I feel at the moment.
November 6, 2008
I have very mixed feelings about this. It's a monster, could use a redesign, and might be better off as a series of small books. There's just so much going on. Brezsny's language sometimes gets annoying and hokey, trying too hard to be zany and "outside the box." I do not end up with the impression that he's someone I'd want to spend much time with. Sometimes you don't want to talk about a paradigm, you know? But overall, I believe the world needs this book. Its heart is smack in the right place, there's some fascinating trivia, and reading it is always uplifting. So I forgive those faults. It's probably best to dip into it rather than ploughing through. I do recommend it for that purpose.
October 24, 2008
Everyone will like this book. Honest. Perfect gift book. It's got stuff for any type of person. Mystics, scientists, punk teenagers, conservative grandfathers, recovering cynics, Pollyannas, and all the rest of us, struggling to feel like life is GOOD. It's filled with GOOD. Brezsny shows you the good is under your nose.
This book doesn't allow you to hold onto any limiting old ways of being. So even when I am trying to be self-indulgently depressed, stubbornly kicking and screaming against his proof of a world filled with love, little changes are still happening. It's like cognitive behavorial therapy but with TAZ anarchy, Burning Man, and Divine sex tips straight from the Goddess Herself. I keep coming back because it actually is working to keep me feeling blessed and like a blessing - to the world, including myself!
Plus parts are a workbook and if you know nothing else about me, you know I adore workbooks, so doing an exercise about my Jungian Shadow actually hiding my best traits from myself just makes me giddy.
And there are many, many pages of facts that prove life is getting better in every way imaginable. The regular news, with its obsession with depression, is called "pop nilhilism". I like that term.
The way it is written, it's like 3 or 4 TYPES of books. It's smart and assumes I am, too. This isn't a dumb New Age "feel good" book. It's radical, dangerous, and transformative. I can't imagine walking away without some jaded self-illusions ripped off - and something frighteningly unexpected and beautiful taking its place. I kept a star off just because Brezsny always writes about himself as if he's perfect - most commonly when he's explaining how he's not. I think his Mom didn't give him attention unless he went supernova.
Speaking of stars, yes, he's the astrology guy everyone loves. Yes, this book is written like his crazy ass horoscopes. That right there should convince you to buy it.
This book doesn't allow you to hold onto any limiting old ways of being. So even when I am trying to be self-indulgently depressed, stubbornly kicking and screaming against his proof of a world filled with love, little changes are still happening. It's like cognitive behavorial therapy but with TAZ anarchy, Burning Man, and Divine sex tips straight from the Goddess Herself. I keep coming back because it actually is working to keep me feeling blessed and like a blessing - to the world, including myself!
Plus parts are a workbook and if you know nothing else about me, you know I adore workbooks, so doing an exercise about my Jungian Shadow actually hiding my best traits from myself just makes me giddy.
And there are many, many pages of facts that prove life is getting better in every way imaginable. The regular news, with its obsession with depression, is called "pop nilhilism". I like that term.
The way it is written, it's like 3 or 4 TYPES of books. It's smart and assumes I am, too. This isn't a dumb New Age "feel good" book. It's radical, dangerous, and transformative. I can't imagine walking away without some jaded self-illusions ripped off - and something frighteningly unexpected and beautiful taking its place. I kept a star off just because Brezsny always writes about himself as if he's perfect - most commonly when he's explaining how he's not. I think his Mom didn't give him attention unless he went supernova.
Speaking of stars, yes, he's the astrology guy everyone loves. Yes, this book is written like his crazy ass horoscopes. That right there should convince you to buy it.
July 25, 2008
A good book to read snippets of before bed at night. I love his horoscopes and this is sort of an epic version of those. Overall his worldview (that the world isn't as evil/scary as we think) isn't a bad one to absorb. Some of it is a little loopy, but some of his writing is viscerally poetic (Tom Robbins wrote a blurb on the back of the book and I can see the style similarity.)
March 17, 2010
I just received this tome...it must weigh in at 5 pounds...but I am already head over heels excited about what it holds for us artist types...it looks to be a marvelous playground for adding a layer of refreshed, deepened, wild and wooly imaginings to the ways in which we move through the world.
February 6, 2010
Billed as the antidote to paranoia, this book is a collection of stories and facts designed to make one feel good about life. The premise is to accept that Universe can be conspiring to give us everything we desire, provided that we believe in ourselves. It is full of introspective musings and mental exercises designed to uplift. As anyone who reads Rob Brezsny’s astrology column can imagine, this book is nothing like the usual self-help books. It’s loaded with pithy statements, expansive quotations, entertaining tales, pop culture, ironic dilemmas, existential paradoxes, and strange juxtapositions. It reminds us to take life lightly, regardless of our circumstances.
Reading this book reminds me of perusing old Whole Earth Catalogs. It’s a similarly substantial volume, with similar attractive, detailed, and often symbolic graphics on almost every page. Though there are chapters, the material is non-linear, so picking up and reading at random is the best way to experience the book. In fact, the material is so dense that reading it sequentially rapidly becomes overwhelming. In addition to the quirky truths, protracted Brezsny-ism, and open questions directed towards the reader, there are personal stories. For example, the reader will learn how Brezsny became a published astrologer and how he overcame premature ejaculation. Obviously, nothing is sacred in this volume. The reader is free to choose whatever sections he finds entertaining, rather than being obligated to read every word in order to get the book’s message.
Reading this book reminds me of perusing old Whole Earth Catalogs. It’s a similarly substantial volume, with similar attractive, detailed, and often symbolic graphics on almost every page. Though there are chapters, the material is non-linear, so picking up and reading at random is the best way to experience the book. In fact, the material is so dense that reading it sequentially rapidly becomes overwhelming. In addition to the quirky truths, protracted Brezsny-ism, and open questions directed towards the reader, there are personal stories. For example, the reader will learn how Brezsny became a published astrologer and how he overcame premature ejaculation. Obviously, nothing is sacred in this volume. The reader is free to choose whatever sections he finds entertaining, rather than being obligated to read every word in order to get the book’s message.
December 25, 2007
Have no idea where to start with a review of this book. I can only say for sure that it is the most influential book I've read all year, possibly longer. For me, this book serves as a wellspring of inspiration. This book stokes my vital fire, fanning the flames of creativity.
Thank you, Rob, for putting this out there.
Thank you, Rob, for putting this out there.
January 7, 2009
EVERYONE, I MEAN EVERYONE, SHOULD HAVE THIS BOOK IN THEIR HOUSE.
January 5, 2011
awesome, inspiring, non-linear, fun......I've been in the spirituality/self-help business for YEARS thought I'd read it all...it's on the list of the books that have changed my life.
January 21, 2014
Just what you need to set your imagination free. Brezsny will push you to think outside the box you think in- when you think you are thinking outside of the box.
November 10, 2017
Burning Man in book form, which is to say not my cup of tea. I'm all for positivity and light and goodness, but I found this guy annoying about it. I was really into his horoscopes when I was a teenager, but... I was a teenager; I was into plenty of dippy shit. Every asshole with a messiah complex looks like a wise man to those who want to see one. I could just as easily see Charles Manson having written this.
September 7, 2021
Life changing! Must read for everyone.
June 6, 2014
Three cheers for the mystic Trickster, Rob Brezsny. The world is a better place with him in it. This is a spiritual text of sorts - for those who need to remember that the world is a magical, beautiful, mystical place and for those who know it already. It's filled with invitations to shake things up, reach out and connect in new ways to your fellow human beings, bring ritual back into your life, and giggle as much as possible. He suggests using the book as a kind of divination tool - when you feel stuck or lost, open a random page and do something inspired by the first sentence you read and I plan to do exactly that. But first, I had to read it from cover to cover because I didn't want to miss a single, delicious, juicy sentence. I love that he also balances all that light and positivity with the darkness of the world. Unlike so many Spiritual Bypassers and "Science of Mind" philosophers, he is not afraid of the dark evil in the world. He understands that we must collaborate and connect and play with that energy, not deny or shame or bury it. I just loved this book and I'm so thankful that it will live in my library and be at the ready whenever I need it.
December 22, 2014
I mean, in (very) short: This was weird. The most positive kind of weird out there, to be sure, but weird enough that I couldn't quite connect.
The best way I can think of to describe it is.... okay, imagine you have a really upbeat, optimistic friend, and then they get really, really (really) high on enlightenment/life/substance of choice. And then you show up at their house, and they're happier and more optimistic than they've ever been, and they tell you things like, "Make love to your hatred for your enemies."
That.
The best way I can think of to describe it is.... okay, imagine you have a really upbeat, optimistic friend, and then they get really, really (really) high on enlightenment/life/substance of choice. And then you show up at their house, and they're happier and more optimistic than they've ever been, and they tell you things like, "Make love to your hatred for your enemies."
That.
September 22, 2008
My copy is on my desk at work, for easy reference/flipping through. So it's going into the 'read' pile, but it's constantly being read. A great book to have on hand when you're experiencing life changes, emotional turmoil, a tough day at work, writer's block, etc....in other words, a great book to have on hand.
May 15, 2008
Rob speaks to me in my own language. Where it has been enlightening to some, it is refreshing to feel that one can celebrate the habits of believing the universe prefers to deliver the goods to everyone. This goes for cynics and optimists alike. Any page is the right page to start reading.
August 26, 2011
LOVE this book! Rob Brezsny is an amazing writer with a wonderful perspective on life. It is one of those books where you can pick it up, turn to any page, read for a couple minutes, realize just how lucky/blessed you are, and then try to be a better person. Highly suggest!
Currently reading
August 11, 2012So far i love it....sounds insane like me. Still have to allow for paranoia to work itself out but fundamentally i like the idea of having the desire to effect a constant state of pronoia. More to follow
July 9, 2009
I got hooked reading Rob Brezny's weekly horoscopes in The Willamette Week in Portland OR, wise humorous, and irreverent. What a creative way to be reminded of the expansiveness of the imagination.
July 30, 2013
Lord...where do I even start.
Okay...the book starts with a basic premise.
What if there are forces out there that want to do you good?
Okay...the book starts with a basic premise.
What if there are forces out there that want to do you good?
December 23, 2017
A book that one never stops reading. Supreme existential thought but light enough for everyone.
August 6, 2009
Very unusual book with lots of little optimistic anecdotes and exercises.
February 20, 2022
Playful, witty, and eccentric, Brezsny gives readers a compendium of "888 tricks for becoming a wildly disciplined, fiercely tender, ironically sincere, scrupulously curious, aggressively sensitive, blasphemously reverent, lyrically logical, lustfully compassionate master of rowdy bliss."
Brezsny is the author of one the most widely syndicated astrology columns, Free Will Astrology.
This is not the kind of book you would read in a linear way. I purchased this book a few years ago when my father's best friend mentioned he went to high school with Brezsny. Short, 1-2 page themes are woven together which makes for great bathroom reading. Brezsny is does a wonderful job at putting his tips together with quotes, original writing style, and interesting and funny factoids.
Rigid or sexually repressed folks will likely not enjoy this book, as he does not exclude words like orgasm and masturbation, though he carefully avoids the four main expletives so common in our lexicon and considers the elevation of our common vocabulary as an important goal we all need to contribute toward. His main message is one of optimism over cynicism.
He quotes from a variety of religious traditions, historical and cultural figures, as well as pop culture. This is an uplifting and optimistic book, at times completely silly, and at other times ingenious.
Brezsny is the author of one the most widely syndicated astrology columns, Free Will Astrology.
This is not the kind of book you would read in a linear way. I purchased this book a few years ago when my father's best friend mentioned he went to high school with Brezsny. Short, 1-2 page themes are woven together which makes for great bathroom reading. Brezsny is does a wonderful job at putting his tips together with quotes, original writing style, and interesting and funny factoids.
Rigid or sexually repressed folks will likely not enjoy this book, as he does not exclude words like orgasm and masturbation, though he carefully avoids the four main expletives so common in our lexicon and considers the elevation of our common vocabulary as an important goal we all need to contribute toward. His main message is one of optimism over cynicism.
He quotes from a variety of religious traditions, historical and cultural figures, as well as pop culture. This is an uplifting and optimistic book, at times completely silly, and at other times ingenious.
April 6, 2014
Almost any quote I have in my quote bible is in this book. I love this man, his playfulness, his imagination, his demand that optimism be given more respect. He has compiled one of the most amazing book of quotes, facts and mysteries (he called them mirabilia= events that inspire wonder, marvelous phenomena, small miracles.) Although thinking outside the box and letting fun and humor permeate his delivery, he is serious, and probably one of the smartest men on the planet. I related less to his own essays as he details being inspired at Burning Man as an example of utopia or when he is talking about his sexual journey. But his mirabilia and positive news bulletins are PHENOMENAL and there is something for absolutely anyone with an open mind and sense of humor.
"Quoting geneticists, Guy Murcia says we’re all family. You have at least a million relatives as close as tenth cousin, and no one on Earth is further removed than your fiftieth cousin. Murcia also describes out kinship though an analysis of how deeply we share the air. With each breath, you take into your body 10 sextillion atoms, and-owing to the wind’s ceaseless circulation- over a year’s time you have intimate relations with oxygen molecules exhaled by every person alive, as well as everyone who ever lived." (The Seven Mysteries of Life)
"The Sun, each second, transforms four million tons of itself into light, giving itself over to become energy that we, with every meal, partake of. For four million years, humans have been feasting on the Sun’s energy stored in the form of wheat or reindeer." Brian Swimme
By means of all created things, without exception, the divine assails us, penetrates us and molds us. We imagine it as distant and inaccessible, whereas in fact, we live steeped in it’s burning layers. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin.
“Sadly, many storytellers and artists are still addicted to the old delusions (happy is boring, evil is interesting) about the risks of good mental health. Even those who don’t view peace of mind as a threat to their creative power often believe that it’s a rare commodity attained through dumb luck….It’s possible to define a more supple variety of happiness that does not paralyze the will or sap ambition….the number one trait of happy people is a serious determination to be happy. Bliss is a habit you can cultivate, in other words, not an accident.” Rob Brezsny
"There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep yourself open and aware to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open.” Martha Graham
Know what you want and all the universe conspires to help you achieve it. Paulo Coelho
"The task of genius, and humanity is nothing if not genius, is to keep the miracle alive, to live always in the miracle, to make the miracle more and more miraculous, to swear allegiance to nothing, but live only miraculously, think only miraculous, die miraculously. Henry Miller
the world is filled with magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper." Bertrand Russell
"Anthropologists say that in every culture in history, children have played the game hide and seek." Rob Brezsny
"Our skin shares its chemistry with the maple leaf and moth wing. The currents our bodies regulate share a molecular flow with raw sun. Nerves and flashes of lightning are related evens interwoven into nature at different levels." Richard Grossinger
Kaohinani is a Hawaiian word meaning “gatherer of beautiful things.” Rob Brezsny
"They note from 1967 to 1995 essays on negative emotions far outnumbered those on positive emotions in the psychological literature. The ratio was 21:1. Even those supreme perpetrators of pop nihilism, The New York Times and The Washington Post, have a better ratio than psychological literature. They average 12 negative stories to every one that might be construed to be non-negative. Many of their non-negative stories, however, cover success in sports and entertainment.
I demand that the purveyors of despair who pretend to be dispassionate observes of the human condition go ahead and disclose that the 10 most beautiful words in the English languages are chimes, dawn, golden, hush, lullaby, luminous, melody, mist, murmuring, and tranquil; that Java sparrows prefer the music of Back over that of Schoenberg; that math experts have determined there are 1/96 trillion ways to lace up your shoes; that the Inuit term for making love is translated as ‘laughing together in bed’; and that according to Buckminster Fuller, “pollution is nothing but resources we’re not harvesting.”
Rob Breszny
Chiaroscurofy is a word that means “to find a comfortable place where you are partially in darkness and partially illuminated, or half in shadow and half in sunlight.” Rob Breszny
"If you’re really listening, if you’re awake to the poignant beauty of the world, your heart breaks regularly. In fact, your heart is made to break; its purpose is to burst open again and again so it can hold evermore wonders." Andrew Harvey
The only real voyage consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes; in seeing the universe through the eyes of another, one hundred others-in seeing the hundred universes that each of them sees. Marcel Proust, translated by Kiyotesong
"The fisherman of the Colombian coast must be learned doctors of ethics and morality, for they invented the word sentipensante, or ‘feeling-thinking’ to define language that speaks the truth." Eduardo Galeano
"Quoting geneticists, Guy Murcia says we’re all family. You have at least a million relatives as close as tenth cousin, and no one on Earth is further removed than your fiftieth cousin. Murcia also describes out kinship though an analysis of how deeply we share the air. With each breath, you take into your body 10 sextillion atoms, and-owing to the wind’s ceaseless circulation- over a year’s time you have intimate relations with oxygen molecules exhaled by every person alive, as well as everyone who ever lived." (The Seven Mysteries of Life)
"The Sun, each second, transforms four million tons of itself into light, giving itself over to become energy that we, with every meal, partake of. For four million years, humans have been feasting on the Sun’s energy stored in the form of wheat or reindeer." Brian Swimme
By means of all created things, without exception, the divine assails us, penetrates us and molds us. We imagine it as distant and inaccessible, whereas in fact, we live steeped in it’s burning layers. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin.
“Sadly, many storytellers and artists are still addicted to the old delusions (happy is boring, evil is interesting) about the risks of good mental health. Even those who don’t view peace of mind as a threat to their creative power often believe that it’s a rare commodity attained through dumb luck….It’s possible to define a more supple variety of happiness that does not paralyze the will or sap ambition….the number one trait of happy people is a serious determination to be happy. Bliss is a habit you can cultivate, in other words, not an accident.” Rob Brezsny
"There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep yourself open and aware to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open.” Martha Graham
Know what you want and all the universe conspires to help you achieve it. Paulo Coelho
"The task of genius, and humanity is nothing if not genius, is to keep the miracle alive, to live always in the miracle, to make the miracle more and more miraculous, to swear allegiance to nothing, but live only miraculously, think only miraculous, die miraculously. Henry Miller
the world is filled with magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper." Bertrand Russell
"Anthropologists say that in every culture in history, children have played the game hide and seek." Rob Brezsny
"Our skin shares its chemistry with the maple leaf and moth wing. The currents our bodies regulate share a molecular flow with raw sun. Nerves and flashes of lightning are related evens interwoven into nature at different levels." Richard Grossinger
Kaohinani is a Hawaiian word meaning “gatherer of beautiful things.” Rob Brezsny
"They note from 1967 to 1995 essays on negative emotions far outnumbered those on positive emotions in the psychological literature. The ratio was 21:1. Even those supreme perpetrators of pop nihilism, The New York Times and The Washington Post, have a better ratio than psychological literature. They average 12 negative stories to every one that might be construed to be non-negative. Many of their non-negative stories, however, cover success in sports and entertainment.
I demand that the purveyors of despair who pretend to be dispassionate observes of the human condition go ahead and disclose that the 10 most beautiful words in the English languages are chimes, dawn, golden, hush, lullaby, luminous, melody, mist, murmuring, and tranquil; that Java sparrows prefer the music of Back over that of Schoenberg; that math experts have determined there are 1/96 trillion ways to lace up your shoes; that the Inuit term for making love is translated as ‘laughing together in bed’; and that according to Buckminster Fuller, “pollution is nothing but resources we’re not harvesting.”
Rob Breszny
Chiaroscurofy is a word that means “to find a comfortable place where you are partially in darkness and partially illuminated, or half in shadow and half in sunlight.” Rob Breszny
"If you’re really listening, if you’re awake to the poignant beauty of the world, your heart breaks regularly. In fact, your heart is made to break; its purpose is to burst open again and again so it can hold evermore wonders." Andrew Harvey
The only real voyage consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes; in seeing the universe through the eyes of another, one hundred others-in seeing the hundred universes that each of them sees. Marcel Proust, translated by Kiyotesong
"The fisherman of the Colombian coast must be learned doctors of ethics and morality, for they invented the word sentipensante, or ‘feeling-thinking’ to define language that speaks the truth." Eduardo Galeano
April 14, 2019
Gosh, how does one review a book like Pronoia. It is, simultaneously, a self-help book and a parody of self-help books. It's devastatingly funny and deeply insightful. It's an unusual journey into what makes happiness, happiness. It made me think and giggle and swear.
I read this book the first time relatively recently, and I've since bought a number of copies for friends. It's... Deeply mundane and extremely profound all at once. And I loved every moment of it.
Especially, I love that you can pick it up and read a page, then spend a day contemplating on whether it means anything at all - and if it does, it could end up not being relevant, or being a life-changer.
Don't read the reviews. Read the book.
I read this book the first time relatively recently, and I've since bought a number of copies for friends. It's... Deeply mundane and extremely profound all at once. And I loved every moment of it.
Especially, I love that you can pick it up and read a page, then spend a day contemplating on whether it means anything at all - and if it does, it could end up not being relevant, or being a life-changer.
Don't read the reviews. Read the book.
December 31, 2019
My love affair with cynicism ended recently, so I spent the better(worse) part of the year thumbing through this hefty text searching for new neural pathways to fall in love with. There is definitely something on every page to at least make you rethink any of your current existential strongholds. My takeaway overall, the synthesis of these 400 pages, is that imagination is the only thing we have to combat an unpleasant reality, so why not imagine amazing things happening and then find the courage to make them happen. This sounds pretty simple, but for a recovering cynic it's like rowing a boat up the side of Mt Everest. And that is just the kind of adventure this book suggests you become enamored of. If you can.
December 30, 2017
There are days when you just want a way to ponder a life-niggle with a fresh set of eyes.
Rob Brezny offers a gazillion refreshing takes with Pronoia.
Take it with a grain of salt, a vitamin for your creative soul or a newly discovered truth tab.
It matters not. This book has heft in size and in its boredom busting, perspective-wrangling abilities.
Reading it in bitesized pieces works well although randomly flipping to this page or that is an adventure all its own. There's no reason you must own this book but, if you've good wit and see yourself as a student of life, I can't think of why you wouldn't want it on your shelf.
Rob Brezny offers a gazillion refreshing takes with Pronoia.
Take it with a grain of salt, a vitamin for your creative soul or a newly discovered truth tab.
It matters not. This book has heft in size and in its boredom busting, perspective-wrangling abilities.
Reading it in bitesized pieces works well although randomly flipping to this page or that is an adventure all its own. There's no reason you must own this book but, if you've good wit and see yourself as a student of life, I can't think of why you wouldn't want it on your shelf.
July 10, 2018
This book maybe isn't something you have to read cover to cover.... I did though, and now it's my oracle. When I need to remember that life is good, miracles happen (and I am one) and everything will keep moving for the better, I flip to any page of this and dive into a state of joy. ...I also color in the pages when I'm thinking hard on something or just listening to music. This book is soul food.
November 18, 2018
Wow I started this book more than 2 years ago (although I really dug into it only this April) it is hard to believe I am finished!
What a read! Talk about Divine Wow! I am so grateful that this book fell into my hands. I’ve been converted! Call me a total Pronoiac! The universe truly is conspiring to shower all beings in happiness. Let’s embrace this moment and celebrate.
Although I’m finished reading this book I truly doubt my journey with it will ever be complete.
What a read! Talk about Divine Wow! I am so grateful that this book fell into my hands. I’ve been converted! Call me a total Pronoiac! The universe truly is conspiring to shower all beings in happiness. Let’s embrace this moment and celebrate.
Although I’m finished reading this book I truly doubt my journey with it will ever be complete.
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