PRONOIA IS THE ANTIDOTE FOR PARANOIA, REVISED AND EXPANDED 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