Astrology Nutrition &
Health
by Robert Carl Jansky
Chapter Two
Basic Tools of Medical
Astrology
Topics in this Chapter:
Astrological
Polarities
Sign
Polarities
House
Polarities
The
Symbolism of the Planets
The Aspects and
Health
Astrological Signatures of
Disease
Can a person’s potential health problems be identified
through particular factors in the natal horoscope? With proper preventive
measures, can such problems be minimized or avoided? The answer is
unequivocally yes.
Recognizing that most
astrologers are not trained healers and are not licensed to practice medicine,
how should they answer a client’s questions about health? The easy answer, or
course, is that they should not concern themselves with health at all. An
astrologer who admits to a lack of expertise in health areas is hardly
discredited as an advisor in other areas. If anything, his image is enhanced,
for an intelligent client will recognize that this person knows his limitations.
Also this approach protects the astrologer from any accusations of practicing
medicine without a license.
However, if this were your
attitude, you probably would never have picked up this book. If you believed
that an astrologer should ignore health problems, I would never have written
this book, nor would I have gotten interested in astrology in the first place.
The intriguing fact is, the horoscope can be used as a diagnostic tool for
health purposes. By learning how to use this tool, an astrologer can give a
client additional information, and all of us as individuals can have a better
understanding of our health.
The old saw, “He who
treats himself has a fool for a patient,” certainly contains a kernel of truth,
but it oversimplifies and obscures an even greater truth. Can individual can do
a great deal to anticipate potential health problems and lessen their effect,
long before it is necessary to seek professional help. This is called preventive
medicine, and the healing professions are taking that direction today. With
adequate knowledge of the body’s parts and functions and with the right tools
for recognizing potential problems (one such tool being an accurately timed
natal chart), we can actually improve our health. Also, when we as astrologers
spot a potential health problem in a client’s chart, we can advise the client to
seek professional attention for that problem. Thus the astrologer does not have
to be considered as an adversary by doctors but as someone who assists the
therapist in his major job, the prevention and treatment of
disease.
In order for astrologers to fulfill this
function, we must become familiar with the anatomy and physiology of the body as
well as the basic symbolism of medical astrology. But remember, unless you
understand what a symbol represents, you can’t understand the symbol. The
letters c-o-w have no meaning unless you understand what a cow is, and to say
that Mars represents the adrenal glands is of no help unless the astrologer
knows what these glands are as well as their bodily function.
Astrological Polarities
Like
science, astrology has many theories but few laws. I am always amazed at the
number or astrology students and even teachers who have never consciously come
to grips with the fundamental law of astrological polarities. One can never hope
to fully grasp the significance and meaning of signs and houses without
understanding this law. It is especially important to an understanding of
astrology in relation to nutrition and health.
Most
astrologers have had the experience of someone saying, “I’m an Aries. Tell me
what that means.” After hearing a description of some basic Aries
characteristics, the person shakes his head and replies, “That doesn’t describe
me at all! I’m not very impulsive, I listen to other people’s advice, and I’m
not overconfident or egotistical. I try to consider others’ feelings before I
act, and I go out of my way to avoid a fight.” Sounds more like a Libra than an
Aries, doesn’t he? The fact is, quite a number of people born with the Sun in
Aries act more like Aries’ opposite sign, Libra. If astrology has any relevance
in describing an individual’s personality, this seeming discrepancy must be
explained. It is not enough to say that perhaps these people have their Moon or
a stellium in Libra, because a great many of them have no Libra emphasis in the
horoscope at all. Then what is the explanation?
Aries
cannot be fully understood or properly interpreted without an understanding of
its opposite number, Libra, just as good has no real meaning unless we
understand bad, and black does not make sense without white. Each concept has
its archetype and its opposite. The Christ represents “good” in its purest form,
while Satan represents “bad” in the extreme.* When we study the twelve signs in
astrology, we learn about the archetype of each sign, realizing that few people
will actually fit the archetype exactly. However, you cannot understand the
exceptions until you fully understand the rule.
In
America, we have a passion for classifying everything and everybody, distrusting
whatever cannot be neatly classified as Democrat or Republican, Catholic or Jew,
black or white, male or female. But such a classification system does not work,
as we are beginning to see when we attempt to classify people by ethnic group to
prevent job discrimination, or athletes as male or female when some have
actually changed their sex, or couples who live together as married or single
for legal purposes. We can set up archetypes, but we are really dealing with
shades of gray, not black or white. And it applies just as much when we attempt
to classify people astrologically.
In reality, when it
comes to house and sign interpretations, we are dealing with a spectrum. If you
were born on April 1, you were born when the Earth and the Sun were aligned in
the Aries-Libra axis or polarity, and thus your basic individuality
incorporates characteristics of both signs. Every planet in your horoscope is
not just “in” one sign. Its position, when considered as aligned with the Earth,
is in a sign pair or polarity that embodies certain common characteristics of
both signs. To become a competent astrologer, one must recognize this
fundamental fact.
This brings us to the age-old
philosophical-religious problem of free will. Does man control his life, or has
everything been predetermined ahead of time by some master architect of the
universe? As with all polar situations, neither extreme is correct. Man’s will
does play a role, but so does his fate, and heredity is an important factor
also. All the wishing in the world cannot change a giant into a midget nor
change the color of one’s skin. Heredity establishes certain constants of limits
within which each person must learn to live. Within these limits, however, each
individual has considerable latitude as to how he or she will
develop.
If you were born in the Aries-Libra spectrum,
there is nothing you can do about that either. It is a constant. However, you
have considerable latitude as to where in this spectrum you choose to place
yourself at any given moment. The diagram below illustrates this:
[ Aries……………………..Libra ]
A
C
B
The brackets represent the extremes of
the Aries-Libra polarity. A child with his natal Sun in this polarity might
place himself at Point A as he begins to develop socially, seeking to get his
own way as much as possible. But he discovers, through the law of cause and
effect,** that the more he tries to get his own way, the fewer friends he has.
After a while this becomes painful, so he may move to Point B in the spectrum,
where he begins to experiment with his opposite Libran characteristics. This
wins him friends, but now he hardly ever gets his own way, which is also
painful. So he adjusts to Point C or some other point between A and B that is
the most rewarding and least painful positions. He is beginning to learn the art
of compromise, which is really what oppositions teach
us.
As an adult he will discover that he can change his
position as often as he wants in order to fit different social situations. When
he is the boss at the office, he is at Point A, but when he is at home with his
family, he switches to Point C. He also learns frustration when something
external interferes with this free and kinetic movement between points in the
spectrum. Sometimes when the frustration becomes severe, the first signs of
physical disease begin to develop in the body, centered in the organs and
processes that are symbolically related to the area where this major frustration
is occurring.
Frustration is related to experiencing
tension from being pulled or pressured from conflicting directions. This can
often be detected from natal and transiting planets in square aspect. Thus we
see how oppositions (the need for compromise) and squares (tension from
conflict) are often important factors in reading a horoscope for potential
health problems.
Each of the natal planets in the
chart, of course, occupies its own spectrum, which works in the same way as the
example of the Sun given above. In each spectrum the individual adjusts his
position and mode of expression in response to changing conditions. Frustration
of any of these planetary adjustments may lead to manifestation in
disease.
Sign Polarities
Now that we
have reviewed the law of astrological polarities, we can see how this law
applies to the human body. Before entering any of the healing professions, every
student must take two courses that are fundamental to understanding the workings
of the human body - anatomy and physiology. Anatomy is the study of structure,
location and physical appearance of the different body tissues and organs, which
are made up of cells, the building blocks of life. Physiology is concerned with
the process (chemical reactions) that take place in these tissues and organs and
how they interrelate to sustain life.
The six pairs of
zodiac signs relate anatomically to clearly established anatomical regions of
the body as well as to the tissues and organs in those regions. Each pair also
corresponds to some physiological process that is essential to life. The signs
and the planets in those signs form the basic alphabet of medical astrology.
Following are the sign pairs and the anatomical regions that they rule. The
words in italics represent the physiological functions of each pair. These
keywords apply to any astrological delineation, not just medical
astrology.
ARIES-LIBRA. Anatomically,
Aries rules the skull, the brain, the upper teeth and everything in the head
except the lower jaz. Libra rules the “belt” area at the level of the navel,
which includes the kidneys, the adrenal glands, and the lumbar and sacral
vertebrae of the spine. Physiologically, the function of this sign pair is
regulative. The kidneys maintain the salt and fluid balance of the body
and keep toxic substances from building up to a dangerous level. The medulla
oblongata contains the nerve centers that regulate heart and respiration rate,
and the brain regulates all physical and mental
activity.
TAURUS-SCORPIO.
Anatomically, Taurus rules the lower jaw and the throat reion,
including the larynx (voice box), the tonsils, upper cervical vertebrae, tongue,
mouth, and thyroid gland. Scorpio rules the organs of reproduction, the large
intestine, the rectum and, in men, the prostate gland. Physiologically, this
sign pair has consumptive, eliminative, and procreative
functions. The solid waste products of digestion pass through the Scorpio
region, and the waste products of respiration - water and carbon dioxide - pass
through the mouth (Taurus region).
GEMINI-SAGITTARIUS.
Gemini rules the respiratory tree (the lungs, thoracic cavity,
and diaphragm), the trachea (windpipe), the arms from fingers to shoulder
blades, and the upper thoracic vertebrae. Sagittarius rules the hips and the
upper legs down to the knees, as well as the very important sciatic nerve. The
physiological functions of this sign pair are distributive and
locomotive. All the body’s tubes are ruled by Gemini, which moves
essential body materials to the cells through the various tubes, thus ruling the
body’s plumbing apparatus. Sagittarius is locomotive in that it enables us to
move from one place to another; for example, we could not walk without the
strong muscles of the upper legs.
CANCER-CAPRICORN.
This sign pair may be thought of as being both
structural and protective. Cancer rules the abdomen and upper
portion of the liver. It also rules all the body’s containers - breasts,
stomach, womb, peritoneum (the membrane encompassing the abdominal cavity), the
pleural sac surrounding the thoracic cavity, the pericardium surrounding the
heart, and the meninges, which are the sacs surrounding he brain and spinal
canal. Capricorn rules the knees as well s the skeleton and the skin, both of
which give structure to the body. The skin and the internal membranes protect
the organs within.
LEO-AQUARIUS.
Anatomically, Leo rules the heart and the spinal vertebrae
directly behind the heart; Aquarius rules the lower legs and ankles, as well as
the oxidative process which energizes the body. Physiologically, the sign is
basically circulatory and energizing in nature. Th heart, by
pumping blood, energizes everything within the body. The pair is responsible for
the basic chemical reaction that takes place in every cell of the body: the
combination of oxygen with glucose to produce
energy.
VIRGO-PISCES Physiologically,
the functions of this sign pair are assimilative, discriminative,
and isolative. Virgo rules the lower abdominal cavity, which includes the
lower liver, pancreas, gall bladder and spleen. In this portion of the body,
materials essential to nutrition are sorted out and separated from nondigestible
materials. The liver also discriminates between substances that are needed and
those that are toxic to the body. Food is assimilated through the walls of the
small intestine. Pisces is also discriminative, assimilative, and isolative
because it rules the lymphatic system, which is the body’s defense against
invading bacteria and viruses. The white blood cells discriminate between normal
body proteins and the foreign protein of the invaders, then seek to assimilate
the invaders by surrounding and isolating them. Pisces also rules the
feet.
The sign polarities are important to medical
astrology in a number of ways. A classic example, s reported in various
astrological publications, is the observed susceptibility of persons with the
Sun in Gemini to respiratory infections and diseases, especially asthma. Close
behind them in this susceptibility are those with their Sun in Sagittarius,
Gemini’s polar opposite. Many children with sever asthma also exhibit eczema
and/or inflammation of the back of the upper legs, the anatomical region of
Sagittarius.
In years gone by, it was very common to
remove children’s tonsils, which are in the Taurus region. Today this procedure
is done less routinely, for statistical studies show that males who had their
tonsils removed in youth are more prone to prostate problems (the Scorpio
region) in later life and that women whose tonsils were removed are more subject
to problems involving the reproductive organs. Quite often, when on are of the
body is diseased or operated on, the anatomical region symbolized by its
opposite sign is also affected. Another example of this Taurus-Scorpio
phenomenon is mumps, which affects wither the glands of the throat (Taurus) or
the male’s testicles (Scorpio).
We could cite many
other examples of this sign polarity phenomenon. Lovemaking, ruled by
Taurus-Scorpio, involves both the mouth and the organs of reproduction. Both of
these areas are most susceptible to venereal disease, and Taurus and Scorpio
people seem particularly susceptible to problems of this sort. Gout, which
commonly affects the feet, is caused by the body’s inability to eliminate the
products of protein metabolism, so that uric acid builds up in the capillaries
of the feet. The discriminative process (Virgo) has been altered, and the liver
enzymes are involved, a classical Virgo-Pisces problem. Aries-Libra persons seem
to have headache and kidney problems. Cancer-Capricorn women, especially, seem
to have problems with excessive water retention (Cancer) and this fluid tends to
collect in the Capricorn region. Examples of this phenomenon are
legion!
Instead of memorizing the whole list of signs
and related body areas, the best way to remember this symbolism is to memorize
the key words in italics for each sign pair. These key words also apply to any
astrological delineation, not just medical and nutritional
astrology.
House Polarities
Every
beginning student of astrology learns that the sixth house of the natal chart is
called the health house, because of its close relationship to nutrition and
potential health problems. However, as in any other astrological delineation,
one must consider the whole chart in order to develop any meaningful
conclusions. Again, the law of polarity is important in examining the house
meanings.
Generally speaking, the first six houses of
thechart deal with a person’s individual makeup and what he or she brings to any
given situation. The seventh through twelfth house deal more with how the
individual functions in the social milieu. In other words, the lower house in
the polarity is what the individual brings to a particular situation, while the
upper house indicates what he or she seeks from the
situation.
FIRST-SEVENTH. The
first house deals with the general house and physical status of the body and its
physiological needs. In particular, the first house deals with health shortly
after birth and the environment into which the individual is born. The location
of the Ascendant represents the moment of birth, which we will discuss in
greater detail in Chapter Thirteen. The first house is also associated with
health conditions that relate to the head, such as problems with the teeth,
eyesight, and hearing, as well as baldness, acne, and mental
disease.
The seventh house in general relates to people
we consult on a one-to-one basis; in medical astrology, this house represents
doctors, psychologists, chiropractors, nutritionists, astrologers, and anyone
else who is consulted about health problems. More specifically, the seventh
house represents persons consulted on any sixth-house maters. Some astrologers
will certainly dispute this, because traditionally Jupiter is associated with
doctors, and the ninth house, the natural house of Jupiter, is the house of
experts and people consulted for their expertise, such as priests, professors,
and gurus. However, modern society recognizes that doctors are not infallible.
They are no longer worshipped like tribal witch doctors nor revered, like the
old country “doc,” as slightly lower than God. We consult a doctor on a
one-to-one basis just as we consult an astrologer, and if one does not provide
an answer to out problem, we go in search of another.***(seventh house - Libra -
always in search of relationship) Thus I feel that the seventh house represents
the healers we consult to restore our natural good health, which involves
balance - Libra. In selecting a healer, it is wise to look for someone whose
horoscope is compatible with out own seventh-house
influences.
SECOND-EIGHTH. This
polarity is associated most specifically with the process of reproduction and
the physical act of sex. Sexual problems normally turn up in this house
polarity. The second house represents what each individual brings to the sexual
act, and the eighth house represents what he or she expects from a partner. In
addition, the sign polarity on the cusps of these houses indicates the
conditions that are most conducive to completing the sexual act. Frigidity is
often related to Saturn in these houses; premature ejaculation, to Mars;
fantasies, to Neptune; and so forth. Masturbation is a second-house phenomenon.
Contrary to what other astrologers have reported, this polarity has little to do
with the choice of a sexual partner; instead, it represents the coming together
of the partners once the partner has been selected. The selection of sexual
partner, either heterosexual or homosexual, is more a first-seventh
phenomenon.
THIRD-NINTH. This
house polarity pertains to the mind, often representing conditions from which we
must free or differentiate ourselves if we are to maintain good health. In fact,
freedom and differentiation are good key words for this polarity. How free are
we to express ourselves and allow others to express themselves? What do we think
(third house) of our health problems, and what do others think (ninth house) of
them? How free are we of ties to our blood-relatives and in-laws? All these
questions are related to this polarity. While Saturn in one of these houses may
well indicate a slow, careful, and methodical thinker, it may also indicate
someone who is so tied to a particular point of view (“cast in concrete”) that
he or she is practically incapable of changing to meet varying circumstances. A
person’s mental attitude has a very strong effect on the outcome of treatment
for disease conditions; in fact, many healers are now coming around to the
belief that most disease conditions have some mental health problem as their
root cause. If the patient adopts the attitude that he will die from his
condition, chances are quite good that he will, for the thought is usually
parent to the deed or outcome. Perhaps we ought to readjust our thinking and
refer to this house polarity as the “mental health polarity,” for often we must
look here for the root cause of a health problem. The ultimate success of any
one-to-one relationship (first-seventh), once the sexual component
(second-eighth) is no longer the chief binding factor, depends on the partners’
ability to communicate with each other (third-ninth). More human relationships
break up because of the inability to communicate than because of any other
single factor!
FOURTH-TENTH.
This house polarity concerns a person’s feeling of security within himself
(fourth house) and the security or lack of it provided by others. Part of this
security comes from the individual’s foundation and ancestry and part from his
ultimate success and acceptance as an individual (tenth house). The fourth
house, for example, deals with the surname. A person whose surname begins with a
letter near the beginning of the alphabet is conditioned by society to be first;
a person whose name begins with a letter near the end is conditioned to be last
and is therefore often more patient in awaiting the outcome of
events.****
This polarity also deals with the influence
of the mother and the father upon this individual’s development and his ability
to form partnerships and develop his own identity. As doctors learn more about
the conditions leading to heart attack, arthritis, cancer, and other diseases,
they are beginning to recognize that these diseases are related to the
individual’s ability to express emotions and feelings, and to the way the
individual sees himself in the society to which he belongs. From this house
polarity, we gain insight into how the individual functions in society and
whether he views himself as a success or a failure. Thus the keyword for this
polarity is recognition.
FIFTH-ELEVENTH.
The result of sexual union (second-eighth) and the value the
individual places on one-to-one relationships (first-seventh) is manifest in
this house polarity, which concerns offspring and the ability to love another
and accept love in return. The fifth house is the ceremony of courtship and all
that we associate with nonsexual romance. It represents our creative abilities
and instincts. The eleventh house represents nonsexual relationships with
others, friendships, and social activities. It also represents the achievement
of hopes and wishes stemming from our creative
potential.
Saturn in this polarity often creates some
blockage in the free flow of energy until we learn that responsibility must
accompany achievement. Jupiter here often leads us to expect too much from our
efforts. Mars creates impatience in achievement; and Neptune leads us to look
for the ideal, resulting in disappointment when the results are less than
expected. This polarity is greatly concerned with our basic need to
belong.
SIXTH-TWELFTH. Because
the sixth house is the midpoint of the horoscope, this is where the individual
contacts the external world, which may best be seen from the nutritional
viewpoint. The sixth house is where the individual puts food into the mouth, the
point at which something external to the self is taken in and eventually
integrated into the physical body. In general astrology textbooks, the twelfth
house is usually spoken of as man’s attempt to find his place (integrate
himself) in the universe and answer the three basic questions of philosophy: Why
am I here? Where did I come from? Where am I going? Thus the real keyword for
this polarity is integration in contrast to differentiation, the keyword
for the third-ninth polarity.
The individual’s ability
to find his place in society and in the universe’s scheme of things can be read
in sixth-twelfth house polarity. But man has conflicting desires; not only does
he want to find his place in society, he also craves recognition as a unique
individual, as a being who is some way different from the herd. This conflict is
illustrated by the fact that the third-ninth and sixth-twelfth house polarities
are in square aspect to each other within the horoscope
wheel.
Secondary keywords for the sixth-twelfth house
polarity are: work, health, and service. How well does the individual integrate
himself in situations where he must work cooperatively with others, as in a job?
How well does the individual integrate foreign substances (food) into himself?
Service can be thought of as giving some portion of the self to others (sixth
house) and accepting the service of others (twelfth house) in return. All of the
many keywords that we commonly associate with the twelfth house - hospitals,
jails, libraries, research (the prior discoveries of others), welfare -
represent society serving us. Even pain and suffering, also associated with the
twelfth house, really serve us by building character (first
house).
I believe that a more intensive understanding
of house phenomena will reveal that good health stems from the ability to
integrate ourselves from everyone and everything else in the universe. The
health of the body depends upon how well the various organs perform their
different functions and at the same time work as units of the whole. The success
of a society depends basically upon these same abilities. Individuals and
societies that perform both functions well, survive; those that cannot, pass
into obscurity.
Through education, travel, and
communication, we attempt to differentiate ourselves from other members of
society (third-ninth) Through work and service we attempt to integrate ourselves
into society (sixth-twelfth). When we are able to accomplish these tasks with
minimal interference and frustration, our health is good; interference and
frustration with these efforts can result in the physical manifestation of
health problems.
How well the physical body is able to
function depends upon how well we serve it and upon how well the mind is able to
function. We think of the mind and body as distinct and separate entities, and
yet it is surely obvious, even to the untrained observer, that neither body nor
mind can function without the other; they are inextricably interdependent.
Astrology confirms this interdependence.
The Symbolism of the Planets
As
we know from basic astrology, each of the ten planets symbolizes some energy
that must be expressed in our life if we are to realize our truest and highest
potential. Blocking or frustrating the energy usually causes pain in one form or
another and, as we pointed out earlier, disease. In addition to the matters that
are usually assigned to the different planets, each one rules a particular body
system and one or more of the vital endocrine
glands.
THE SUN. The Sun principally
symbolizes the body's basic vitality or life force. Its house position indicates
in part the individual's vitality and resistance to disease. Sextiles and trines
to the Sun tend to increase this resistance; squares, oppositions, and
inconjuncts detract from it. When the sun is in an angular house, especially the
first house, vitality is greatest; when it is in a cadent house, vitality is
lowered, especially in the sixth or the twelfth hose. In a succedent house, the
Sun indicates a neutral situation, neither particularly strong nor particularly
weak.
The Sun is also symbolic of the whole
circulatory system, especially the heart. The Sun's sign location indicates the
regions of the body that are the most subject to malnutrition and disease. Of
course, since we can never neglect the law of polarities, we must also consider
the region of the body ruled by the sign opposite the
Sun.
THE MOON. The Moon is symbolic
of the emotions and their role in maintaining the bodily health. It symbolizes
all reflexes (acts that don’t require conscious thought) and the habit patterns
that we develop. Planets in conjunction with the Moon in the natal chart often
indicate habit patterns that are difficult to break. The Moon, along with
Cancer, the sign that it rules, is associated with all allergic conditions. It
also represents the fluid portion of the body, including plasma, which is the
fluid protion of the blood; all bodily secretions; the fluid waste products,
sweat and urine; and the water that is part of the
body.
MERCURY. Mercury was called the
“messenger of the gods,” and as you might expect, this planet rules the
transmission of messages from one part of the body to the other. Messages are
transmitted electrically via the nervous system and chemically via hormones in
the bloodstream. Thus Mercury rules the central nervous system and the hormonal
system. It is also symbolic of logic and conscious reasoning. Mercury also rules
the thyroid gland and, along with Gemini, the respiratory
system.
VENUS. As the goddess of love,
Venus rules physical sensations and the sensory organs. These organs connect the
physical functions of the body with the mental functions, just as Taurus, ruled
by Venus, connects Aries, the physical body, with Gemini, the mind. This process
ends, of course, with Cancer, ruled by the Moon (the emotional reaction to
external stimuli). Venus also rules the female genitalia and the venous portion
of the circulatory system, the deoxygenated blood returning to the heart. Hair
as an extension of the sensory system is ruled by Venus; as a protective device,
it is ruled by Saturn.
MARS. The god
of war and battle implies physical action and movement, and its principle
rulership is the muscular system. Since the heart is also a muscle, Mars is a
secondary ruler of the heart, along with the Sun and Leo. Mars rules the red
blood cells, which carry oxygen to the cells, providing them with energy, and it
rules the adrenal glands, located above the kidneys. The hormones secreted by
the adrenal glands mobilize the body’s defenses when the individual is
externally threatened. Mars, representing the male principle, rules the male
genitalia. Venus represents the female
principle.
JUPITER. Jupiter, the
ruler of the gods, has as its principle function the growth and expansion of the
body. It rules the arterial portion of the circulatory system; the pancreas,
which governs fat production and the assimilation of carbohydrates; and the
liver, which is the largest organ after the skin and which performs hundreds of
different chemical processes that sustain life and
growth.
SATURN. This planet and the
sign that it rules, Capricorn, in general are concerned with form, structure,
and establishing limits. Therefore, in medical astrology, Saturn is the ruler of
the skeletal system, which gives the body support and form, like the girders of
a building. Saturn also rules the skin, which in addition to giving form and
structure also establishes the boundary between the body and its environment,
and protects the internal structures from water loss and invasion by foreign
substances. Saturn rules the parathyroid glands in the neck, which regulate the
metabolism of minerals necessary to bone formation. Whereas Jupiter represents
the growth process, Saturn represents the process of
aging.
URANUS. Because of their
relatively recent discovery, the roles of the three outer planets – Uranus,
Neptune, and Pluto – are not as clearly established as those known to the
ancients. However, their symbolism through medical astrology has been clearly
defined through their observation.
Uranus rules the
involuntary or automatic nervous system, which controls the involuntary
functions of the body such as digestion, respiration, and heartbeat. Its
principle control is over the smooth muscles (note the relationship to Mars,
which rules the muscles, and to Mercury, which rules the nervous system). In
this capacity Uranus has been connected with ESP and other extrasensory
abilities, especially intuition, which some feel is related to the automatic
nervous system. Uranus is often considered to signify sudden, unexpected
injuries to the body. NEPTUNE. Nepune
rules the spinal canal, and along with the Moon, the spinal fluid. It is the
undisputed ruler of the pineal body, which is located near the top of the skull
just beneath the fontanel (the opening in the skull that ossifies and closes
shortly after birth). Neptune has also been associated with various ESP
processes.
PLUTO. Pluto’s body
rulerships have not yet been completely settled, because the planet was not
discovered until 1930. Its rulership of the excretory system is undisputed, and
it is also thought by many to rule the pituitary gland, the master gland that
controls growth, hormonal secretion, and development of secondary sex
characteristics at puberty. Because Pluto rules the growth hormones, some
astrologers have assigned midgets, giants, and other unusual growth anomalies
with Pluto.
Pluto rules abnormal cell growth – tumors,
birthmarks, warts, moles and the like. It is said to rule all replicative
processes and thus also rules the enzymes, which catalyze chemical reactions
within the cell, and the hereditary component, DNA in particular, of the cell’s
nucleus. Pluto is also thought to rule all foreign biological substances that
enter the body, such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, protozoa, and parasitic
organisms. This planet is perhaps best thought of as being “the alpha and the
omega” of life, representing both conception, when sperm fuses with ovum, and
the death of the physical body. It is certainly implicated in all hereditary
processes.
The principle of polarities applies to the planets as well as
to the houses and signs. One way to lose weight (excessive fat, ruled by
Jupiter) is to go on a high-protein (Saturn) diet. Muscular activity, ruled by
Mars, burns up sugar (Venus.
The Aspects and Health
No
discussion of traditional astrological concepts would be complete without some
mention of the various aspects. All of the traditionally used aspects play some
role in our interpretation of health; however, the opposition, square, quincunx
(or inconjunct), conjunction, and semisquare are the key aspects in isolating
potential problems in the natal chart. While the source of a problem may well be
some mental or psychological factor, the body often translates this frustration
or tension into the physical manifestation of
disease.
OPPOSITION. The opposition
has traditionally been interpreted as symbolizing the need for compromise
in the house and sign polarity in which the opposition is located. Oppositional
problems are resolved through compromise between the individual and another
individual or other external factors. Such problems are interpersonal in
nature. If the individual does not reach a successful compromise, the problems
may manifest in the physical symptoms of disease. A third-ninth house
opposition, for example, indicates that the individual should listen to what
others have to say (ninth house) and also express himself through communication
(third house). It takes two to make a conversation. A person who will not listen
to others, or who is afraid to communicate his thoughts and feelings to others,
may express this frustration physically as a disease. To be loved by others
(eleventh house) requires that one love in return (fifth house). An opposition
in this polarity may symbolize some problem in the free exchange of love, and
when a successful compromise is not attained, again we may find a physical
manifestation in disease.
SQUARE. The
square symbolizes tension and conflicting desires in the individual. It
is more personal in nature than the opposition. A third-sixth house square, for
example, represents some basic tension between the individual’s need to
differentiate and the need to integrate, which often results in physical
manifestations. The tension is relieved by expressing both needs in situations
where one will not conflict with the other, rather than by continually
suppressing one of the forces. With a third-sixth house square, this could mean
learning to serve others without losing one’s personal identity in a blind
master-slave relationship. You must know who you are and why you
serve.
QUINCUNX OR INCONJUNCT. This
is the 150° aspect, which is often symbolic of health problems and is usually
quite prominent in death charts. While we know that the quincunx is decidedly a
health aspect, we still have much to learn about its underlying psychological
roots in the personality. It seems to symbolize one’s attempt to put together
unrelated facets of life in a fashion that makes sense to the individual. Often
it is symbolic of “lots of smoke but little fire” – tremendous effort without
discernible success. The frustration resulting from such effort can manifest in
physical symptoms of disease. It is not uncommon for health problems involving
the quincunx to be conquered suddenly, or a remission to take place when one of
the slower-moving planets by transit conjuncts one of the planets forming the
quincunx. Psychologically, the quincunx has been interpreted as the desire to
have been to have that which we cannot have, or frustration of one’s efforts to
reach a desired goal, although it may be attained quite late in life and only
after many defeats.
CONJUNCTION. In
traditional astrology, the conjunction symbolizes the fusion or joining together
of two planetary forces. Depending upon the planets and the forces they
symbolize, as well as the way the individual handles the problem, the
conjunction may be beneficial or may present a potential problem. A good example
is the conjunction of the Sun with Neptune. On the one hand, this conjunction
can indicate an individual with great imagination, someone who can see beyond
the realm of the average person, or it can symbolize the hypochondriac who reads
about some disease in Reader’s Digest and is certain that he has that
disease. Conjunctions of a planet and the Moon must be carefully considered. The
Moon represents our habit patterns, and a planet in conjunction with the Moon
often symbolizes some habit pattern that cannot easily be broken. For example,
the Moon conjunct Neptune often indicates problems with drugs, alcohol, or
smoking, because once the habit is formed it is not easily broken. The
individual doesn’t realize how injurious the habit is until it is too late. A
smoker may know full well that smoking can lead to lung cancer, but he
fantasizes that “it will never happen to
me!”
SEMISQUARE. Most astrologers do
not classify the semisquare (45°) among the major aspects; nevertheless, in
interpreting health problems it cannot be overlooked, for it is often and
indicator of friction. In and of itself, the semisquare does not usually
indicate major problems, but in combination with other factors in the chart, it
sometimes indicates contributing causes of some health condition. In my
experience, a semisquare between a transiting and a natal planet is of
particular importance as a triggering influence that brings on an unhealthy
condition. In any case, the semisquare aspect should not be
ignored.
Astrological Signatures of
Disease
Some disease conditions –
hemophilia, for example – are congenital or natal in origin, having their onset
at the time of conception; some, such as defects caused by thalidomide, develop
while the fetus is in the uterine environment. The pattern, or astrological
“signature”, of a congenital disease or condition is usually found wholly in the
natal chart. A disease that develops later in life is usually shown by a picture
or signature formed by the natal planets, which show a predisposition to the
condition, with transiting and sometimes progressed planets completing the
picture at the date of onset.
At this point I want to
examine an idea that is being pursued by many astrologers, which is that if one
compares the accurate horoscopes of a number or persons who have a particular
disease, one ought to find a consistent planetary picture in each one. It is an
interesting assumption, which has led me up many blind alleys and resulted in
countless hours of fruitless study. On the basis of my own long observation, I
can only conclude that in the light of our present knowledge there is no single,
consistent planetary picture for any disease condition. There are no “cookbook”
signatures for any health problems, despite claims made to the contrary in such
books as Medical Astrology by Omar Garrison. Anyone willing to test out
the signatures Garrison provides can quickly verify my findings, as a number of
my associates have already done.
However, there does
seem to be some evidence that certain general health conditions are related to
the sign polarity in which the Sun is located. For example, those with the Sun
in Gemini-Sagittarius seem to have a particular sensitivity to respiratory
problems, especially asthma. To a lesser extent, this also holds true for
certain Ascendants. A large number of my clients with Capricorn rising have
mentioned having hearing problems at some time in their lives. These are not
“categorical statements,” and they are not substantiated by any hard evidence;
however, it seems to me that pursuing such studies in an organized scientific
manner would be of much more potential benefit than the search for specific
signatures of disease.
There is considerable
controversy as to whether the positions of the major fixed stars have any real
meaning in general delineation of the horoscope, or whether they can be safely
overlooked. Again, according to my own observation, they cannot and should not
be overlooked, though again this is a fertile area for serious statistical work.
One fixed star, Praesepe at about 7° Leo, has particularly impressed me in this
regard. According to Cornell’s Encyclopedia of Medical Astrology, this
fixed star, or at least this particular degree, is often associated with
blindness, either from birth, when a natal planet is located at 7° (± 1°) Leo,
or later, when this degree is set off by transit. More that this single factor
is involved, of course, and many persons with a natal or transiting planet at 7°
Leo have perfectly good eyesight; nevertheless, I have 23 charts in my
collection for blindness, and every single one has a conjunction of some sort
with Praesepe at 7° Leo! To any scientifically trained person,, this evidence,
although not impressive in quantity at this point, would indicate a fruitful
area of further investigation. I am certainly not willing to write off the fixed
stars at this point, and I would not like my colleagues to do so
either.
A basic principle of astrological delineation
is that any given condition or situation appears symbolically in several
different ways in the natal chart. This principle certainly applies in any
serious study of the chart for health purposes. There are usually a number of
different combinations that lead to certain inescapable conclusions. The
particular combinations are hard to catalog, and the only one who has come close
to doing so is Dr. Cornell in his Encyclopedia of Medical Astrology. I am
quite aware that astrology’s companion science, cosmobiology, has also made some
important attempts at cataloging certain health conditions as they relate to
planetary midpoints and particular degrees of the zodiac. However, in my
opinion, the cosmobiological findings need considerably more research before any
of their conclusions can be considered as “signatures” for health
problems.
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