Many of the readers of this newsletter have begun to see how astrology can be a helpful tool in looking at various cycles we go through in life and how these connect to deep archetypal patterns that humanity as a whole shares. We see this reflected in the world around us such as the events in the Middle East, Japan, and China as well as in our own personal lives such as a change in a job or relationship. What you may not know is that astrology can also provide insights into your health.
When most people think of astrology they do not think of it in relationship to their health. However, until the 17th century there was no separation between astrology and health. You could not have one without the other. Hippocrates once said, “A physician without a knowledge of astrology can not rightly call himself a physician”. For centuries, many of humanities greatest thinkers such as Galen, Aristotle, Culpeper and Paracelsus all explored the relationships between medicine and astrology. A Greek philosopher and astronomer named Ptolemy (2 AD) wrote the Tetrabiblos (which means four books) on astrology. He was maybe one of the first to express the astrological influence between health and disease. In one of these books he showed the close relationship between the human body and one’s astrological chart. He also started to define how various planets, signs and houses related with the glands, organs and body parts of the human body. How can this be so?
There is an ancient saying, “As above, so below”. This implies that everything happening in the heavens has a definite relationship here on our Earth. Since astrology itself is an archetypal representation of everything in the universe then it too must have some relationship to the human body as well as to the dynamics we experience on Earth. This is exactly what Ptolemy and many other astrologers discovered.
What was known then is still true today for those who combine medical knowledge and astrology but this begs the question: what caused the separation between medicine and astrology? As humanity evolved science and medicine became more linked with one another. Astrology, which once was a respected profession, became increasingly marginalized as scientists were not able to show a connection to human disease using scientific method. In fact, they refused to attempt such research. Astrology, along with other ancient wisdom, was apriori regarded as quackery and mere superstition. Thus given this situation it would only seem logical to separate them. But what caused humanity to change their thinking and embrace this scientific view of health and disease? It is this view that has created a chasm between astrology and medicine. One of the principle factors was the work of Sir Isaac Newton.
In the 17th century Sir Isaac Newton introduced what is now called mechanical physics. According to Newton’s worldview, the universe could only be defined by material reality and its operation understood through reductionism – the process of taking matter apart and studying it piece by piece. Medicine followed suit and proceeded to view health and disease as a machine. The body and diseases were studied as isolated parts rather than from the whole. If it was not something we could see, feel or touch it became excluded from the field of medicine. In a way it took the humanness out of medicine and treated the body as a mere ‘cold machine’ without any feelings or thoughts. Psychological processes became completely separate from physical ones. I feel this has been one of the great downfalls of what we now call Western Medicine. Medical astrology could not survive when such an ideology dominated the philosophical systems of Europe and the West, even though it had been in use for over more than 1,500 years by some of the greatest minds of that time.
Unfortunately, for the most part Newton’s worldview is still held to be true today in conventional medicine but it appears that a new paradigm may be emerging. Newton’s discovery, although valuable, was not taking into account what we now know as quantum physics, which has opened up the possibility of new kinds of thinking. In this worldview, the universe is seen from the point of holism – an integration of both the physical and ‘immaterial’ aspects of reality. With this understanding, health can now be seen from a holistic perspective which will take into account, not only the physical issues being presented but also any vector of life that could affect a person… such as their relationship, the environment they living in, unresolved stresses, the food they eat, traumatic events, psychological issues, mental issues and even spiritual matters. In this paradigm, all of these areas would now become a very important aspect to address when looking at the overall health of a person. Any one of these factors could then provide a potential clue as to what causes dis-ease or ill health.
Interestingly, we are returning to some of the knowledge of the ancient medical astrologers trained in both the field of medicine and astrology who took note of these matters. They were attuned to the reality that any factor could be causing problems with one’s health, whether it was something they could or could not see. Fortunately more and more doctors are seeing a need for a more holistic perspective and slowly the view on Newton’s reductionist method is being questioned for its validness as a medical model. Maybe in the future there will be more doctors who also incorporate astrology with their health care practice.
In the next article we will explore some of the physical astrological relationships to the Sun signs. Then in part three of this series we will look more closely into what astrology can tell you about your health and the benefits this model of looking at health and wellness can provide for you.
Feel free to let us know any thoughts you have about his article and any questions it may have brought up for you.
Good health to you!
Awesome, James. Thanks for sharing your passion. I loved learning how integrated medicine and astrology have been for so long. And as I was reading, I kept thinking about the simplicity of true oneness; the absolute interconnectedness of every system of being in the Universe. Looking forward to the next installments. Cheers!
Hi and thank you for the article. I’m interested in hearing what else you have on the subject!
James, This article is very thorough and adds another dimension to one understanding oneself from a physical perspective and learning how to optimize our strengths and work with those challenges.
Dorene
I do have the book by H.L. Cornell. In fact this book was a gifted to me by my first astrology teacher who thought I might find it useful someday. I never really understood why she gave it to me. This was before I had been ill and before I had any interest in medical astrology. Turns out she was right and I did need the book. It provided some of the basics but I could not see much of the practical applications from his work. I found it a bit technical and it was not entirely accurate from what I was finding. One of the books I found most helpful was one that is now out of print by Davidson. He was an M.D. and his work was very helpful when I first got started.
James
Well Pam your wish has come true. I will actually be writing five installments for this series.
In the beginning I found Eileen Nauman’s book of a great help to me as I was developing my foundation. She covers a lot of good information in this book.
James
Maria… it is not just that your Sun is in Aries, which rules the head, that is affecting your teeth but both Saturn and Neptune are also in aspect to your Sun. What does this mean? Well… Saturn has to do with bones and the teeth while Neptune has to do with weakness and can also be related to sensitivity. I can see why you must have had so much trouble with with your teeth. I am glad you have found your way. Thank you for sharing this.
To me this is also a great example of how the different archetypes can manifest. For one person this planetary combination could produce headaches and for another it could related to issues with the teeth as you have shared. This is why I find it so necessary to understand what the presenting symptoms are before making an assessment.
My astrolgoy program lists the parts of the body correlating to each degree in the 360 degree wheel of the zodiac. For instance, My sun sign correlates to the Nasal Septum (24 degress Scorpio). I have found that when you click on the planets in transit and progressions for a particular date when someone is ill, most of the planets/degrees relate in some way to the same general area or part of the body. It is fascinating.
Lisa
How exciting to tie this together, it just feels right!
I’d like to read more about medical astrology though I’ve been lucky enough to have met a few astrologers in the past that led me in the right direction, guiding me towards the right decisions for the maximum health choices…
More please…
Thanks, Liv
In my middle twenties and thirties, my teeth gave me alot of trouble. I would go to dentists and they never failed to find something that needed to be done. I have caps and root canals galore. In later years, I read that being an Aries (March 24, 1945) my head and teeth are affected by planets in the Aries sign. My teeth are very sensitive at this time, but now, I know that having so many planet in Aries is what is causing it. I have learned to take care of my health and just trust. I wish I had known about planetary positions and signs when younger. Thanks! Maria
Awesome!! Can’t wait to learn more! This totally speaks to me. 😉
To Jane:
To get to the website article, you would have to click on the word “Medical” and not on the words in italics that say ‘Read the rest of the article here.’ We will fix this in future newsletter articles. If this is not the problem, please let me know.
Jim Sher
Your personal story is fascinating and what you have to share and offer very much needed as we become more integrated and conscious. Very much looking forward to more! the link in JIm’s newletter to your site did not work ~ you certainly had an archetypal saturn return.
OM
Jane
I’m very interested in this field and could handle many more than three installments. I have found Eileen Nauman’s “The American Book of Nutrition & Medical Astrology” to be invaluable. Are you familiar with it?
Sincerely,
Pam
I think there’s a computer glitch, here, James..but great job. looking forward to more of what you’re discovering. let me know at my email addr. if u know about Cornell. I’m very curious!
James…as an astrologer of almost 40 years, I’m excited to learn that you are doing work on the medical side of astrology. Long, long overdue. Do u know of the tome written in the 1917, by H.L. Cornell, M.D.? This book was advertised as a ‘goldmine’ for astrologers when it was reprinted…and it is. I’m curious about your opinion.
Sybil Leek also did some work/research on medical astrology, but died before anything was published.
I found this very interesting and look forward to more articles. I did go to a doctor in Santa Monica, at the Longevity Center, that did look at my chart so that he could try to understand the stress I was going through at that time. The stress was no longer a mystery,
it was very clear what I had to do!
Thank You and Good Health to you too!
O
This excites me! I’m eager to be reading about this subject.
LOVED IT! Thank you. Can’t wait for the next installment!