Welcome back to Part 3 on What Medical Astrology Can Tell You About Your Health. In Part 1 we looked at the history of Medical Astrology and how astrology and medicine have a long history. In Part 2 we looked at the Sun signs and their relationship to parts of the body. And now in Part 3 we will delve into why Medical Astrology is a valid model to consider in comparison to the current Allopathic Medicine model from a philosophical and application perspective.
In reality the two systems have very little in common and are actually completely different. The allopathic model functions from what I would call a closed model. If you read the first article then you will remember that one of the main differences in the two systems is that western medicine looks at illness from a reductionist model. This is the belief that complex diseases can only be understood by breaking them down part by part. I have always wondered how can the parts be greater than the whole? It just does not make sense.
Second, and just as important, is that conventional medicine functions from the point of view of materialism, the belief that matter is the primary cause of all physiological functioning, diseases, cognitions and thought processes. This belief also holds true for most biomedical research being done as well. What does this mean? It means that when one is trying to ascertain the health or disease of a living system that they will never get the full answer. Why? Because this model has failed to accept or look at the energetic components of that system. Hospitals routinely use ECG’s (electrocardiograms) to diagnose cardiovascular disease and neurologists, as well as people like myself who do neuro-feedback, will use EEG’s (electroencephalograms) to assess brain function. Yet, allopathic medicine still will not acknowledge that all living organisms have electromagnetic properties. It would seem self-evident that this should play a role in assessing any biological considerations. As Dr. Sarah Knox, a biomedical scientist put it, “Medicine is only examining one side of Einstein’s equation”. E=MC2 means that energy can also be converted to matter. Without looking at the energetic components to the entire expression of human health how can one fully expect to understand the causes of breakdown?
There is some hope though. Fortunately there are some parts of the world that are starting to take this into consideration, but this is far from becoming mainstream. This will likely not happen until conventional medicine can accept that energy is just as important to assess as matter in living systems. In some Russian hospitals for example, one can find a special camera (GDV) that will actually take a picture of the energy field of the body. This allows the doctors to assess the physical as well as the psychological health of a person through an energetic viewpoint. I actually have one of these cameras, use it in my practice here in Los Angeles, and it is incredibly helpful.
Medical astrology does not even look for specific diseases per se but looks more from a point of holism. It attempts to see how all the parts are related, patterns that could be present and where the imbalances express themselves. In looking at a chart one essentially looks at the flow of energy from one planet to another and how they then are all related. Interestingly enough, the more ancient disciplines such as Chinese, Tibetan and Indian medicine continue to this day to incorporate a similar view. The openness of the holistic perspective allows for more possibilities, helps a person to see the underlying causes and supports them to take responsibility for the imbalances they are dealing with.
Another area western medicine is a bit behind the times is in relationship to microorganisms. The outdated view still believed to be true is that disease is caused by something external such as a bacteria or virus. Based on the limitations of this view the only way to address such issues seems to be either by destroying the pathogen through medications or by removing the now diseased organ or gland, both of which undermine the body’s own vitality and compromise the immune system. It does not account for what is going on in the internal environment and the natural ways a person could change this. This model is bit barbaric and is very disempowering to the individual. If one believes that something from outside of themselves is attacking them then what can they do? It leads the common person to believe they are helpless in preventing an illness or a disease. When an astrologer looks at a chart he must consider the whole chart, the environment upon which the energy functions, and all of the elements that would affect that environment.
Once a person has been labeled with a particular disease the person is not told of any way to resolve the issue except to continue taking medication. I am not saying that people should not take medication. Sometimes it is necessary but without teaching people what the underlying causes are how can people improve? Just having the diagnosis alone can make a person feel helpless which only complicates the original problem from a psychological perspective and then creates dependency. This model unfortunately does not encourage or support people in taking any responsibility for ones own health. How can this model ultimately free people from the problems that ail them if there is no education? The allopathic model in and of itself seems to create a dependency on the system. This of course is great for someone else’s pocket book and not the individual’s well-being.
Before we close lets take a look at where the etymology of the word ‘doctor’ comes from. It is derived from the Latin word for doctoris, which means teacher. This noun came from the old French verb ‘docre’ which means “to teach”. The true doctor is a teacher and this is what the medical astrologer attempts to do, to teach and educate. With greater awareness, education and understanding of how the body is working, people are naturally empowered and given hope in how to take responsibility and deal with the imbalances in their own body.
In Part 4 of this series we will look at the more specific and practical benefits that Medical Astrology can provide for you when combined with training in the field of medicine. Until then I wish you well and good health! I invite you to share any insights, questions or considerations that this article may have brought to the surface for you.
well said Jim.
Hi, thanks for the article, but I think there are some pitfalls in your approach. I completely agree that the chart shows the energy patterns that a person deals with, but I don’t think the reverse E=mc2 is predictable, logical, or straight forward in any way. What you are proposing is in fact the realm of magic….using energy to change and alter the material world. This is a complex and mysterious process, and I doubt many would claim to have mastered it. Despite the New Age rhetoric, sometimes having a great mindset and positive energy doesn’t protect you from the negative experiences of illness or disaster etc. Certainly, having the best attitude and energetic pattern will help, but it won’t necessarily cure you. There can arise the situation where a solution is couched in very simplistic terms, (get your chakras balanced, say these affirmations, deal with childhood issues, etc etc) and if a cure doesn’t result, well, then you must not have done the process properly, you must have unconscious blocks etc etc. Blaming the person with the illness can then become a very real consequence of this thinking. It is in truth a circular argument…if it works, well then that proves it, if it doesn’t, well, you blocked it.
I certainly see patterns in the chart reflected in people’s health, absolutely, but sometimes the solution has to be on the biological level, or certainly a combination of a biological solution and an energetic one. I would argue that people with earth ascendants or a proponderance of earth planets are more likely to experience issues that need to be worked through on the physical plane. I also think this is true of the effects of transits by Saturn particularly. It seems to me that sometimes so-called Wholistic thinking comes from a philosophical position which holds that there is no negative forces in the Universe, just light and love. I find that a fairly Utopian position, and sometimes it manifests as fairly unempathetic to people who are dealing with the more destructive energies.
The reductionist model that breaks the whole into parts is characteristic of the pattern of processing that the left brain uses. The two hemispheres are specialists that form a cognitive team. The left brain disassembles wholes; the right brain ( which aways uses a complementary approach) assembles wholes. Holistically, it doesn’t make sense to let the left brain lead our efforts to solve problems. However, since males have long dominated our cultural institutions, it does makes sense that this is the way Western medicine has evolved. Because one hemisphere or the other tends to dominate, and males tend to see reality through the lens of the left brain, naturally, males see reality from a reductionist perspective. Since males, because of superior physical strength have long dominated society, they naturally design cultural systems according to how the left brain sees reality. It’s time (past time) to change this and many of us are working on this.
Everything you say is so reasonable and so obvious! (to those who understand the inter-relatedness of body, emotions, mind and spirit) Let’s hope this kind of awareness spreads rapidly in the medical world, helped along by articles such as these. Thank you, James.
thanks for this 3rd article, very informative and needed by us as individuals and by our society at large. Look forward to part 4.
I am a semi-retired naturopathic doctor and have worked with energy to release emotional patterns which create illnesses in the physical body. Keep up the good work!