What does a medical astrologer do, and what can
they do for you? Working from your horoscope they can identify
underlying causes of health problems, identify weak areas in need of
support and suggest not only the treatment therapies you will respond
best to, but also when to initiate treatment for maximum benefit.
Modern Western medicine is beginning to show
interest in other medical systems—especially what they have
to offer in the way of preventative medicine. With a sense of
renaissance in the air, people are more willing to indulge their
curiosity, and astrology has some unique contributions to this
broadening view of the healing arts.
Your Horoscope and
Your Health
Medical astrology determines from an individual's
horoscope the state of health of body, mind and spirit. This reflects a
current trend in all spheres of medicine to acknowledge that optimum
health depends on a harmonious balance between these three. The
horoscope is a blueprint of the whole being, reflecting the complex
interaction of body, mind and spirit.
One's horoscope can describe with great accuracy
the unique constitutional makeup of an individual, including the
resilience of the immune system and structural and functional
weaknesses. This is of prime interest as Western medicine struggles
with mediocre results from using a statistically average model of what
constitutes well-being to all people.
Astrology and
Medicine in History
Astrology has been used for medical purposes since
the time of the Chaldean priest-physicians of 2000-1000 BC, and was
used by those who founded and inspired our modern medicine of today.
Hippocrates (460-377 BC), considered to be the father of modern
medicine and the source of the hippocratic oath all medical doctors
pledge themselves to, was an accomplished astrologer. He has been
quoted as saying that a physician without a knowledge of astrology had
better "call himself a fool rather than a physician."
And Nicholas Culpepper, the famous herbalist who
laid the foundations for herbal medicine, stated that treatment without
the use of astrology is like "a lamp without oil.”
Medical Astrology
Should Be Used Cautiously
The horoscope can be
used to identify health problems and recommend the most effective
treatment. In doing so, one could be considered to be practicing
medicine, legally the domain of only licensed medical practitioners.
Great care needs to be taken here. A medical astrologer without a
medical license never provides a diagnosis nor prescribes a treatment,
working instead in the more general areas of assessments and
recommendations, and collaborating with medical practitioners in the
prevention and treatment of disease.
Astrology Contributes
to an Effective Treatment Regime
A predispositioned hypersensitivity to medications
and household/environmental chemicals and pollutants can be predicted
from an individual's horoscope. The medical astrologer pays particular
attention to the planet Neptune, which, among other things, symbolizes
heightened sensitivity physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Neptune's placement in the horoscope can indicate
an organ or physiological function that is hypersensitive to outside
influences and will respond well to minimal chemical intervention.
Particular Neptune configurations point to a tendency toward
overmedication if dosed with an amount considered normal for the
average patient. Under such an influence, the recommendation would be
to treat in a gentle and conservative manner. There are Neptunian
configurations in the horoscope which, when applied to medical matters,
highlight a tendency toward misdiagnosis, suggesting a second opinion
be pursued on any serious ailment.
Timing Your Treatments
Medical astrology uses
the positions of the planets in the present to determine optimum
windows for elective surgery. A supportive planetary configuration
involving the planet Pluto, as well as the planet Mars placed
prominently for maximum vital force during recovery, will encourage
surgical success as well as a swift recovery. The influence of the Full
Moon on post-surgical hemorrhage has been well documented, and hence is
avoided if at all possible.
Healing
Modalities
The medical astrologer can identify the most
effective healing modalities for a client to pursue. For example, a
dominant emphasis on the earth element (strong Taurus, Virgo or
Capricorn in the chart) would suggest bodywork, chiropractic or
nutritional therapies, whereas dominant water (strong Cancer, Scorpio
or Pisces) will respond better to psychotherapy, art therapy or psychic
healing.
Fire sign signatures (strong placements of planets
in Aries, Leo and/or Sagittarius) respond best to exercise regimes such
as t'ai chi or qi gong (though these people need to watch a tendency
toward overdoing their workouts) with subsequent burnout. Air signs
(Gemini, Libra and Aquarius) respond well to acupuncture, yoga and
scheduled rests to recharge their easily overstimulated nervous systems.
Bedside
Manner
Astrology can help the health practitioner to
identify the best way to present the information to the client, what to
expect of the course of the healing journey, and the client's style and
willingness to pursue the recommended course of treatment. For example,
cardinal signs rising (Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn) show the most
dramatic response to therapeutic modifications and are generally open
and enthusiastic about embarking upon a regime.
Those with
fixed signs
rising (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio or Aquarius) are more resistant to
accepting advice from others, though will carry out a regime to the
letter for extensive periods if you can get through to them
(suggestion: they are impressed with success stories and like a fair
amount of control). Mutable signs rising (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius
and Pisces) tend to shop around the healing circuit, either staying
with something for a while and then moving on, or creating an eclectic
mix of therapies.
Why Not?
In comparison to the
long-standing historical use of astrology in medicine throughout the
world, modern medical practices have their origins less than 100 years
ago. Particularly in the U.S., we have not had easy access to
alternatives to allopathic treatment, and yet there are many, many
conditions that are not just physical in cause, or effect—the
territory where allopathic medicine excels. Your own astrological
blueprint can highlight not only physical but psychological weak spots,
as well as the most effective ways to return you to optimum health.
