Medical Astrology: Part 3
Celestial Bodies and Your Body
Microscopes and CAT scans offer new vision into the body and etiological processes but can neither see into the vibrational patterns behind disease manifestation, nor time surgery, treatment, convalescence, or potential death.
~Judith Hill, Medical Astrology for Health Practitioners: A Healer’s Guide
Perhaps the mention of death grabbed your attention, so I must immediately counter this by saying that planets and signs do not always manifest as health issues, of which (although inevitable) death may be considered.
Last week, I introduced Hill’s Code of Medical Astrology, and provided a detailed breakdown of the rulership of body parts by the twelve zodiacal signs. A simplified visual is the “zodiac man” (example below), a device used by Renaissance physicians as a primary diagnostic and treatment timing tool. It is essentially a map, dividing up jurisdiction among the twelve signs.
The placement of a natal planet may be thought of as a reception zone for that planet’s core energy, described via its temperature, speed, and level of tension. I must stress that the reception zone is not a magnet. The affliction may never be present in order to settle into the reception area that exists. There are endless lists of specific diseases, cures, glands, hormones, etc. which are considered governed by each planet. However, that isn’t super useful unless you have had extensive training in how to assemble the symptoms into a cohesive pattern or syndrome, and then are able to identify the root cause and come up with a treatment.
The fact that this knowledge was used so broadly and for so many years - and was purposely maligned as a means to concentrate power - is reason enough for me to share it. If you happen to find resonance with your own body’s experience, then that serves my primary aim of helping people understand themselves better and more compassionately.
We instinctively know energetics because that is how our bodies receive information. Think of the experience of eating a slice of cucumber versus a jalapeño pepper. I do not have to use the adjectives “cool” or “hot”. Your body knows. As I describe the energetics of each planet in words, try to understand these planets more wholly as an experience of their energies.
The below descriptions are from Judith Hill’s Medical Astrology for Health Practitioners: A Healer’s Guide, which contains vastly more information and detail.
One more disclaimer: This information is not meant to diagnose anything happening with you or your body. Consult with your medical/health/wellness team if you have any concerns. I am not a qualified healthcare practitioner, so do not consider any of this to be medical advice or warrant a consultation.
The Sun: The Vital Force, Life Battery, and Light
The element (Fire, Water, Air, or Earth) the Sun is in at the time of your birth will be an overall influence, and the specifics of its position in the birth chart will speak to “the innate quantity and quality of the Vital Force”.
Body Associations: The Sun co-rules the heart with Leo and governs the brain (with the Moon, Mercury, Aries, and Taurus). The Sun governs the right eye in males and left eye in females.
Associated maladies: Remember, associated does not equal a predetermined cause of anything. Stroke, aneurism, heart attack, hypertension, migraines, glaucoma.
The Moon: Distributes the Vital Force
The Moon’s actions are extensive and complicated, having to do with the manner and rate of flow of fluids and electromagnetic currents, as well as adaptation, absorption, and sensitivity.
The body zone that houses the Moon is typically more sensitive to fluidic extremes. The element the Moon is in can indicate what will be most supportive to health (e.g. astringent agents, moistening agents, warming, cooling, etc.)
Body Associations: Co-governs the stomach, breasts, and mucus membranes with Cancer and the uterus with Scorpio. With Venus, influences female cycles. Has influence in the brain and actions of the lungs. Rules the right eye in females and left eye in males.
Mercury: Sense Reception, Nerves
This planet has a jumpy energy, chameleon-like as it takes on the character of any sign it passes through. The body zone hosting Mercury is more prone to nervous tension.
Body Associations: Mercury co-governs the nerves, hands, fingers, (with Gemini) and speech. It influences the speed of neural messaging.
Associated Maladies: Implicated in epilepsy (with the Moon and Uranus); cognitive, speech, and hearing disorders.
Venus: Pain Relieving; Relaxing
I just love Hill’s description, as it fits with herbalism and the plants ruled by Venus. “The effect of Venus is magnetic, relaxed, demulcent, sexy, and either pleasantly warm or refreshingly cool as needed (normalizing).”
The body zone which houses Venus can be susceptible to muscle laxity, issues with sugar, or sex. Although Hill also interjects that parts of the body in Venus’s zone “…may be pretty!”
Body Associations: Co-governs the kidneys and ovaries (with Libra); the veins (with Aquarius); female genitalia (with Scorpio); rules sugar, estrogen (with the Moon), upper levels of the body.
Associated Maladies: Are of the above organs.
Mars: will be discussed in the next installment.
Jupiter: Growth and Expansion
Think of being fattened up, diffusing heat widely, the possibility of overgrowth. It’s all a little much. The regions in the body zone where this planet is placed may be “…large, healthy, strong, and protected”. Its energy varies according to the element: speeds up in Air and Fire, goes flat in Earth, slows in Water.
Body Associations: Co-rules the liver (with Virgo), and the arterial circulation (with Sagittarius). Rules fats and components of the blood.
Associated Maladies: Stroke, aneurism and hypertension (with the Sun and Mars); effects of too much (e.g. hypercholesterolemia).
Saturn: will be discussed in the next installment.
Uranus: Electric, Spasmodic, and Cold
Extremes and strange things. Electrical signaling. Sudden onset of symptoms.
Body Associations: Electricity.
Associated Maladies: Implicated (with Mercury) in tremors, spasms, etc. EMF related issues. Throwing things off balance resulting in extremes.
Neptune: Sleepy, Diffusive, and Psychic
Can be an area of leaking of Vital Force. Symptoms are often described using watery terms and can be difficult to diagnose. He rules misdiagnoses. The body zone of his placement can be prone to leaks of all sorts (even psychic) and hidden issues.
Body Associations: Neptune rules magnetism.
Associated Maladies: Hidden and frankly, kind of scary things which evade diagnostic attempts. Altered mental states which compromise well-being.
Pluto: Invading, Hideous, and Pathogenic
Extremes of emotion and temperature. Poisonings, rotting situations, intense inflammation, use of others’ parts (e.g. transplants).
Body Associations: Has not yet been observed enough times through all twelve signs due to its extremely long orbit.
Associated Maladies (speculative): Lyme disease, strep and staph, AIDS, HIV, Ebola (Hill writes also “designer bugs”, I suppose meaning bio weapons).
The South Node and North Node: will be discussed in the next installment.
We all have each of these planets, and of course we all don’t experience all of these associated maladies, so you may see how the synthesis with the sign rulerships we discussed last week would be helpful. Of course, it gets more complicated and nuanced once the aspects within the natal chart and the timing techniques are considered.
The next installment will be a deep dive into the planets which Hill describes in greater depth due to their potential impact: Mars (acute illness), Saturn (chronic illness), the South Node (power outage) and North Node (power surge).
Resources:
Judith Hill Books used so far in this series:
The Twelve Zodiac Sign Syndromes of Medical Astrology: Expanding Out View of the Seasonal Wheel
Medical Astrology for Health Practitioners: A Healer’s Guide
Judith Hill’s website
Also in this series:
Related posts:
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