Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Astrology
By
Oscar Hofman, Netherlands
In the past an astrological student would
always start his education by learning
horary astrology and not, as is common in
our days, by studying natal charts. There is
a valid reason for this, horary astrology is
simple and clear, it will give the astrologer a
feeling for concrete judgement, for the
correspondence between charts and reality.
Moreover, for most questions a client might
have about his life horary astrology will
suffice. It can answer with clarity many
different questions about for example love
relations, the weather, shares, house sales,
medical
matters,
business
success,
emigration, dream interpretation and it is
even possible to make quick and effective
elections on the basis of horary questions.
In this article we will look at medical
questions.
The past decade has seen the rapid reemergence of western traditional astrology,
which is still growing and growing. More
and more astrologers are switching to the
traditional practice of our celestial art and
there are also many modern astrologers who
want to learn about the classical roots of
their profession. For modern astrologers
learning the traditional celestial art is often
a revelation as historical consciousness in
astrological schools tends to stop with C.G.
Jung or even Dane Rudyar. It is not
standard knowledge that it was the
theosophist Alan Leo who initiated modern
87
astrology in the late nineteenth century. Leo based himself on traditional sources indeed
but changed many, many things to make sure that astrology would fit in with his
theosophical ideas. The Theosophical Society did have quite some money and they had their
own publishing-house, which made them influential.
So what we learn as astrology in the West nowadays is this theosophical reconstruction
although a lot of things have been added on the way such as Jungian psychology and many,
many New Age ideas. This is OK but it is a bit one-sided. More than twenty centuries of
astrological history and tradition have become invisible and there are many treasures
waiting to be rediscovered. Modern astrology is one of the varieties of astrology you can
practice, but there is much more. Sometimes the rediscovery of the traditional practice is
almost miraculous, as with medical astrology.
In the old days a doctor would always have been an astrologer, he would base his diagnosis,
treatment and prognosis on the chart, otherwise he would have been seen as a dangerous
quack. A traditional doctor worked within an astrological world view using elements and
planets to characterize and heal diseases. As everything in the world, every precious stone,
every herb, every activity and even every soil can be described in astrological terms; there
was also a wide choice of natural remedies. This choice was made purely on the basis of
astrology. Over the past eight years I have practised the reborn traditional medical art
without any further specific medical training and I can tell you it works, often better than
modern medicine which bases itself on materialistic science only.
This is a miracle, and any astrologer can do it, the only thing you need is astrological
knowledge. This reborn medical astrology is not homeopathy or naturopathy as a part of
which we also take a glance at the natal chart and some transits; it is real astrological
diagnosis and treatment based on the horary chart of the question about the disease. It is
only the horary chart NOT the natal chart - which shows what is going on at the moment,
the acute problem and its deepest cause. This deepest cause of a disease is always formulated
in astrological terms, like Mars in Scorpio, which means that the martial energy stream in
the body has become unbalanced because of the excess of the water element Scorpio - in
the system.
All four elements may lead to health problems if they are present in the body in excess. So
there are basically only four illnesses: water, fire, air and earth diseases, although they will
manifest in many different forms. Now before we are going to discuss the method of
diagnosis based on the horary chart, we will have a closer look at the elements or the humours
as the elements are called in medical astrology. All humours have their typical disease
patterns and it is important that we understand how they can manifest in the body. This is
the most basic level; the four elements are the fundamental building-blocks of the whole
cosmos and so of the body too.
The elements or humours are built up out of four basic simple qualities, heat, cold, dryness
and moisture. Heat is energy and movement, cold is the absence of energy. Dry means that
no connections are made, structures are rigid and boundaries are maintained. Moisture
indicates connection and structures and boundaries are broken down or lost. Dryness and
heat built up the fire element, dryness and cold the earth element, moisture and heat the air
element and moisture and cold the water element. The four elements have their special
names in medical astrology which are mentioned in the scheme below along with typical
disease patterns.
88
medicine we gradually rebuilt the balance in the body/mind system, if the balance is
restored the illness will disappear in the end.
It is very important to realize that traditional
The disease is NOT the ruler of sixth
astrological medicine is very different in its
approach of symptoms and disease causes. In
house, the house of illness. Taking the
modern medicine the symptom often is seen as
sixth house ruler as the disease will
the disease itself. If you have a rash on your skin
lead to a wrong diagnosis with all dire
it is suppresed with a cortsisone cream, and if it
consequences.
disappears, you are 'healed'. But of course the
rash is not the same as the disease, it is only a
sign that something is wrong deeper in the body! Because of this fundamental misconception
modern medicine may be very harmful and itself the cause of many serious, chronic
diseases. For if we do not restore the balance in the body on a deeper level, a more serious
disease may develop later. Switching off the fire alarm does not mean the fire has been put
out succesfully!
ruler Mercury as the cause of the disease. If Mercury is located for example in Leo, the
disease is a fire disease Leo being a fire sign - which has affected the nervous system or
some other Mercurial function in the body. This planet-in-sign Mercury in Leo - is the
disease, the cause of the trouble. Its aspects and especially its receptions show how this cause
works out in the body. The remedy would be putting out the fire by cooling and moistening
(watery) foods and herbs and restoring Mercury to its proper function by Mercurial herbs,
stones or tinctures. So the whole thing is done completely on the basis of astrology.
The following example will illustrate the method.
This question was asked by a woman suffering from a skin problem in the feet. The skin
was so painfull because of moisture gathering there - that she was an invalid a part of the
year, on top of that her hair was thinning and falling out every time the skin problem
returned. The modern doctors did not have a diagnosis nor a treatment, she was simply sent
home, they had never seen such a thing. Traditional medical astrology does provide a
diagnosis because it does not depend on symptoms, it simply looks behind the material
curtain in the chart, to see what is wrong.
91
In the horary chart the woman is Jupiter, the ruler the first house. Jupiter is an air planet,
hot and moist, located in Scorpio. Scorpio is a water sign so it is cold and moist. The
elemental natures of the planet and the sign are not the same so Jupiters dispositor is the
cause of the disease. This is Mars in Scorpio, Mars in Scoprio is the disease, this is what is
wrong with the body. Because of the excess of water (Scorpio), Mars has become unbalanced
and it is part of the illness. This fits the symptom pattern, there was indeed an excess of
water in the feet, a kind of foot dropsy.
So she will have to eat heating and drying foods like peppers, onions, garlics, curries and
suchlike, this will evaporate the water in the systeem. Also heating herbs which fall under
the symbolism of Mars would be effective remedies. Mars herbs will correct Mars the
planet which is unbalanced and will also evaporate the excess water further. Perfect would
be stinging-nettles (Urtica Dioica), which is clearly a plant of Mars and is also known for its
healing effect on the skin. Furthermore the client could wear a precious stone of Mars like a
hematite or a red garnet.
There is also a psychological dimension, fixed Scorpionic waters are fixed emotions. This is
connected to grief which has not been dealt with or a lack of emotionally intimate relations
in which you can be your own simple self and relax without any stresses. Improvements in
this field possibly by crying the unshed tears in a safe environment - would also promote
healing. In the tears we literally see the excess moisture leaving the body.
The proposed measures were effective and the disease without a name was healed. The
modern doctors only poured scorn on the client for consulting a medical astrologer. That the
astrological treatment was succesful in a case in which they themselves hopelessly failed was
not important at all. Their point of view is that astrology cannot possibly work, the healing
was effected by chance or by the placebo effect.
Inspired by the healing, the client became a medical astrologer herself. She now works very
succesfully among the poorest in the Phillipines, this natural method is also very cheap, as it
does not need any chemical medication.
In the next column we will look at some more cases in which the diagnosis was more
complicated and also at questions about operations and treatments.
Chart data: 12 November 2006, 11:12 MET (10:12 GMT), Gorinchem, The Netherlands (51 N
50 / 4 E 58), Asc 26.19 Sagittarius. Regiomontanus house system, tropical zodiac.
92