by © Jamal Ashley Abbas
“A physician without knowledge of astrology has no right to call himself a physician”
“A physician without knowledge of astrology has no right to call himself a physician”
– Hippocrates (born ca. 400
BC)
Astrology was studied and respected
in the ancient Egyptian civilization, in the Greek and Roman civilizations, in
the old Islamic civilization, and in the Renaissance. In 1125, the chair of
Astrology was founded at the University of Bologna. The prestigious Cambridge
University taught astrology since 1250.
Until the 18th century,
astrology was part of university students’, including medical students’,
training. While claiming great astrologers of
the past like Copernicus (proponent of sun-centered solar system), Tycho Brahe
and Johannes Kepler (discovered the laws of planetary motions) for their side,
Establishment astronomers renounced astrology after the twin discoveries of
Uranus in 1781 and Neptune in 1846.
Astronomy separated from Astrology and the
latter lost its academic status. While astrology embraced all aspects of life,
astronomy was concerned only with celestial mechanics. As a result, university
students and faculty, including the medical faculty in Europe, America and the
colonies, were deprived of a great deal of astrological knowledge accumulated
through the millennia.
Before the 20th century,
the non-astrologer physicians’ primary medicine for curing people was leeches –
to bleed the patients in order to remove impurities in their blood. In movies,
old books and magazines, one can still see the advertisements of various
“elixirs” peddled by physicians and pharmacologists.
Today, astrology is back in
business, proven by academic research such as the comprehensive study done by
Michel and Françoise Gauquelin, French statisticians and psychologists who
gathered hundreds of thousands of birth charts for their data.
Medical Astrology
Astrologers still incorporate health
aspects in their work. When a person gets sick, the astrologer draws up the
astrological chart at the time of the first symptom. Each Zodiac sign rules
some parts of the body. For example, Aries rules the head area, Taurus the neck
area and Libra the kidneys. The mentioned astrological chart is then judged in
relation to the person’s natal or birth chart, i.e., the astrological positions
at the time of birth.
Persons born under a Sign usually
suffers from the part of the body ruled by that sign. Thus, Arians suffer from
headaches, Taureans from colds, chills and tonsillitis, and Leos suffer from
heart, spine and back ailments.
The diagnosis is also based on the
polarity of the signs. For example, Aries’s polarity (opposite) is Libra. If an
Arian complains of headaches (the head being ruled by Aries), the probability
that the headaches are caused by the kidneys (ruled by Libra) should be
investigated.
Each Sign is “ruled” by a Planet
(the Sun and the Moon are considered “planets”). Together, the Sign and its
ruling Planet is said “to rule” or greatly influence certain parts of the body.
For example, Leo and its ruler, the Sun, control the heart, back and spine
including the thymus gland and the body’s immunization system. Cancer and the
Moon control the breasts and the alimentary (food) system – esophagus, stomach,
gall bladder, etc. Sagittarius and Jupiter control the hips, thighs and the
body’s largest gland, the liver and the pituitary gland, the body’s “master
gland”.
By reading the positions and
relationships of the Signs and the Planets in the charts, the astrologer
deduces the diseases that the subject is prone to and the probable causes of
the present sickness. The astrologer then prescribes the remedy which may
include herbal medicine, sometimes including the time the herbs should be
gathered, or the mineral and cell salts needed by the patient. The astrologer’s
prescription may include actions on the part of the patient, such as taking a
vacation or expressing his/her ideas openly without fear or inhibition.
By reading the natal and other
astrological charts, the astrologer gets to know the whole personality,
including mental and emotional attitudes, and even the whole history of the
patient. The astrologer can thus prescribe the remedy that would cure not just
the present symptom but the whole being.
For example, gallbladder stones may
be caused by the patient’s anger over someone or something which s/he could not
express. Or for a patient with heart trouble, the charts may indicate the real
cause of the problem – inability to love or being unloved.
Medical astrology is not a separate
branch of astrology. Astrology is holistic – it studies the whole of (wo)man –
physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.
Hippocratic Law
Linda Goodman, in her book Star
Signs (St. Martin’s Press: New York), is particularly concerned about
the timing of surgery. She quotes Hippocrates who stated, “Touch not with iron
that part of the body ruled by the sign the Moon is transiting.” “Touching with
iron” means operating with a knife. Goodman further explained that according to
Hippocrates, disobeying this law will result in 1] complications, including
infection, 2] slow and painful healing and recuperation or even 3] death.
Goodman says that when a physician
declares that “the operation was successful but the patient is dead,” it
usually indicates that this Hippocratic law was not obeyed.
It is rather strange that medical
doctors of today swear by the Hippocratic Oath, yet they do not practice or
follow most of what Hippocrates advised.
Goodman gave some startling
examples. Jeff Chandler, star of many detective films, went for a simple
operation for a slipped disc. He died while being operated on. Cause of death?
“Unnatural causes.” On that day, the Moon was in Leo, ruler of the heart, spine
and the back.
Another example was Bertha Todd,
first wife of Michael Todd, who later became the husband of Elizabeth Taylor.
Bertha had cut her finger on a broken glass. She decided to go to the hospital
the following day to have her finger stitched. Afraid that it might be painful,
she asked to be anaesthetized. After the third dose of anesthesia, she died. On
that day, the Moon was transiting Gemini, ruler of shoulders, arms, hands and
fingers.
Goodman mentioned other examples.
She was emphatic in urging readers not to have any sort of operation or even
injections when the Moon is transiting the Sign which rules the body part
concerned. The Moon changes sign every two and a half days so the postponement
of the operation will not be more than that period.
The Moon’s influence on the tides is
well known. Since the human body is seventy percent water, it is but logical
that the Moon would have great influence on it, too. The menstrual cycles of
women are also known to be influenced by the Moon. Hence, the rationale behind
the above-mentioned Hippocratic Law is that first, the Moon has great influence
on the human body. Second, any surgery naturally interferes with the tidal
flows of the body fluids. And third, the parts of the body ruled by the Sign the
Moon is transiting at the time become especially sensitive and vulnerable. So
next time you need to have a medical or dental operation, check where the Moon
is transiting.
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ZODIAC SIGN RULERSHIP
OF THE PARTS OF THE BODY
ARIES head, face (except nose),
cerebral hemispheres of the brain, sub-renal glands which pump adrenalin
to the system
TAURUS neck, throat, larynx,
tonsils, carotid arteries and jugular vein, thyroid gland
GEMINI shoulder, arms, fingers,
lungs, upper ribs
CANCER stomach, diaphragm,
breasts, alimentary canal, lymph system, mammary glands
VIRGO large and small
intestines and the pancreas
LIBRA kidneys
SCORPIO nose, genitals,
descending colon, rectum, the blood, urethra. rules bodily outlets and
procreative processes
SAGITTARIUS hips, thighs,
liver, veins, femur bone, sacral region, and the sciatic nerve
CAPRICORN teeth, bones,
kneecaps, skin, hair, nails and cell walls
AQUARIUS lower legs and ankles,
varicose veins and circulatory system
PISCES feet and toes, the
entire body system relating to “leaks” and the draining of fluids
_________
Published in the Mr. & Ms. Magazine: Supermonthly of
the Body, Mind and Spirit January 2006
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