Our approach to understanding the medical aspects of astrology proceeds from the holistic principle of wholeness and unity of all existence, reflected in the axioms: “all in all,” “as above, so below,” “the unity of microcosm and macrocosm,” “the outer is the manifestation of the inner,” and “matter.”
To work with the human body and its diseases, it is first necessary to understand that not only is the human body itself a unity (and therefore one cannot treat just a single illness in isolation from the organs related to the affected organ), but the entire person is a unity, including their spiritual and physical essence. Moreover, the individual is united with the surrounding world and must learn to live in harmony with it, integrating into the ever-changing rhythms of life. Life itself is a continuous and unified cosmic process, a cosmic activity expressed through movements of varying strength, quality, and speed. The source of movement is always creativity, and cosmic matter serves as its conductor.
Life permeates the entire Cosmos and animates it. Our Solar System is merely a part of the single system we call the Universe. The Solar System, in turn, is a unified living organism whose primary organs are the planets. All elements of the Solar System produce their own energy during their life activity, a combination of electromagnetic fields.
From this perspective, Earth’s life is the result of the influence of numerous and diverse cosmic factors. The laws of the Cosmos are universal throughout the Universe. Every point in the Universe contains information about the Universe. And each human being is precisely such a point.
When a person is born, they merely anchor a specific cosmic moment, which their birth chart reflects throughout their life. In other words, the birth chart is the fixed energy structure of each individual. Accordingly, their life is nothing other than a certain combination of specific cosmic rhythms. Each individual oscillates, vibrates within the key that existed in the Cosmos at the moment of their birth.
According to the first principle of Hermetic philosophy, at the center of Being stands a great, powerful Mind, and Being is its external expression.
Life, as a powerful current, spreads throughout the Universe from this mighty cosmic center. In its manifestation, this rhythm passes through 12 stages or phases, studied in astrology as the 12 zodiacal signs.
The space around Earth is strictly structured by the zodiacal signs. Each of these spaces possesses its own unique energy. The radiation of any celestial body (primarily the planets), before reaching Earth, passes through the energy of this space, acquiring its qualities.
When applied to the human being, the zodiacal signs determine the human body, its anatomical structures, and potential hidden qualities, which are defined through planetary qualities.
Based on the holistic principle, disease is a disbalance, a disorder between the state of things in the external world and within the organism.
This disbalance arises when a person loses the ability to adequately integrate into the natural, ever-changing flow of life. This occurs due to various circumstances—established habits, distorted worldview, spiritual laziness, etc. Life constantly demands change and movement from the individual. If these needs and tensions (chemical, dietary, ecological, temperamental, psychological, hereditary) remain unmet and unresolved for too long, tension accumulates in the organism, defense mechanisms break down, and dysfunctions arise.
We can trace these needs for change and development in the astrological chart; we can predict which organs of a given individual are particularly susceptible to stress and functional disturbances.
Astrology recognizes that dominant planetary placements associated with developmental difficulties in any person’s horoscope correspond to those parts of the organism that weaken most quickly under stress, pressure, illness, or frustration. Predictive accuracy increases especially when these aspects involve the twelfth–sixth house axis, long associated with health and disease.
The holistic method, based on Hermetic philosophy or the philosophy of Oneness, compels attention to the theme of the interconnectedness of all existence at all levels. Regarding our topic of medical astrology, this interconnectedness means the interconnection of the spiritual, mental, and physical in the human being. Any imbalance at any level will lead to a similar imbalance at all other levels.
In medicine, this very approach has prevailed since ancient times—that health is fostered by coherence, harmony, and unity. This axiom has been applied since Hippocrates and his views on balance in nature[1].
It is important to understand the depth of the concept of interconnectedness. It is not merely the connection of one bodily system with another and so on. It is an entire spectrum of interconnections—at the molecular and cellular levels, at the levels of organs, the entire organism, species of living beings, and life itself.
The theory of interconnectedness is hierarchical in structure: any influence on a particular element of the chain affects all levels. It is known, for example, that a DNA mutation can impact a person’s life (reflect on this for a moment). Conversely, losing a job can affect the heart and the organism’s biochemical processes.
When interconnectedness is disrupted, diseases arise,
- when the connection between cells and regulatory hormones is interrupted, tumors develop;
- when the connection between consciousness and the subconscious is disturbed, neuroses and psychoses occur;
- when separating from people, we feel alienation and become sociopaths;
- when one social group isolates itself from the world or rises against another group (i.e., mutual exchange and communication are disrupted), the result is hostility, war, and destruction;
- when the connection between the individual and the spiritual ceases, life loses meaning, orientation is disrupted, and psychological pain accumulates.
Accumulated developmental deficit (including hereditary factors) paves the way for diseases. Diseases arise only in cases contrary to the overall astrological birth configuration.
During the peak of Freudianism in the 1950s–60s, psychoanalysts believed that illness was the manifestation of a subconscious conflict projected onto the body: when a person is unable to cope with serious problems, they develop cancer. Although this theory was not dominant, it was given great importance, yet it answered far from all questions and was not widely applicable. It is merely one of the important informational levels for understanding serious diseases.
Nowadays, an increasing number of books appear on both mental (subconscious) causes of physical illness and mental “antidotes.” For example, regarding heart attacks, Louise L. Hay believes their cause is “excluding all joy from the heart, replacing it with money or social status.” She suggests the following positive affirmation (corrective or preventive belief): “My heart beats in the rhythm of love.” Numerous examples exist where lack of material stability and related anxieties have led to heart disease, relationship breakdowns, and even prevented relationships from forming.
Finding meaning in anything brings joy to the mind. Even correct interpretation of information itself has therapeutic value, as it promotes adequate integration into the flow of life. Satisfying the mind brings relaxation and stress relief. Perceptions become clearer, the personality is affirmed, and life gains significance.
Our task in studying the astrological aspects of disease is to use the horoscope to assess the potential of the body and its systems, determine the likelihood of developing serious illnesses during the aging process, and identify when this potential reaches its most critical state. Thus, we reveal vulnerabilities and issue warnings.
However! It must be understood that we cannot make 100% accurate diagnoses based solely on an astrological chart, because we are unable to precisely measure accumulated developmental deficits or genetic deficiencies, or fully comprehend how the mind reacts depending on a person’s level of spiritual development and what conclusions it has drawn from past life experiences. We can only, depending on the specific characteristics of a given case, clarify the body’s weak points.
By applying predictive astrology, especially transits of the outer planets, we identify periods of life during which there is maximum threat to the functioning of bodily systems and, consequently, danger to life.
In identifying the causes of illness, astrology can penetrate deeper and more effectively than medicine. Within seconds, astrological parameters can indicate how the degree of developmental deficit contributes to the emergence and intensification of the potential for specific diseases, and most importantly, determine the timing of the development of dangerous illnesses. Astrology allows us to focus primarily on the patient and the meaning of events in their life. In skilled hands, the vital energetic and dynamic essence of astrology promises to reveal the causes of imbalance and become a key to psychological, spiritual, and physical well-being.
© Natalia Perestoronina
[1] Almost all ancient Greek philosophers regarded the idea of balance and harmony as extremely important for a full life. Heraclitus (ca. 528 BCE) employed the theory of balancing opposing tendencies in the world; later, Empedocles developed his ideas by introducing the elements as the primary cause of things within the framework of overall balance (strife separates, love unites—i.e., disruption and harmony). Pythagoras’ teachings concerned methods of maintaining balance; Anaxagoras proposed the concepts of microcosm/macrocosm and the infinite divisibility of matter. The existence of good implies evil; the existence of health implies disease.
