How to Read a Birth Chart Part Two: Health and Illness

by Bruce Scofield This article was first published in the Oct./Nov. 1999 issue of The Mountain Astrologer and is reprinted here with minor editorial changes and by permission of the author. People who seek out an astrology reading generally want to know about their health, finances, and love life, though not necessarily in that order. In the first installment of this series, I outlined a method for doing a psychological profile, something that astrologers tend to do for clients whether they really want to hear it or not. Having covered that topic, we move on to the big three issues. This articles topic could be said to be the most important of them all, the one that makes the others possible: health. Health is the condition of being sound in body, mind, and spirit. Being sound implies being free from injury or disease in the body, clear in mind, and vital in spirit. The very definition of health implies a holistic concept, something the official health care industry has a hard time grasping. The medical, pharmaceutical, and insurance industries seem to view health care as an opportunity to use high-tech gadgets and make tons of money. With their formidable armaments and highly specialized knowledge, they focus on attacking symptoms; causes elude them. Theirs is the way of allopathy, the official medicine of our times. Modern medicine aside, if health is a holistic concept, then health as shown in the birth chart must necessarily involve the entire chart, not just a single point. In my experience, there is no single indicator from which we can tell for sure that a given individual will be healthy or ill. However, there are several key areas of the chart that say much about health, and these will be highlighted in this article. It must be stated that this article does not pretend to offer a complete analysis of the astrological links to the human body and its condition. The body is unbelievably complex. While astrological correspondences certainly do exist, they are by no means codified in any authoritative form in the kind of detail that the nature of the human

body would require. The lists that follow are standard rulerships found in textbooks for hundreds of years. Modern writers, such as Eileen Nauman [1] and the late Robert Carl Jansky, [2] have many more details to offer those interested in this side of astrology.

The Planets and the Body The Sun The Sun holds the solar system together by being its center. It also distributes energy in the form of light and heat on which living things depend. In the body, the Sun is the symbol for the spine and the heart, integrating and vitalizing the many elements of the whole system. Through the spine run nerves that lead to all parts of the body, so its condition can have effects elsewhere. This is the basis of chiropractics notion that the health of the spine is central to the health of the body. In a way, chiropractic is a kind of Sun-sign healing modality. And its true that back problems are shown by the Sun in the chart, as are heart problems. The Moon The Moons monthly cycle has been internalized by many organisms. In mammals, reproductive cycles, in particular, seem to be linked to the Moon, a womans estrus cycle of 28 days being a good example. Im inclined to believe that organisms first linked with the movements of the Moon and then learned to run without them. Biorhythms that require the stimulation of the Moons light or gravity are called exogenous rhythms; those that operate on their own are called endogenous rhythms. (Most scientists seem more interested in the latter than in the former.) The Moon, then, is the astrological symbol for cyclic functions in the body. It is what tells us when we are hungry and how we digest what we eat each day. It affects our needs and, consequently, the moods that arise when we satisfy, or do not satisfy, these needs. Internal medicine and diet come under the purview of the Moon. Mercury The nervous system, that inter-organ superhighway of the body, is the province of Mercury. The brain, a bundle of neurons, and the eyes, made of nerves, are part of 2

Mercurys bodily realm. The nervous system is the communication network of the body, and if it is not working correctly, two things can happen. First, critical information that is being transmitted to the brain doesnt get through, and consequently nothing is done to remedy the situation. Second, the various elements of the nervous system itself become damaged or defective. Both result in serious health problems. These kinds of things will be shown by Mercurys condition in the chart. On a simpler level, you can usually see a stressed or afflicted Mercury placement in the charts of people who wear glasses. Venus Organic systems have reproductive requirements. These can become quite complex and require the cooperation of several separate functions in the body. Venus is the astrological indicator of the many aspects of the reproductive system that do double duty. Reproductive organs share space with eliminative organs and, in many cases, are the same organs. In order for this to be possible, a high level of cooperation and balance must be maintained. Venus problems in a birth chart are often reflected in problems of a sexual or reproductive nature and problems relating to a chemical imbalance. The term venereal disease is a remnant of a time when official medicine understood the connections between astrology and the body. Mars In biology, the immune system is associated with the concept of the self. Mars is the astrological symbol of the need to fight, to defend ones own boundaries. On the bodily level, Mars is indeed symbolic of the immune system. In traditional astrology, Mars ruled the blood, the battleground of the immune system. A weakened Mars in a birth chart, perhaps retrograde or afflicted by Neptune (the planet of leakages) could symbolize the potential for what doctors call an infection. An infection, then, is merely the failure of the immune system to adequately defend the self. In addition to the immune system, Mars is symbolic of the muscles. Our muscles enable us to exert ourselves in the world, and they respond to our will. Again, its Mars that makes the self separate from its environment.

Jupiter Jupiter rules the liver, the largest organ, whose function is to convert and store nutrients for the body. Jupiter is also associated with the hips and legs, the body parts that allow us to move through the world. Growth is Jupiters domain, and many people with an overstimulated (that is, heavily aspected) Jupiter are tall or overweight. Problems in the body associated with Jupiter are often about excess and overproduction. Saturn This planet rules boundaries. In the body, the skin forms a boundary between the self and the outside world, and the skin is symbolized astrologically by Saturn. So are the bones and teeth, the hard parts of the body. The hearing is also a Saturnian function; a tiny bone in the ear is necessary for sound waves to be translated into the code of the nervous system. Saturn is a limiter and a blocker. Its contacts with other planets and its location in signs often suggest problems due to the lack of something or the existence of a significant blockage. Saturn also tends to slow things down, even bring them to a halt, and is associated with stiffness and loss of motion. During a massive Saturn attack, a few years ago, I developed a frozen shoulder. Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto These three trans-Saturnian planets symbolize a number of complex and, in some cases, barely understood processes in the body. Uranus has links to the nervous system, Neptune to the lymphatic system, and Pluto to the endocrine system. Their symbolism extends beyond these general links to other functions in the body that are beyond the scope of this article. The Signs In traditional Western astrology, each of the signs rules a part of the body. This pattern of rulerships is ancient. Many old texts contain a woodblock print of a person surrounded by signs, each pointing to a specific body part. The following is a brief listing of sign/body correspondences.

Aries: The head and face. Taurus: The neck, throat, and cervical vertebrae. Gemini: The arms, shoulders, hands, and lungs. Cancer: The mouth, stomach, and womb. Leo: The heart and spine (dorsal vertebrae). Virgo: The small intestine, pancreas, and spleen. Libra: The lower back (lumbar vertebrae) and kidneys. Scorpio: The reproductive system and elimination (colon). Sagittarius: The thighs, hips, and sciatic nerve. Capricorn: Knees and joints, gall bladder. Aquarius: Calves and ankles, circulatory system, spinal cord. Pisces: The feet, lymph glands. The Ascendant The Ascendant, or rising sign, is that part of the zodiac that was rising at the time of birth. Very often, it signifies those parts of our bodies that are either overdeveloped or significant in some way or liable to problems. For example, a person with Taurus rising may have a strong neck, but if he or she is a heavy smoker, may also develop throat cancer. Planets conjunct the Ascendant exert an influence on the body as well. Also very important is the planet that rules the Ascendant and even more important is the planet it makes closest contact with. For example, a person with Taurus rising will have Venus as ruler of the Ascendant. If Venus is conjunct Saturn (the planet of blockages and stiffness), such people may have problems with stiffness, particularly in the neck. When the ruler of the 6th house is conjunct the Ascendant, or conjunct the ruler of the Ascendant, there is also a potential for health problems. In my own natal chart, Saturn, the ruler of my 6th house, is conjunct my Ascendant in Leo. At age 26, I hurt my back, and two years later, after exploring alternative therapies, I resorted to having a spinal fusion and laminectomy. Those events the accident and the operation made for some permanent changes in my physical condition and engendered the necessity to change my habits. Although the operation was a success by most standards, since that time Ive had to be very careful about how I use my body. My identity (Ascendant) has been strongly conditioned by my health (6th house). 5

The 6th House This house has traditionally been assigned to health and well-being. But its really about the efficient functioning of everything in your life your work, your daily schedule, and all the parts of your body. If all the various systems of your body are working together, you will have good health. If one system breaks down, the others will eventually be affected. The health of the whole is the sum of the efficient functioning of the parts. Diet and exercise come under the 6th house and are remedies for 6th-house problems. They are activities that keep the body in shape and free from imbalances. Look to the 6th house as one of several key indicators of health in the chart. Along with noting major stressful alignments to the Sun and Moon, the best key to reading health problems in a chart (or the lack of them) has to do with links to the 6th house. If the Sun rules the 6th house, is in it, or is very closely aspecting the ruler of that house, there is a good chance that the person will need to bring health-related issues into close focus. This would be especially true if one or more planets were making hard aspects to the Sun. In such a case, the centrality of the Sun implies problems related to the spine, the heart, or vitality. Such individuals should probably pay much attention to their back, perhaps seeing a chiropractor from time to time. They should learn proper lifting habits and know when to keep stress down. The same sort of thing can be said for the Moon, which has to do with problems of digestion and assimilation. The 8th House This part of the chart is about how our lives change in the context of our entanglements with other people and their stuff. It seems to have a lot to do with teamwork and survival, precisely what is involved in modern-day surgery. For this reason, surgical procedures are associated with both the 6th and 8th houses. The 12th House This sector has to do with situations in which the individual is overpowered by the world around him or her. Institutionalization is an example. In the context of health, this house rules the hospital, a place where your identity hinges on the band they strap to your wrist.

Seeing Health Problems in the Chart Although the entire chart plays a role in maintaining health, there are a few centers around which much depends. By taking a close look at these, a novice chart reader can make a fairly accurate assessment of what might be going on when hard transits or progressions strike. One rule never to forget is that even a cascade of difficult transiting or progressed aspects may not amount to much on the bodily health level, unless the natal chart shows the appropriate afflictions. In other words, if the potential for problems isnt shown in the natal chart, then real problems are much less likely to occur under stressful aspects. One other important point to keep in mind is that most physical problems can be traced to emotional and mental problems. It may also take some time for mental and emotional problems to work their way down to the physical level. It appears to me that our attitudes and expectations in life, and their correlations with consensus reality, probably have more to do with the condition of our health than anything else, excepting the deadly poisons we put into our water, air, and the environment. People who had childhood experiences that led them to believe they deserve to be powerful often become quite disturbed when, as adults, they find out the world isnt cooperating with their notions. Some of these people will then manage to come down with a disabling disease. Its as if their body simply cant bear the stress of this clash of realities. The Differences between the Sun and Moon The astrological point on which life depends most is the Sun. Squares, oppositions, and other hard aspects to the Sun may symbolize health problems that can affect a persons life in a big way. Such configurations tend to affect the vitality and physical integrity of the body. Im not talking about the common cold; I mean problems that result in a loss of power in the physical world, problems that amount to physical handicaps. Take, for example, a natal chart in which the Sun is square Uranus, which is a classic signature for back problems. A hard aspect from a transiting outer planet to the Sun could mean the potential for back stress, but mostly because the Sun is natally tensed by its square to Uranus. The promise is already in the natal chart, though that doesnt mean that the person cant recognize this vulnerability and take precautions. Problems involving the Sun often affect a persons life in a big way. People who are 7

disabled and spend much of their life in a wheelchair will have some serious afflictions to their natal Sun. An example of this is a man with the Sun in Capricorn that is natally square to Saturn and Neptune in Libra. When Uranus and Neptune formed a conjunction in Capricorn in 199293 near the degree areas of the above points, he developed multiple sclerosis (MS). The potential was in the natal chart; the transit kicked it into gear. Could this person have avoided such a disaster? Many say his attitude toward others and the world in general was quite negative. Perhaps mind-set, in this case, was the factor behind such a devastating condition. The chart of Franklin D. Roosevelt illustrates how the Sun in a chart symbolizes a major physical debilitation (see chart below). Roosevelt has the Sun in Aquarius square
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Jan 30 1882 Hyde Park 41N47 Jan 31 1882
Tropical Placidus

8:45 PM LMT New York 73W56 01:40:44 GMT

True Node

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Saturn and Neptune in Taurus. Jupiter and Pluto are also in Taurus and participate in this stressful configuration. Roosevelts Sun is also sesquiquadrate (135) to Mars in Gemini. Mercury is the ruler of the rising sign, Virgo, and it is located in the 6th house. If one uses Whole-Sign Houses, [3] then Roosevelts Sun itself is in the 6th house. All of this symbolism points to the potential for a health problem of a solar nature, and as we know, the former president was severely handicapped. Both Uranus and Mercury have something to do with the nervous system. The fact that the Sun is in Aquarius (ruled by Uranus) and in hard aspect to Mars in Gemini, and that Mercury (ruler of the Ascendant) is in the 6th house, suggests a problem with the nervous system. Roosevelts health crisis began when he was putting out a fire. Perhaps it was the smoke hitting his lungs, a part of the body ruled by Gemini, that triggered the massive physical problem that lay in potential in the natal chart. Notice that Roosevelts natal Moon is prominent and in its own sign, certainly not in any way afflicted as his Sun is. His physical condition was chronic, not as fluctuating as lunar problems tend to be. Contrast the above Sun trouble with that relating to the Moon. With the natal Moon in stressful alignments with other planets, bodily health is affected, but in a way very different from that of Sun problems. Colds, digestive disorders, and sickliness in general are associated with the Moon. Such conditions come and go; they affect ones life but generally dont require a major life reorientation, as Sun problems do. The Moon, by its very nature, is reactive, and in matters of health, it shows fluctuating physical conditions. A prominent Moon in the chart can imply physical sensitivities, but the Moon in the 6th house, ruling the 6th, or being closely aspected by the ruler of the 6th could mean varying bouts of ill health from time to time. Such conditions may not be of a lasting nature, merely fluctuations of the health ranging from digestion problems to infections. A woman with the Moon conjunct Pluto and square Saturn, with Saturn ruling the 6th, has had many illnesses since birth. Her life has been deeply affected by the on-again, off-again pattern of her physical health. Since her health problems began shortly after birth, how can one say that her attitudes contributed to her condition? Did her mother, who is, from all accounts, a dominating woman, somehow create or feed into such a situation? Was her precarious health condition a product of a mismatch between the genetic material of her parents? Or was it the result of the psychic energy between them around the time of her birth, or even before? There are no sure answers 9

in situations like this. As students of astrology, we can only track the amazing correlations between planetary positions and the conditions of living things. An example of Moon-related health problems is illustrated by the chart and life of Robert Louis Stevenson, author of Treasure Island and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Stevenson was a very sickly person for most of his relatively short life, and he moved several times to new locations in hopes of improving his health. Tuberculosis affected him. Before the age of pasteurization, this variable disease was generally caused by a bacillus found in milk. Although the Mercury-ruled lungs are often afflicted by this disease, it does affect other organs as well. The Moon may have something to do with TB, as suggested by Stevensons chart (see chart below).

Robert Louis Stevenson

Nov 13 1850 Edinburgh 55N57 Nov 13 1850
Tropical

Placidus

1:30 PM LMT Scotland 3W13 13:42:52 GMT

True Node

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Prepared By:

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10

Notice that the sign of Cancer is on the cusp of Stevensons 6th house (or, using Whole-Sign Houses, Cancer is the 6th place from the Ascendant). The Moon, ruler of Cancer, is strongly emphasized in his chart by virtue of its being in the 1st house. Its location in the sensitive sign of Pisces, and its conjunction with the sensitive planet Neptune, are highly suggestive of the kind of health problems Stevenson had. Moonrelated health problems are variable they fluctuate over time, unlike Sun-related problems, which are generally more constant. In reading a chart for health and illness-related issues, it is important to answer two basic questions: First, is there an emphasis on or a direct link from prominent planets to the 6th house? The above two examples show a loaded 6th house, in the case of Roosevelt, and the prominence of the 6th-house ruler (by its placement in the 1st house) in Stevensons chart. Second, what is the planetary nature of potential health problems? An important distinction between solar and lunar health conditions has been noted above. The other planets also put their spin on the bodys struggle to maintain its health, each one according to the traditional scheme listed above. Also, dont forget the importance of the planet that is conjunct or in very close aspect to the ruler of the 6th house. This planet delivers its energy to the 6th via the ruler of the 6th. In summary, one can learn a lot about the health and potential for health problems by looking at the Sun, Moon, 6th house, and Ascendant in a chart. Problems involving the Sun are more serious and chronic than those symbolized by the Moon. Problems involving other planets will correlate with the bodily parts and systems they symbolize. Linkages of the Sun, Moon, and Ascendant (and also the Ascendant ruler) to the 6th house are sure signs that the health of the body is a matter of concern for that person. Being conscious of this is a preventative in itself. One final note: If you have hard aspects to your Sun or Moon, with many linkages to the 6th house, dont despair. Just realize that you need to express these appropriately. Be concerned about keeping things running smoothly. Diet and exercise come under the 6th house. Planetary symbolism pointing to health issues can also be an indication that you have healing abilities. Take a look at a doctors birth chart, and youll see what I mean. Some doctors charts are loaded with hard aspects and horrific configurations, but the doctors themselves are healthy; it seems that their stressful charts are projected, or reflected, in the lives of their patients. Use astrological

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symbolism as an indication of what will be appropriate to your life, and make conscious changes, if you must. Chart Data and Sources Franklin D. Roosevelt, January 30, 1882; 8:45 p.m. LMT; Hyde Park, NY, USA (41N47', 73W56'); AA: Rita H. Kleeman quotes his fathers diary: At a quarter to nine my Sallie had a splendid large baby boy. Robert Louis Stevenson, November 13, 1850; 1:30 p.m. LMT; Edinburgh, Scotland (55N57', 03W13'); AA: Arthur Blackwell quotes Family Records. (Same in Sabian Symbols #869, NN No. 243.) References and Notes 1. Eileen Nauman, The American Book of Nutrition and Medical Astrology, Astro Computing Services, 1982. 2. Robert Carl Jansky, Astrology, Nutrition & Health, Para Research, 1975. 3. For those interested in exploring this house system, we recommend reading Robert Hand, The Oldest House System: Whole-Sign Houses, Parts One and Two, The Mountain Astrologer, June/July 1999 and Aug./Sept. 1999. 1999, 2010 Bruce Scofield all rights reserved

Bruce Scofield has maintained a private practice as an astrological consultant, writer, and conference speaker for more than 40 years. He is the author of seven books and hundreds of articles on astrology. He has been active in the National Council for Geocosmic Research since 1979 and was Education Director between 1998 and 2003. He holds an M.A. in History and a Ph.D. in Geosciences and currently teaches at Kepler College and the University of Massachusetts. Bruce Scofield and Barry Orr maintain a Web site (www.onereed.com) containing a variety of astrology articles and a calculation program on Mesoamerican (Maya and Aztec) astrology.

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