Medical Astrology* in action (cont’d)

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We have been looking at Medical Astrology of late, and in particular I want to continue a theme that I have been touching on. That is the example of a single aspect – Saturn opposite Mars. Who knew that you could get so much information from one little aspect? Heh. Well let me tell you! Actually this particular aspect is very rich and juicy – any aspect involving the 2nd and / or 8th house will reveal a lot of material. And with that said, if you investigate deep enough, any aspect in the chart, in any house can reveal a treasure trove of information. But we are going to stick with Saturn and Mars for today.

To review, we have discussed, at least in brief, the planets Saturn and Mars and what they can signify. We have touched on the signs they are tenanting (Virgo and Pisces respectively), and we briefly brushed on the houses involved – the 2nd and 8th in this case. So what you might ask is left? I would refer you, if you have seen the Star Wars movies, to the scene in episode VI I think where Luke Skywalker says, “So I am a Jedi…” And Yoda makes a very surprised noise – “OOEEwwwhhoohhhh!!!” Actually I would ask in retort, “what have we actually covered so far?!” Very little to be precise. We have just brushed the surface actually, so lets look a little deeper now. Let’s get into the health correlations of this aspect.

Oh, and for one related tangent, Mars in the 8th house CAN (but not always) indicate that the individual will have a premature death. Now before anyone freaks out, let me explain. Traditionally, the 8th house was associated with death. When 8th house energies are not confronted and remain fermenting under the surface as it were, then I happen to agree with this traditional dark fatalistic assessment. But when we do our psychological work, perhaps seeing a professional body-worker on a regular basis or receiving regular acupuncture, counseling or if we practice other forms of quality self-care, and we get clearer about our neuroses and our psychological predispositions, then we move beyond “being ruled by our stars” as it were and we move toward the greater understanding and wisdom which is represented by the 9th house. So, if we have Mars in the 8th house in our natal charts, there is very little reason to worry, provided we take responsibility for our incarnation and determine to make appropriate changes. For those of us out there who are still feeling like victims… Then some reflection would be in order.

If the 8th house Mars makes a hard aspect to Pluto, Saturn or Uranus, then we may want to investigate further, especially if it is a close aspect. Then sudden, unexpected (Uranus) death becomes possible, or a violent (Pluto) death becomes slightly more of a reality or poor health conditions is more of a reality (Saturn). But in all of these cases, you must look at many factors: how strong are these planets (according to their sign and house placement), how close is the orb involved, are these the planetary rulers of the chart (ruling the Ascendant sign) or the Sun ruler? Which houses do these planets rule? And we must look at positive aspects which would offset the risks indicated by these hard aspects. So do not let one little prediction or aspect get you worked up – if you are reading this post, it means you are on the path toward self-understanding and you care enough to investigate your situation. Next, you may care enough to make the requisite changes which will soften the implied difficulty in the aspect.

With that long-winded explanation of Mars in the 8th, in Medical Astrology, what do Mars and Saturn represent?
And as I get into the Health side of astrological analysis, please remember that we cannot separate these things. I have found that often times, the psycho-emotional issues associated with an aspect contribute or at least go hand-in-hand with the physical manifestations of these aspects. What do I mean by this? Well I believe that before we have physical manifestation of dis-ease, long before really, there is often times an imbalanced emotional issue or psychological misunderstanding. For instance, if we repress our rage about an early trauma for too long, then eventually that rage will need an appropriate avenue of expression. If we do not provide it with one, if we have some masochistic tendencies, then I guarantee that there will be some health problems as a result. In Visceral Manipulation (bodywork), we learn that certain organs can get loaded up with emotional charge, and without an appropriate healthy way to unload that organ, it will spill over and discharge in bizarre ways – think unexplained rashes, inflammation or idiopathic diseases (unexplained).

And another note – we are not ruled by our stars. Rather, the astrology chart is a reflection of our gross karmas (mental, psychological, physical, emotional, etc) and the chart reflects the physical elements that make up our body, hence we get so much information from the time one takes their first breath, a.k.a. the natal horoscope (birth chart).

With that said, in Medical Astrology, Mars is associated with the production of blood, blood in general and iron (red like the fiery God of War), the metabolism and physical energy, aspects of temperature regulation as you will see below (Mars challenges can indicate disease which result in fevers or chills), the left ear, the kidneys (see below for more), veins (although some would argue Venus has influence here as well) and along with Pluto, Mars shares rulership over the genitals and sex glands. Mars in the body is the fighter, and as a result I suspect it has something to do with both the red and white bloods cells as the white blood cells help to fight off infections and viruses. And these are just the basics! When we delve deeper, I wonder if Mars has some association with the spleen. And I believe it also “rules” the forehead and is associated with headaches in general (along with Aries).

Saturn, in Medical Astrology, is associated with the bones and in particular the knees and the teeth, the skin (along with the Moon and sometimes Venus), it is also associated with the kidneys (see below), the spleen, bladder, phlegm, and the gall bladder. Saturn also is associated with the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland, helping to regulate sex hormones, bone and muscle growth. Saturn (think structure) is associated with the skeleton and bony structures in general. Again though, these are the basics of Saturn’s associations in Medical Astrology, so we are seeing how complex this subject can get. Because of Saturn’s association with Calcium, I would venture a guess that the parathyroid glands also come under Saturn’s rulership.

In addition, when we speak of both Mars and Saturn in hard aspect to one another, a competent astrologer should quickly notice that both of these planets are associated with the kidneys. And here is why: both are correlated with the adrenal glands. According to the late Isabel Hickey, she states with regard to the adrenal glands:

“the medulla hormone produces a secretion that can cause fear or flight [or sympathetic freeze]. This part of the adrenal gland is ruled by Saturn [and its hormones are the catecholamines – epinephrine, norepinephrine and dopamine]. The shell or cortex secretes another hormone giving pugnaciousness and combativeness [(Mars – it produces testosterone among other hormones)]. These are glands more directly connected to the impulse of self-preservation and the animal nature.” She goes on to state that the antidote to an afflicted Mars is lunar maternal nurturing and the antidote to an afflicted Saturn is the Venusian loving-kindness and generosity. (fromAstrology, A Cosmic Science, 1992)

With this connection of both planets to the kidneys, or in particular to the adrenal glands (which sit right on top of the kidneys), we see that Mars in hard aspect to Saturn almost always produces the possibilities of kidney issues. What are these? Headaches and lower lumbar back aches and pains (behind the kidneys) to start. And there might be a predisposition to other kidney issues as well.

So far, in this particular post, we have looked further at Mars in the 8th house, and we have begun to pick apart what Saturn and Mars mean in terms of physical health issues or associations. In the next post I will get into the medical astrology around the houses and signs involved.

Kirby Moore has been studying Western Astrology since 2003, having studied under several Western Astrologers with backgrounds in Karmic Astrology, Evolutionary Astrology and Hellenistic Astrology. He sees clients professionally for Spiritual Astrology interpretations both in person and over the phone. His private practice also includes Craniosacral bodywork and healing facilitation through healing touch. To schedule an appointment, you can reach Kirby at the following number in the U.S.: four three four, four six five, zero six zero three. Thank you for reading.

*This material is purely for educational purposes only. The author of this post does not claim to diagnose, cure, treat or prevent any disease and if you believe you have a medical problem, you should speak with a licensed medical practitioner as soon as possible.