Traditional Western Astrology is around 2000 years old and is a system of organising and reading the celestial heavens with their reflection of events on earth. It is often refered to as Tropical Astrology, or Ptolemic Astrology. It is based on the relationship between the earth and sun, marked by the equinoxes and solstices. These pivitol points form a cross and mark out the quarters of the solar year. Each of these quarters is divided by three and this is what separates each of the twelve signs of the zodiac.
Against this solar day based template the night sky can be viewed and the constellations of the zodiac, and other constellations are seen. Note that the zodiac sign divisions and the zodiacal stars bear the same name though are not the same thing and do not overlay perfectly in the night sky. This is due in part to the unequal length of the zodiacal constellations compared to the equal length of the zodiac sign divisions and to what is called the Precession of the Equinoxes.
The Traditional Western Astrology system has attributes and meanings associated with its format. From anatomy, physiology and pathology of the human body (termed melothesia), medicinal plants, precious stones, personality attributes and character traits, and these attributes and meanings are generally agreed upon within the field. There are overlays between the Oriental and the Asian systems of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda medicine, that also utilise their own form of astrology, though Traditional Western Astrology is European.
The reflection and correlation between the starry heavens and the material body is often termed the macrocosm and the microcosm with Hermetic thought.
Medical Astrology, traditionally known as Iatromathematis, is an ancient system of astrology, one of many branches of astrology. Just as the ancient Orient and Asia had Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurvedic medicine, ancient Europe had the sophisticated system of Traditional Western Astrology and astrological herbalsim. However, astrology in general underpins both the western and eastern traditional healthcare systems to this day.
Anatomy, physiology, pathology and aetiology of the human body, and therapuetic herbs, homeopathic remedies and essential oils are placed in association with the celestial heavens; luminaries, wandering stars, astrological signs and fixed stars along with the earthly seasons and the five elements of fire, air, water, earth and aether.
Sowing, harvesting, preparing and administering herbal preparations, along with massage, and other treatments can be organised at the best astrological times to maximise benefit wanted and to avoid unhelpful influence. This can be especially useful for fertility treatments, dental or other organised surgery, which can be planned to the most suitable times to avoid associated complications such as extended healing times. This exempts emergency treatments and first aid necessities which should obviously be dealt with immediately.
‘…he therefore who would understsand the mysteries of healing, must look as high as the stars’ Nicholas Culpeper.
‘The medicine must be prepared in the stars and the stars become the medicine for it is they that complete the work of the physician’ Paracelsus
‘It is clearly evident that most events of a widespread nature draw their causes from the enveloping heavens.’ Ptolemy.
‘We are born at a given moment, in a given place, and like vintage years of wine, we have the qualities of the year and the seasons in which we are born.’ Carl Jung.
‘The basic meaning of the horoscope is that, by mapping out the positions of the planets and their relations to one another (aspects), together with the distribution of the signs of the zodiac at the cardinal points, it gives a picture first of the psychic and then of the physical constitution of the individual. It represents, in essence, a system of original and fundamental qualities in a person’s character, and can therefore be regarded as an equivalent of the individual psyche.‘ Carl Jung.
‘The star vault of the sky is in reality the open book of cosmic projection, which is reflected in the mythologies, i.e. the archetypes. In this vision, astrology and alchemy, the two classic functions of the psychology of the collective unconscious, join hands.‘ Carl Jung.