Herbal Astrology: Introduction to the astrological correspondences of herbs
WHAT IS HERBAL ASTROLOGY?
An astrological correspondence is assigned to each herb. The rose, for example, is a classic herb of Venus.
In herbal astrology, astrology is used to help with herbs - whatever the problem.
"A physician without the Knowledge of Astrology, is not allowed to call himself a Doctor" - Hippocrates
Medical astrology has been around since we started practicing astrology. In earlier times, astrology & medicine were not as strictly separated as they are today. On the contrary Hippocrates, the Father of all medicines said: "A physician without the Knowledge of Astrology, is not allowed to call himself a Doctor"
HOW DOES PLANT ASTROLOGY WORK?
The main tool of the herbal astrologer is a person's natal chart. The natal chart represents the dispositions, weaknesses and strengths with which a person was born.
A natal chart is static and unchangeable, but medical astrologer would also pay attention to the current movements & transits of the stars and planets and their effects on the natal chart.
WHY DOES IT WORK?
The sacred secret of medical astrology can be summed up in the words:
"As above, so below"
Herbal astrology combines the best of both worlds: medical astrology with herbalism.
Herbal astrology combines the best of both worlds: medical astrology with herbalism.
"As above" is the heavenly, while "so below" is the terrestrial - the heavenly reflects the terrestrial and vice versa. Stars show us patterns of our earthly experience.
The star constellation in the sky changes seasonally as our planet rotates slightly.
They mark the change of the seasons, which not only affects the great macrocosm of the universe, but also the microcosm of our own personal universe (our physical, emotional, mental & spiritual experiences.)
To be honest, you probably can't quite say exactly how & why herbal astrology works.
In any case, it is very useful as it helps us to find a language for imbalances and natural healing paths. We know this not least from systems like Ayurveda with its doshas. The doshas give us a picture of our dispositions, i.e. the advantages and dangers of our constitutional type.
herb astrology elements.png
We find the same thing in traditional European medicine with the four temperaments. (More here.) And in herbal astrology we look at how we can favor our astrological & elementary dispositions with the help of herbs.
Astrology has also always been a wonderful tool to pack things into stories & archetypes as well as to Self-knowledge.
Astrology gives us the gift of being seen & confirmation. She puts things into words for which we would not find words.
HERBAL ASTROLOGY EXPLANATION
Elements: Western astrology has four elements - earth, air, fire, water - and each sign of the zodiac and each temperament is assigned to one of the elements.
Temperaments: Just like Ayurveda has doshas, there are four temperaments in traditional European medicine: choleric, melancholic, sanguine & phlegmatic.
Qualities: There are three qualities in astrology that describe the movement of energy. In short: cardinal signs tend to start things & are nimble, fixed signs are robust & persistent, while changeable signs tend to be flexible & fluid.
Ruling Planet: Each sign and each herb is ruled by a planet.
medical astrology: every organ in the body has an astrological equivalent. The natal chart is also used here for healing purposes.
Herbs: Each herb is assigned an astrological correspondence (planet + signs of the zodiac).
WHERE CAN I LEARN MORE?
Most of the western herbal astrologers get their astrological equivalents from Nicolas Culpeper's Complete Herbal (unfortunately only available in English to date).
Hope you found this Article as interesting as I am excited to write about herbal astro medicine :-)
xx
Georgi
Comentarios