The origins of medical astrology are traced to Greece and it is a Greek physician in the 5th century B.C. named Hippocrates who is credited with being the "father of medicine." Plato spoke of him as being a member of the Asclepiadae, "sons of Asclepius." Born about 460 B.C. on the island of Cos off the coast of Greece, he was universally respected in his own lifetime, which was long. His early medical studies were at the temple of Aeslepius in Cos, though he traveled and taught in such places as Athens, Delos and Thessaly. The medical profession remembers him primarily for the Oath of Hippocrates, a code of ethics which is still used at many universities and medical schools during graduation ceremonies. His principle legacy to astrologers however was his interest and study of astrology and his statement that "A DOCTOR WHO HAS NO KNOWLEDGE OF ASTROLOGY CANNOT TRUTHFULLY CALL HIMSELF A PHYSICIAN." This marks Hippocrates as the first Holistic astrologer.

What made Hippocrates so special even in his own lifetime? Though much was inherited from ancient Babylonia and Egypt, as well as China and India, the influence of Hippocrates was to move away from the early superstitions and rituals and to focus instead on the natural causes of disease in the environment, in the diet and lifestyle, and also to acknowledge occupational hazards which caused certain diseases to manifest. The teachings of Hippocrates incorporated the sacred geometry of Pythagoras and his emphasis on numbers, and on the ancient conception of the importance of the four elements, fire, water, earth and air. Early astrologers in Greece were also philosophers and astronomers who recognized that the root of the word "health" comes from the same root as the word "whole." Hippocrates emphasized the importance of wholeness, balance, and a natural understanding of the causes of disease.

In the Spring 2004 Geocosmic Journal we present the writings of seven practicing and experienced astrologers who share their experiences, observations and conclusions concerning wellness and health. The writings of psychologist Carl Jung have influenced many astrologers in the last century, including such notables as Dane Rudhyar, John Addey, Grant Lewi, Stephen Arroyo and Liz Greene, and has shown the importance of astrology as a tool in understanding the human personality. Mythic astrologers such as Wendy Ashley and Bernadette Brady have done much to incorporate an understanding of the ancient myths of all cultures with astrological interpretation. Jane Ridder Patrick, a registered pharmacist , herbalist, reflexologist as well as practicing astrologer shows us here how astrology may be used as a diagnostic tool.

Don Cerow is a student of the history of astrology and astronomy, as well as mythology and the sacred sites in all parts of the world and he points out in this issue the need for balance and harmony between the elements as expressed through the emotions and mind, the physical body and environment, and above all the importance of the human spirit in maintaining health and overcoming disease. Sylvia Jean Smith has devoted years of study to the eclipse cycles in both the natal and progressed charts with emphasis on the pre and post birth solar and lunar eclipses and the saros cycles. Diane Cramer, Lynn Koiner and Mary Jane Green are all active counseling astrologers and therapists. The first famous medical school began in Alexandria, Egypt about three hundred years before the birth of Christ and here the emphasis of the best medical teachers was on anatomy and physiology. After the Fall of Rome the study of medicine fell under the control of the Christian Church and the Arabian scholars. The Christian Church discouraged original thought and once more disease was regarded as a punishment for sin. Healing required prayer, penance and atonement. Saints were credited with miraculous cures and much of the mythology of the ancient cultures was incorporated into the Christian calendar. Real medical learning seemed to shift to the great Muslim Empire, though the physicians of that period included Jews and Christians, and were not all Arabs. Astrologers were also astronomers and alchemists. The first organized medical school as we would recognize it today was in Salerno, Italy in the tenth century. Other schools followed in Paris, Bologna and Padua.

During the 17th century the philosopher Descartes declared the human body to be a machine, divorced from mind, emotions and spirit. This approach to medicine has continued to the present time with an emphasis on diagnosis, not cure, with surgery and drugs the usual recommended procedure. There is no easy, simple system that may be applied to medical knowledge and the best approach is still that of Hippocrates who said over 2000 years ago that "our natures are the physicians of our diseases." And astrologers should take pride and reassurance in knowing that he said "a doctor without knowledge of astrology is not rightly able to call himself a physician."

© 2007 Frances C. McEvoy
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