Astrology Nutrition &
Health
by Robert Carl Jansky
Chapter Twelve
Elective Surgery and
Transits
Topics in this Chapter:
The Lunar
Influence
The
Solar Influence
The Influence of
Mars
Other
Considerations
Choosing a
Healer
The
Horary Chart
As far back as ancient times, there is considerable
written evidence of attempts by astrologers to pick the most advantageous time
for certain events, to ensure a positive outcome. Ptolemy, in his
Tetrabiblos, establishes rules for determining the best time for such
events as weddings, public ceremonies and festivals, attacks on one’s enemies,
the signing of legal documents and, certainly not least,
surgery.
Perhaps the most common request that I, as a
medical astrologer, receive from clients and students is to help them select a
good date for elective surgery. Unfortunately, it is not usually possible to
choose an advantageous time for emergency surgical procedures such as
appendectomy, operation on a perforated ulcer or tracheotomy. However, doctors
and hospitals usually allow the patient to choose in advance the date of
elective surgery such as hernia repair, hemorrhoidectomy, tonsillectomy,
circumcision, hysterectomy, gall-bladder operation or cosmetic surgery. Most
hospitals do not, of course, permit a patient to choose the time of day for
surgery.
While I fully believe that “he who treats
himself has a fool for a patient,” and that everyone should consult a recognized
healing arts practitioner for health problems, I also feel that there is no
moral or ethical reason why a professional astrologer, fully versed in the basic
rules, should not help a client select the best date possible for elective
surgery. Anyone who has a working knowledge of astrology, especially in reading
an ephemeris, can easily apply the rules given here for selecting such a date.
These rules are based not only on Ptolemy’s directions, but also on reports
published in current medical literature by doctors who are not
astrologers.
The Lunar Influence
Probably
the single most important factor in selecting a date for elective surgery is the
sign that the Moon is in as it transits the zodiac and its position in relation
to the person’s natal chart. The lunar influence gives us some very definite
do’s and dont’s for selecting a date for surgery. Perhaps the most important
“don’t” is: if possible, do not arrange to have surgery the day before, the day
of or the day after the full Moon. Several recent nonastrological studies have
shown strong evidence that there is increased danger of hemorrhage when surgery
is performed at this time of the lunar month. This is because the surface
tension of all fluids appears to be at its lowest level at this time, so that
substances such as blood clots seem to be most likely to dissolve. A recent
study by two surgeons who specialize in tonsillectomies, published in the
prestigious New England Journal of Medicine, appears to bear out this
theory.
This brings us to the interesting observation
that many babies are born at or close to the full Moon. While there is still no
statistical evidence of this phenomenon, over the years many nurses have assured
me that they are inevitably most busy at the time of the full Moon. This makes
good scientific sense, for if the fluid tension is lowest at this time, then the
probability of release of the amniotic fluid should be increased, with
parturition following soon after.
However, it is also
fair to say that if this phenomenon is true, astrologers should see many clients
whose natal Sun and Moon are in opposition, but this has not been my experience
in over ten years of consultation with clients. Full-Moon births may be
frequent, but my observations have not confirmed
this.
Let us put to rest another old wives’ tale, which
states that babies born at the time of an eclipse are born dead. I have in my
files a number of cases of persons born during or very close to a solar or lunar
eclipse who have grown to adulthood and are quite normal in every respect. Pope
Pius XII is said to have been born under such an eclipse, and he certainly lived
long enough to enjoy a full and rewarding life!
Ptolemy
suggests that surgery should not be performed when:
1. The transiting Moon
is in any sign ruling the vital organs, such as Leo,
which rules the
heart.
2. The transiting Moon is in the Ascendant of the patient’s
natal horoscope,
since this position decreases the vitality.
3. The transiting Moon
is in the sign ruling the part of the body
that requires surgery. For example, one
should not have an abdominal operation
when the Moon is in Virgo or a head operation when the Moon
is in Aries
or a
tonsillectomy when the Moon is in Taurus.
4. Transiting Mars
opposes the patient’s natal Moon or when Mars is within 17°
of the natal Sun. Both positions are said
to decrease vitality and lengthen
post-surgical recuperation.
The Solar Influence
The Sun
represents your vitality or life force, and since vitality ideally ought to be
at its peak during surgery, the position of the Sun is important when you are
choosing a date for an operation.
Ptolemy states that
the transiting Sun should not be in the sign that symbolizes the body region
that requires surgery. For example, he suggests that hemorrhoidectomy should not
be done while the Sun is in Scorpio and that chest surgery should not be
performed while the Sun is in Gemini. At these times, surgery in those areas
would be a greater drain on one’s basic vitality, and the period of
convalescence would be lengthened.
The better date for
surgery would be when the transiting Sun is either sextile or trine the natal
Sun and at the same time not in square or opposition to other planets,
especially Mars or Saturn. Contraparallels may or may not have a similar
effect.
The Influence of Mars
Mars is
very important for any surgical procedure, since it symbolizes the surgeon’s
knife. Well aspected, Mars symbolizes protection during surgery and attainment
of the desired result. If Mars is afflicted, especially by square or opposition
from the Sun, Moon, Saturn or Neptune, there is reportedly danger of
complications during or just after the operation.
The
eighth house of the natal chart is in the natural house of Scorpio, which is
co-ruled by both Pluto and Mars. Traditionally the eighth house has been called
the house of surgery. While I have never seen any hard statistical evidence to
bear this out, it has been my personal observation that at some time in their
life, many persons undergo surgery when Mars is transiting their eighth house.
In many cases I have also observed that Mars is in the eighth house in a solar
return chart for the year of the operation.
Another
interesting occurrence, which I have personally observed many times and which is
confirmed by many other astrologers, is that if a person’s natal Mars is within
a degree of two of the Ascendant, he or she may have been born by surgical
procedure, usually Caesarean section. This is not always the case, but it
happens often enough that I always ask clients whose Mars is closely conjunct
their natal Ascendant whether they were born by Caesarean section. Many times
the answer is yes.
Mars does not go retrograde very
frequently, but when it does, the ancient astrologer-priests recommend avoiding
surgical procedures. As far as I can determine, their reasoning was that the
surgery might have to be repeated later or that further surgery might be
necessary to correct some problem resulting from the first operation. Keloiding
(scarring) or herniation would be examples of such problems.
Other Considerations
Modern
observers have assigned abnormal growths such as tumors, warts, birthmarks and
moles to Pluto. This planet was not discovered until 1930, so we do not have the
benefit of centuries of observation of it, as we have for the planets known to
the ancients. However, modern astrology has, correctly I believe, called Pluto
the ruler of the hereditary material in living cells. Pluto is the alpha and
omega, the planet in symbolic control of the moment of conception, when one’s
hereditary makeup is determined, as well as the moment of death of the physical
body. Pluto is also the ruler of bacteria and viruses, which are the sources of
many diseases and infections. There is also a mounting body of biochemical
evidence linking viruses to cancerous cell growths.
In
selecting a date for surgery, I personally would want Pluto to be as free as
possible from other planetary afflictions. But most especially, I would want a
time when Mars makes no aspect at all to Pluto, in order to minimize the chances
of postsurgical infection from bacteria or viruses.
The
condition of the natal twelfth house, as well as any planets that are transiting
it, must also be given close attention, for hospitals and the postsurgical
recovery period in the hospital are ruled by this house. The twelfth house is
also symbolic of pain and suffering; in a larger sense it represents all life
experiences that we must go through alone, and pain is certainly one of these
experiences. Paradoxically, the twelfth house also represents periods in life
when we must place ourselves completely in someone else’s hands and rely on
others to serve us, which is the case when we are
hospitalized.
Under ideal astrological conditions, the
twelfth house should be free of any negative or afflicting influences. We know,
for example, that Saturn has a delaying effect. Its presence in the twelfth
house or in opposition to the ruler of the twelfth might be indicative of
delayed recovery from illness or surgery. If the Moon, the ruler of body fluids,
is in this house after surgery, it may indicate swelling. This would be even
more likely if at the same time Jupiter is in square or opposition to the Moon,
for Jupiter expands, and in a surgical situation this can mean
swelling.
On the other hand, Venus in either the eighth
or the twelfth house or in benefic aspect to the ruler of either of these houses
should indicate a very favorable outcome of the surgery and rapid convalescence
and healing. While most astrological textbooks treat Venus rather harshly when
it is in the natal twelfth house, in medical astrology this position makes Venus
a guardian angel, promoting rapid healing and deliverance from unknown enemies,
including bacteria and other infectious
organisms.
Neptune is another outer planet that the
ancient astrologer-priests did not know of. Quite likely Neptune was the culprit
when the king lost the battle that they predicted he would win! Neptune is a
slow mover, and very often its effects cannot be eliminated at the time when
surgery is to take place. It is no coincidence that Neptune was discovered in
the 1800’s at about the same time that anesthetics, like chloroform, ether and
nitrous oxide, were discovered, since Neptune rules anesthetics as well as
artificial drugs and chemical poisons. Neptune masks the symptoms of disease and
so can deceive the medical diagnostician. Those persons whose natal Neptune is
in either the sixth or the twelfth house should probably seek out several
medical opinions before undergoing surgery or treatment of a severe medical
problem. Even with Neptune in benefic sextile aspect to Pluto, as in the
horoscope of most persons born in the latter half of the twentieth century,
cancerous growths, with their poisonous toxins, often go undiscovered and
undiagnosed until it is too late to solve the problem. Even without the keen
insights of the ancient astrologer-priests, we can say that it would be wise,
based on what we now know of Neptune, to select a date for surgery when
Neptune’s effects on the natal chart are minimal or at least unrelated to the
planets symbolizing the surgical condition to be
corrected.
This discussion would certainly not be
complete without some consideration of Jupiter, which in terms of medical
astrology is highly overrated. This planet truly presents a mixed bag as to
position and aspects at the time of surgery. When transiting the twelfth house,
Jupiter can be highly beneficial, provided it is not badly aspected at and
following the date of surgery. Badly aspected, Jupiter can expand or extend the
recovery period. In aspect to the planet that symbolizes the con-dition being
treated, it can expand the condition. For example, little tumors grow rapidly
(Jupiter square Pluto), tiny gallstones rapidly increase in size (Jupiter square
Saturn), minor surgery becomes major (Jupiter square Mars). Natal Jupiter within
a degree or two of the Ascendant usually indicates a baby that is unusually
large at birth; I’ve seen several who were over ten
pounds.
On the other hand, when Jupiter is in good
aspect to the Sun at the time of surgery, the recovery period can be very rapid,
because the vitality is very high at this time. When transiting the third house,
Jupiter can affect the patient’s mental attitude very positively, which also
speeds recovery. However, if it is negatively aspected at this time, the patient
may expect too much from the surgical procedure.
The
third house of the natal chart should be considered when deciding on a date for
surgery, for it reveals the patient’s mental attitude. The mind is a wondrous
thing, and its state during and after surgery can minimize or prolong the period
of recovery. Many doctors now feel that perhaps three-quarters of the physical
diseases of patients in hospitals are caused by negative mental states. For this
reason, the status of the third house probably should be given prime
consideration in selecting a date for surgery.
Choosing a Healer
Synastry, one
of the oldest astrological arts, is the art of understanding human relationships
through a comparison of the natal charts of the persons involved. It is
certainly one of the most popular courses taught today in the astrological
field. Alas, most students are so preoccupied with finding the right mate that
they have forgotten that the rules of synastry apply equally to selecting a
doctor or dentist!
A complete treatment of synastry
would require a whole book, and I have covered this subject in another book:
Synastry - The Art of Chart Comparison. However, in picking a date for
surgery, one should consider the surgeon. A strong and positive doctor-patient
relationship, as confirmed by a comparison of the charts, can minimize any
negative influences on the date of
surgery.
Unfortunately, most doctors and surgeons today
do not have an accurate natal chart or are not willing to share this information
with their patients. Perhaps if they did, the number of malpractice suits
currently flooding our courts would be lessened. However, since we do not live
in an ideal world, we must work with the available information. I always ask a
doctor or dentist for their birth information after a few visits, and I
encourage my readers to do so too. Perhaps one day our modern healers will take
Hippocrates’ statement seriously that only those with a knowledge of astrology
can truly become expert at the healing arts.
If you can
find out just your doctor’s date of birth and if you have an accurately timed
natal chart for yourself, you can still glean considerable understanding of the
doctor-patient relationship. I am continually surprised at the ingenuity of my
clients who by one means or another get this information. I found out a
dentist’s birthdate after a chance discussion with his dental hygienist, who
noticed my astrological ring and asked if I was interested in
astrology.
You don’t have to be an expert in synastry
to follow a few basic rules in selecting your medical healer, whether he or she
is a doctor, dentist, chiropractor or nurse. In fact, these rules apply just as
much to anyone whom you consult for help - a real-estate agent, lawyer,
astrologer, theatrical or book agent, travel agent, banker, accountant or other
person.
Before I outline the basic rules, let me
anticipate one argument that is raised by some of our older and more traditional
astrologers. There is a conflict of opinion as to whether doctors et al are
under the symbolic rulership of Jupiter-Sagittarius-ninth house, where they are
semi-deified as experts and only slightly lower than God, or of
Venus-Libra-seventh house, where they are treated as peers who are consulted for
their knowledge, not worshiped because of it. I think the public today is moving
toward the second concept, and the medical profession, with perhaps a sigh of
nostalgia for the good old days of the country doctor, is moving in this
direction too. Thus in selecting a healer, you must give primary importance to
your seventh house.
Specifically, you must pay close
attention to the sign on the cusp of the seventh house, and select a doctor
whose horoscope shows a strong emphasis of planets in that sign. Notice that I
did not say one whose Sun is in that sign, although that would certainly be
good, along with two or three other planets in that sign. However, the doctor’s
Sun in this sign is not a prerequisite. If his or her Ascendant is in the sign
opposite the sign on your Ascendant (that is, in the sign on the cusp of your
seventh house), that is also a beneficial indicator. A stellium in the doctor’s
chart corresponding to your seventh-house sign is also another very positive
indicator. To find that your doctor’s Jupiter by sign position falls either in
your seventh house or closely conjunct your Sun’s sign position would indeed be
a very happy discovery.
If you already have a doctor or
dentist whom you respect and admire, do not be surprised to discover a number of
very positive cross-ties between your horoscopes. Even with no knowledge of
astrology, many people almost instinctively select the right healer. A later
chart comparison of the healer-patient iclationship only serves to confirm what
the patient knows intuitively.
In selecting your healer
astrologically, there are also several negative indicators to be considered.
Perhaps the strongest negative indicator would be the doctor’s natal Saturn
either conjunct or opposed to your natal Sun, keeping the orb to not more than ±
5°. One interpretation of this cross combination is that the person whose Sun is
contacted has a very valuable lesson to learn from the Saturn person. This may
be true in many cases; however, the lesson might be to use more care in the
future in selecting your doctor! In the extreme, such a relationship can turn
into a master-slave relationship in which the patient blindly follows the
doctor’s directions with little or no understanding of the patient’s role in the
healing process. This is most often true under the conjunction; under the
opposition the patient is often resistant, consciously or unconsciously, to the
healer’s instructions.
Another unfavorable indicator is
a conjunction or opposition of the patient’s Sun to the position of Neptune in
the healer’s chart. Under this aspect, the patient may feel a very strong
attraction to the healer, sometimes almost to the point of worship. To a lesser
extent, this is also true when the healer’s Neptune is in similar aspect to the
patient’s Ascendant. Under such circumstances the patient often feels that he or
she is receiving much more help than is actually the case, and ultimately the
healer falls from the pedestal upon which the patient has placed him. At the
present time, people with the Sun in Leo, Virgo or Libra and children with their
Sun in Scorpio should pay particular attention to this point, as should those
whose Ascendant is in these signs.
The art of synastry
recognizes other negative indicators, but with most of them, such as Sun-Mars
and Mars-Saturn contacts, the patient would not stay long with that healer
because of antagonism that arises right away.
I might
also mention several other significators that medical astrologers often feel
should be avoided. While I do not consider them as important as those I have
already mentioned, they probably should be avoided when possible. These
negatives principally concern planets in the chart of the healer that by their
sign position fall in your seventh house. Some astrologers I know refuse to
consult with clients when Saturn in one chart falls in the seventh house of the
other. Other astrologers interpret this to mean that the tie is karmic in nature
and unavoidable. Under the rules of horary astrology, a seventh-house Saturn
means that the horary chart is not to be read.
My
personal observation has led me to conclude that it is best to avoid a healer
whose Mars, Saturn or Neptune falls in the patient’s seventh house. On the other
hand, the healer’s Jupiter, Sun or Venus in the patient’s seventh house is a
strongly positive indication. When the healer’s Moon falls in the patient’s
seventh house, the outcome of the relationship is usually unpredictable - at one
time beneficial, at another time seemingly of little help at all. Healers whose
Saturn falls in the patient’s third or twelfth house should also be avoided
whenever possible.
In the ultimate analysis, if you can
obtain an accurately timed birth chart of the healer, there is no substitute for
a thorough analysis of this chart, both to understand the healer’s basic
personality and to compare it to the patient’s chart. And although some people
will contest this conclusion, everything I have said here applies equally to
selecting a personal astrologer.
The Horary Chart
The value of a
horary chart in selecting a date for surgery remains a controversial topic. One
of the first problems is what data to use in constructing such a chart. Does one
use the time when the patient is first informed that surgery is necessary, the
time when the patient decides to go ahead with it, or the date and time of the
operation? Does one use the latitude and longitude- of the patient’s residence
or the coordinates of the place where the surgery is to be performed? These are
hard questions to resolve, and among professionals there is little
consensus.
In my own observation, a horary chart is of
only secondary value in determining a time for surgery. However, there is one
important exception, which is of little help ahead of time, but which can be
quite revealing after the fact. I have found that after the operation has been
performed, an event chart drawn for the date, time and place of the operation
can be revealing as to the outcome and length of
recuperation.
In reading such an event chart, one
applies the usual astrological rules, paying particular attention to the
condition of the Sun (vitality), the Moon (ambient environmental conditions) and
Mars (the surgeon), along with hard aspects to these planets and the condition
of the third, sixth, seventh and twelfth houses.
If the
Sun and the twelfth house are favorable, the period for recovery is usually
rapid and quite uneventful. Favorable third house conditions can contribute
markedly to the patient’s mental attitude and thus to the favorable outcome. An
afflicted Mars, especially when squared or opposed by Pluto, is often an
indicator of postoperative infection or bleeding and possibly excessive
scarring. When Mars is squared or opposed by the Moon, swelling is often
excessive. Finally, contrary to what I have been told by a number of my
astrological colleagues, I find no evidence that a void-of-course Moon in an
event chart means that the operation “comes to naught,” although I continue to
keep an open mind on this point.
While astrology can
give us all some very remarkable in-sights into our problems and can help time
events for maximum benefit, nevertheless we must work constantly to separate
fact from fancy. We can learn much from our forebears, the magnificent
astrologers who have gone before us; however, there is no substitute for
personal observation and conclusions based on events in our own life and in the
lives of persons close to us. In this chapter I have outlined some of the
general rules laid down by the ancient astrologers, colored by my own
observations. To my knowledge, these rules are based upon empirical observation
only and have never been fully tested in a statistical manner that would satisfy
a scientist. If astrological research were funded as well as other scientific
studies, perhaps the validity of these empirical observations could be more
fully tested.
Without hard scientific proof for these
rules, I most earnestly urge you, the reader, to test their validity in the
light of your own experience. Some of these rules may be nothing more than old
wives’ tales based on the superstitions of the observers who first set down the
rules. My own observations over the years tend to bear out these rules, but no
astrologer is infallible, and all our observations are subject to revision based
on new knowledge.
It is often not possible to pick an
“ideal” date for some surgical procedure. In that case you should try to choose
a date on which the astrological hazards of surgery are minimal. I would be the
last to urge someone to postpone needed surgery because of less-than-ideal
astrological conditions. On the other hand, if there is some leeway for the day,
there seems to be little danger and great potential advantage in picking the
date that seems most promising for success.
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