Fortunate persons having “divine grace” make use of astrological advice to solve various life problems. Among all other problems, the problem of health is the one which affects a person both physically and mentally. The physical and mental disability or disturbance (temporarily or in a chronic way) touches each and every aspect of life. Medical diagnoses, preventive or actual, have become very complicated. In contrast to medical science, Vedic Astrology offers human beings the advantage of advance knowledge of diseases from which a native may suffer during the course of his/her life. Again in contrast to the medical sciences it is Vedic Astrology which not only forewarns the native for the impending diseases but also helps in avoiding the same, completely or partially, by adopting suitable astral remedies, food habits, etc.

How to diagnose diseases is the question which comes up next. The houses which are weak and/or afflicted or the planets which are weak and/or afflicted give diseases connected with the significations ruled by them. This is the golden principle which provides us the key to diagnose the health problems and suggesting possible remedies. For example, when the prime determinant(s) of health, the additional prime determinant of health, and/or the Sun (being the significator of health) and the most effective point of the first/sixth house are afflicted by the conjunction/aspect of functional malefic planets and they are devoid of the aspect/conjunction of functional benefic planets, the native has a weak constitution and during the period/sub-periods of the significator of health and the sub-periods of the afflicting planets the significations of diseases are aggravated.

The strength of the planets should also be seen in the relevant divisional chart with reference to the ascendant of the divisional chart. Debilitation, bad placement or affliction in the relevant divisional chart makes the planet weak regarding the significations of that divisional chart. The planets give us further hints. For example, weak/afflicted Mercury, being significator of health, may give suffering by way of nervous breakdown, skin infections or breathing problems, etc.

Whether the diseases would be temporary/permanent is revealed by the level of afflictions and the weakness of afflicted planets / houses. In case of natal afflictions with longer main periods like Venus, Saturn, Rahu, Mercury and Jupiter, the sufferings persist for a long time. In case of the natal afflictions the suffering is prolonged.

In case of transit afflictions by fast moving planets like the Moon, the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Mars and Ketu, relief is indicated comparatively early.

While the ascendant and the lord of the ascendant, the sixth house and its lord, the Sun (significator for vitality), the Moon (significator for mind) and Mercury (significator for nervous system) signify the physical and mental health in general, the individual planets indicate parts of the body governed by them. Moreover, the functional malefic planets in addition to their lordships cause sufferings by way of significations ruled by them. Mars afflicted by Rahu or a functional malefic Saturn may cause boils, wounds, muscular infections, irregular blood pressure, impurities of blood, etc. If the Sun is weak and in conjunction with Mars and one of these two planets is a functional malefic both the significations of Mars and the Sun suffer. The person, during mutual sub-periods of these planets, may have serious problems related with the general and particular significations of the Sun or Mars. The person, during mutual sub-periods of these planets, may have a fracture/operation of the part signified by the lordship of the Sun or Mars. Revolving around the foregoing general principles, numerous planetary combinations are seen which guide us towards possible diseases, a native may suffer.

Afflicted but otherwise strong planets give short duration health problems pertaining to their general and particular significations. If the lord of the ascendant is weak and there are severely afflicted planets or houses, a person is vulnerable to dreaded or critical diseases like cancer, skin infections, cardiac diseases, etc.

The health is ruled by the first and the sixth houses. Besides, these houses the lords of the ascendant and the sixth house containing a mooltrikona sign become the prime determinant(s) of health. In case both the ascendant and the sixth house do not contain a mooltrikona sign then the planet Sun, the significator for vitality, is considered as the prime determinant of health. For various ascendants, the following planets act as prime determinants:

PRIME DETERMINANTS

Pisces                            The Sun

If a mooltrikona sign rises in the shashthamsa (D-VI), the lord of the same becomes additional prime determinant of health. The Sun is the significator of health and vitality and Mars is the secondary significator of health and vitality. If the prime determinant(s), additional prime determinant and the prime and secondary significators are weak, badly placed and/or afflicted, then the native is vulnerable to serious health problems. In cases where the planets, mentioned here are strong or well placed and unafflicted, then the native enjoys good health except short term sufferings due to transit weakness and afflictions.

For various ascendants, the following planets become the afflictors:

Pisces                       The Sun, Venus, Saturn, Rahu and Ketu.

SPOTTING THE HEALTH PROBLEMS

For spotting the health problems, we proceed as under:

1.    Identify the strength of the planets.

2.    Identify the concentrated malefic influence on the most effective points of various houses and the weak planets.

3.    Identify the sub-periods of the afflicting and afflicted planets and the significators of the health problems.

4.    Examine all the triple transit triggering afflictions, especially those with reference to the natal ascendant of slow moving or stationary functional malefic planets on the most effective points of various houses and the weak and afflicted planets, and those of natal functional malefic planets over slow moving or stationary weak planets.

The following are the significators of the health problems:

Weak Planets:

The weak planets are not in a position to protect their general significations and the significations of the houses containing their mooltrikona sign. Therefore, the native may have health problems due to malfunctioning of the significations ruled by the weak planets.

Afflicted Planets:

Those planets which are under the close influence of the functional malefic planets (afflictors as mentioned above) either by conjunction or aspect are treated as afflicted planets. The close influence of the lord of the sixth house and Rahu causes diseases which may respond to the symptomatic treatment. The close influence of the functional malefic planets ruling the eighth and twelfth houses and the planet Ketu gives chronic diseases. If the afflicted planet is weak and badly placed, the native suffers from fatal diseases and may have to undergo surgery, etc.

Planetary Periods:

The sub-periods of the afflicting or afflicted planets as mentioned above and the sub-periods of the planets placed in the sixth house and other malefic houses cause health problems. These sub-periods give rise to the trends which continue throughout the sub-periods and the trends can be reversed if the prime determinants are strong and the following sub-periods are of strong, well placed and unafflicted planets.

Transit Influences:

Sometimes, the illness is triggered by the close triple transit influences. The influence of slow moving malefic planets on the natal planets is generally long lived. If the afflicted planets are strong in the natal chart the symptoms of the illness end after the transit impact is over. If the afflicted planets are weak and badly placed in the natal chart and the sub-periods of the afflictors are in progress then the illness turns into chronic illness. The health problems caused by the transit to transit planetary influences are short lived and cease to exist when the transit affliction is over. The health problems caused by the natal over transit planetary influences can be long lived in case of slow moving transit planets.

Time of Surfacing

The problems of ill health start surfacing during the sub-periods of the following:

1.    the lord of the ascendant; or

2.    the lord of the sixth house; or

3.    the planets placed in the sixth house; or

4.    the planet causing affliction; or

5.    the planet afflicted; or

6.    the malefic transit influence on the weak natal positions.

UNDERSTANDING RULERSHIP OF PLANETS OVER FUNCTIONAL HEALTH

To identify the planets ruling various functional aspects of the health, it is necessary that we have the basic understanding of the functioning of the systems of the body. For the information of the readers, we shall discuss a few of the systems here:

Lymphatic System:

This system is the main line of defense of the body against the attack of the diseases. Lymphs is clear liquid containing white blood cells flowing in the lymphatic vessels. It is associated with the Moon. That is why the Moon has been identified as the significator for the immunization system.

Skin:

A healthy and pink skin is indicative of good functional health. It reflects the personality of a person and focus on sexual feelings and expressions. That is why skin is represented by many planets including the lord of the ascendant, Venus, Mercury, Mars, Moon and even the Sun as the blood has a definite say in the formation of the skin.

Vision:

The beauty of eyes is governed by Venus while distant vision is governed by the Sun. The eyesight is governed by the Moon.

Hearing Power:

Mercury rules the power of communication and Jupiter rules the intelligence. Both these planets, thus play an important part as significators for the effective hearing power.

Osteoarthritis:

This is one of the diseases for which there is no fixed relationship of cause and treatment in medicine and the whole stress is on ‘painkillers’. Our research reveals that osteoarthritis/gout pains are caused by the weakness of Mars, Venus and Saturn and the afflictions to the most effective point of the tenth house. The application of preventive astral remedies to cases with weak planets, mentioned in the preceding sentence, have shown encouraging results.

Diabetes:

It is another disease known for its dreaded mal-effects. The persons suffering from this disease become extremely weak, their body loses power of healing from any type of wounds/boils and it causes trouble to the eyes. It causes abnormal blood pressure if the patient is careless in the food habits. For analyzing the disease astrologically, let us first see the reasons of this disease in the medical science and the body parts involved. Our food is converted as digestible glucose in the liver. Insulin released by the pancreas is the main factor for conversion of glucose into the energy for whole of our body. The pancreas glands are behind the stomach. If the discharge of insulin is not normal, less or suppressed due to any defects or reasons, the glucose is not converted into energy. The person suffers from hyperglycemia, meaning thereby that the glucose level in the blood has increased. Further, if the filters in kidneys do not function properly the glucose starts passing through the urine. If the fifth house, the significator of liver and pancreas glands, Jupiter, the significator of kidneys, Venus, and the significator of food digestion, Sun, are afflicted it holds the key for diagnosing diabetes.

Auto-immune Disease:

Auto-immune disease is said to arise from an inappropriate immune response of the body against substances and tissues normally present in the body. In other words, the immune system mistakes some part of the body as a foreign antigen requiring elimination (any disease producing agent) and attacks its own cells. Auto-immune diseases are classified as hypersensitivity with different levels. In astrology, hypersensitivity is the result of the weakness of the Moon and Mercury; the immune system is governed by the Moon. Therefore, to check the vulnerability of a person to auto-immune diseases we have to analyze the planets Moon and Mercury and the twelfth house in a birth chart. The weakness of the prime determinants of health in the birth chart makes things difficult further if the Moon, Mercury and the twelfth house are weak and afflicted. Strengthening the Moon and Mercury and remedial measures for the afflicting planets are likely to help a lot in offering protection against the vulnerability of a person with regard to auto-immune diseases which can manifest in a variety of ways.

While indicating the significations of houses, planets and signs, mentioned in the previous lessons, such types of functional aspects of the various systems of the body have been kept in view. The scope of this lesson is the astrological significators, their weakness and affliction, if any, and the application of the preventive astral remedies for enjoying good health by the natives.

Health problems surface when the significator houses and planets are weak and/or afflicted in a nativity besides the weakness of prime determinants and the periods and/or sub-periods of the afflictors and/or the afflicted significators are in operation.