Female, born on January 27, 1865, at 5:15 PM.

  House Cusps: Midheaven/Aries 29; 10th House Intercepted/Taurus; 11th House/ Gemini 5; 12th House/Cancer 10; Ascendant/Leo 10:31; 2nd House/Virgo 2; 3rd House/Virgo 27.

  Positions of Planets: Sun/Aquarius 8:08; Moon/Aquarius 16:27; Mercury/Capricorn 13:44; Venus/Pisces 22:34; Mars/Gemini 4:28; Jupiter/Sagittarius 20:52; Saturn/Scorpio 0:10; Uranus/Gemini 26:00; Neptune/Aries 6:05 Dragon's Head/4:40 Scorpio.

   We will use this chart to illustrate the art of directing, and judging the crisis and the duration of disease.

   We find the fixed sign of Leo on the Ascendant, with the cardinal signs of Aries and Libra on the 10th and 4th cusps respectively; the fixed signs of Taurus and Scorpio intercepted. In this horoscope we have two rulers; the ruler of the Ascendant, the Sun, which is in the sign of its fall in Aquarius and near the cusp of the 7th house; and the dynamic Mars, which is the ruler of the 10th house, placed on the cusp of the 11th house in a critical degree of the sign of Gemini. Mars is sextile to Neptune in the 9th house and trine to the Sun in the 6th house. Therefore we may look to the Sun and Mars as having the greatest influence on the life of this woman.

   Now let us find the afflictions which were responsible for the sickness which overtook her. We find Jupiter, which has rule over the arterial blood, in its own sign of Sagittarius in the 5th house, square to Venus which rules the venous circulation, and which is exalted in the watery sign of Pisces in the 8th house. Jupiter is in opposition to Uranus in the sign of Gemini and the 11th house. Venus is also square to Uranus. Now what do these afflictions from the common signs indicate? We have had similar indications in the horoscopes of those who were afflicted with tuberculosis of the lungs. Venus and Jupiter both so strong by sign and afflicted by Uranus, this last named planet being in Gemini, which has rule over the lungs, would naturally interfere with oxygenation, also giving a tendency to coughs and colds.

   On January 21, 1909, this woman contracted a heavy cold which culminated in double pneumonia. The adjusted calculation date (calculated as taught on page 470 of "The Message of the Stars", by Max Heindel) is August 16, 1864.

   We will now progress the planets from August 16, 1908, which corresponds to their places in the ephemeris on March 12, 1865. By adding the distance which the principal planets move in 5 months, we find that in January 1909 the progressed Sun was in 22:22 of Pisces; the Moon was in 27:28 of Virgo; Mars was in 21 degrees of Gemini; Jupiter in 27:19 of Sagittarius; Venus in 7:50 of Taurus; Mercury in 17:16 of Pisces.

   Now to judge the kind of sickness we must see what aspects were made between the progressed and radical planets bearing on the organic weakness of the lungs and poor circulation of the blood as shown in the radix. We first look for the afflictions of the planets in common signs, and find that the Sun had progressed to the conjunction of the radical Venus in Pisces, which made a square to the radical Jupiter. Mars had progressed to the opposition of the radical Jupiter, and was square to the progressed Sun. We also find that the progressed Moon was square to the radical Uranus in the sign of Gemini, indicating the lungs.

   The above aspects of the progressed planets to the radical were a very severe affliction and especially since they were from the common signs.

   The above aspects of the progressed planets to the radical were a very severe affliction and especially since they were from the common signs.

   There are three points to be taken into consideration in reading a horoscope; the radical chart is as the face of the clock; the progressed planets are the hour hand; and the daily transits and the New and Full Moons may be compared to the minute hand which tells the exact time. The progressed aspects alone will not act; there must be an exciting factor. The transits act as the match that lights the fuse, and the transiting Moon with its aspects and its lunations is the time marker.

   On January 21, 1909, we find that the Moon was in conjunction with the Sun, and this was a New Moon in the sign of Aquarius in square aspect to the radical Saturn, which is in the fourth house in Scorpio. This lunation marked the day when the woman first contracted the cold which culminated in pneumonia. Saturn at birth is square to the radical Sun, and the lunation naturally strengthened this affliction. This of itself would not have affected the lungs, but we find the progressed Sun in conjunction with the radical Venus in the 8th house and in the watery sign of Pisces. Venus is the most adversely situated planet in the horoscope; it is in its exaltation in Pisces, but is afflicted by a square of Jupiter and Uranus at birth. The radical Jupiter is receiving assistance from the sextile of the Moon, and Uranus has a trine from Saturn, which will ameliorate the evil of these two planets, but Venus is afflicted from both sides and without a single good aspect to offset the evil. We also find that Venus had progressed to 7:50 of Taurus in the 10th house and had reached a square of the radical Sun. The double affliction of the Sun, the effect of which is of a hot and inflammatory nature, was in this case responsible for the inflammation which took place in the capillaries of the lungs.

   But the question may be asked, Why should this inflammation take place in the lungs? Why not in the throat or the feet where the afflicting planets are found? Mars, which is another hot and inflammatory planet had progressed to 21:00 degrees of Gemini and was then squaring the radical Venus and progressed Sun. Mars, therefore, was the focusing point of the disease.

   We have previously stated that the Moon is the time marker of a disease and also marks the crisis. We therefore go to the beginning when the cold was contracted and watch when the Moon came to a square to the place of the lunation, which was at midnight of Jan.27, 1909, seven days later. Medical science counts its critical days by 7, 14, and 21. The Moon has particular influence over man, and marks the time when recovery is apt to take place.

   Let us follow the transiting Moon on her journey and see her influence. On the 25th she reached the conjunction of the radical Venus and progressed Sun, also the opposition to the progressed Moon, which was in 27:28 of Virgo. This did not bring any great change, but on the night of the 27th and the early morning of the 28th when the transiting Moon reached the square of the preceding lunation, a conjunction with the Midheaven, the Dragon's Tail, and the progressed Venus, also an opposition to the radical Saturn, death was very close. At 1:00 A.M. of the 28th the woman passed out of the body. She was able to see herself lying on the bed, and was fully conscious that death was near, when the cries of the nurse who shook her brought her back to life.

   The length of an illness may be known by the signs in which the planets which caused the illness are found. If in fixed signs, the recovery is slow; in cardinal signs, the illness is very severe but quickly over. In all cases it is well to look to the radical aspects of Mars and the Sun. If these planets are well situated and aspected as in the case of this woman, (Mars trine to the Sun) and if fixed signs are on the angles it is an indication that the patient will win out, where many under similar afflictions would go to the grave.

   Female, born on June 1, 1884 at 11:45 A.M.

  House Cusps: Midheaven/Gemini 8; 11th House/Cancer 13; 12th House/Leo 15; Ascendant/Virgo 11:58; 2nd House/Libra 5; 3rd House/Scorpio 4.

  Positions of Planets: Sun/Gemini 11:28; Moon/Virgo 22:34; Mercury/Taurus 22:51; Venus/Cancer 22:17; Mars/Leo 28:23; Jupiter/Leo 1:46; Saturn/Gemini 13:18; Uranus/Virgo 24:00; Neptune/Taurus 21:34.

   "It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am master of my fate; I am captain of my soul."

   Well may Henley say that man is the captain of his soul. When we look at this horoscope, we read the message in the planets that this soul had prepared a wide gate for itself and that the Path should be smooth and full of sunshine, for we find twenty-four good and but eight evil aspects. This from an astrologer's point of view should bring good health and happiness.

   We find the common and earthy sign of Virgo on the Ascendant, with the Moon and Uranus in conjunction in the first house, forming a sextile with Venus and a trine with Mercury, which latter is the ruler of the Ascendant and Midheaven; also a trine to the higher octave of Mercury, the mystical Neptune. This will give a degree of intellectuality. This woman should be attracted to the study of dietetics and interested in humanitarian work, for the humanitarian and advanced Uranus, which is so prominent in the first house and in conjunction with the Moon, is ruler of the sixth house.

   The common and earthy sign of Virgo gives a tendency to drift along the path of least resistance. The people under this sign are not keen to battle with the tide but prefer to drift and are prone to become victims of their physical ailments. In the case of this woman we find Mars, the planet of dynamic energy, posited in Leo in the 12th house, that of self-undoing. When Mars is in the fixed and fiery sign of Leo, its influence for good or evil is much greater than elsewhere. We find in this case that Mars is the chief afflicter, being square and parallel to the life ruler, Mercury, and square to its higher octave, Neptune. But why should this affliction be considered important when there are so many good aspects to offset it? People with Mars in Leo may be likened to a keg of powder: they are apt to go off at any moment, especially when Mercury and its higher octave, Neptune, are square to Mars and in the fixed sign of Taurus. These aspects give an ungovernable temper and indicate one who would hold resentment.

   We find Venus, the planet ruling the appetite, the palate, and the pleasures of the table, in the 11th house, friends, in the sign of Cancer, governing the stomach. Venus is sextile to Mercury and Neptune, both of which are placed in the home of Venus, the sign ruling the throat, Taurus. Venus is also sextile to the Moon, the ruler of Cancer, and to Uranus, the natural ruler of the 11th house. These aspects and positions indicate that this woman was blessed (or shall we in this case term it afflicted?) with many friends who invited her to many dinners, and she was ever ready to respond, for with the Moon and Uranus in conjunction in the first house she was naturally of a restless nature and ready to go whenever an invitation arrived. A sextile between Venus in Cancer and the Moon gives desire for rich pastries and sweets, consequently her stomach was much abused by excesses. Also her nervous system was shattered by fits of anger. Thus the vagus or pneumogastric nerve was weakened.

   This cranial nerve, which has it origin in the fourth ventricle, plays a prominent part in the functions of the physical body. Its branches extend to the ear, throat, heart, lungs, and liver, and it surrounds the esophagus, the tube through which the food passes after it leaves the mouth, with a network of little nerves. Its branches also surround a large part of the stomach. An excess of food which dilated and distended the stomach, brought about by the impacts of the Moon and Uranus on the Ascendant, and the temper of Mars square Mercury undermined this poor woman's health so that she became a chronic invalid.

   The Sun is in a common sign near the Midheaven and afflicted by a conjunction with Saturn in the Mercurial sign of Gemini. Mercury, the life ruler, has rule over the hearing. We naturally look to the place occupied by the strongest planet for the affliction. This woman was afflicted with deafness in both ears, for one branch of the vagus nerve rules the auricle of the ear. She also suffered from a constant pain under her right shoulder blade, indicating liver trouble, and she was abnormally nervous.

   Here we may see how man may be his own executioner as indicated in this horoscope. The ruler of the house of death, the eighth house, is afflicted in the house of self-undoing, the twelfth. The only remedy for a patient of this type is to eliminate all sweets and pastries, cut down the supply of food to one-half, and learn to be still, to relax.

   This article is adapted from "Astro-Diagnosis — A Guide To Healing," by Max Heindel, page 70-80.