Chapter VIII. HEALTH AND THE Hytec. Lencty or LIFE AND THE APHETA

HEALTH AND THE Hytec. Lencty or LIFE AND THE APHETA

THERE are three factors necessary for the continued existence of a living human body.

(1) First of all comes the visible dense Physical Body, composed of solids, liquids, and gases. It is born at birth and dies at death, and is all that the average man knows anything about; it is what is meant when the word ‘body’ is used without any qualification. In the horoscope it is indicated by the twelve mundane houses in general, of which the ascendant is taken as the synthetic representative. Its symbol is that of “Mother Earth,’ ®, from which it is derived: (this symbol is also used for the ‘Part of Fortune,’ it should be remembered).

(2) Secondly, there is the so-called Etheric Double. This is composed of the subtle invisible ethers of the physical plane. It is the ethereal companion of the dense physical body, of which it is the exact duplicate, and like it is born at birth and dies and decays at death. In the horoscope it is represented by the Moon, ), which is its symbcl; and like that body it has an important influence upon the nervous system.

(3) Thirdly comes the Vital Energy, conveniently called prdna. This is derived from the Sun, ©, which is its representative in the horoscope, and is poured out through the whole solar system to animate and sustain all things. Every living body appropriates as much of this energy as it can, by means of an organ situated in the Etheric Double and corresponding to what we know in the physical body as the spleen. Its central reservoir is the brain (which it will be remembered is governed by the ascendant) and it passes all over the body along the course of the. nerves. In a normally healthy person there is usually an excess of it, and the surplus is radiated away from the surface of the body in all directions; such radiation helps to drive away unhealthy emanations which might otherwise effect a lodgment and cause disease. When too

little of it is appropriated by the double, various abnormalities follow,

from mere lack of energy and vitality up to actual disease of various kinds. |

These three factors, as represented by the Ascenpant, Moon, and Sun in the horoscope, must all be taken into account in considering the question of health. If all three are well aspected, health and a fair length of life are a certainty. If any one of the three is badly aspected, especially if the afflicting planet is a malefic or is ruler of the fourth, eighth or twelfth house, or is situated therein, ill-health of the type indicated by the afflicting planet is liable to result at some time in life, and to be severe or slight according to the nature of the affliction. Hindu writings inform us that prdava, after entering the body, is divided into various currents or streams, and that each is governed by a planet. At present there is too little information available, both from scientific and from occult sources, to enable us to go into much detail on the subject; but the probability is that sooner or later not only the physical body, but the ‘double’ and the vita! energy (grdna) also will be recognised as having sub-divisions corresponding to the planets; and the task of recognising the source and nature of disease will then be greatly simplified.

If the Sun is afflicted, the flow of the vital energy will be disturbed according to the nature of the afflicting planet and the signs concerned; Mars and Jupiter causing a feverish or disorderly superabundance, and Saturn and Uranus quite the reverse. Particulars under these heads have been given previously. (Chapter V.)

If the Moon is afflicted it indicates that the subtle vehicle conveying the life forces contains some abnormality that is liable to set up disease at some time in life, the precise period being indicated by the Progressed Horoscope, which forms the subject of a later treatise of this » series.

When the AscenpDant is afflicted, the health is also liable to suffer, according to the nature of the affliction and the sign rising; but in this case one of the so-called malefics in the ascendant is not necessarily bad for health unless it ts evilly aspected.

The part of the body affected will be either that indicated by the sign and house, or else that governed by the point afflicted. The Sun governs the heart and vitality; the Moon, the breasts, stomach, glands, the nervous system in part and the feminine functions; and the Ascendant, the head, and whatever part is indicated by the rising sign.

‘The part of the body so governed is always liable to be more or less affected; for instance, if the Moon is in opposition to Saturn the digestive functions may suffer, quite irrespective of the part of the horoscope occupied by the Moon. But when it comes to deciding whether those portions of the body indicated by the sign and house will also suffer, and if so which, that governed by the sign or that by the house, the answer is not always easy to give. Some observations on this problem are given later on in the chapter.

Sometimes it is possible to collect testimonies from two or even three different parts of the horoscope all pointing in the same direction. For instance, although an afflicted Sun may indicate some heart affection, yet it is seldom serious unless there is also an affliction of either Leo or the fifth house (both of which have relation to the heart). Again an afflicted Mercury may indicate lability to some nervous or mental disorder; but experience shows that in cases of grave diseases of this class either the Moon or the ascendant is usually afflicted as well, (sometimes both). It is always advisable to seek for corroboration of this sort, and to balance up the good and evil testimonies against each other. For each part of the body there is more than one indicator; thus the lungs are governed by Gemini, the third house, and by Mercury (chiefly when in an odd sign or house). If one indicator is afflicted and the others well aspected, especially by benefics, no disease may show itself— or not until late in life. With such positions it is sometimes found that the disease is in the family and has shown out in a parent or relative, but may not affect the native. If, however, two or more of the indicators are severely afflicted, or even if one only is afflicted by two or more strong bad aspects and receives no support at all by good aspects (more especially from benefics) disease is almost certain to show itself.

The Hyleg is that point in the horoscope upon which health and life depend, and has to be carefully considered when estimating the probable length of life and the constitutional strength. The Ascendant, Sun, and Moon, have all three to be taken into account when dealing with this subject. It is first necessary to consider briefly the influence of the rising sign upon health.

The cusp of the Ascendant should be treated as if it were one of the heavenly bodies, and aspects should be calculated to it from each of the

planets, its declination being also noted. The declination of the cusp of the Ascendant is that which the Sun would have if it were in the same degree of the zodiac, and therefore may be found from the ephemeris.

The Ascendant is a/ways an important factor in the question of health, even when it is not what is technically called ‘hyleg’; and its influence varies according to the nature of the rising sign and the aspects to the cusp of the ascendant. Good aspects preserve the health and increase the vitality ; bad aspects threaten accidents or ill-health at some period of life according to the nature of the afflicting planet and the sign in which it is placed. The positive (odd) signs rising always tend to give a good measure of vitality, particularly Leo, Libra, and Sagittarius; the negative (even) signs, on the other hand, are not quite so vigorous, Virgo being the most favourable for health. Cancer, Capricorn, and Pisces give feeble vitality, more especially in infancy. Scorpio gives much vital energy but also extreme liability to infectious diseases. Of the children that die in infancy a great many come under Capricorn and Scorpio because, when afflicted, the former sign gives a weakly constitution, and, the latter leaves the native liable to many of the infectious disorders of childhood. .