It is scarcely necessary to remind this audience that in the time when
Astrology came into being, the earth was the centre of the universe,
and the Planets were seven in number, Uranus and Neptune being then as
unknown as Pallas and Ceres, while the sun and moon differed from the
other wandering stars only in their greater size and lustre, and in the
greater regularity of their movements.
There was a certain conventional order, the origin of which cannot now
be traced, in which the Planets were always enumerated; an order that
does not correspond with their relative size and importance, for then
the Sun would come first. It is Saturn, however, that takes precedence,
and is followed by Jupiter, Mars, Sol, Venus, Mercury and Luna, in the
order in which I have named them.
The range of influence of the Planets over matters terrestrial was
plenary. On the whole, the term influence best conveys the meaning of
the Astrological term ‘aspect,’ which is more than ‘corresponds with,’
a term that is sometimes substituted for ‘aspect.’ Though as to some
things which they aspected, or with which they corresponded, such as
the Zodiacal signs and the four elements, the Planets were neither
productive nor regulative, yet with respect to most things, they were
at least regulative, and as to many were actually originating. For
instance, Guy de Chauliac, called by Fallopius the father of Surgery,
as Hippocrates is the father of Medicine, attributed the great plague
of 1345 to the conjunction of the three planets, Saturn, Jupiter and
Mars, in Aquarius on March 24th of that year.
Torella, physician to Caesar Borgia and Pope Alexander VI, attributed
syphilis to a peculiar conjunction of the Planets. So does Basil
Valentinus, and so does Petrus Maynardus, who was able, moreover, to
predict that it would come to an end in 1584. The College of Physicians
of Paris attributed the Black Death of 1349 to a vapour or fog
generated by the struggle between the constellations, which combated
the rays of the sun and the warmth of the heavenly fire, struggling
violently with the waters of the great sea. ‘This vapour,’ they said,
‘will continue to spread as long as the sun is in Leo.... We are of
opinion that the constellations with the aid of nature strive by virtue
of their divine might to protect and heal the human race.’
Taken together, the Planets had jurisdiction over everything, but not
indiscriminately. Each Planet had its own peculiar jurisdiction over
some things, while other Planets divided between them the jurisdiction
over other things of that kind. Like the Signs of the Zodiac, each of
the Planets had a jurisdiction over some part of the human body, but
this was only a small region of its sway. Every Planet aspected its own
element, and its own complexion, or pair of elementary qualities, so
that Saturn, for instance, was cold and dry, Jupiter hot and moist, and
so forth. Each Planet had its own colour, odour and taste; each its own
groups of animals and plants; each its own metal, and we still speak
of Saturnine poisoning, of crocus Martis, and of the metal Mercury;
each has its own plants, its own day of the week and hour of the day;
and what is more germane to the present purpose, every Planet had its
corresponding humour, part of the body, sense, faculty, part of the
mind, bodily configuration and mental temperament, its time of life,
and its peculiar diseases and mode of death.
One or two instances will be enough to exemplify the way in which
sublunary affairs are apportioned among the Planets. Take for instance
animals: of these, Saturn has jurisdiction over the camel, the bear,
the ass, the cat, the owl, the bat, the tortoise, the mouse, the
beetle; and generally, over beasts of evil omen or of slow movement.
The aspect of Jupiter is to the wise, the swift, and the strong: to the
elephant, the stag and the bull. Mars aspects the horse, the wolf, the
bee, the dog, the ostrich, venomous snakes, scorpions and spiders; all
either fighters or noxious to human beings. Sol presides over regal
and dominant animals, the lion, the eagle and the cock. Venus has
jurisdiction over the goat, the sheep, the pheasant, the partridge, the
pigeon, the dove and the sparrow; all amatory, and either polygamous or
otherwise prolific. The aspect of Mercury is to the fox, the ape, the
serpent, the parrot, the spider, the bee and the ant, and generally, to
animals that are reputed wise or cunning. Luna influences the hare, the
swan, the nightingale, the frog, fish, landsnails, crabs and shellfish,
and generally, animals that are nocturnal or aquatic.
Of plants, Saturn has jurisdiction over the oak, the mespilus, the
rue, the hellebore, and generally over those of slow growth, of
narcotic virtue, and of crass substance. Jupiter over the laurel, the
sandal-wood, the cinnamon, the balsam and the incense tree. Mars over
pepper, ginger, mustard, jalap, scammony, colocynth, euphorbium, and
generally over all bitter plants and hot poisons. Sol aspects the palm,
rosemary, heliotrope, crocus, and all aromatics. Venus the olive, the
pine, the lily, the rose and the pea; Mercury the corylus and the
millefoil; and Luna the cucumber, the gourd, pepin fruits, _i.e._
apples and pears, and lettuce.
The minerals of Saturn are lead and all black stones; of Jupiter, tin,
the sapphire, and the amethyst; of Mars, iron, jasper, and magnesia;
of Sol, gold, carbuncles, and crysolite; of Venus, copper, smaragdus,
turquoise, and coral; of Mercury, quicksilver, chalcedony, and
cornelian; and of Luna, silver, crystals, beryl, and the diamond.
I defer to the next lecture the consideration of those planetary
aspects that have a special bearing upon medicine, but this is perhaps
the proper place to make the very important distinction between the
benevolent, propitious, or fortunate Planets and those that are
malevolent, unpropitious, or unlucky. The fortunate, or benevolent,
or propitious Planets are Jupiter, Sol, and Venus, of which the first
and last are lucky in the highest degree. Saturn, Mars, and Luna are
malevolent, unpropitious, and unlucky. Mercury is variable in this
respect. He has scarcely any character of his own, but he reinforces
the benevolence or the malevolence, as the case may be, of whatever
Planet may be in conjunction with him, or may be favourably aspected by
him.
It is evident, if these premises are granted, that the course and
termination of every malady in every sick person depend on the relative
power, with respect to other Planets, of the particular Planet or
Planets that have jurisdiction in the matter. They will depend, in the
first place, on the Planet that has jurisdiction over the temperament,
as Saturn if he is saturnine, Jupiter if he is jovial, Mars if he
is martial, and so forth. They will depend also on the Planet that
presides over the humour that is peccant, as yellow bile, black bile,
blood or phlegm. They will depend on the Planet that governs the part
of the body that is diseased; on that which governs the disease; on
that which has jurisdiction at the time of life at which the sick
person is arrived; on that which presided over his nativity, and so
forth. Here are at least six circumstances to be taken into account,
and of course, the Planet that governs one of these circumstances
may not be the same, and in fact must be different from those which
govern others. So that seven Planets may all be influencing the disease
and the sick person at once, and may all be pulling in different
directions, some towards health and some towards death, some towards
acuteness and some towards chronicity of the disease. It is evident,
therefore, that his fate must depend on the relative powers of the
propitious and unpropitious Planets, and that it is of the utmost
importance to determine the factors on which the powers of the Planets
depend, and to estimate their strength in any particular case.
This is by no means easy, for the factors are very numerous. It will be
enough to obtain an approximate estimate, however, if we confine our
consideration to the ten in the following enumeration.
The power of a Planet at any given moment depends on:
1. The Sign of the Zodiac in which it is situated at that moment.
2. The Sign of which the Planet is Lord.
3. The Sign in which the Planet rejoices.
4. The Signs in which the Planet ascends or descends.
5. The House in which the Planet is situated.
6. The House in which the Planet rejoices.
7. The position or aspect of the Planet towards other Planets.
8. The aspect of the Planet to the Ascendent.
9. The motion of the Planet, as fast or slow, direct or retrograde.
10. The day and hour.
In this estimation of the powers of the Planets, much depends on the
Houses of Heaven, and these must be described before we can proceed.