Mundane & Medical Astrology (世俗占星與醫學占星)
Beyond the individual natal chart, Western astrology has two major branches that extend its principles to collective and physical domains: mundane astrology (the astrology of nations, world events, and civilisational cycles) and medical astrology (the astrology of the body, health, and disease). Both branches date to the earliest Babylonian and Greek sources.
Mundane Astrology (世俗占星)
National Charts
Nations, like individuals, have birth charts. The founding moment — the signing of a constitution, the declaration of independence, the coronation of a first ruler — provides a natal chart for the collective entity. The United States' commonly used chart (July 4, 1776, Philadelphia) is the most analysed national chart in Western astrology.
Ingress Charts
The Aries Ingress (春分入境盤) — cast for the moment the Sun enters 0° Aries each year — functions as a mundane annual chart for the location where it is cast. Astrologers examine the ingress chart's angles, planetary placements, and aspects to forecast the year's political, economic, and social themes for that region.
Great Conjunctions (大會合)
The Jupiter-Saturn conjunction, occurring approximately every 20 years, has been used since Medieval Arabic astrology as a marker of civilisational shifts:
| Element Era | Period | Character |
|---|---|---|
| Earth (土) | 1802–2020 | Materialism, industrialisation, capitalism, physical infrastructure |
| Air (風) | 2020–2219 | Information, networks, ideas, decentralisation, technology |
The shift from Earth to Air in December 2020 (the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction at 0° Aquarius) marked the beginning of a new ~200-year civilisational era — the dominance of information over material resources.
Mundane Houses
| House | Mundane Signification |
|---|---|
| 1st | The people, national character, general conditions |
| 2nd | National wealth, economy, banking |
| 4th | Land, agriculture, opposition party |
| 7th | Foreign relations, treaties, open enemies |
| 10th | The government, ruling party, national prestige |
| 12th | Hidden enemies, espionage, institutions (prisons, hospitals) |
Medical Astrology (醫學占星)
Zodiac-Body Correspondence
Each zodiac sign rules a region of the body, descending from head (Aries) to feet (Pisces):
| Sign | Body Region | Sign | Body Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aries ♈ | Head, face, brain | Libra ♎ | Kidneys, lower back |
| Taurus ♉ | Throat, neck, thyroid | Scorpio ♏ | Reproductive organs, colon |
| Gemini ♊ | Lungs, arms, hands | Sagittarius ♐ | Hips, thighs, liver |
| Cancer ♋ | Stomach, breasts | Capricorn ♑ | Knees, bones, skin |
| Leo ♌ | Heart, spine, upper back | Aquarius ♒ | Ankles, circulation |
| Virgo ♍ | Intestines, digestion | Pisces ♓ | Feet, lymphatic system |
Planetary Rulership of Ailments
- Saturn: Chronic conditions, bones, teeth, aging, depression, calcification
- Mars: Acute inflammation, fevers, surgery, accidents, burns
- Jupiter: Excess, liver problems, obesity, growths
- Neptune: Misdiagnosis, poisoning, immune disorders, addiction
Decumbiture Charts
A decumbiture chart (病發盤) is cast for the moment a person first falls ill or takes to bed with an illness. Hellenistic and Medieval physicians used these charts to assess the likely course and duration of the disease, the best treatment approach, and the prognosis.
Medical Houses
- 6th house: Acute illness, daily health habits
- 8th house: Crisis, surgery, death
- 12th house: Chronic illness, hidden conditions, hospitalisation
Cross-Cultural Parallels
Vedic astrology's Samhita (संहिता) branch is the direct parallel to Western mundane astrology, covering omens, weather, national events, and mundane prediction. Chinese Yi (醫, Medicine) is one of the Five Arts and recognises the correspondence between celestial cycles and bodily health — a principle shared across all three traditions.
Ethical Caution
Medical astrology must never be used to diagnose or prescribe treatment. It is a symbolic tool for understanding health patterns and tendencies, not a substitute for clinical medicine. Always refer clients to qualified medical professionals.