Zodiac Signs in Medical Astrology: Signs as location
In ancient times the zodiac signs corresponded to particular locations of the body. Like many topics in astrology, various opinions exist, however, the locations, or “zones,”[1] of the body in correspondence with the zodiac signs is one of the almost universally consistent subjects. Much work is left to be done in order to update this work to align with more modern understandings of anatomy and physiology, which is up to you and I moving forward.
Below are the almost universally accepted correspondences to the locations of the body and the zodiac. Most of these are also accepted in Jyotish (Vedic Astrology) from my current understanding.
The locations of rulership of the zodiac signs are as follows:
Aries (Al-Hamal)- Rules the head
Taurus (Al-Thawr)- Rules the neck
Gemini (Al-Jawzā’)- Rules the “arms” (including shoulders, forearms, & hands)
Cancer (As-Saratān)- Ribs, breast
Leo (Al-’Asad)- Chest, Thoracic spine
Virgo (As-Sunbulah)- Intestines, Mesentery system (Cameron Allen)
Libra (Al-Mīzān)- Buttocks, low back, lower abdomen
Scorpio (Al-’Aqrab)- “Secret parts” (genitals & anus) pelvic floor (Cameron Allen)
Sagittarius (Al-Qaws)- Thighs & Hips
Capricorn (Al-Jedi)- Knees
Aquarius(Ad-Dalw)- Calves (including shins), & ankles
Pisces (Al-Hūt)- Feet
The zodiac man. Watercolour painting by a Persian artist
We run into a few issues when attributing zodiac signs to the body. From my perspective they are as follows:
When overlap exists between which sign rules particular locations
The question of the zodiac signs as locations or as organs/organ systems
Let's talk briefly on when overlap exists and how I like to think about it. The first example is “the buttocks,” being given to Libra, Scorpio, and/or Sagittarius depending on who in history we’re asking. For me, I think of Libra as the low back, Scorpio as the pelvic floor, and Sagittarius, the thighs. From this lens, any three of these locations strongly influence the glutes (the buttocks) and vice versa. When I am looking at charts, I am in no way swayed by people’s ideology around rigidity around locational rulership, rather, I seek to understand what is really taking place. Of course this takes having a background in understanding the body and its interconnected nature. The hips are another example, being given to Libra or Sagittarius. I know that hip issues are highlighted with these two signs, evidenced by our astrological ancestors, but that has become difficult to even perceive due to our cultures orientation to life. Back pain can show up in almost any chart at this point.
A question that can be a source of confusion as well for beginners of Medical Astrology is that often the signs of the zodiac rule locations as well as organs and organ systems. I too found this to create a bit of fog at certain points in my practice. And then I started learning from the young genius, Mychal A Bryan. When I first learned horary astrology from him, he emphasized that planet to planet contact was a focal point that many astrologers have not been taught. Ever since then, I’ve allowed for the planets to be the organ systems, the signs to be the locations of the body, and only then would I look to see if what the zodiac signs mean as organs and organ systems add to what was already being said. I am always looking for the chart to tell me something in every dialect of astrology that I’ve learned.
Because this article is only meant to be a prerequisite to the “On the spot method for herbalist and healers” article I will stop here. In the future, I will go in more depth into how I work with the signs of the zodiac and the locations more in depth in my own innovative fashion. It infuses Medical Astrology, fitness, yogic practices, and somatic movement. I look forward to bringing this work forward in the coming years.
[1] Judith Hill’s “The Twelve Zodiac Sign Syndromes of Medical Astrology”