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Want to learn more directly from Judith in online courses and monthly forecasts? Access dozens of courses on Herbalism & Medical Astrology at Judith’s Academy for Astrological Medicine.

December 2024

THE SECRETS OF THE HAND DRAWN HOROSCOPE

Judith Hill

For over two millennia, astrologers drew their charts by hand. Once computers arrived, this practice rapidly declined until only a tiny percent of today’s astrologers persist in this venerable “old school” practice. Why then, would I recommend a practice that demands the requisite pens, rulers, chart forms, plus a trained and steady hand?  The simple answer is a reiteration of my first teacher’s advice:

“To read a computer “print-out” chart is like petting a cat with gloves on.”

Why might this remarkable statement be true? Is it even true? And if true, why do so few prefer the personally drafted chart over the ‘cold’ computer print-out?

November 2024

ADVICE TO THE NEW CONSULTING ASTROLOGER

Preventing burnout and growing a successful practice
Judith Hill

OK. So you have started your practice! Congratulations, that’s a big step!  However, you notice some issues. Maybe you are experiencing burnout, or perhaps were already financially “burned” by a no-show client, again. Having run a successful practice for decades, I’ve been all through it. It’s time to share some tips for new astrologers opening shop, or about to! Those who take heed will avoid the pitfalls and mishaps that will come, and believe me, they will. And, you will better enjoy your work, and your clients. Most of all, you will become a more confident and professional astrologer.

October 2024

ASTROLOGICAL MEDICINE and HERBALISM

A Traditional Marriage of Knowledge
Judith Hill

Popularly respected systems of traditional alternative medicine include:

India’s Ayurvedic Medicine, China’s TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), Homeopathy and Naturopathy. However, only erudite scholars have even heard of “Astrologo-Physick”, the major traditional medical system of pre-industrial Europe.  This seems incredible, considering how this system was in fact, a major arm of the European, university sanctioned medical system until approximately 1700.  Think: “astrology, herbs, plus patient examination”.

September 2024

What’s In A Cusp?

Interpreting Zodiac Sign Boundaries
Judith Hill

Clients who are born on the day between two signs are said to be born on the “cusp”. These natives may rightly question “what sign am I, anyway?”.  Some ‘cuspers’ evince shock or disappointment once learning that their technical birth sign is not, in fact, the sign they had always believed it to be! This must feel like opening the results of a genetic test that is far from what was expected!

It would seem self-evident to technical thinkers, that you “are” the sign your Sun was in at birth, even if it was moving through the very last minute of that sign! But, like so much else in chart reading, it’s just not that simple.

August 2024

The 12 Zodiac Signs: Levels of Influence
Judith Hill

All too often we are inclined to think of the ‘Sun Sign’ as a personality type. This habitual simplification is popularized by the ubiquitous question “What’s your sign?” However, there are so much more to seasonal influences than character type. More accurately, the expressed character type is the outer face of far deeper spiritual, vibrational, and cosmobiological currents. This is actually a very deep subject!

Take a deep dive into the zodiac with our upcoming class series “The Twelve Zodiac Sign Syndromes & Body Types” at the Academy for Astrological Medicine, starting September 15!

July 2024

Quincunxes, Yods and Aversions and How to Interpret Them
Judith Hill

Quincunxes and Yods are the quintessential aspects of ill health and must be understood by all professing to study medical astrology. However, their correct interpretation is likewise essential to all branches of astrology!

Imagine an easy, useful template to begin interpreting those weird ‘Quincunxes’, ‘Yods’ and ‘Aversions’ in your natal and transit charts? This is exactly the object and goal of my upcoming class on July 28th, 2024 at The Academy for Astrological Medicine!

June 2024

The “Dignity Portrait”
Judith Hill

Have you seen one of those ‘Rorschach’ psychological tests?

The viewer is presented with10 ambiguous black-on-white inkblot images and asked to describe what images they see within them. It appears that some of us see the positive image formed by the black ink, whereas others see the less obvious negative image formed by the white paper surrounding and enclosing the inkblot design. It is the same way with planetary dignity! How might that be?

November 2023

The Center of the Birth Chart: Identifying the “Lodestone" of Your Life
Judith Hill

So often, the beginning chart reader questions “where do I begin?”

There are many approaches to this question, and here is my preferred method, decades tried and true.

The Sun is the center of the solar system.  The Moon and planets revolve around it. Why should this not be the same in the horoscope?  “As above, so below”.  

Perhaps the Sun’s centralizing principle is mirrored by its astrological symbol, the circle with the dot inside, precisely the middle of the circle.

September 2023

Medical Venus: “Relief”
Judith Hill

Venus is “normalizing”: gently cooling (if hot); pleasantly warming, (if cold). The planetary pantheon craves this essential action, as does the body. Below, we will provide sound reasons in support of this unique designation.

August 2023

The Astrological Houses & Medical Astrology
Judith Hill

Today, the centuries long debate regarding “best” house system rages on - nothing new about that! My students are welcome to use any system they prefer! Who am I to declare that “my” pet system is the only one that works! That said, the ancient Whole Sign House System is the only system that automatically displays “aversion” between any two planets. We will describe this in more detail below.

July 2023

Can I Study Medical Astrology?

Deconstructing the Five Myths
Judith Hill

There are five popular misconceptions regarding Medical Astrology. For instance, you may want to study this subject but have held back because of a misconception. For simplicity, I’ve referred to these five misassumptions as “myths”.

April 2023

Mrs. Winkler’s “Taurean Ease” Tincture

For the Saturn-in-Pisces Taurus season
Judith Hi

Taurus governs the ear-nose and throat and is infamous for fluidic, lymphatic, and mucoid congestion/pressure in this general region. The new arrival of Saturn-in-Pisces is believed to increase this tendency by slowing the lymphatic flow.

This remedy is specifically designed for assisting the upper lymphatics and moving ear-nose-throat fluidic pressure type congestion (with physician’s approval).

March 2023

The “Good,” the “Bad,” and the Waffling

Seven Points for Solving Transit Conundrums
Judith Hill

A recent student question makes the perfect subject of a short, instructive article.

Although her question related to fertility per se, her problem, and my answer is useful for all manner of similar questions confronting the consultant. Here is the question, paraphrased:

“How do I judge a situation where I have good and bad fertility aspects at the same time?”

March 2023

My Three Favorite Women of Previous Generations
Judith Hill

In honor of International Women’s Day, I’ve been asked to share my favorite astrological and herbal influences from generations past who just happened to be women. Here they are!

February 2023

The Jewish Contribution to Medieval Astrology
Judith Hill

I’ve created this short list because most astrology enthusiasts are entirely unaware of the enormity of Jewish involvement in the craft we utilize today. This occurs in part because historically, most are continuously defined by their spoken language or empire of origin. Hopefully, this little article will assist in a greater awareness of their distinctly Jewish heritage. Most entrants here deserve explicating books about their works, and indeed, many have been written! Today’s object is to remember them.

February 2023

Mrs. Winkler’s Cosmic Apothecary:

Venus-Jupiter-in-Aries Optical Blessing
Judith Hill

In medical astrology, Sweet Venus doesn’t “rule” vision, but traditionally helps brighten eyesight when transiting through Aries, as does also her fellow “benefic” Jupiter. This year, these two planetary colleagues conjoin happily within close proximity, in Aries, while the Moon visits there too, joining them both, all on the same date of February 22nd.

January 2023

“7 Planets = 7 Years”: Your Personal Time Cycle
Judith Hill

Astrologers have devised many means for determining your overarching planetary ruler of a current, or future year, (or more typically, a set of years). These planets are sometimes referred to as “Time Significators”. One specific old system used “Time Lords”. I like that!…

It is my humble opinion that nothing works better than transits! Transits, while not always glamorous, are demonstrable energies occurring in real-time, independent of human ideologies, or murky provenance. That being said, I am as fascinated with Time Lords as any other astrologer. To satisfy my need for an easy, logical Time Lord system, I’ve invented one!

January 2023

Mrs. Winkler’s Cosmic Apothecary:

Aquarius Syndrome Oatmeal: "Breakfast for Aquarians"
Judith Hill

This year, the Sun is in the Saturn-ruled signs (Capricorn & Aquarius) simultaneously with Saturn’s sojourn through Aquarius. Astrologically, this is hyper ASTRINGENT and COLD.

“Aquarius Syndrome” includes (all, or in part): low oxygenation, fatigue, poor blood quality, anemia, poor nutrient assimilation, cold extremities, poor circulation - “low blood”, bodily stiffness, spasm, low blood pressure or weak heart muscle, water near ankle, depression, social isolation. Although classic to Aquarian types, the syndrome can be experienced in other sign natives, especially those born with a strong accent in this sign (Saturn, or, perhaps Moon in Aquarius, and so forth). You can find more on “Aquarius Syndrome” in Medical Astrology by Sun Signs course.

This delicious herby recipe makes a wonderful “Breakfast for Aquarians”!

December 2022

The Scorpion & the Horse: “The adder that biteth the horse’s heels”
Judith Hill

A closer examination of the classical “Zodiacal Man” reveals that within “his” bodily trunk, some signs co-mingle their zones in interesting ways. This zone variation diverts somewhat from the usual straightforward horizontal stacking of the classical melothesian body zones 1-12, descending horizontally head-to-toe, down the body line. Last month, we discussed the unique Cancer-Leo “situation”. This month, we introduce the intertwining Scorpio-Sagittarius pairing.

December 2022

Mrs. Winkler’s Sagittarian Soother Massage Oil
Judith Hill

Sagittarian “natives”, plus those born with malefic planets in this sign, might sometimes tend to inflammatory neuromuscular and/or muscular-skeletal complaints, spinal issues,  restlessness, sciatica, and similar themes of a “hot” nature.

Mrs. Winkler has looked into this matter and designed a massage oil specific to December’s upcoming hot planet stressors building up around the Sagittarius season full Moon of December 7th-8th, 2022. (The exact date depends on your time zone).  However, she insists that your physician should first “Ok” any massage oil prior to your use, in order to rule out possible, but rare, allergic responses (only they know your allergy history). Essential oils are powerful!

November 2022

Leo, Cancer, and The "Nested" Heart
Judith Hill

These seeming inconsistencies within the simplistic “chocolate layer cake” body-zone model, reveal that the Greek designers were indeed intentional in their anomalies. Today, we will focus on the remarkable positioning of the Cancer-Leo Body Zones.

November 2022

Mrs. Winkler’s Cosmic Apothecary: Happy Rivers Tincture
Judith Hill

Hypothetically/traditionally considered supportive of ECM fluid flow, and cleansing to upper lymphatics inclusive of breast tissue lymphatics; considered helpful to wholistic glandular coordination, and uterine, bladder, and-breast waste clearance. Also traditional for all cooling and moistening remedials. Double Water!! This recipe is educative only. See Disclaimer.

BEST TIMES: Lots of choices! All good choices.

October 2022

Mrs. Winkler’s Cosmic Apothecary: “Dandy Hands” Infusion
Judith Hill

Hypothetically miraculous for weak hand and thumb ligaments, digital weakness, stiffness! Mrs. Winkler received the original tip on Dandelion’s remarkable thumb healing powers from either Phyllis Light or Mary Pat Palmer (she cannot remember which!). Nevertheless, what was taught is true. And…what a nice way to both counteract, and make use of Mars’ long transit in Gemini! (Gemini co-rules the hands.) If your physician agrees, you can start your Dandy Hand program on the astrologically ‘perfect’ date given below. Alternatively, you herbalists out there could begin your tincturing process within this time precise window:
Monday, October 17th at 11:44 pm PT - Tuesday, Oct 18th at 10:16 pm PT Best time: 7:20 PM (30 min prior to 10 min following).  

October 2022

Training of an Astrologer
Judith Hill

“Star Knowledge” is a big responsibility! Without some guidance, the young student is similar to a foolish hiker wandering off into the woods without knowledge of either the terrain or the denizens residing there. In this article, I’ll play forest guide.  

September 2022

Twelve Horizontal Zones: Medical Astrology and the Twelve Body Zones
Judith Hill

Ancient empirical astrologers discovered a remarkable fact: twelve, horizontal ecliptic-linked body zones of zodiacal influence overlay the human form. When planets tenant these zodiacally based zones at birth, it means stuff! And when current transits pass through these ‘signs’ in the ecliptic plane, their correlative body zones respond to the temperature, color ray, speed, and moisture level of that specific planet. Most of the time, the response is negligible or brings minor physical changes. For instance, a strong “watery” influence might express itself as an encounter with a delicious watermelon! But, as medical astrologers all know, results can sometimes be alarming.

September 2022

Mrs. Winkler’s Cosmic Apothecary: Double Earth Gum Wonder - Natural Mouthwash
Judith Hill

Catch the Capricorn Moon trine Sun in Virgo for a great astringent mouth swish time (for loose gums)! Venus helps too, by entering Virgo and casting her harmonious ray on Taurus, the sign of the mouth. Do not swallow.

COSMIC TIMING: MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5TH, Between 5:25 pm Pacific Time and TUESDAY, SEPT 6TH at 8:41 pm Pacific Time.

August 2022

Patient-Practitioner Vital Force Exchange & Astrological Synastry
Judith Hill

We all prefer some foods, colors, clothes, and people better than we do others. This is normal. All forms, including people, are composed of beautifully complex, interwoven streams of both “fixed” and moving vibrations. This is so similar to music! Vibrationally, each one of us is, in fact, a unique vibrational symphony. As per pleasant musical chords, some vibrations happily harmonize with our own, whereas others inwardly “sound” discordant. This essential concept is typically ignored in medical relationships. Vibrational harmony is relatively easy to assess between natal charts.

July 2022

Mrs. Winkler's “Solar Power Supreme: Cardiac Tonic for the Faint-Hearted
Judith Hill

Mrs. Winkler created this mixture for ‘Aquarius Syndrome’ (*see disclaimer). The weak heart, slow, weak pulse…cold extremities, stiffness, fatigue, depression, and sometimes accompanied by very low blood pressure and/or anemia.

It’s Leo time! Both Leo and its sign ruler, Sol, govern the heart. This year, both ‘benefics’, (good guys) Jupiter and Venus, will visit fire signs while Sol is in his domain, the fire sign Leo! Hypothetically,  this is the cosmically perfect time for assisting the weaker heart muscle, and/or cheering the emotionally faint-hearted (these two symptoms often go together!). Lucky we are with so many fine astrological choices in August, most just happening to fall on Sunday, Sol’s day! This allows us to create, first pour, and sample on more than one solar-powered date!

July 2022

Orbus Schnorbus: Planetary Orbs in Natal and Transit Assessment
Judith Hill

The paired questions I most frequently receive from eager students is “what orbs should I use?” and, “what orbs do you use?” Historically, a wide array of conflicting orb assessment systems have been devised. Their methods widely range from the easy “orbs be damned” system of assigning aspects to signs (rather than specific orbs); to the tedious technique of assigning exactly specified orbs per each planet. Taken a step further, we have complex methods for the calculation of precise orbs between any two specific planets. This later is known as “The Orb of Influence”...Maybe I can offer some help to the confused.

June 2022

Planet-Herb Affinity: The Assignation of Planets to “Their” Herbs
Judith Hill

This month, I received a fascinating invite from one of my favorite herbalists, Lise Wolff. Her request was for me to display, in real-time, the thinking process behind the assignation of an herb to a planetary “ruler”. She would provide the “mystery” herb, in this case, Red Osier. Intrigued with the challenge, I agreed. The wild popularity of our resultant effort led me to devote this newsletter article to this same method. So, just how are herbs assigned to planets, and vice versa? And, why? Our example will be the useful herb Mullein, Verbascum thapsus, descriptively nicknamed ‘Bunny’s Ears' or ‘Flannel Leaf’.

June 2022

Aries Adrenal Brew
Judith Hill

Mars and the Aries-Libra sign axis govern the adrenal glands. We have a marvelous timing opportunity this year for all Aries and Mars-ruled concerns with Jupiter in Aries! Better yet, perky Mars and beneficent Jupiter travel together through Aries this June - providing an unrivaled time window for enhancing “Super Mars” energy - and all specific “Mars-ruled” body parts, glands, and organs this assists. And…for all remedial that support those!

June 2022

Mrs. Winkler’s Neptune Balm
Judith Hill

Hypothetically, Neptune’s “rays" enhance Lemon Balm’s relaxed, sleep assisting, yet cheering qualities. Neptune is quite at home in Pisces, strengthening “his” dreamy, sleep inducing influence!

As the Moon conjoins Neptune in Pisces: Monday, June 20th at 12:21pm Pacific Time (adjust to your time zone)…ten minutes leeway on either side, though exact is nice. Chemist Frau Lily Kolisko discovered that the period just ten minutes following a precise Lunar conjunction, observably releases the influence of the conjoined planet.

May 2022

Night People
Judith Hill

We are all aware of the vigorously forwarded notion that health is best for early morning risers. We are socially pressured to rise with the Sun and retire to bed well before midnight. Historically, this makes sense considering the availability of daylight versus poor human night vision. However, is a dawn-sunset schedule really best for everyone?

April 2022

Personal Peace Pool
Judith Hill

Everything emits vibrations. Each object, thought, action, or song you play vibrates its unique “wave" - influencing your home, neighborhood, city, and the greater world.

Never doubt that the proverbial flapping of a butterfly’s wings could add just enough vibrational balance to halt a coming storm!  Astrology is a science of cosmic vibration. Planetary knowledge alerts us as to when to use spiritual vibrations for their greatest potential! This is because the planets too, emit vibrations!  Most importantly, the “law of attraction” teaches us that all vibrations attract similar vibrations. “Like attracts like”.

April 2022

Prenatal Astrology - What can astrology tell us about our life in the womb?
Judith Hill

I was recently asked this curve-ball question by a student: “What in the chart might indicate your mother’s womb?” (That is, when you were inside it). Natal charts are typically seen as representing the current life, moving forward... but not necessarily conceived in reverse, i.e. what occurred in the gestational months before birth. This prenatal period would include your time inside your mother’s uterus. Could this experience be shown in the natal chart?

April 2022

The Renaissance Planet-Herbal Assignment Mess:
Striving Toward A Useful Method
Judith Hill

Renaissance planetary-herbal lists contain some quite confusing and contradictory classifications that have been parroted down the centuries without question. Foremost is what can amusingly be described as: “The Herbal Mess”, which refers to the scrambled, even opposing reasons for pairings between herbs and their planetary rulers - there is no consistency! Let’s examine the phenomena up close.

February 2022

The Australian Paradox
Judith Hill

Students residing in the Southern Hemisphere inquire of me as to the efficacy of my “Sun Sign Syndromes” for those born Australia, New Zealand, or otherwise south of the equator. In this region of earth, summer and winter as we know them in the Northern Hemisphere are reversed. This fact rarely occurs to Northern Hemisphere astrologers, including myself! It’s high time to sort this mystery, but how? Medical astrology inherently possesses the perfect way to reveal the answer.

January 2022

The Primacy of the Birth Chart
Judith Hill

The astrological birth chart is central and requisite to most Western and Jyotish forms of astrology. The birth chart is alternatively known as the ‘natal chart’, ‘radix’, and ‘horoscope’. It is the experience of many astrologers that the birth chart remains useful for many inquiries throughout the life, no matter what changes to that life occur. Hence, its “primacy”. This empirical fact is comprehended better, once one understands what a birth chart actually represents.

December 2021

The Lost Etiologies of Mental Health
Judith Hill

We tend to think of psychology and psychiatry as historically recent innovations of the twentieth century. In fact, Hellenistic and Renaissance astrologers possessed a considerable heritage of similar inquiry and diagnostic attempt. Inquiry into the human mind, and its troubles, was extant in the Greek-Roman through Renaissance astrological tradition.

November 2021

‘Zodiacal Man’, Nerve Channels, Dermatomes, and Meridians
Judith Hill

Zodiacal Man, or Homo Signorus is the concept of the human frame sliced horizontally, as a loaf a bread, through twelve zones, reflective of the twelve fold cycle on the ecliptic circle-cycle. Each of the twelve zodiac signs is allotted one zone. Homo Signorus is a foundational concept to astrological medicine.

October 2021

Mind, Will and Transits
Judith Hill

Planetary transits comprise a sort of subtle “astral weather”, not dissimilar to our better understood terrestrial weather. The skilled astrologer describes the “planetary weather” in the same manner that your local meteorologist provides a useful daily weather report (albeit, the astrologer views a far greater scope of time).

October 2021

Libra Syndrome
Judith Hill

Libra is the great celestial rest stop of the zodiacal cycle. Every cycle has a pause point between two beats. One might envision Libra as the cyclic pause point between two heart beats, or two breaths. Perhaps it “rules” those spaces!

September 2021

Nutrition and the Sun-Saturn Partnership
Judith Hill

Traditional planetary rulerships conceal all manner of relevant symbolism. On comparing modern scientific discoveries with our ancient planetary associations, one so often thinks “how did they know that?” Let’s take a look at one such example.

August 2021

Saturn, the Balance Wheel of the Planetary Pantheon
Judith Hill

Saturn’s bad reputation is certainly well deserved. ‘He’ so often indicates where, given time, restrictive conditions in the body become more chronic manifestations. Dr. Davidson referred to this planet as a reliable “the seat of disease”, and that, he is, at least of the chronic variety. That being said, Saturn is also the essential balance wheel of our planetary pantheon! This truth is aptly reflected by his ‘exaltation’ (most useful position) being situated in the sign of Libra, the celestial scales. Reverting to the ancient energetic model for planetary influence allows us to see how Saturn’s unique qualities both balance, and antidote the excesses of all other planets!

July 2021

Timing Vaccination Dates Using Electional Astrology
Judith Hill

In June’s debut Medical Astrology Forecast (forecasting July), an astute attendee aptly asked “what planetary aspects should be avoided for disease inoculation?” This question ushers us into to the fascinating realm of “Medical Elections”, that subfield of medical astrology devoted to elective timing of various medical procedures. Student Resources are provided at end.

June 2021

Eclipse Calendar with Nodal Polarity (2021-2032)
Judith Hill

In this article, Judith teaches us about the effects of eclipses in astrology and provides a one-of-a-kind eclipse calendar with nodal polarities. Learn why the eclipse polarities are so important!

June 2021

Physical Astrology & Planetary Energetics: supreme knowledge for everyone
Judith Hill

The physical and energetic conceptualization of planetary influence came long before our popular modern (and useful!) psycho-spiritual techniques. Ancient astrologers discovered that the planetary rays possessed observable physical influences, (and so can you!). The ancient astrologers knew that planetary sign and house placement possessed medical potentials, as well as providing general “fortunate” and “unfortunate” indices.

Traditional Gem & Herbal Antidotes for Planetary Conditions

May 2021

Gemstone Solutions for Planetary Problems
“So, what can I do about it?”
Judith Hill

Astrology is a supreme tool for assessing the causes behind life’s foibles. At birth, we all seem to be dealt a hand of cards, and our charts describe this all too well! Our charts reflect the reason behind that divorce; the puzzling reoccurrence of health symptoms, or “even, “why do cats love me?” For the more negative scenarios, the client, and the astrologer too, both may well ask, “OK, so then, what can I do about it?” Astrologers who are adept at describing their client’s problems, but lack real solutions, may find themselves awkwardly impotent when confronted with this question! Help is to the rescue…

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