The Australian Paradox

February 2022

Copyright © by Judith, 2022

Students residing in the Southern Hemisphere inquire of me as to the efficacy of my “Sun Sign Syndromes” for those born in 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. Strangely, this fact rarely occurs to happily oblivious 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. First, let’s start by noting our astrological chart components that shouldn’t be reversed by one’s birth hemisphere! Most charts have five primary components, the very same used in ancient Greece: planets, signs, houses, angles, and aspects. These five components form the basic structure of the birth chart, (prior to the addition of popular supplementals, such as mid points, lots, progressions, etc.). The astrological expression of four of these five chart components are assumably not impacted by hemispheric change (as far as we yet know). Let’s explain this further.

The intrinsic cosmic color rays known by astrologers to emit from the classical planets shouldn’t change because of one’s birth position north or south of earth’s equator. Mars is still the hot, yellow ray; Sol is still hot and red; Mercury remains green, and so forth! OK, next.

There should be no reason why the established meanings of our astrological  chart’s ‘houses’ and ‘angles’ should reverse their interpretive meanings due to hemispheric alteration (although the ascendant degree can widely vary between North and South latitude). Houses represent, in part, actual directions. East, West, Above, Below, etc., should retain their interpretive meanings regardless of hemisphere. Overhead remains overhead. East remains east, etc. Research could prove me wrong, but let’s go with it for now.

Let’s consider that one primary chart component that might reverse for natives of Australia. The twelve signs. Do the twelve zodiac signs, being in truth, seasons, reverse their classically known energetics, character, body type, and symptoms for those born in Southern latitudes? This should be pretty easy to assess. The key to the puzzle is intrinsic sign temperature, as known to astrological medicine.

In medical astrology, Leo is the hottest of all signs, with the 15th degree of Leo being the zodiac’s hottest degree. Physically, this degree experiences the greatest concentration of “Fire” energy. In the Northern Hemisphere, 15˚ Leo corresponds with mid-summer’s day. Conversely, Saturn-ruled, mid-winter Aquarius is the coldest sign*, and the coldest degree of the zodiac is found at 15˚ Aquarius.  

*Note to Humoral students: We are aware that Aristotle’s warm, moist “sanguine” humor was eventually conflated with all three air signs, including air sign Aquarius. This conflation occurred regardless of Aquarius’ actual cold syndrome presentation, planet-ruler cold Saturn, plus mid-winter season. Aristotle’s own students debated his attribution of moist heat to the air signs.

The solution lies in the fact that humors (body fluids) and individual zodiac signs have sometimes separate energetics.

Returning to topic: Our problem lies in the fact that in Australia, summer and winter are reversed! Let us rephrase the original question from the standpoint of temperature.

In Australia, does Leo produce hot, dry symptoms or cold? Conversely, does Aquarius produce the expected cold, astringent symptoms, or reverse to hot and dry? We need people, symptoms, and horoscopes to answer this question! Then too, we must know what hot and cold symptoms are! For those taking the Medical Astrology Sun Sign Course, no explanations are needed. For others, here is a brief list of each. You might notice that I have listed two types of “dry”.  Leo’s fiery dry evaporates heat and drives it out at the surface.

Hot, Dry “Leo” symptoms (short list)

This list provides those symptoms most typical of an excess of mid-summer energy (as has been observed in the Northern Hemisphere). Health issues listed do not necessarily apply either in part, or en totalle to all “Leo” persons. Most Leo folks possess a strong, healthy Vital Force (at least, in Northern hemisphere births), and bodies to match! Charts and their expressions are always individual.

HOT, DRY SYMPTOMOLOGY

red face, arterial tension, red palms, red, dry tongue, hot hands and feet, explosive temper, large shoulders, GERD, hypertension, tendency to heart attack, aortic or cardiac valve issues, or stroke; spinal issues, spinal cord or sheath issues, high fever, scoliosis, dehydration, craves cold drinks or alcohol, energetic, bossy, lavish, gall bladder and/or liver issues, overheated liver, excess “choler”, strong ego, loves red meat, powerful, ambitious, enjoys rulership, charismatic, generous, lavish, passionate, prone to spending sprees, muscular system prominent, powerful or overbearing upper body (with noticeably slimmer, smaller legs and hips) athletic prowess, strong, vivid and dramatic self-presentation, attraction to bright colors, warm and affectionate, enjoys dancing and sport, self-ruled, strong vital force, quick healing of wounds and colds.

Cold, Astringent “Aquarius” symptoms (short list)

This list provides symptoms most typical of an excess of mid-winter energy (as has been observed for centuries in the Northern Hemisphere). Symptoms listed do not necessarily apply in part, or en totalle, to all “Aquarians”.  This is list is tossed salad of many possible “cold, astringent” symptoms associated with this specifically cold “electrical” sign.

cold extremities, depressed, poor circulation, venous stagnation, varicose veins in legs, low blood pressure, heart weakness, low or faint pulse, anemia, white coated or pale pink tongue, fatigue, faint, brain-fog, rheumatic, stiff, cannot bear ice cold drinks, attracted to warm, spicy food, craves salt (!), lonely, scholarly, imaginative, inventive, genius, intellectual, mineral and vitamin deficiencies, anemia, blood weakness or blood cell anomaly, sub-oxygenated, muscle spasms, neurological sensitivities, sensitive spinal nerves, craves salt, EMF reactive, palsies, strange “undiagnosable” conditions, lower leg anomaly (e.g. extra long shin bone, extra thick shin or ankle bone, shin splints, injury, double ankle-bone, Achilles tendon issues, stiff ankle, contracted Achilles tendon, water collection at ankle). Lack of ambition, fatigue, severe depression or dysthymia, low confidence, upper body weaker than lower body, sometimes flat chested, androgynous sign for many (not all!) Aquarian females. Attraction to blues and violets, hypothermia, loquacious, philanthropic, inventive, excellent sense of humor, large-souled, independent thinker, radical, eccentric, enjoys fresh air, sleeps with window open, electrical aura, shocks easily, slow healing of wounds and colds, low fevers when ill, loves wild nature, absorbing mental life.

SOLVING THE AUSTRALIAN PARADOX

We now have some comprehension of the “hot, mid-summer” versus the “cold, mid-winter” symptoms sometimes observed in our Leo and Aquarius natives of the Northern Hemisphere. These symptomatic opposites provide the perfect measuring tool necessary to solve our “Australian Paradox”!

So how can we proceed to solve our persistent cosmic puzzle? Medical astrologers will need to compare Southern Hemisphere birth Leo and Aquarius ‘natives’ against this temperature-relevant symptoms list, and also against their sign’s noted physical appearance (see book: The Astrological Body Types). For instance, are you “Down Under” Leos indeed warmer bodied than your Aquarian fellows? Or does this empirically noted fact reverse for Southern Hemispheric births? After decades of chart reading experience, it’s weird envisioning any Leo native as appearing strongly “Aquarian” (who wasn’t born with Saturn rising in an Aquarius Ascendant, as, for instance, does famous Leo native Barack Obama)!

Next, study multiple cases of gall bladder malfunction, high blood pressure, aortic dissection, and stroke. Does the natal chart emphasize Leo or Aquarius? All planets can be considered. For instance, Mars in Leo has a penchant for aortic issues… or, the sudden overwhelm of heat such as seen in heat stroke or volcanic tantrums. It will be interesting to discover if the emphasis for both “hot” cases and “hot heads” switches over to Aquarius in Australia!

Personally, I rather doubt this, or the astrologers “down there” would have noticed this long ago. To date, I’ve heard not one case of reversal… but was anybody looking?

Let’s reframe the question:

In the earth’s Southern Hemisphere, do Leo natives present cold and astringent symptoms (instead of their classical “hot and dry” physical expressions)? And, do instead, they look, act, and feel like Aquarius is known to express itself in the Northern Hemisphere?

Conversely, are Aquarians now merrily tooling around the golf course, casually sipping on booze, with overheated, red hands?

Solving this nagging hemispheric conundrum requires committed, collaborative, astrological research, but it’s not hard. Medical astrologers of the Southern Hemisphere are ideally equipped to settle this question.