British MP supports astrology

Here’s an item from the BBC: British Conservative MP David Tredinnick is a supporter of serious astrology. No doubt he will get a lot of negative feedback about this – usually by people who know nothing about the subject.

He says that the the last governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten, had an official astrologer!  Of course so did Reagan, Hitler, Churchill (possibly) and many other heads of state, kings, leading business people, etc; past and present.

Tredinnick believes astrology could be useful in medicine – absolutely!
In the early 17th century (and earlier), it would have been considered ‘odd’ for a serious medical practitioner NOT to use astrology, particularly in choosing an appropriate time to administer medicine to get the best results (e.g. Moon applying to trine Venus). Astrologer and (un-licensed) ‘doctor’, Simon Forman (1552-1611) was unique in that he also used astrology for diagnosis, using a number of tools, including a horoscope (aka ‘chart’) set for the time of consultation.

And then there is herbalist Nicholas Culpeper (1616-1654), author of Culpeper’s Complete Herbal (still in print!). He thought medicine without astrology was like a ‘lamp without oil’, and a ‘pudding without fat.’ Planting, harvesting and using of herbs was meant to be conducted at astrologically significant times.

For instance, for Culpeper mint is a herb ruled by the planet Venus. Venus’s day of the week is Friday (Freyja’s Day – Freyja being the Norse equivalent of Venus). The first hour after sunrise on Fridays is considered a ‘Venus hour’. So, this would be a suitable time, generally, of harvesting and using mint. It’s potency would be superior than it’s use at other times. Of course, it would be even a better astrological moment for ‘mint business’, if Venus was also in a good sign of the zodiac (e.g. one of the two signs she rules: Libra or Taurus, or Pisces where she is exalted).

You can read all about Culpeper in Benjamin Woolley’s lively biography of the great man: The Herbalist (Amazon link).
If you’re interested in Simon Forman (and I hope you are) Barbara Howard Traister’s The Notorious Astrological Physician of London: Works and Days of Simon Forman is a fascinating biography (Amazon link).