As part of Llewellyn’s Astrology Made Easy series, I was asked by Stephanie Clement, Acquisitions Editor, to write a book on medical astrology geared toward the layperson and beginning astrologer. The assumption was that the reader would have a very limited or no background in astrology but could, by utilizing the information in the book, not only gain a rudimentary knowledge of astrology but also learn how the birth chart can correlate with one’s health. An added bonus would be the ability to print out a personal birth chart and personal health report.

Medical astrology is the branch of astrology that deals with the birth chart in terms of one’s mental and physical health. It is not meant to diagnose disease, which can only be done by a medical doctor, but is a useful tool in gaining an understanding of personal health issues. I have studied, written about and lectured on medical astrology since the 1980s. My previous experience in writing on medical astrology was geared to professional astrologers, for the most part. Writing a book for the layperson was a new experience for me.

Thus, the challenge was twofold: to simplify two difficult subjects — astrology and health — into a useful book that would help the reader understand the relationship between them, and to present the information in an easy-to-understand format so that the reader could gain an understanding of their own personal health needs based on their birth chart. The topic of medical astrology is new to many people who mostly think of astrology as sun signs associated with personality, love and vocation. The general public has also had very little experience with natal horoscopes. A book that includes a CD-Rom to configure a birth chart and a personal health interpretation is a relatively new idea. Many people are looking for alternative healing choices to augment traditional medicine. Using one’s personal horoscope to study one’s body can be a revelation to many people, as well as a confirmation of what they already know about their body’s health.

Medical astrology provides a useful tool for identifying one’s bodily strengths and weaknesses, proneness to specific disease states and nutritional deficiencies — all based on the natal chart. Because of this, I was challenged to present the information on specific health problems without causing the reader unnecessary anxiety, while at the same time showing how the natal chart can give accurate information that can be used to point out and build up weak areas of the body. Throughout the book I continually remind the reader not to take the information out of context, as it takes more than one astrological significator to indicate a health disorder.

Medical astrology is one of the oldest forms of astrology and has a solid body of knowledge going back thousands of years. The nature of the signs and planets can be related to specific types of health problems, and their influence on health is explained early on in the book. Then specifics such as each planet in a sign, in a house and in combination with other planets are explained. Explanations and definitions are given throughout the book to help the reader see how helpful astrology can be in gaining an understanding of their body.

Once the reader learns the types of health problems that can be encountered, it is necessary to also point out ways to treat various disorders. I utilized a variety of books on natural healing and herbs to provide the reader with treatment information as well as ways to build up weak areas of the body. This information is incorporated in the book through specific examples and can also be found in an appendix at the end of the book. This is a useful addition, as the reader will be able to look up many common health disorders to find food or natural methods to help alleviate the problem.

The reader is given a lot of help on how to use both the CD-Rom and the book to learn more about their health. Astrological terms are explained in a user-friendly way. Also helpful and interesting to read are the health reports on two famous personalities whereby the reader can see the type of information they will get from a health reading. A glossary of useful astrological and medical terms is given at the end of the book as well as a bibliography and index. The reader will also find it helpful to understand the relationship between personality and health, which is explained in the chapter on modalities, as well as how too much or too little of the elements of fire, earth, air and water affect health.

In the final analysis, Managing Your Health & Wellness can be used as a textbook for experienced astrologers who have no background in medical astrology, and as an introductory tool for the layperson as it includes all the basics of medical astrology.