Ever Heard Of Medical Astrology?
I was greeted by the friendly Guru Ji Dr. Raj who was seated comfortably in a well-lit room with a plain background. But in the typical fashion of Zoom meetings, he was reduced to a floating torso encased in a 13 by 8 inch screen.
Guru Ji had a kind appearance with a friendly demeanour, often gesticulating with his right hand and pausing frequently between sentences to make sure I’m following. He keeps his appearance as simple as his surroundings — unadorned fingers and wrists, a simple navy button up shirt. This, he later explains, is because in his line of work, many practitioners try to sell pretentious promises to customers, but he prefers to keep it real. Now you might have a clue as to the identity of Guru Ji. But first, how did we get here?
Everyone has heard of horoscope predictions on affairs of the heart such as love and emotions. Heck, some of us even subscribe to astrology forecasts that send over weekly, even daily, readings according to the moods of the planets.
It’s not a far-fetched thought, really, if like April Elliott Kent, you believe that astrology is the “connection between celestial activity phenomena and earthly events”. In other words, Shakespeare was on to something when he said that our fate is written in the stars.
That got me thinking… Most of those readings sound like self-fulfilling prophecies. But if astrology really guarantees the future, why not find a more practical use for it…like catching health problems before they even manifest themselves?
And that led us to Guru Ji. Through a quick Google search on medical astrologers in Singapore, Guru Ji’s profile came up with remarkable reviews. A licensed astrologer with a PhD in Astrology and 27 years of experience, Guru Ji promises to use “pure Vedic science to help humanity”.
Vedic Astrology For Dummies (Us)
Pop-culture, mass-appeal astrology is often limited to basic notions of the 12 horoscopes and cataclysmic events such as Mercury in retrograde. But to truly understand all the workings of Vedic astrology, a system arguably more complex than Western astrology, most dedicate 5 years of their lives studying it. I will now attempt to summarise it in 5 paragraphs.
Vedic astrology is known as jyotish in India, which translates to “science of light” or “light, heavenly body”. Rooted in the belief that knowledge is light that banishes the darkness of ignorance.
Its origins can be traced back to sometime between 5,000 and 10,000 BC, from ancient Hindu scriptures that contained “ritual guidance, mantras, governing philosophies and divine revelations”.
A key difference between Vedic astrology and Western astrology is that the former relies on the sidereal zodiac, while the latter is based on the tropical zodiac.
I can feel that I’m losing some of you here. Don’t worry, all you really need to know is that while Western astrology tells you what illnesses or afflictions you will be encountering in your life, Vedic astrology takes this one step further by identifying when you will encounter these afflictions. An important aspect of Vedic astrology which Ronnie Gale Dreyer explains in her book, “Vedic Astrology: A Guide to the Fundamentals of Jyotish”, is that the concepts of karma and reincarnation works hand-in-hand with the horoscope to tell us “how to fulfil our mission in this life based on the deeds performed in previous lives”. Likewise, Guru Ji is also a firm believer in karma which allows “problems that are yet to come in our life [to] be avoided by putting positive effort in our present actions”.
Getting A Reading From A Real-Life Astrologer
Now that that’s out of the way, Guru Ji began the consultation by asking for the following details: name, gender, date of birth, place of birth, and time of birth. After which I was presented with this mind-boggling birth chart.
Believe it or not, this chart that would be at home in r\dataisbeautiful holds everything that the universe hath promised unto thee.
Exactly how precise is this chart? Well, according to Guru Ji, the chart changes drastically depending on birth timing down to the second, and so even twins will have drastically different birth charts and life paths. Every chart can be further broken down into smaller charts, mapping our fate in areas such as Dashamsha (great successes) and Hora (wealth). But I was here for one thing and one thing only: to get my health checked.
So…What’s In My Stars?
Here’s my prognosis: According to his reading of my birth chart, my health declines in the Houses of Mars and Jupiter. Guru Ji had accurately predicted some disturbance in my life during the months of September and October in 2021, attributing these to Mars’ fiery element. The last 3 months in my life have also been quite disturbed as well, where I have been “changing my focus to doing something courageous and different”. Thanks, Jupiter.
Moreover, Mars represents haemoglobin, and Jupiter represents the pancreas, liver, and lungs to a certain extent. As such, I may encounter physical health issues such as heatiness from Mars and cough from Jupiter. Signs of jaundice can also be attributed to weakness in the liver.
An energy dip in Mercury means that I may suffer from hair fall and dry skin.
In general, whatever illness I come down with is chronic, instead of acute illnesses that last for a shorter period of time.
Of the afflictions that my birth chart has indicated, hair fall and dry skin, and a weakness in the liver seem to be the most probable. And that’s all written in this chart that I can’t read. :)
What Next?
Now that I know what that feeling in my gut is (pun intended), Guru Ji says there are 4 types of remedies we can consider: mantras (sound), food habits, blessings or donations from others, and chemical medications.
A common misconception is that these remedies magically rid us of ailments. Rather, they make our bodies more capable of accepting modern medicines. Remedies are just good habits we need to keep!
To counter my list of afflictions, Guru Ji recommends drinking water and exercising regularly to combat signs of heatiness and jaundice. Another suggestion is to eat more leafy vegetables that will help minimise hair fall, dry skin, and jaundice. Going for regular health check-ups also ensures that I can spot any chronic illnesses before they become malignant.
Medical Astrology: Fad Or Fact
At this point, if you’re thinking “Hmm…medical astrology sounds kinda hokey to me.” It is not trying to pretend to be a new brand of medicine, or convince you to abandon Western medicine. Rather, Guru Ji maintains that medical astrology works hand-in-hand with western medicine; the former predicts and tells when there is something wrong in our bodies, while the latter cures said illness. In other words, medical astrology and remedies prepare you for the illness, reducing the negative impact of your future ailments by changing your current habits.
When asked if he had foreseen any terminal illnesses throughout his practice, Guru Ji recalled an encounter. The diagnosis: pancreatic cancer. Time left to live: 6 months. But one year before, Guru Ji had spotted it. And as a result of following the remedies diligently, this patient went on to live for another 3 years.
It’s true that drinking water and eating leafy vegetables have been drilled into our collective social consciousness by our elders. But what about hearing it from a real-life astrologer? Would you be more inclined to eat your greens? Clock in your steps? Chug that water?
At the end of the day, Guru Ji says that those that come to him are “disturbed” by events going on in their lives or feelings in their bodies. Whether or not it is completely accurate in giving you a medical prediction, these readings at the very least provide many with a peace of mind.
A special thank you to Guru Ji Dr. Raj for answering our questions about medical astrology.
