The Herbal Alchemist’s Handbook: A Complete Guide to Magickal Herbs and How to Use Them - Karen Harrison 2020

Creating Custom Formulas Using Astrology
Combining the Planetary and Elemental Influences

Natal Charts

There are many computer programs that can be purchased that allow you to run a basic Natal Chart for an individual, so don't think “Oh no, now I have to become an Astrologer, too!” You do not have to be an expert Astrologer to use a Birth Chart to help you create a blend. Knowing keywords and concepts associated with the Astrological Signs and the Elements will enable you to create a formula that will help you or a client to live life fully. The following example shows you how you can use Astrology to correct difficult aspects in a chart with Planetary signatures and their corresponding herbs, resins, and oils. The next chapter shows you how to utilize the energies of each of the Astrological Houses.

Briefly, here are the Planets and Astrological Sun Signs and how each can work in an individual's Astrological Chart.

Everyone has all ten Planets working with various Signs in their charts. However, not all Astrological Signs will be aligned with a Planet, therefore there may be a missing Element or energy in an individual's chart. This is something that you will analyze as you decide what energies you will be enhancing or inciting to action in a person's life as he uses your alchemical creation.

Each of the Planets is paired with various Astrological Signs in every person's chart. The way that the energy of a Planet is expressed in a chart is dictated by the Sign paired with the Planet. The following is how the Planets express their energy in an Astrological Chart:

Sun: personality, ego, how the individual presents herself to the outside world

Moon: Inner Self, subconscious, how the individual experiences emotions, the individual's inner motivations and interests

Mars: energy, what drives the individual to accomplish goals and what goals interest her, her strengths

Mercury: conscious mind, intellect, how the individual gathers and collates thoughts and experiences

Jupiter: philosophy of life, social interaction with the world, where the individual may overdo things

Venus: how the individual relates to her senses, where she finds harmony in life and how she applies it, what attracts her

Saturn: where the individual draws her boundaries (or not), where stubbornness can occur, areas of self-discipline and conservation

Neptune: where the individual finds escape from life, imagination and creative impulses, where the individual has a tendency to fantasize and fool herself

Uranus: where the individual can innovate, break out of old patterns, act in an original or bold way

Pluto: intense drives, deep unconscious motivations, where the individual seeks to transform herself, karmic lessons she has come into this lifetime to perfect

A person has the very remote potential to have a pairing between one Planet and one Sign in her Birth Chart, but in most charts, you will see that while all the Planets are present in a chart, they tend to be active in half or less of the Astrological Signs. This is typical and shows that a person came into this lifetime to work on very specific issues.

Each of the Astrological Signs is associated with a specific Element. Fire signs are Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius. Earth signs are Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn. Air signs are Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius. Water signs are Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces. A Birth Chart shows imbalance when an Element is missing or when there is one Element working in the majority of Planetary energies. When the Planets congregate in primarily one or two Elemental Signs, it shows that that Element is dominant and can create difficulties or one-sidedness for a person when she attempts to activate other modes of expression in her life.

If you find that one of the Elements (Earth, Air, Fire, Water) is missing from a person's chart, or that she has only one Planet in an Elemental Sign, this will show that she needs an addition of the missing Element to be fully balanced. If she has a preponderance of one Element, she will tend to view the world and take action using only the ways of that Element, to the detriment of expression via the other Elements.

Missing Elements in a Birth Chart can be balanced and rectified by utilizing herbs and oils chosen specifically to bring in and activate that Element, giving the Element expression and energy and thus helping to create a more rounded mode of expression for the individual. Dominant Elements in a Birth Chart can be corrected by adding the herbs and oils to a formula from the other three Elements or the one Element that is its opposite.

If a person has a dominance of Fire Elements in her chart, she may have a tendency to start projects but never finish them, to be impulsive in her behavior, or to be so impatient that it hampers her efforts.

If a person has a dominance of the Element Earth in his chart, he may have a tendency toward inertia, working hard but never taking the risk that is required to succeed. He may be so enamored of physical wealth that he neglects his spiritual side or is stubborn to the extreme, getting in his own way when simply changing the methods he uses to work toward a goal would bring him success.

A person with a dominance of the Element Water in her chart has the tendency to be too emotional, reacting to every experience through her feelings and not using her head. Water dominating a chart can also indicate psychic abilities gone awry, where a person is very intuitive but cannot interpret the information she is getting because she feels so strongly, not being able to differentiate between the psychic impressions she is receiving and the overwrought emotions of the person who is sending out the psychic information.

The Element Air dominating a chart would show a person who views the world only through his intellectual abilities, who is unable to connect emotionally with others, and who tends to superficially solve problems rather than getting to its source and solving it at its foundation.

Water is emotions and psychic impressions. Air is intellect and linear thought processes. Fire is action and what motivates a person to act. Earth is resolve, perseverance, and groundedness. Keep in mind that Water balances Air; Air balances Water. Fire balances Earth; Earth balances Fire.

A person who is missing one of the Elements in his chart will find it difficult to accomplish the types of things that the missing Element represents. If a person is missing Fire in his chart, he will find it hard to get motivated or to gather enough vitality to see a goal through to its successful end. If a person is missing Water in his chart, he won't be able to recognize and interpret his emotions or psychic impressions—he has feelings, but he doesn't know how to express them appropriately. If a person is missing Earth in his chart, he will find it very hard to stay grounded and will often feel confused by events around him. If a person is missing Air in his chart, his thinking processes will be impaired—he will certainly be intelligent enough, but he won't think things through and will act without considering the consequences. By adding the herb or oil of an Element, the missing Element will be given a vehicle of expression and action in his life.

The Astrological Signs show how the Planet in that Sign will tend to express itself via a person's Natal Chart. Not all the Astrological Signs will be active in a person's Birth Chart unless his chart is unusual in the extreme. As long as the other signs that correspond with an Element are present, an individual can function in a balanced fashion in all the areas of his life. Here are the Astrological Signs and the types of energy they bring to a chart:

Aries: driven, impulsive, courageous, active. Ruled by Mars. Fire Sign.

Taurus: patient, appreciative of pleasure and routine, endurant. Ruled by Venus. Earth Sign.

Gemini: spontaneous, humorous, writerly, versatile. Ruled by Mercury. Air Sign.

Cancer: home loving, emotional, psychic, sensitive. Ruled by the Moon. Water Sign.

Leo: self-expressive, generous, fun loving, entertaining. Ruled by the Sun. Fire Sign.

Virgo: natural healer, creates order, analytical, detail oriented. Ruled by Mercury. Earth Sign.

Libra: brings balance, works best in partnerships, social. Ruled by Venus. Air Sign.

Scorpio: intense, mysterious, transformative, secretive. Ruled by Pluto. Water Sign.

Sagittarius: freedom loving, independent, optimistic. Ruled by Jupiter. Fire Sign.

Capricorn: serious, pragmatic, creates structure, career oriented. Ruled by Saturn. Earth Sign.

Aquarius: curious, eccentric, objective, rebellious. Ruled by Uranus. Air Sign.

Pisces: intuitive, emotional, romantic, caregiving. Ruled by Neptune. Water Sign.

The following are the herb/oil associations of the Astrological Signs for you to add to your repertoire.

You can capture and express the energies in a chart by simply utilizing the Planetary energies and their associated Astrological Signs as you determine the components of your formula. Once you have become familiar and comfortable with each Planet's keywords and concepts and the way it is expressed in a Sign, you may want to do more advanced analysis of the Astrological Chart to determine the best herbs, resins, and oils for your formula. In the next chapter we discuss how to interpret the Astrological Houses and how to unite the energies or balance any difficulties you see present there.