Alchemy & Astrology: Two Missing Keys in Modern Herbalism

Many have turned to the East for a more esoteric or psychospiritual understanding of medicine, hence the influence of Chinese medicine and Ayurveda on modern herbal practice. Many great herbalists have been leading a grand quest for a more integrative model of practice, from Michael Tierra’s Planetary Herbology model to Matthew Wood’s system of traditional Western herbalism to the globalized materia medica of David Winston and the hard work of many other incredible herbalists. 

I believe we are standing on the shoulders of great thinkers, herbalists, and practitioners who are also good-hearted people. Yet, amidst all this integration in herbalism, mostly between East and West, alchemy and astrology are often completely overlooked. 

These two critical elements of traditional Western medicine have profound implications, principles, and practices for modern-day herbalists and offer unique and interesting contributions to a more integrative approach to herbal medicine. The words “alchemy” and “astrology” can trigger some, and people often misunderstand what they are, so it’s important to first dispel some myths.

Alchemy & Astrology:

Two Missing Keys in Modern Herbalism

Common Misunderstandings About Astrology 

Astrology is not about predicting the future. It is about understanding the meaning and language behind the structure of the cosmos to effectively help people. It is the system for understanding the relationship between the macrocosm and the microcosm, one of the world’s great mysteries, and a beautiful spiritual understanding of life and reality.

People from Judeo-Christian backgrounds sometimes have a negative view of astrology. However, it’s important to note that throughout the Renaissance, many practicing astrologers, especially medical astrologers, were Christian. Astrology was not necessarily seen as antithetical to religious beliefs. 

Astrology is not about telling you who you are, who you should marry, or what job you should pursue. It can lend insight into those aspects of life, but that isn’t the core of its purpose. Its purpose is to help us along life’s path, and the highest expression of that is healing. 

In the Renaissance era, astrology was an integral aspect of medical training and essential to assessment and diagnosis. It was used to understand the body’s inner workings and the forces of nature that affect an individual’s health to determine a course of treatment.

Astrology is not a belief system, an oft-repeated misunderstanding. People say they don’t believe in astrology. That is an irrelevant point, frankly. Astrology is not something that you believe in or don’t believe in. It is either something you study, understand, and use, or you don’t. 

When I was a kid, there were newspapers, the physical printed kind, and there was a horoscope section where, for example, if you were a Pisces, it would tell you what was happening for you that week. That is pop astrology, and it’s entertaining, but for many people, that’s what astrology is — just your personality or psychological temperament. Few people realize that the astrological pattern and your natal chart reflect your body, including strengths, weaknesses, and disease patterns. Your natal chart is a snapshot of your constitution, organ systems, and tissues, and it can help you understand what’s going on. Medical astrology also provides a framework for a holistic understanding of plants.

Common Misunderstandings about Alchemy

Alchemy as a Tradition of Healing and Natural Philosophy

Alchemy is similar in that it is shrouded in mystery and misunderstanding. People usually think that alchemy is about turning lead into gold, or that it was “caveman chemistry” before we had a sophisticated system of science. Many people think it’s a woo-woo esoteric system of magic and the occult. These are huge misunderstandings of what alchemy truly is. 

It is true that alchemy has been part of esoteric, magical, and occult traditions. However, if we look at what alchemists were actually doing, we see they were the first scientists. These were the “philosophers of nature.” Alchemists sought to understand reality, nature, and the world around us. They wanted to understand the inner workings of God’s creation in order to help mankind. True alchemists were healers and physicians striving to unify our spiritual understanding of the world in a practical, tangible way. The concept of uniting the celestial and terrestrial realms, Heaven and Earth, is integral to both the alchemical and astrological models. 

Most revered scientists were practicing alchemists, and many of their discoveries were directly tied to their alchemical knowledge. A prime example of this is Sir Isaac Newton. Many of his discoveries were heavily influenced by the alchemical tradition and probably wouldn’t have occurred had he not understood it. 

Paracelsus and the Medical Roots of Alchemy

Paracelsus is a key figure in alchemy and the reclamation of alchemy as a system of medicine. He understood alchemy’s healing potential and, through it, revolutionized medicine. Paracelsus brought to the forefront medicines derived from metallic elements, concentrated plant preparations, and plant extracts. The concept of chemical medicine came from Paracelsus, which, now, we might say, is a mixed blessing and curse. He also contributed antiseptic surgical techniques, medical ethics, and guidance on how physicians should cultivate virtue. He essentially said that there is a spiritual undertone to the path of the physician, to the healer, the spirit of the physician themselves, but also the spirit of the people that they’re healing, and that it’s important to recognize and honor as well. Unfortunately, this plays little role in modern medicine. 

I’ve been working hard to reintegrate alchemy into modern herbalism, including a deep understanding of cosmology and metaphysics, and the idea that the growth, development, and evolution of the human soul back toward the Creator are interwoven with the healing process. That is why I love alchemy: for me, healing and my spiritual path have always been intricately interwoven.

How Alchemy & Astrology Fortify Herbalism

Alchemy and astrology are interconnected within the umbrella of Hermetic traditions. My teacher in alchemy, Robert Bartlett, states that without astrology, true alchemical medicines cannot be made — they are intricately interwoven. 

One of their biggest combined contributions to Western herbalism is lending it a metaphysical backbone. Many practitioners of Western medicine and herbalism want an integrated model that addresses the whole person and incorporates the spiritual dimension into their knowledge of medicine. Often, these people end up studying traditional Chinese medicine or Ayurveda. 

Alchemy and astrology are very similar to Eastern medical traditions in their cosmological understanding of the world. For people who live in the West and have roots or ancestry there, the European-centric context of these sciences is potent. This is one of the great contributions that alchemy and astrology make to Western herbalism. 

A Common Metaphysical Backbone

Western herbalism often puts forward a biomedical approach. We talk about constituents, anatomy, physiology, pharmacological mechanisms of action, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics. This can be quite a linear, scientific, reductionistic approach. It is all quite fascinating; however, I’ve noticed that herbalists (myself included), plant people, and nature lovers often want something deeper. We want to understand the deeper meaning behind the properties of plants, the body’s organ systems, and the diseases people suffer from. 

We want a metaphysical understanding that fits with the physical understanding. This is precisely what we see in the Five Element framework of Chinese medicine and in the Sāṅkhya philosophy of Ayurveda, where this cosmology is evident. We see these archetypal forces of nature and the elemental composition of the human organism as a dotted line that connects our soul, spirit, and body in a holistic way. We understand the whole person, as well as that person’s relationship to the wholeness of life. Those systems of medicine are, in a way, more holistic because they understand creation, nature, plants, humans, and healing within a broader context of wholeness. 

Macrocosm, Microcosm, and the Anatomy of the Heavens

Few realize that we have a very similar philosophy in the West, found in the alchemical tradition. In alchemy, as in traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda, there is an understanding that when the cosmos was created, there was an underlying structure, a logic to creation, and that it unfolded from the central source of the creator or God, emanating outward to create all things. 

In the West, this pattern is referred to as logos, from which we get the root of our word “logic”. Logos is the divine logic of creation, and the pattern of creation in alchemy is the macrocosm, embedded within the microcosm in humans. The microcosm is also a plant, and everything in creation contains everything else. It is a grand fractal pattern. 

Understanding the relationship between microcosm and macrocosm is what Paracelsus referred to as anatomia (anatomy). This is much more than “your liver is here; it looks like this and has these functions.” The greater anatomy, according to Paracelsus, was understanding how the structure of the cosmos, and of creation itself, the emanations of the logos are inside of us, and that is anatomia. 

The basic structure of the cosmos is what we think of as our own solar system. The structure of the solar system provides the general framework for the macrocosmic pattern. There are multiple layers to it, but this is ultimately the core of astrology. It is the pattern of the heavens, and it is the clock. Time is a function of the heavens. What makes a day? It’s the movement of the Sun. How do we delineate the seasons? It’s the relationship between the Sun and the Earth. How do we delineate the months? It’s the movement of the Moon. The movement of celestial bodies is how we frame time, and that is the core of astrology. It is simply the study of nature, the anatomy of the heavens, and how it is imprinted on us. 

That imprint goes beyond the psychological and spiritual, into the physical realm as well. The anatomy of the heavens and the Earth, the celestial and terrestrial realms, manifests physically within us. This is where the principles of alchemy and astrology begin to relate medically, in terms of how they can influence us in our practice of herbal medicine. 

A More Holistic View of Health and Healing

We can go far beyond the body, mind, and spirit, and the acknowledgment of the spirit of the plant to the level of looking at the whole person, the whole plant, and their relationship to the wholeness of creation. This redefines what peak health is. 

The premise of alchemical medicine is that the healing of the human organism is not merely the amelioration of symptoms or being disease-free. It is unio mystica, a direct experience of God. In that way, the alchemical path is a path of healing and medicine. It is also a path of truth, knowledge, and understanding of the heavens and Earth. The ultimate goal is the union of the self with the creator. 

One could argue that the famed alchemical philosopher’s stone is, in fact, a permanent state known in the East as enlightenment. In the West, this is understood as the concept of theosis, a merging with, or direct experience of, God. In a way, it is about becoming godlike. Not that we are God, but that we have a direct connection and relationship to the creator. I love that this is a system of medicine that, by its very nature, is mystical. It is focused on our own soul’s healing, development, and evolution back to source.

Practical Applications of Alchemy and Astrology in Herbalism

Now that we’ve explored the metaphysical backbone, let’s ground this discussion in practical applications that are equally important. When we understand alchemy and astrology, we begin to see that they change the way we actually work with the people we serve and with the plants we know, love, grow, and harvest. 

Alchemy and Astrology in Holistic Herbal Assessment

Both astrology and alchemy provide insights into assessment. When we look at Paracelsus’s work, we can see that he has interesting ways of considering why and how we get sick and has unique treatises on invisible causes of disease. He talks about the five primary entia (the plural of ens), which are the primary causes of disease: the external nature, such as weather and climate, and our internal nature, such as our constitution and how we live every day. 

There is the ens veneni of toxicology, poison, which is a big one these days, as there are so many toxins that disrupt people’s health. Another is ens astrale, which is astrology, and how the structure of our own inner sky, our constitution, our natal chart, can be affected by the progression and movements of the planets, which can in turn affect the health of our body, mind, and soul. 

Medical astrology is profound in the way it can influence your work with people. Simply observing someone’s natal chart gives you an in-depth snapshot of their strengths, weaknesses, excesses, deficiencies, constitution, and temperament. Again, it is that dotted line that connects the body to the emotional, psychological, and soul aspects, because the archetypes of astrology are present in all of these areas. This allows you to truly see the individual before you, understand why they get sick, and address those problems. 

You can also rejuvenate and prevent disease from arising because you get a sense of where their weaknesses are, where their organ systems may not be functioning optimally, and where they might be prone to excesses of heat, cold, dampness, or dryness. You can work with mild plants on their constitution to maintain homeostasis (or homeodynamis, my preferred word, because the system is constantly changing). 

Holistic assessment and diagnostics are major contributions of both astrology and alchemy to our modern practice of Western herbalism. Within these systems, the relationship between the psychospiritual and physical is innate and united. Many herbalists want this approach. In Western, allopathic medicine, we have separate models for those areas. We’re told to focus on one approach to treat the body, and a totally different approach or tools to treat the psychospiritual side of a person. 

These systems tell us that psychological, spiritual, and subtler aspects of a person’s life are related to their physical health. They aren’t merely related; they are the same. Your mind and heart are integrated into your body. Your soul is part of your body, and your body is part of your soul. These are simply layers of the self, but they’re still all part of the self. 

The beauty of alchemy and medical astrology is that they show you those dotted lines. You have the opportunity to see how the state of your liver is connected to your emotional health, and that the state of your liver might actually be contributing to your psychological depression. You can see that your digestive health might be contributing to your irritability. 

Understanding Plants Through Planetary and Elemental Correspondences

The same applies to the plants. Their physical properties and chemical virtues are directly connected to their psychospiritual properties. I always found it frustrating that you could find the chemical properties of an herb and what it does for the body and mind, but those properties and qualities were never integrated. When you classify and understand plants, their properties, actions, and virtues, through the lens of these archetypal forces, planetary and/or elemental, you get closer to the essence of that herb. 

Cayenne and the Mars Correspondence

For example, Cayenne Pepper (Capsicum annuum) has many correspondences to the planet Mars. Its bright red color is just like Mars. If you look at Cayenne peppers, they curl upward as they grow. The glyph for Mars is the upward-pointing arrow. It is expansive, dynamic, and radiant. The taste is hot, spicy, and pungent. These are all properties of Mars. Cayenne has an affinity for the blood, stimulates circulation, and produces heat and sweating. Mars rules the blood. Cayenne is a stimulant diaphoretic, so it stimulates gastric fire, and it can attack and kill microbes, which is another function of Mars. Mars governs the immune system and the protection of the body. It is the archetype of the warrior. Mars also governs pain, and capsaicin from Cayenne helps relieve it. There are other planets associated with various types of pain, but injury, trauma, and bloodshed are associated with Mars. 

When you understand a planetary or elemental ruler and its connection to a plant, all of a sudden, all of the seemingly different properties of the herb, there’s a thread that weaves them together into a cohesive pattern of wholeness that allows you to decipher more of the subtle properties of an herb, its esoteric virtues, its psychospiritual properties, and its evolutionary function. When we bring these models into our work, all of a sudden we start classifying plants a little bit differently, which is really cool. 

Alchemy’s Biggest Contribution: Spagyric Medicine

Pharmacy is the process of making remedies, and spagyrics is a system developed by Paracelsus. In spagyrics, we separate, concentrate, and recombine a plant’s chemical, energetic, and spiritual properties into a single extract.

It isn’t necessary to rely only on a flower essence to work psychospiritually. Likewise, it isn’t necessary to use only teas or tinctures to work on the body. The body, spirit, and soul aren’t separate! 

In spagyric remedies, we have a singular preparation that unites the physiological, psychological, and spiritual. There are many types of spagyric preparations, but they all contain the wholeness of the herb, which heals the wholeness of the person. This is very important because, by definition, practicing holistic herbal medicine requires using a form of medicine that captures the herb’s wholeness.

By wholeness, I don’t mean the root, leaf, flower, seed, and fruit. I’m referring to the triune aspect of the plant. In alchemy, this is the Sulfur, Mercury, and Salt, which are the soul, spirit, and body; or the consciousness, intelligence, and physical virtue. 

To people in the phytopharmaceutical world or supplement industry, spagyrics might seem crude or a “simple folk” way of making a tincture. However, spagyric preparation is incredibly sophisticated. In phytopharmaceuticals, one or perhaps a few constituents are isolated from an herb, and the rest is discarded. Spagyrics is the exact opposite. All of the components are separated, purified, and then put back together. 

Spagyrics means to separate and recombine or to separate and to reawaken, to dissolve and coagulate, to exalt the plant into its medicinal essence. When you prepare alchemical medicines, you are concentrating and refining a plant’s medicinal essence, which will then act upon the essence of the person. Spagyrics take the pharmacy, the preparation of medicines, to a new level. My mom was a pharmacist, so that had an impact on me early in life. I fell in love with alchemy and spagyrics because I love making medicine and being in the pharmacy. 

Spagyrics are an incredibly powerful form of medicine, and they’re particularly relevant in times when there is a lot of sickness beyond the body, mind, emotions, spirit, and soul. There is a lot of spiritual and soul sickness in the world right now, which we see in the feelings of meaninglessness, nihilism, narcissism, anxiety, and depression. While there are physical aspects to those issues, something deeper is at play. This is central to alchemical philosophy — that it is not just the healing of the body, but the transformation of the human spirit and soul so that we can live in accordance with divine virtues and natural law, live a good life, and be whole. 

Bringing Alchemy and Astrology Into Modern Herbal Practice

All that we just discussed is perhaps only a fraction of the ways in which alchemy and medical astrology can have a profound influence on your practice of herbalism. They influence every aspect of herbal practice: pharmacy, diagnostics, intake, therapeutics, as well as this great structural framework for integrating a spiritual perspective on people and plants, which results in the evolution of the people you serve. This is the entire premise of Evolutionary Herbalism.

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FAQ

What is astrology, really?
Astrology is the study of the structure and movement of the heavens, and of the relationship between the macrocosm and microcosm. In its medical context, it is a way to understand the body, constitution, organ systems, and tissues. 

What is medical astrology?
Medical astrology is an approach once used in Renaissance medical training for assessment, diagnosis, and determining a course of treatment. The article says a natal chart can offer a snapshot of a person’s strengths, weaknesses, constitution, temperament, excesses, and deficiencies.

What is alchemy?
Alchemy is a system concerned with healing, nature, truth, and the relationship between Heaven and Earth. The early Alchemists were philosophers of nature and early scientists rather than simply people trying to turn lead into gold.

Who was Paracelsus?
Paracelsus was an alchemist, physician, and scientist who brought mineral elements, metallic elements, concentrated plants, and plant extracts into medicine. The article also credits him with developing the system behind spagyrics.

How are alchemy and astrology connected?
They are interconnected Hermetic traditions. Both seek to understand and unite the celestial and terrestrial realms, and astrology is integral to the creation of true alchemical medicines.

What are macrocosm and microcosm?
The macrocosm refers to the larger order of creation and the cosmos, while the microcosm refers to the human being, plants, and other expressions of creation. The article describes them as reflecting one another.

How can alchemy and astrology influence herbalism?
They can influence assessment, intake, therapeutics, plant classification, pharmacy, and a practitioner’s understanding of the connections among physical, psychological, spiritual, and energetic aspects of people and plants.

What are spagyrics?
Spagyrics are alchemical herbal preparations that separate, concentrate, purify, and recombine a plant’s chemical, energetic, and spiritual properties into a single extract.
Spagyric remedies contain the wholeness of an herb, including its Sulfur, Mercury, and Salt, which correspond to soul, spirit, and body.