Astrology and Health
      understanding a decumbiture

The decumbiture chart is an event chart of a person becoming ill, consequently its interpretation is distinctly different from reading a natal chart. The interpretation of decumbiture specifically focuses on five of the twelve houses, as can be seen in Figure 1. These houses are:

• The first house, which describes the patient's body, health and vitality.
• The sixth house, which describes the patient's disease.
• The seventh house, which describes the judgement of physician/astrologer.
• The eighth house, which reflects the patient's death.
• The tenth house, which describes the medicines needed to help the patient.

The symbolic link between these houses and the patient with their illness is made through the Zodiac signs that are found on the house cusps, together with the corresponding Planetary rulers. This process is called ascribing signification.

For example, if the sign of Taurus is found at the ascendant (the first house cusp) then Venus, which rules Taurus, specifically signifies the patient and their health and vitality in the decumbiture chart. Venus is consequently described as the significator of the patient. The same technique is repeated for the sixth, seventh, eighth and tenth houses, to find the significators for the patient's illness, therapist, death and medicine respectively.

Just as the Moon moves the waters of the oceans, so symbolically the Moon is seen to powerfully the influence the flow of vital force through the body. For this reason in decumbiture the Moon is seen as an additional significator of the patient's disease, for she reflects the course and unfoldment of the illness.

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