Speaker’s Report - August 2022
Remedies and the 6th House - Kira Sutherland
In August, we invited the well-known Kira Sutherland to again share with us her deep knowledge of medical astrology. This time we looked at the 6th House from a slightly different perspective and Kira definitely linked a few 6th House concepts together and how they are related to health.
While the 6th House is traditionally related to illness, it is also a house about our daily life. Kira drove this concept right at the beginning that we should use our 6th house as the unique guide to create a holistic health and wellness routine – hence the idea of finding the remedies in the 6th House that support our mind, body, spirit, and soul. By observing the 6th House, the cusp’s zodiac sign and the ruler, we can gain better understanding of the body parts / organs that is / are more susceptible to stress.
Kira made it clear that this is hard work but to be able to take our health to the next level, we need to put real effort in this task – it is nearly like we have to be “of service” to our own body and health (very 6th House indeed). 6th House also shows our approach to food, our style of eating, and the kind of rituals we gear towards when it comes to food. Understanding these will help tailored the kind of ritual and routine that is suitable and sensible to the individual in the long run.
Another interesting topic that we are all familiar with is that 6th House is said to rule small animals (like cats and dogs). Modern science already linked the benefit of having pets (and petting them) to the lowering of production of stress hormone, baseline heart rate and blood pressure. Also, pet owners need to have a routine as they need to look after their pets. For example, dog owners need to take their dog out for a walk daily which is like a ritual with well-documented health benefit.
Kira also linked 6th House with our mental health. She pointed out that modern science now uncovered the relations between our gut health and our mental health. In fact, we have a ‘second brain’ in our gut that is in charge of our daily emotional health (70% of Serotonin is produced within our digestive system).
One important point Kira made was that the first house, ascendent, its ruler and planets in it are responsible to the physical body, and they point to the most vulnerable body parts. On the other hand, Kira found that the 6th House may not necessarily be about the organs / body parts that are more liable to illness but more likely to point to those parts / organs that is / are more vulnerable to stress. It is about how we approach stress, and therefore how we can support ourselves when under stress. Planets in the 6th House are those we really have to juggle with when we are stress.
To start with (and similar to reading any charts), we assess the 6th House by (1) looking at the sign on the cusp, (2) the ruler of the sign on the cusp (where it is in the chart by house and sign, and the kind of aspects it formed), (3) planets within the 6th House and the houses these planets rule, 4) and future transits / progressions to the 6th House as well as to the ruler of the 6th House. In fact, the ruler of the 6th can be a good avenue for us to nourish our body and boost our energy when our 6th House is under pressure. Also, planets in the 6th House will provide a good indicator as to the kind of things / routines that support our health. We need to be aware of outer planets transiting through 6th House but more importantly, we need to pay close attention of transit made by inner planets, Jupiter and Saturn.
Kira then introduces the 6th House vs 12th House as we have to look at both when creating that health & wellness regime. She points out that traditionally 6th House governs acute ailments (sickness that last 28 days or less) while chronic illness is assigned to the 12th. If we experience health issues in the 6th and ignore them, the energy will move into the 12th and become a chronic matter (as 12th House rules bed rest, hospital stay, and being isolated and withdrawing from the world). Overwork and over-stress (from the 6th) will land you in the 12th, as many know too well.
One thing about 12th House is that it also shows the suppressed and unexpressed mental and emotional energy from previous generations which is inherited by the chart owner, and potentially needed to be acknowledged, expressed, and released (a concept and theory from Brian Clarke). 12th House also points to deception, hidden and hard to diagnose diseases.
We then looked at the fifth largest asteroid, Hygeia, which Kira believed is strongly related to the 6th House. Mythologically, Hygeia is the Goddess of hygiene and preventive medicine. The placement of Hygeia in our chart points to the area that requires attention and healing. Kira quite often sees natal Hygeia being activated by transit (which then links to health issues) and she believes it is another area we can focus on to support that will in turn benefit the 6th House (from a preventive angle).
Kira then shared with us some of the ways to find the remedies. She noted that when we are under stress, we use the energy of the Ascendent to mitigate, and therefore we should seek to support it (and its ruler) through using herbal medicine and food. The basic principle is, we treat disease with opposite (herbs / food) while we support body parts / organs with sympathy (herbs / food). For example, if the disease is related to Saturn, we look to herbal medicine that supports Jupiter (the planet of opposite nature of Saturn). Another general principle is, if the ruler of the 10th is in a strong position, we should use medicine link to it (for supporting). Otherwise, use medicine to connect to the ruler of the 4th (for supporting). For the body part / organ that is ‘tired’ and ‘depleted’, we should use medicine to fortify and support it. And in general, we should always use remedies to support the Sun (which will enhance vitality).
In some ways, it is about letting the 6th House be heard – similar to any planetary energy, using it in appropriate ways means it is less likely to cause problems. To support the ruler and planets in the 6th, we can think about choices of food / drink, the type of exercise / meditation / relaxation / activities, the kind of environment that is most beneficial, the kind of herbal medicines / vitamin supplements, and the type of therapy that is /are suitable.
Kira shared the kind of activities that are great for the individual according to the element of their 6th House (Fire / Water / Air / Earth). When it comes to Bach Flower essence, Kira said she uses the ones that are linked to the individual’s Sun, Moon, Ascendent, Saturn and Mercury (by zodiac sign). If the individual is struggling with the 6thHouse, then she would use the sign of the Sun, Moon, Ascendent, 6th House and the ruler of the 6th placement. As for herbs, Kira noted we do need to be aware of medication that is being taken (especially the long-term ones) before adding them as part of the health and wellness routine as herbs do influence medication.
Another potential area of remedies Kira touched on is the cell salt. Like Bach Flower, there are different types and they are each linked to a different zodiac sign. Interestingly, Kira stated food that are said to be supportive to a zodiac sign usually contain high level of the mineral content of the cell salt related to that sign. She also noted the cell salt related to the progress Moon is usually the mineral that has been used up most at any given time. Lastly, using transit and progression could help us to be proactive and support our general wellbeing. After all, prevention is always a much better solution.
Throughout the lecture, Kira shared with us some of her observations in relation to the link between some of the planets and ailments, and the topic of health and wellness in general.
For example, natal charts with Neptune in 6th could mean the chart owner finds it difficult to get a correct diagnostic regarding health issues and diseases. Kira noted that it would be better to get a second or third opinion when in doubt, especially for bigger and more important health issues.
A question from the audience led the Kira sharing that although Mars and Saturn are traditionally the malefic planets (Mars is linked to inflammation, heat, swelling and pain), having them in the 6th House could be helpful in getting us motivated to exercise (Mars) and / or creating the necessary health routine and stick with it (Saturn).
If the ruler of the 1st is also the ruler of 6th, then Kira recommends giving remedies to support the rule and also remedies to support the opposite planet of the ruler (ie. Saturn vs Jupiter; Mars vs Venus).
Mars transiting 6th / 12th (and hitting the Ascendant) could be expressed in acute ailments such as cold / flu / headache / back injury / migraine / cold sore / virus / shingles. Kira also said Mars return could be a trigger for health issues, injury, and accident. Another observation Kira shared is that she found Mars transiting 8th House could be linked to knee surgery.
Another question from the audience led Kira to note that we should be mindful of our nervous system being depleted due to the constant stress we were all under over the last two years due to COVID (and we should support it by eating magnesium rich and Vietnam B rich food). She also stated that we should all fortified our lungs in the next couple of months when Mars in Gemini retrograde (Kira wondered if COVID will have a swing back and mutual again to have more impact on lungs during the retrograde period).
And this last point is for those who do not like any form of exercise (ie. Ann) – some latest research seems to suggest sitting in a hot bath for 30 minutes is almost as therapeutical to our cardiovascular system as exercise.
