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Bio: Marcia Starck

You can write to Marcia with your health questions c/o Medical Alchemy, The Sun, 1807 Second St. #29, Santa Fe, NM 87505. Please include your date, time, and place of birth.

Marcia Starck is an astrologer who works with Medical Astrology, psychological astrology and relationships, and Astro*Carto*Graphy®. She also facilitates and conducts rituals. Marcia has authored six books on astrology, healing, women's rituals, and the shadow side; the most recent being Healing with Astrology.

Editor's Note:
Please consult your health care practitioner to ensure that the information given in Medical Alchemy is appropriate in your individual case.

Junipers and other trees are pollinating, tulips and crocuses are sticking their necks up, the wind is dancing around with renewed energy — in fact, spring has arrived. The Sun entered Aries on March 20 at 8:55 AM EST. The planet Mercury entered Aries on March 15, Venus on March 22, and Saturn has been in Aries for a year now, so we have some strong fiery energies around.

Aries is the beginning of the zodiacal year, the astrological New Year; it is a time of new beginnings and renewed energy. Aries is ruled by the planet Mars which governs the adrenal glands, the blood, and the muscles. Mars is the will or vital energy that propels us to action. The way that Mars is placed in our natal horoscopes by sign, house, and aspects indicates a lot about our vital energy. With Mars in a water sign or house, our physical stamina and "chi" energy may run low; we may also have more difficulty asserting ourselves out in the world. However, we may have a lot of empathy and compassion in working with others. With hard aspects from Saturn or Neptune, Mars energy can also be inhibited or just plain "washed out" in the case of Neptune.

There are many ways we can work with low Mars energy and get our Mars out on center stage rather than have it stay behind the scenes. We can renew and revitalize our energy if we understand the adrenal glands. The adrenal gland is a small endocrine gland that rests on top of each kidney. The two adrenal glands secrete hormones into the blood, which carries them to various parts of the body. Each adrenal gland has an outer shell or cortex and an inner core or medulla. The cortex produces hormones known as corticosteroids. These corticosteroids control the metabolism, influence the concentration of sodium and potassium in body fluids, and also secrete small amounts of estrogen and progesterone. Hormones produced by the medulla are adrenaline and noradrenaline. These affect our automatic body processes as cardiac activity, gastrointestinal movement, and other metabolic activities.

Stress in any form — physical, emotional, or mental — affects the adrenals immediately. Physical stress can simply take the form of overworking, not enough rest or nurturing food. In this case, one tends to "burn out"; often people with strong fire emphasis in their horoscopes or Mars in a fire sign suffer from the "burnout" syndrome. They need to stop, rest, and replenish their storehouse of "chi". Physical stress can also take the form of toxins in the environment such as chemical substances or pollens in the air. These foreign substances cause our adrenals to work even harder and become depleted.

Renewing the adrenal glands may be done by a simple nutrient as pantothenic acid, one of the B Complex vitamins. Pantothenic acid is particularly important for anyone suffering from allergies; it helps to produce corticosteroid hormones. (Western medicine uses the drug cortisone for extreme cases of asthma, skin allergies, and other symptoms of inflammation, ruled by Mars.) Using pantothenic acid several times a day, along with a B-complex vitamin, is very important. Another way to boost the adrenal glands is through a multiple glandular supplement that contains adrenal, thymus, pancreas, and spleen glandulars; this is often called an immune system booster. (Allergy Research Company makes a very pure product with the glandulars from New Zealand, though these are still animal products.) Perhaps the most important way of boosting adrenal energy is by getting more oxygen into the blood. The best and cheapest way to do this is by eating lots of dark green leafy vegetables such as collard greens, mustard greens, chard, kale, turnip greens, arugula, and dandelion greens. If you're not getting enough of these green vegetables, wheatgrass juice and liquid chlorophyll are also wonderful anti-oxidants. And, if you need an even stronger dose, the supplement octacosonal is an excellent anti-oxidant and brings more oxygen to the lungs and muscles as well.

Herbs and foods can also help re-build the adrenals and purify the blood (ruled by Mars) as well. Beets and red cabbage are great for extra iron and also blood purifying. Many people who depend on coffee in the morning actually need an adrenal stimulant. (Coffee stimulates the nervous system into thinking it has energy, but does nothing for the adrenals; therefore its effect is not lasting.) An herb that builds adrenal energy is the Chinese herb fo ti or fo ti tieng. It is used for longevity, to clear up hives and other allergic conditions, to lower blood sugar for diabetics, for eye and kidney problems, and many other conditions. I know several people who began drinking fo ti in the morning and had good energy the rest of the day. Others take a thermos of fo ti to work every morning. Another excellent herb for the adrenals is gotu kola which is a good nerve tonic as well as blood purifier. Gotu kola is used for fevers and inflammation where the adrenals need stimulation.

Emotional stress can deplete the adrenals just as quickly as physical stress. At this time of eclipse energy (the March 23 eclipse was in Libra, opposing Aries) there is a great need to stay centered emotionally. Often one's constitutional homeopathic remedy or flower essences work well for emotional and psychic stress. FES remedies (from the Flower Essence Society, Nevada City, CA) that are helpful include Indian Paintbrush which enhances the vitality as well as helping one connect with creative expression. Many years ago, I used this remedy for the first time while traveling and found it extremely helpful. Other remedies include Cayenne which acts as a catalyst to move one who is stuck in a particular situation; Scarlet Monkeyflower which is helpful to those who hold back their anger and aggression; and Trumpet Vine which brings more force and energy into communications.

Essential oils rubbed on the body or diffused in the air can also help emotional and mental stress. Oils that may be helpful to the adrenal glands include Basil which is a good nerve tonic as well as being a rejuvenator. It can be added to a bath where it produces both a hot and cold feeling, energizing the skin and body; Black Pepper which stimulates circulation, is a tonic for the spleen, and is good for muscle aches and pains; and Ginger which stimulates digestion and circulation, and can be applied for rheumatic pains and other aches resulting from cold damp conditions.

Here is a letter from one of our readers:

Dear Marcia,
Though I am an Aries and have a lot of Aries in my chart, my energy seems to be low. I tire readily, and do get frequent colds and flus. Are there some suggestions you can make for me? I was born April 13, 1949 in Rochester, NY at 4:31 AM.

Dear Aries,
You have your Sun conjoined Mercury, Venus, Mars, Mercury, and the North Node; that is a lot of Aries energy especially with Mars there as well. However, all these planets are opposed by a Libra Moon conjoined the South Node in the 7th House. Your emotions may drain you if you are engaged in constant conflict with a partner or with others in your life. Utilizing B vitamins and pantothenic acid for stress as well as learning how to work with and balance this opposition would be helpful. Your rising sign is Pisces; the rising sign is the conductor of energy and Pisces, a water sign that governs the immune and lymphatic systems, is not a great conductor of fire; it puts the fire out. You are both psychically and physically sensitive with Pisces rising. Protecting yourself so that you don't pull in other people's emotions and problems is very important. You also need to nurture your immune system with good anti-oxidants, high doses of vitamin C in its form as Ester C, and bioflavonoids.

© Copyright: Marcia Starck

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