Edward Bach’s
astrological chart

This following delineation by Sue Lilly is only a starting point. Anyone wishing to contribute further insights, please contribute your suggestions with astrological reasoning. Sue has also contributed a general introduction to the interpretation of astrological charts.

The picture shows the natal chart for Edward Bach, born 24 September 1886, Moseley, Birmingham, UK. Rectified time 21:21hrs. See enlarged picture. A rectified chart is one where the exact time of birth is not known, but a time is deduced from other information concerning the person’s life. There are several methods of doing this. The most common is by isolating key events in the life and astrologically working backwards from there.

The elements

The core patterns within this chart show that Edward Bach would have needed to learn to pace himself throughout his life, as his levels of life-force were liable to fluctuations, especially with his mood. He had a natural inclination to interact with the mundane world and society but a corresponding drive for excellence and perfection fuelled by idealism. Lack of achievement would have led to disillusionment. As an innate communicator he was especially keen on topics that he felt were new and needed to be broadcast. Emotionally it is likely he was torn between a need to maintain the repressed status quo and an intense sensitivity with strong emotions.

The nodes

The nodal axis of the chart links the signs of Pisces and Virgo. From one stance this can be described as the need to understand the deeply ingrained habit patterns of being a victim/saviour. This coupled with feelings of not belonging in such a harsh world may have led to him finding ways to escape. The sensitivity is acute and he could have found himself open to being swamped by anyone or anything. The corresponding inspiration and imagination would need to be channelled into practical, everyday activities that focused the mind. Service to humanity would likewise come through unique ideas that he would need to perfect and then share.

The planets

Bach’s Sun-sign is Libra and, as with all signs, there are both positive and negative traits. The Sun represents the core energy of a person, while the sign it is in shows how they express that energy. His core energy was to harmonise, balance, empathise and to seek peace. The negative traits could have been acting always to please others, indecision and being unrealistic. On more spiritual levels Libra, like its counterpart Aries, is a warrior. It will fight for what it feels is right and proper. However it will also deliberately unbalance a situation so that a new state of balance can emerge. Although evident from the breakthroughs and the unusualness of his work, it is likely that this was more apparent in his personal relationships.

Edward Bach’s Sun was closely linked with two other planets (Uranus and Mercury). Uranus amplifies the need to do something unique and not live by the rules. It creates a lot of inner tension and restlessness that can often only be released by close contact with nature. It could have fuelled Bach’s love of ceremony (he was a Freemason) and given very strong intuition. Curbing or not using these strong traits could have created health problems.

The second planet in close contact with his Sun is Mercury. Mercury can show how the mind works and the ability to communicate in an everyday way. His Mercury was in Virgo. Bach’s ability to communicate could therefore have been quite concise and methodical. Everyday communication with others could have also been quite tense and terse. This combination often creates a lot of internal fear, worry and anxiety. The sign of Virgo corresponds to logic, science, health and medicine so following that sort of path would have come easily to him. However the Libra energy is quite dominant and homoeopathy is often thought of as a Libran skill (like cures like) which in turn would have created an avenue for his powerful intuition. The downside of the Mercury/Virgo placement would be a tendency to be a perfectionist, have a workaholic streak and also a level of unpredictability that could have made him difficult to work with.

His Moon sign was Leo. The Moon can be said to represent the knee-jerk emotional reactions someone has and underpins the emotional state that dominates early life. The emotions linked to the Moon should evolve and mature as one gets older, but they remain the place to run to for emotional safety. Moon in Leo can be very demanding because it feeds on attention and praise. It can also be quite patronising and stubborn. When appreciated it can reciprocate by being generous, playful and very creative.

The placement of the Moon in this rectified chart would suggest that Edward Bach might have seen his emotions and his needs as something that made him feel very vulnerable. As the eldest of three children he may have initially got a lot of attention. With younger siblings subsequently in tow, it is unlikely that the attention continued. Without resolution this could have created difficulties in his later relationships, especially with women. He may have had a tendency to withdraw and become quite aloof when emotions ran high.

Venus is another planet in Virgo. Venus represents the ability to express creativity, your feelings about yourself and the ability to relate to others. As a planet it does not function too well through Virgo. Creativity can be hampered by the need to get everything right and although a very practical sign, it hints at constant dissatisfaction. His expectations of himself are likely to have been well in excess even of his considerable abilities. It could therefore have been a source of great stress and anxiety.

This placement also errs towards expressions of martyrdom, seeing others as more worthy of his attention (and of being cared for) than dealing with his own needs. With relationships he might have come across as quite prissy and exacting, not at all relaxed. Yet at the same time he might have been very aware of other people’s needs. In medical astrology, Virgo is linked to the small intestine. It is fascinating then that Bach should develop the homoeopathic bowel nosodes as part of his discoveries.

Mars in Scorpio is probably as much of a contrast as you could get to Venus in Virgo. Mars is linked to the expression of life-force and libido. In Scorpio, this is very intense, deep and sexual. It is a classic placement for a surgeon, a skill that Bach did use until he realised its limitations. This placement would have helped to fuel his desire to carry out research, giving him the energy to get to the core of any topic especially when it was associated with healing or areas that were unpopular with other researchers. Unfortunately this would have created difficulties in relationship situations. The paradox of deep and powerful emotions with an almost virginal restraint would have been difficult to live with or deal with. This tendency to ‘blow hot and cold’ might have confused many people. However the biggest difficulty for him would have been what he may have perceived was going on inside.

No matter what the Venus/Virgo situation, the Mars/Scorpio would create a huge amount of inner conflict and vice versa. For a Libran Sun-sign this would be akin to torture — hardly achieving any level of inner peace in the personal life. The only escape would be work, where the two planetary placements blended together well. Even at work it could have also made him prone to powerful verbal outbursts, which in turn would create further inner wounds to his Libran Sun.

Jupiter is the third planet in his chart in Libra. Jupiter is the desire to expand horizons and the ability to gain wisdom through understanding. In Libra it brings the desire to share findings with others and also an overwhelming need not to work or be alone. On finer levels this would underpin Bach’s drive to improve the well-being of everyone and his need to talk to diverse groups to explain his philosophy.

Saturn rests in Cancer. Saturn represents what restricts and contains us and ironically, also what sets us free. (A publication by Bach in 1932 was titled ‘Free Thyself’. Some people see it as where we meet our tests in life. In Cancer, Bach’s sensitivity to people and situations that he would feel constricting or repressive, is quite strong. It might have been that from time to time he could read situations from a depressed and negative standpoint. When Saturn in this placement is understood, your own and other people’s personal suffering is understood. This may have helped with the topic entitled ‘Ye Suffer for Yourselves’ a presentation given in 1931.

The Saturn in Cancer also seems to act as a dam for the powerful emotions of the Moon and Mars. The strain on the physical body would have nevertheless been very marked as Saturn attempts to rein in and control the emotions. His efforts to work with this could have led to his appearance of being unfeeling and somewhat cruel, when in fact he was trying to deal with a lot of inner conflicts. He could therefore have seemed very inhibited with some people, yet very sensual with others.

Neptune in the chart is in Taurus. This earth-sign would help to anchor the ideas, ideals and inspiration of the Neptune. It is the combination of an artist with practical skills. To combat the illusory nature of Neptune, he would have had to work hard to keep his goals very clear.

Pluto was not discovered until the 1930s. In Bach’s chart it would have been in Gemini. This underlined the importance of communication in his life and that he had to find a way to communicate to the man-in-the-street (Gemini) as well as later taking his skills to his peer group (Sagittarius). Pluto in Gemini is said to introduce the idea of treating the whole person by lifting healing above the duality of solely treating the symptoms of someone’s disease without dealing with the cause.

Chiron was not discovered until 1977 and most people feel it relates to the teacher/healer within. Chiron’s expression does not tend to become prominent until the issues around the placement are resolved. In this rectified chart, Chiron appears in Gemini, close to the eastern horizon. This would suggest that Bach was the archetypal teacher/healer in the tradition of Chiron, the centaur. That is, the drive to heal his own inner wounds would enable him to heal everyone else. His own wounds, though, would never be able to be healed. In Gemini, this would also mean trying to heal everyone, not just those with money to pay for it. It would be crucial that his system was holistic and could be understood by anyone.

The ascendant

The possibility of Gemini as his Ascendant (the sign that cuts the eastern horizon at birth) poses intriguing questions. Gemini is frequently associated with a need to communicate and a certain amount of unintentional duplicity. This could come from the flexibility and speed of thought, reaction and mannerisms sometimes leading others to be distrustful. Gemini, though, can work at two levels alternately or simultaneously. This would bring the capacity to understand and communicate with the everyday man-in-the-street but also to be able to talk about very complex issues.

Conclusion

In conclusion, from the birth chart it could be confirmed that Edward Bach was a most gifted person with an important role to play in the world of healing. For that he gains our admiration. It shows us too that he was not a blemish-free, saintly person, but a human being. He struggled with his inner disparate energies yet managed to reach remarkable achievements. For that he gains our respect.

A rectified chart is one where the exact time of birth is not known, but a time is deduced from other information concerning the person’s life. There are several methods of doing this. The most common is by isolating key events in the life and astrologically working backwards from there.