A Write-Up: Cambridge Astrology Club @ Curious Cures Exhibition
- Heather McVey
- Aug 28, 2025
- 10 min read
Updated: Sep 2, 2025
On Saturday 9th August, 2025, Cambridge Astrology Club gathered for its first special event: an outing to the exhibition Curious Cures—Medicine in the Medieval World, at Cambridge University Library. Blessed with sunny weather and a fantastic turnout, astrology friends travelled from as far as London, Leicester, Biggleswade, Bury St. Edmunds, and Bedford to join us here in Cambridge. After the exhibition, the group enjoyed a leisurely walk through historic Cambridge to No. 30 Chesterton Road, where we were treated to a lunchtime talk by our guest speaker Dr. Chris Mitchell on planetary strength in medieval astrology.
Curious Cures Exhibition
The medieval medicine exhibition was divided over two floors, with manuscripts displayed on the ground floor, and larger anatomical diagrams exhibited on the first floor.
Astrological Medicine
One of the most striking displays concerned astrological medicine, a reminder of just how integrated astrology and medicine once were. A wall panel summarised:
'By the end of the medieval period, the influence of heavenly bodies upon human bodies was widely accepted... Planets and zodiac constellations became linked to humours, qualities, and body parts. Mathematical tables and tools enabled practitioners to incorporate astrological observations into their diagnoses and prognoses.'
The Humours and the Fourfold System
The exhibition gave prominence to the humours, an ancient system of understanding the body's chemical systems that had dominated medicine well into the Renaissance—since antiquity. Beautifully presented diagrams illustrated the dynamic interplay of the four humours (blood, yellow bile, black bile, phlegm), the four temperaments (sanguine, choleric, melancholic, phlegmatic), the four elements, (air, fire, earth, water), the four qualities, (hot, dry, moist, cold). the four seasons, and the four ages of man (childhood, youth, age, senility).
The description card for the humours diagram in Figure 4, reads as follows:
Changes in the humours
This diagram illustrates how the humours fluctuated according to a person's age and the season. A physician would consider this principle when diagnosing illness and prescribing treatment. For example, a youth possesses more choler, whose qualities are heat and dryness. This would be exacerbated in summer, since the dominant element, fire, shares choler's characteristics. However, in winter, the excess of choler would be counterbalanced by the dominant element, water, whose qualities are coldness and dampness.'
To provide a brief but broader historical context to the development of the humours, the following section explores the chronology and ancient routes of humoural theory, taking more of an essay-like format and tone. To jump ahead click here. Hippocrates and Polybus on the Humours Humoural theory and its application to Western medicine are largely attributed to Hippocrates (c. 460–370 BCE), though it was his son-in-law and disciple Polybus, who, according to David Wootton, Professor of the History of Medicine at the University of York, added a fourth humour to Hippocrates' three, and explicitly linked them to the four elements and qualities. Empedocles and the Four Elements
Polybus was able to make such correlations following Empedocles' (c. 495-435 BCE), earlier introduction of earth, fire, water, and air, as a complete cosmological, philosophical and physical solution to the earlier philosophical questions of which of the four elements was the fundamental material of the cosmos. The answer? All of them. Indeed this question, as Nick Campion noted, had been bothering philosophers since Thales of Miletus (c.626-545 BCE) who had asserted that water was the most fundamental material of the cosmos—positing that the earth was flat and floated on water.
Following Empedocles' elemental revelation, and for the next 2000 years until the 17th century, the four elements were accepted as the intrinsic components, and fundamental building blocks of all physical matter. However, as Campion further pointed out, C.G. Jung (1882-1961) had, in modern times, adapted and incorporated the four elements into the metaphysical structure of analytical psychology, with Campion underscoring the fact that both Aristotle—who had developed Emedocles' four elements—and Jung, had both understood that the physical matter comprised of the fundamental elements did not exist without mind.
Astrology and the Elements
Empedocles’ four elements laid the foundation for later astrological integrations, which appear in our earliest surviving 2nd-century astrological texts by Vettius Valens (120-175 CE), (Anthologies) and Claudius Ptolemy (c.100-160 CE), (Tetrabiblos).
Galen (129-216 CE) - Related the Humours and Temperaments to the Elements
During the 2nd century, Galen first related the four elements, the four seasons, and the four ages of man, to the four humours and temperaments, creating the more complete humoural system that became so popular throughout the medieval era through to the Renaissance and the 17th century.
As we can see, humoural theory developed over time from a least early Ancient Greece, possibly emerging from Ancient Egyptian medicine, and gradually incorporated componenets of what became the fundamental elements of medieval medicine.
Reflections As shown through exhibits pictured in Figures 4 and 5, the humours remind us that astrology was describing personality traits long before modern psychological astrology, while also highlighting the longstanding link between body and mind. While the Curious Cures exhibits were of course medical in nature, a visceral sense of this implied underlying interconnected cosmos came through strongly.
The Sun and Moon, and Timing in Medical Astrology As with all branches of Western astrology, the Sun and Moon, as life-source luminaries, play fundamental roles in delineation. In Medical Astrology, their roles were pivotal not only in representing diffferent areas of the body, such as the eyes, but also in guiding medical diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. The beautiful early 15th-century volvelles—layered rotating discs used to calculate solilunar phases that informed diagnoses, prognoses, and the timing of treatments such as blood letting (Figures 6 and 7). Through these exhibits we can see Galen's system, refined through 1300 years of study and development.
Astrologically Timed Harvesting of Herbs
The text contained in Figure 8, highlighted how astrology has also guided the timing of harvesting particular herbs and plants for medical application.
The left-hand description card for the medieval text, Figure 8, reads: Plants and planets This short text describes the optimum times for harvesting plants for medical remedies.'Mugwort may be gathered in any time of the year, but others should be picked at specific times: violets in March, rosemary flowers in May, oregano in June, saffron before sunrise, groundsel after midday. That planetary movements affected the potency of plants suggests a connection bewteen herbal and astrological medicine.
A Curious Cure for Face Wrinkles
An ointment, comprised of pleasant enough sounding ingredients—to cure wrinkles—showed us that our medieval ancestors were perhaps as concerned with facial lines as we are today, enough that they warranted eliminating at least!
Translated instructions for the composition and application of the unguent read:
'For removing wrinkles from the face: make an unguent with wormwood and honey. For the same, crush wild cucumber with water, for
three days wash the face with it, and afterwards wash with fresh water.' It wasn't clear if this particular cure had any accompanying astrological timing advice, but perhaps this recipe, made during a magical election with Venus rising in Taurus and other suitable conditions could be a winner?!
Gruesome but Beautiful On the matter of beauty, the Curious Cures exhibits were not only fascinating for their content—which for certain 'cures' could lean on the gruesome side of things—but also their exquisite aesthetic. The precision, elegance, and quality, of the calligraphy and drawings was awe-inspiring and a pleasure to observe.
We wrapped up the exhibition visit with refreshments and chat in the University Library Cafe, before taking a sunny stroll through historic Cambridge to our lunch venue, No. 30 Chesterton Road.
Lunchtime Medieval Astrology Talk at No.30
After immersing ourselves in the cosmology of medieval medicine at the exhibition, we continued the theme over lunch with our medieval astrology talk by special guest Chris Mitchell PhD.
Chris Mitchell PhD
Chris is a historian and specialist in medieval astrology earning his PhD at Leicester University on the introduction of astrology into 12th century England via Latin translations of Arabic and Hebrew astrological texts from the Islamic world. A foremost and well-regarded member of the astrological community, Chris serves as a long-term board member of both the Astrological Association of Great Britain, and the Astrological Lodge of London, and is a tutor for the Sophia Centre, teaching on the MA in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David.
Essential Dignity Wheel: Finding the Strongest Planet in your Chart
Chris delivered a fun, engaging and theatrical journey through astrological history—from the Mesopotamian sky watchers and their omens, through Egyptian, Greek, Arabian, and Indian astrologies, into Europe, to the modern day. Chris beautifully described astrology's ever-growing tapestry and chronology as an unbroken river, flowing from the earliest astrologers and star gazers, carrying each era along the way. Focusing on the medieval and renaissance eras, Chris demonstrated how the elegant systems of planetary strength and essential dignities can show that a planet which may not seem to have much going for it could, in fact, pack quite a mighty punch.
Essential Dignity Wheel Chris's excellent dignity wheel handouts, offered a clear, easy to use visual, to calculate a planet's strength/essential dignity using the medieval points system and the variation taught by English Renaissance astrologer William Lilly (1602–1681).
Essential Dignity Wheel: An Example Calculation—Mercury in Virgo
To see the dignity wheel in action, let's suppose we have Mercury at 0°25' Virgo. This placement racks up a whopping 17 points of dignity—far more than any other planetary position can accrue. Why is it such a powerhouse?
We start by finding the Virgo glyph on the outer ring of the dignity wheel. Since we are looking at 0° Virgo, align with the first notch/degree. Moving inward to the inner ring, we find the glyph for Mercury, the ruling planet of Virgo. Mercury in Virgo means it is in rulership, earning 5 points.
Next, we move outward to the second ring, still aligned with 0° Virgo. Here, we again see Mercury—because it is also in exaltation in Virgo—adding 4 points. The third ring from the center does not contain Mercury, so no points are added. On the fourth ring, Mercury appears again, showing it is in its own terms or bounds, contributing 2 more points.
So far, Mercury totals 11 points. Though not shown in Figure 12, using William Lilly's dignity table in Christian Astrology, Books 1 & 2 (p. 115), we can see that a planet conjunct Cor Leonis (Regulus) earns an 6 additional points, the maximum available for any planetary configuration. This brings our 0° Virgo Mercury’s total score to a huge 17 points!
Mercury scores so well here because Virgo is the only sign where the ruler is also the exalted planet. Additionally, the proximity of Regulus to the early degrees of Virgo now also aligns with Mercury’s own terms. using Lilly's wide orbs for fixed star conjunctions, Mercury in the first 5° of Virgo is therefore a mighty powerhouse of essential dignity—your quintessential super-hero Mercury!
Medieval Magic
Speaking of super-heroes, there is just one remaining aspect of Chris's talk to report on, for this was no ordinary run of the mill presentation! Chris managed to sneak off prior to his talk, to what must have been something akin to Clark Kent's special phone booth. On his return, Chris brought theatrical flair and a whiff of 16th century Toledo, or maybe Florence, courtesy of regal head-to-toe-attire of silk red robes, long draping headwear, complete with golden tassels. How very... Leo Rising!
The Enrichment of Medieval and Ancient Astrology The intricate, colourful, and beautiful artefacts on display at the Curious Cures exhibition, provided a close-up encounter with medieval culture and cosmology. Further enriching our time-travel, Chris's talk took us on a guided tour through astrological history. This idea of continuation conjured by both Chris and the exhibition, was grounding and reassuring, reminding us that we are intimately connected to our astrological forebears—whilst extending that continuity into future generations of astrologers. It is wonderful to locate ourselves in the magical, and deeply soul-satisfying astrological tapestry that weaves its way through time and through us. Thank You!
Finally, a big thank you to all for coming along and making Cambridge Astrology Club's first special event so... special! We were so happy and heartened that many of you travelled considerable distances, and/or came along without knowing what to expect, or without knowing anyone—we appreciated your presence and hope that you enjoyed the day.
To conclude, despite a tense Mars opposite Saturn, and a testing stationary Mercury opposite Pluto presenting a few curveballs, we feel that the joyful and abundant Venus/Jupiter conjunction, the golden Leo sunshine, and the appropriate community-gathering Aquarius Full Moon, that reflected what was simply a lovely day of shared astrological connection and enjoyment.
Special thanks to Chris Mitchell for his generosity of time, fabulous company, and expertise—you made the day fun and truly memorable for everyone. A special shout-out also to Glenda Cole for taking some excellent photos for this write-up and our website, and to Christine Carr, for her time, help, skill, and patience.
Venue, Format, and General Feedback
As this was our first event at No. 30, we were able to get a feel for how the venue and their service worked, and what can be improved for future events. We recognised that food service and lunch took longer than anticipated, and we will aim to streamline this process for any future events. Your feedback on the venue or any aspect of the day is welcome—you can reach out to us at cambridgeastrologyclub@gmail.com. Upcoming Events
Join us for one of our upcoming events and help us build on our promising beginnings! Our next Social Pub-Meet is at The Green Dragon in Chesterton on Saturday 20th September at 4.30pm - please RSVP if you plan on coming along.
Our next special event is our halloween, darkly glittering, candle-lit murder mystery: Deadly Divisions: An Astrological Murder Mystery on the River Cam.
The setting: It is the 2025 Annual Antares Astrological Awards dinner, and house division feuds turn fatal. We have a star studded evening for you, with treats, prizes, and thrills. Join us at No.30, Chesterton Road, on Friday, October 31, 2025, at 6.15pm. N.B We are awaiting the updated seasonal menu from the venue before we open booking, but in the meantime please find more info and RSVP here. Until next time,
Starry wishes, Heather McVey
Cambridge Astrology Club cambridgeastrologyclub.com
cambridgeastrologyclub@gmail.com facebook.com/groups/cambridgeastrologyclub instagram.com/cambridgeastrologyclub (coming v.soon!)
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