Often, it's when I least expect it - like ten minutes before the end of a very lenghthy consultation - that clients all of a sudden reveal the most important bits of information. Things that make me go: "OK, now we're talking!" All of a sudden, I understand what the astrological symbols are trying to tell me about this particular person.
In medical astrology, we clearly distinguish between symptoms and underlying inbalances. A person can have very "fiery", heat-related symptoms, but underneath we may find an excess of cold - where "heat" and "cold" are to an extent metaphorical terms and have a much broader meaning than just literal heat and cold.
One particular client showed Capricorn in one of her charts, as indicator of the underlying inbalance. Capricorn indicates severe cold. It's the mountain goat that has climbed to the top and is now looking out over a snowy and icy landscape, symbolising the earthy, material domain that he/she has conquered, step by solitary step. Icy temperatures will not only cool things down, they will also cause things to get frozen, fixed in place. The tissues are in a state of "cold-depression", because the bodily functions (and/or emotions) get depressed.
There are of course many herbs that can help rebalance such a condition, and I had noted several already. However, I felt I had not been able to really put my finger on what was going on, until the client blurted out that the problems she had, had started after she had not been able to properly mourn the death of two loved ones.
Capricorn is linked to the planet Saturn, who represents time, and death. No wonder we had Capricorn showing up! As for the herbs, things could not be more clear. If there is one herb I will swear by when it comes to processing grief and helping people who are (or should be) in mourning, it is Elder (Vlier/Sureau) (Sambucus Nigra). So that went straight into my suggested formula. More on Elder in a future blogpost!