In the great theater of existence, where stars dance in silence and galaxies whisper ancient secrets, every human birth appears as a delicate note in an infinite cosmic symphony. Just as celestial signs have illuminated the great millennial spiritual events — let us recall the Star of Bethlehem, silent messenger of a new Light —, every soul that incarnates also seems to receive from the universe a subtle imprint, a luminous caress that marks its journey on earth, an invitation to wonder before the interconnection of all things.
Let us first listen to Baha'u'llah and then Abdu'l-Baha enlighten us on these phenomena, after which we will attempt to elucidate the question of astral influence on human destiny with the help of science.… it hath become clear and manifest that before the revelation of each of the Mirrors reflecting the divine Essence, the signs heralding their advent must needs be revealed in the visible heaven as well as in the invisible…
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How much the organs, the members and the parts of the body of man are intermingled and connected for mutual aid and help, and how much they influence one another ! In the same way, the parts of this infinite universe have their members and elements connected with one another, and influence one another spiritually and materially.
Is it not fascinating! Of course, we are not speaking of divinatory astrology, which is condemned by the religion, but rather of the effects of the delicate threads that link the universe in a divine symphony. String Theory, in contemporary theoretical physics, moreover postulates that all matter and energy in the universe would be composed of tiny vibrating strings, whose different modes of vibration give rise to elementary particles and fundamental forces. Thus, at the most intimate scale, everything would be interconnected in a single “symphony” of vibration.
Without making it an absolute, we can thus envisage that the planetary forces do indeed exert an influence on nature, including on human beings, and first on the physiological level. Abdu’l-Baha expresses it clearly in a letter to Ella Cooper:The planets and stars have no spiritual effect in the earthly world, but the parts of the universe which are in endless space are closely connected with each other. This connection produces material effects.
This idea of a cosmic imprint on the human body and temperament has a long scientific and medical tradition that has been built link by link:
Hippocrates (5th–4th century BC) was the first great initiator by introducing the theory of the four humors: blood (sanguine temperament: warm, sociable), yellow bile (choleric: dynamic, irascible), black bile (melancholic: reflective, introspective) and phlegm (phlegmatic: calm, peaceful). These humors were, according to him, influenced by the seasons, the elements and the celestial movements. Then Galen, the great physician of the 2nd century, systematized this theory by linking each humor to a planet and an organ. Avicenna, in the 11th century, integrated it into a holistic medical system. A few centuries later, Paracelsus developed an alchemical medicine in which each organ and temperament corresponds to a planet.
Could this be one of the reasons why the Blessed Beauty invited us to consider the ancient knowledge in order to better appreciate the influence of the stars on matter? Thou hast, moreover, asked Me concerning the nature of the celestial spheres. To comprehend their nature, it would be necessary to inquire into the meaning of the allusions that have been made in the Books of old to the celestial spheres and the heavens, and to discover the character of their relationship to this physical world, and the influence which they exert upon it. Every heart is filled with wonder at so bewildering a theme, and every mind is perplexed by its mystery. God, alone, can fathom its import.
Many
advanced civilizations have disappeared over the millennia. We should
therefore not be surprised by the high knowledge that these Ancients
possessed and that we sometimes rediscover.
In the 20th century, this lineage of researchers continued with a more scientific approach based on empirical psychological observations. In France, René Le Senne founded modern characterology, classifying individuals according to three measurable polarities (emotivity, activity, secondarity), giving birth to eight psychological types (nervous, sentimental, passionate, choleric, sanguine, phlegmatic and apathetic). Gaston Berger and others extended this approach by applying it to education, vocational guidance and personal development through systematic testing and clinical observation. In parallel, Louis Corman’s morphopsychology relied on precise facial and bodily measurements to establish correspondence between physical structure and temperament.
For his part, Dr. Pierre André, in De la plante à l’étoile – Introduction à la Médecine astrologique (1988), highlighted the striking correspondences between the planets, the endocrine glands and the hormones. He notably presented diagrams showing the formal singularity between traditional astrological symbols and the microscopic structure of certain hormones or glands. According to his observations, the influence of planetary configurations would fully take effect from the moment the newborn is separated from its mother by the cutting of the umbilical cord. For as long as it remains biologically linked to its mother, it remains influenced by her terrain, whereas once independent, it enters directly into resonance with the cosmic field present at that place and time.
In the United States, Victor G. Rocine analyzed thousands of bodies and their ashes to establish correspondences between mineral dominances and morphology. These “chemical types” offer an empirical observation grid that then illuminates the planetary imprint on the biochemical and hormonal terrain of the newborn. Louis Turgeon, in Quebec, took up and illustrated this approach in La Face Humaine Analysée, offering 21 type portraits of striking acuity according to his readers.
Thus, what might have begun as an ancient and spiritual intuition — the influence of the stars on
human beings — has gradually evolved into a more rigorous approach,
nourished by clinical observations, anthropometric measurements, and
biochemical analyses, a science of the human terrain that everyone would benefit from
knowing better in order to understand themselves more deeply and to
fulfill their potential.
Starting from the premise that everything in the universe inter-influences, we can therefore deduce that the power of attraction of the planets, which acts on all nature, also acts on man. Thus, a well-drawn birth chart would not describe a fixed destiny, but a starting point: a terrain upon which human free will is exercised. Through education, conscious nutrition, prayer, spiritual effort and self-transformation, we can enrich, balance or transcend these initial tendencies. For a complementary reflection on man’s destiny from a baha'i perspective, one may consult: EACH OUR DESTINY.
The respectful study of cosmic influences on the human terrain can thus become a precious tool for self-knowledge. It reminds us, moreover, that we are not isolated beings, but members of an interconnected universe — a reflection of the infinite wisdom of the Creator. Every well-drawn birth chart then becomes an invitation to know ourselves better, to elevate ourselves more easily, and to exercise, in full consciousness, the noble gift of free will.
Here is the recommended free CHART CALCULATOR suggested by the baha'i astrologer Alexander Zoltai, author of Astrological Repair Manual, which precisely aims at this knowledge and transpersonal growth. Perhaps these facts
remind us of the following instructions of the Blessed Beauty regarding
the birth of the child and the inspired choice of his name:
It
is recommended that the words ‘Alláh-u-Abhá’ be whispered into the
right ear of the newborn child by the father or the mother.
And: Let
the parents choose a name for their child with the utmost care and
consideration. They should pray to God that the name may be a source of
blessing for the child.
