By Merryl Key
BA Communications, Dip Health Sci (Hol Kines)
Astrology is the study of planetary movements and what British Astologer, Jonathon Cainer calls the “messages in the sky”. The “messages” are mapped out in our astrological birth chart according to the position and orbit of the planets, asteroids and constellations. Pythagoras called this planetary movement “The Harmony of the Spheres’, and summised that all of nature carries the same mathematical proportions and patterns, as mapped by the movement of planets and celestial bodies: the microcosm in the macrocosm.
Each person’s natal chart is not only a reflection of these laws, but a personal map of potentials and challenges. It holds the key to our greatest strengths and resources, as well as difficult patterns of behaviour, health problems and stressful events. Understanding the pathways and expression of planetary energy gives great insight into where we block potential or struggle with issues. This forms the basis of Astrological Kinesiology, which is to approach astrological influence in terms of pathways of planetary energy, and apply the laws of energy to balance and correct it. Kinesiology practioners, Kerrie McFarlane and Merryl Key developed Astrological Kinesiology in response to a need to utelise and map the powerful affect of astrological and planterary energy in a practical and harmonious way.
This integration of kinesiology and astrology opens the door to some very practical methods of using planetary energy and helps develop an understanding of the deep psychological motivations and reoccurring patterns that cause physical, mental, emotional and spiritual conflict. Issues such as ‘at risk’ behaviour, the incidence of sexual, physical or psychological abuse, learning disabilities, mental health problems, lack of direction and purpose and difficulties in relationships can all be revealed in the natal chart. Through muscle testing, it is possible to know exactly where to start in the interpretation and to know what aspects of that sign or planet are mostly relevant to the individual. Furthermore, it is possible to identify which planets and aspects are influencing which meridians and acupoints, and so balance the physiological effect planetary energy has on the physical/etheric body.
This is exciting and original work that draws on astrology to directly focus on wholistically healing the individual. It is a timely and powerful bridging tool, not only for astrologers to work more directly with the body, but for healers to integrate their work with astrology and planetary energy.
As workers in vibrational medicine, kinesiologists practise a belief that a healthy human body is balanced through the laws of energy and frequency. Planetary energy carries the vibrational frequencies of the planets and their relationship to earth and each other. This energy travels a pathway that reaches us through the Atmic plane of the subtle bodies, then to the meridian system. The meridian system is electrical in nature and very responsive to planetary frequencies. It also very responsive to Kinesiology procedures and correction tecniques such as tuning forks, flower essences and quintessences, colour, acupressure and tapping. This gives kinesiology a tremendous advantage in accessing and correcting planetary energy in meridians.
By mapping a natal chart to the meridians, one can access the various planetary positions: trines, oppositions, squares, etc. through the energetic/physical interface of the meridian and chakra system. Just as each person’s natal chart is as unique as our own DNA strands, this planetary/meridian map will be different for everybody, making it an incredibly unique and individual interpretation. By identifying this relationship, it is then possible to assist the body in its ability to handle these influences and manage any adversely affected planetary positions in the most positive way available. Astrological Kinesiology is a vital link in difficult-to-shift behaviours such as depression and learning disabilities, and during stressful life changes such as menopause, mid-life crisis, and the ‘Saturn Return ‘ period at age 29.
Planetary energy is a very heavy kind of energy and where we carry it in our body (or subtle bodies) can feel encumbered and weighed down. It can stop us making changes, from pursuing our higher purpose or discovering our natural talents. Clients receiving an Astrological Kinesiology balance not only deepen their understanding of the issues confronting them, but look and feel physically very different once the stress of planetary energy is balanced. They report feeling a great weight is lifted and this is reflected in their eyes and face, which look brighter and stress free. With less stress and greater insight, they are able to re-route opportunites where once they felt locked into patterns of behaviour. Clients feel it is a huge relief to be open to choice and overcome difficulties in the ‘indelible stamp’ mapped out from birth in their natal chart.
Another important feature in the work of Astrological Kinesiology is the introduction of Aspect Balances, using specific acupoints to clear the stress of clashing planetary frequencies. As planets orbit around the Sun, the relationship they have to each other can cause a ‘frequency mismatch’ – generally identified in a chart as a square, opposition or conjunction. Other times, planets in orbit can have a favourable and harmonious relationship to each other – generally called a trine or sextile. These relationships are called Aspects, and are an essential part of understanding chart interpretation and our basic motivations. If you imagine each planet emitting a certain sound or tone, planets in a square or opposition to each other would sound off-key and out of tune; a conjunction would sound as if two or more notes were so close together that they would create unusual harmonics, sometimes very beautiful to hear, and sometimes very off-putting; a trine or sextile would produce a a harmonious or pleasant sound.The introduction of using specific acupoints to balance planetary relationships not only allows greater flexibility in the application of the Astrological Kinesiology procedure, but brings relief to the stress, confusion, immobilisation or recklessness typical of difficult aspects. The Aspect Balance has been really useful in working with transits and specific treatments, such as learning disabilities (Mercury’s aspects), sex abuse (Pluto and Chiron’s aspects) and addictions (Neptune’s aspects).
Help in Healing the Past: “Janine”
One example is “Janine”, a gentle and free spirited Sagittarian student of Astrology who was interested in using Astrological Kinesiology to heal some Pluto/Chiron issues in her birth chart. With the strong influence of Mars, Uranus and Pluto (all expressed, significantly, through Pericardium) in her 8th house, Janine has bravely and honestly survived personal trauma in her life such as physical assault and sexual abuse, often in isolation from support. She has a tendency towards self sacrifice and her relationships at times follow a pattern of partners who had addictions, or who were unable to commit. Her genuinely compassionate nature (Moon in Pisces/Stomach in first house) confused her boundaries further, leaving her in very unsafe and vulnerable situations. Janine wanted to learn to trust life and enjoy herself again.
In her first session, Janine muscle-tested a priority to work with her Aquarius/Spleen Ascendant and prepare her for change. She needed to feel she could come out into the world and share her unique creative potential. In addition, the Pisces/Stomach expression of Janine’s Moon is one of tremendous sensitivity and compassion – she is very sympathetic to the needs of others but must develop clearer boundaries in her relationships. The history of abuse in her past had meant she had developed a tendency towards self blame and readily took on blame from others. Paintbrush Lily essence was used to help break fear of change and Golden Drops (both Elemental Essences) was used to develop confidence in expressing her creativity without fear of reprisal. The poem included in the introduction of this newsletter was written by Janine and after this session she decided she would seek publication and other outlets for the poetry and music she writes.
Follow-up sessions with Janine saw her growing in strength, confidence and clarity. She was also undertaking kinesiology treatments for scoliosis with another kinesiologist and we tailored the Astrological Kinesiology sessions to complement the structural work she was receiving. In one session, we worked with a difficult Pluto in Virgo/Pericardium opposition to Saturn in Pisces/Spleen that had left her open and vulnerable to attack in domestic situations. In another we worked with her Sagittarius/Small Intestine Sun, square to Chiron in Pisces/Stomach – a placement that creates obstacles on the path to self healing, but also offers tremendous strength and insight to face the pain and heal yourself and others. Janine needed the Australian Bush essences, Boab (to clear past family karma) and Green Spider Orchid (nightmares from past experiences, fear and terror) during this session and we discussed the physical abuse she had suffered, balancing her to the goal “I am standing in my power”. That both her Sun and Chiron are in the Yang meridians of Small Intestine and Stomach literally gives her the ‘guts’ to stand in her power, but it was a difficult session for Janine and she needed another session to integrate not only the huge shifts she was making, but the (unfamiliar sense of) anger she was experiencing towards her attackers.
I last saw Janine about a month ago. She had been reading up about Chiron – a celestial body whose influence offers the chance to undergo self healing through painful experience. Chiron’s placement adds depth, compassion, spirituality and intuition to the birth chart: it is the indicator of the healer and teacher. Janine has Chiron strongly placed in Pisces/Stomach in the second house, and much of her spiritual wounds have come from the second house experience of physical trauma. She also has Chiron opposite Pluto and Uranus and conjunct Saturn, adding a karmic and fundamentally essential dimension to Chiron’s influence. Janine felt the conjunction with Saturn had expressed itself in the heavy-handed, authoritarian or rigid relationships she had experienced with men. At times this had made her feel very insecure and isolated, and with both Chiron and Saturn in Stomach meridian, eating disorders had affected her at different times in her life. We worked to take the stress off Saturn’s crushing influence and allow Chiron’s healing and intuition to flow more naturally by using the Astrological Kinesiology aspect balance. Janine decide to placate Saturn’s negative voice and desire for order by performing a simple daily ritual that would promote her own self worth and recognition of the work in self growth she had done to date.
Janine feels hopeful about the future and will be moving to Northern New South Wales to explore opportunities in developing outlets for her creative skills and potential as a healer.
After her first session, Janine wrote:
Hi Merryl, how are you?
Thank you for the Kinesiology session I had with you last week. It seems to have really helped. I felt incredibly tired afterwards when I got home later that evening, and had a really deep sleep. I thought about it quite a bit the next day and realised that it was the work you did on releasing ‘Blame’ that was really powerful. What you said about me taking the blame for things that have happened around me, seemed to make a lot more sense the next day after the session. I had never put that feeling into words before and it didn’t feel totally right when you mentioned or suggested that in the session. But I think I’d carried that feeling for years…..connected with my sensitivity from my Pisces Moon in the first house I suppose, and my childhood stuff….
Thanks so much for the work you did with me last week
Stay Cool!!
(A big thanks to Janine for allowing her case study to be published here.)
Astrological Kinesiology has been used to help clients overcome fear in times of change, and with problems such as asserting self expression, time management difficulties, seeking a satisfying career path, expressing creativity and reoccurring relationship and communication problems. It has also been used to help clients deal with difficult health issues such as allergies, depression and drug and alcohol addiction. Healers working in the area of past lives have found Astrological Kinesiology a useful mechanism to interact directly with the bodies’ physical structure through the karmic information in the natal chart. It has the effect of reducing stress around very intense emotions and reactions that have become habitual because the underlying core motivations are held in astrological archetypal patterns ingrained from birth.
The synthesis of astrology and kinesiology is an original and wholistic method of working with the effect of planetary energy on the bodies’ energetic and physical systems. Astrological Kinesiology brings together universal forms of energy through the Harmony of the Spheres to the Law of Five Elements. It is an incredibly useful tool that can instigate meaningful change and empowerment for the individual, based on the balanced flow of energy and the unique blueprint of potentials mapped out from birth in the natal chart.
For further information about Astrological Kinesiology, please call Merryl Key on 0403 0201 61 or mkey@netspace.net.au
Merryl Key
Astrological Kinesiology
All rights reserved March 2001©
2198 words . Adapted from an article by Merryl Key first published in the IASK newsletter, Autumn, 2001
Presented at Victorian Kinesiology Association Conference June 2001