As a student of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), I’m always fascinated by the many layers of what we study, and how it all weaves together the body, mind, spirit and the environment. Lately, I’ve been diving into a layer that doesn’t always come up in our everyday coursework but feels incredibly interesting: using astrology and Chinese birth charts, or Ba Zi, to help guide treatment.
Traditional Chinese Medicine
In TCM, we talk a lot about patterns, and how Yin, Yang and the Five Elements influence our health and well-being. Chinese astrology takes that a step further, by mapping out a person’s energetic blueprint from the moment they’re born. A Ba Zi chart, built from the year, month, day, and hour of birth, can give insight into which elements might be a bit too strong, which might be lacking and how that balance (or imbalance) could show up in someone’s personality, constitution and even the kinds of challenges they might face in life.
What really draws me to exploring Ba Zi is how personal it feels. Beyond pulse and tongue diagnosis, which are so valuable for seeing what’s going on right now, a birth chart can bring to light deeper patterns or emotional tendencies that might not come up in conversation during a treatment. It feels like having another lens to understanding the whole person, adding more nuance to how we support them.
What’s also amazing is how this kind of insight doesn’t just help us as practitioners, but it can really help patients understand themselves better, too. When someone sees their chart and starts to recognize their own strengths, weaknesses and elemental patterns, it can spark a lot of self-reflection. Sometimes, it helps people feel seen in a way they haven’t before, and it can open conversations about lifestyle, emotions and choices that support better balance and health.
Where East Meets West
I’m still new to figuring out how to blend these ancient tools with what we’re taught in school, but it feels so aligned with what made me fall in love with TCM in the first place: the idea of treating each person as completely unique and deeply connected to the natural world and the cosmos. There’s something so special about combining the wisdom of the stars with what we do here on earth. I’m really excited to keep diving deeper into this and see how blending astrology with TCM can bring even more depth and insight into my future practice.
