Chiron is a baffling, mysterious and compelling celestial object, held in high regard in the astrological community. In 1977, its discoverer hailed Chiron as a comet, but since then it has undergone several changes in its designation. Even to this day there is contention about whether it is a dwarf planet, an asteroid, a comet, or something else.
Planets represent different psychological drives, pushing us to think, act and behave in certain ways. Every planet, and a few privileged, select, celestial bodies such as Chiron, symbolizes a unique archetypal expression of the human experience. The experiences of the planetary archetypes are threads linking every person ever born, and are fundamental to the collective experience of humanity.
There’s always intrigue surrounding Chiron because of its strangeness. On a symbolic level, it’s a deep, burning gash reaching to our core, tearing us apart. It represents the height of our vulnerability. The experience of the proverbial Achilles Heel is ever-present, whether we are consciously aware of it or not.
Myth of Achilles – A mighty warrior from Greek mythology. As a baby, his mother dipped him into the River Styx so he would receive the gift of invincibility and protection from all harm. However, the small spot on his heel where his Mother held him remained his only weakness. It was the one place he was vulnerable and ultimately he succumbed to death by an arrow shot in exactly that spot.
Although deep wounds can show up physically in the form of disfigurements, disease and disabilities, they are first and foremost wounds in our spirit. Chiron forces us to grapple with the perennial dilemma of duality- finding harmony and meaning for the sharp, opposing forces which cut up the psyche. For example, it could be the feminine yin side versus the masculine yang side, or contention between the physical body and the spiritual one.
Yin- Feminine qualities such as soft, yielding, receptive, quiet and dark. Together with Yang, they make up the dual forces of nature, complementary but oppositional in nature.
Yang- Masculine qualities such as hard, active, forceful, loud and bright. Yin and Yang would not exist without each other. They are mutually dependent on each other.
There’s a mountain of power hidden in Chiron- the unmistakable impetus to face threats, fears and challenges when we know something valuable is at stake. At heart, some part of us deep down knows a price must be paid in order to gain liberation. Chiron can also represent what we hide from and refuse to face unless left with no choice but to confront it.
Being the most vulnerable part of us, the wound vibrates at a low frequency with a heavy quality to it. Low frequency emotions include shame, guilt, fear, vengeance, rejection or worthlessness. These are not your garden variety, bad day moments but deep sensations that paralyze us, or send us into irrational, nonsensical states of being. To protect ourselves we often bury the wound as deep within as possible, but no matter how well we attempt to cover it, the low vibrations always manage to percolate upwards.
The location of Chiron in the birth chart shows where we experience lack- a lack of meaning, joy, purpose or wholeness. However, discovering the location of this tempestuous hole is also the equivalent to finding the Horn of Plenty. Daring to enter Chironic territory charges us up, flooding us with insight and gifts to bring meaning and wholeness where there was none.
The brave act of exploring the thing that terrifies you at your very core, the very thing that eats at your soul, is the key to gaining wisdom. Which neatly corresponds to the glyph for Chiron. It is a circle with what looks like the letter K attached to it. The image closely resembles that of a key. Chiron is the instrument that unlocks healing gifts and gives access to higher states of being.
If we consider Chiron’s cosmological position, orbiting between Jupiter and Neptune, and its symbolic position, nestled between Saturn and Uranus, a whole new perspective arises. Saturn is the outer limits of our own known world, representing the hard, three dimensional world bound by the rules of Time and Matter.
Uranus, on the other hand, blows it all up, disrupting the foundations and structures we thought were solid. It throws us into maelstroms of chaos, forcing change upon us. Often these changes are not welcome, but ultimately are for our betterment. The outer planets in general (Uranus, Neptune and Pluto) all represent forces outside of our control. They influence us all in fateful, unrelenting and usually punishing ways- whether we are sinners or saints, none escape.
All this puts Chiron in a unique position, as the connector between what is familiar, and within our conscious awareness, with that which is numinous, incorporeal, and resides in our subterranean levels of consciousness. This mechanism makes it possible to extend ourselves into unknown territory of the psyche in order to transcend our wounds.
Uranus, the planet of rebellion and innovation, asks us to use unorthodox or idiosyncratic methods to heal. Saturn asks us to remember the material world, the laws of nature and structure. Chiron integrates the human part with the heavenly, eternal part. You can have your head in the clouds as long as your feet are on the ground, so to speak.
Story of Chiron- Chiron was a Centaur, his upper half was human and his lower half was horse. He embodied drastically different traits from his fellow Centaurs. He was refined, gentle, exceptionally wise and incredibly talented in healing, the arts and philosophy. His brethren were known for bad manners, ill humor and wild debauchery. Chiron mentored many who later became the great heroes of Greek mythology.
Tragically, Chiron sustained a terrible injury and endured great pain because of it. He could use his own experience to heal others but could not do so to help himself. Being immortal, he was doomed to suffer for all eternity, but eventually the Gods took pity on him and finally let him die. His legacy as ‘The Wounded Healer” retains its relevance in astrology today.
To heal does not mean there will not be any scars left behind. Through a well explored Chiron, trying times throw open a connection to a mysterious, occluded source of strength that allows you to carry on, possibly inspiring others along the way. Acting with integrity, even when feeling less than whole, not only becomes possible, but a very attractive option.
Chiron offers the opportunity to impart wisdom, help others, and not cause further damage to yourself or the rest of the world. It can set the guidelines for your spiritual quest. Do you want to face it head on and walk the bridge that connects you to something greater than you can currently imagine?
Learning more about the house placement and sign of your Chiron helps you access hidden sources of knowledge. You can start to plug the holes of weakness before you are tested. Strengthen yourself before the battle. You don’t have to wait until you are in crisis to search for ways to heal. If you are in crisis, then no better time to investigate than the present.
Asteroid- Roundish in appearance and made of rock. Found in the Asteroid Belt, located between Mars and Jupiter.
Comet- Made of dust and ice. As one travels closer toward the sun, it begins to vaporize and this produces the iconic tail.
Chiron- First designated as an asteroid when discovered in 1977, although it does not reside in the Asteroid Belt. Since then, it has been reclassified many times, and even today there is debate on whether it is a comet, dwarf planet or something else. Too large to be a comet. Too bright for an asteroid. Too small for a planet.
