To be honest, Chiron is an astrological entity that I didn't know a lot about before today. But thanks to a fantastic presentation by astrologer Anna White, I learned a whole lot and put it to use in our small group discussions after the talk. I'm glad to have the opportunity to pass it on to you.
Let's start with the myth. Chiron is the son of Saturn (Chronos in Greek mythology), and as you may be aware, Saturn swallowed his children after they were born to make sure they would no longer be a threat to his greatness. His wife, Rhea, hated him for it and would no longer honor him with her favors. Saturn is pretty hard up--deliberate pun--when he meets up with Philyra, the sea nymph, on a beach one day. Saturn can't catch her before she gets away, but sees her again and does catch her by turning into a stallion. Saturn, who at this point is not just the "Old Man" but the "Dirty, Horny Old Man", has his way with Philyra but is caught in the act by his wife, Rhea, and runs away.
Chiron was born nine months later as a centaur (half-man, half-horse), and is rejected by his mother, who asks to be turned into a linden tree. With father Saturn off the grid someplace, little Chiron is orphaned until Apollo takes him in. During his time with Apollo, Chiron becomes an expert in archery and medicine, and the gods send their sons to learn from him, like Achilles (see image below).
One day, Hercules is fooling around with his bow and accidentally shoots Chiron in the--well, some say "leg" but others say the wound was in a "leg" that tends to be much more important to men than the two they walk on. Unfortunately, the wound can never be healed because Hercules had poisoned the arrow with venom from the hydra that he had killed.
Chiron continues to be an inspiring leader, teacher, oracle, and astrologer, but he is immortal and can never get rid of his wound unless he dies. So he arranges to trade places with Prometheus, who is attached to a rock and whose eternal torment is a griffon who comes down every day to eat his liver. When the griffon arrives after the switch, Chiron uses his arrows and shoots the thing right through the heart, killing it. Eventually, Chiron dies.
This is all very interesting, but what does it mean astrologically for each of us? Well...Chiron was the wounded healer, so our Chiron placement allows us to see what our "wound" is and how we can heal ourselves and each other. We didn't do anything to deserve the wound; it happened purely by happenstance at some point in our early lives. It could have been a thoughtless remark by a relative, a traumatic incident in our childhood, or some other tragic circumstance. But there's no karmic penalty to us.
Studying Chiron in our lives is a way to make ourselves stronger because of what has happened to us, and to bond with those people in our lives who share similar "wounds". One of the best things we can do is to embrace this wound and find ways to help make it an advantage and not a detriment.
For those of us who teach and heal others, Chiron is particularly important, and I know that the knowledge I got today will help me heal myself and others as I move forward in my role as a spiritual leader, psychic, and astrologer.
So here's what you should remember about Chiron: Shit happens to all of us, but compared to being shot in the junk with a poisoned arrow that makes a wound that will cause me pain until the end of time, what I have to deal with is minor stuff. Chiron's placement and sign in your chart will help you see how to start healing it yourself and help others in the process.
What I learned truly blew my mind! If you're more interested in Chiron--if you look at your astrological chart, the symbol is below and looks like a key--I'd encourage you to check out several books that are available on the subject.
[As an aside, I'm not sure how Saturn will feel about my telling you that story. I suspect that he might say my description was a little more graphic than he would have liked. We'll have to wait and see how he reacts.]
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