Welcoming The Solstice...and a New Teammate!

The Centaur Chiron Instructing Achilles by Louis Jean

[at a local Brazilian steakhouse]

Sun: Welcome, everyone! I’m so glad you could join us for this Solstice celebration! And it’s a great day for me as I have the least amount of work to do. 

[dutiful laughter around the table]

Mars: Dude, where’s the meat? You promised!

Venus: [to Mars] Umm, manners?

Mars: Fine! [to the Sun] Sir, my bad, but I’m fuckin’ starving!

Sun: [chuckles] It’s OK, Mars. I’m hungry, too. [pause] I just wanted to take a moment to recognize all of your hard work this year. Thank you very much. 

Moon: Agreed. The meal tonight comes from this year’s swearing fund, with the vast majority coming from our potty-mouthed leader. 

Sun: [shocked] LUNA! Really?

[genuine laughter from everyone]

Moon: Yes, sir. Really. [to all] So please eat your fill and enjoy!

Jupiter: And the drinks are on you, right, Nep?

Neptune: Well, I was hoping someone else would pay, but I wouldn't say no to an adult beverage or seven.

Jupiter: [laughs] What else is new?

Sun: That’s an excellent question, Jupiter. Speaking of new things, I have one other important announcement to make. 

Mercury: Sir, does it have anything to do with the empty chair over here?

Sun: Very astute of you, Mercury, as usual. Indeed it does. I’ve asked a special guest to join us tonight. 

[Chiron walks through the door and sits down]

Sun: Everyone, this is Chiron. We’ve been hearing about him for the past few years and I've asked him to join our team. 

Moon: Please be sure to give him a warm welcome!

Sun: He’s been getting a lot more play in the astrological world even though he’s fairly new to it. I don’t want to steal his thunder, though. [gestures to Chiron] Would you like to say a few words?

Chiron: Thank you, sir. [pause] I’m grateful for your invitation to this amazing event and appreciate you welcoming me to your celebration. I’m hoping to contribute an outsider’s perspective on the team and make even more efficient and effective. 

[heads nodding in approval]

Saturn: Sir, I welcome our new teammate with all sincerity, but I’m surprised that we weren’t consulted, at least as a courtesy. 

Sun: I understand, Saturn, and I take full responsibility for this leadership decision.

Jupiter: Come on, Old Man! Expansion can be a good thing!

Saturn: That remains to be seen, and I’m skeptical by nature. 

Venus: I’m very pleased to meet you, Chiron, and look forward to getting to know you!

[Chiron nods]

Sun: You will have plenty to talk about over dinner, I’m sure. [looks up at the doorway] And I see the unending parade of meat I promised will now begin!

Mars: FUCK YEAH! Time for the MEAT SWEATS!

Pluto: Oh fuck me. [to Neptune] Which way is the bar?

Neptune: Out in the main area near the salad bar, I think. 

Pluto: Good. Let’s get to it. [aloud over the ambient noise in the room] Sir, are we on our own at the bar tonight?

Sun: Sadly, yes, Pluto. 

Pluto: [to Neptune] Fuck. We’ll have to go to plan B. 

Neptune: What is plan B?

Pluto: This is. [opens his hand and shows Saturn’s American Express card]

Neptune: [mouth agape] Dude, I don’t know how you did that, and I didn't think anyone actually uses American Express anymore. 

Pluto: Why? Do you care? Because I don't. 

Neptune: Well, sort of...it seems kind of selfish to make Saturn pay…maybe we can pay him back when we get our yearly bonuses or something?

Pluto: [hesitates] Uhhhh, sure, Nep. I’ll definitely talk to him about it when he gets his bill.

Chiron, Your Astrological Wound and Healer

I attended the DC Tarot Society meeting today where we did a lot of work with tarot and astrology on Chiron, a planetoid whose irregular orbit lies between Saturn and Uranus. As such, it is often considered the gateway to the outer planets of Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. It was discovered in 1977 and astrologers believe that the planet will only be around for another 1000 years or so.

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.]