The ironic part, however, is that we’ll never be able to move on to the new until we get rid of the old. Chiron is known to many of us as the “Wounded Healer” because he’s just that—a force that hurts as well as heals. He’s a cliché, but a powerful one who lives up to his nickname.
Most of us have a hard time cleaning out our closet because, let’s face it, it’s a big job. It really is so much easier to just throw more stuff in and forget about it. Ahh … but life is never that easy because, eventually we all have to deal. When your natal Chiron is activated, it’s a time when the maid sweeps in and says “That’s it … It’s time to clear this place out!” The process is never easy—even for the tidiest Virgo!
New Year: New Beginnings
I started to think about my Wounded Healer friend, particularly because of the New Year. Many of us have probably been thinking about New Year’s Resolutions, as this is one of the most popular time of year to “wipe the slate clean,” so to speak. It’s a time of new beginnings and optimism as we all look forward and set new goals. But in order to move ahead and make real strides, it’s important to look back for a bit and tidy up the clutter that’s been created over time.
What Is Chiron?
Chiron is actually not a planet but half asteroid and half comet. Yet his power over us can be powerfully felt. When we talk about Chiron in our own Astrology, the truth is that he’s connected to our deepest pain as well as crisis in our lives. He’s that closet where we stash our emotional pain and try to forget about it. We’ve all got a sore spot in some aspect of our lives. If you’re curious about where yours is, take a look at where Chiron lives in your chart.
Charting Chiron
Just as closets can easily be tucked away in our homes, the same can be said for where Chiron lives in your chart. When you find him, it can be a little startling at first.
Unfortunately, Chiron makes us learn lessons in a pretty traumatic way and most often he’s connected to crisis in our lives. So wherever he’s living, there’s likely a deep wound or hurt that surrounds that area of your life. If he’s living in any of the collective houses in your chart (the 7th through 12th are known as the collective houses and the ones that connect you to other people), then your wounds are likely in some way connected to your relationships with others.
For instance, if he’s in your 7th house of close and personal relationships, you will likely learn a lot about yourself through your connections with others on an intimate level. In the 8th, Chiron’s presence could make you have some sexual hang-ups, and you could end up learning about yourself through deep and intimate connections with others. If he lives in the 9th, you may have been rejected by others for something you believe in and eventually were able to rise above your rejection and implement a new way of thinking.
Gaining Insight Into Chiron Combinations
Regardless of the house he’s living in, you could also dive in and see all the combinations that Chiron makes in your chart and gain some key insights. For instance, maybe he’s in a struggle with your Sun, which might have manifested in some issues with men in your life. He could be caught up in an entanglement with your Moon, which could wreak some havoc on your emotions or be the source of some issues you’ve encountered with women.
You’ll likely ponder the reasons why he is where he is in your chart—doing this can be quite therapeutic in itself. For some of us it may make sense from the moment you find him; for others it could take a greater thought and require a deeper level of honesty with ourselves. It can be a startling revelation to see what his placement means in our lives. Once you find him and really begin to look at him, you will have the ability to start understanding his good side.
Chiron As Healer
Chiron is after all just as much a healer as he is wounded. For all the pain he’s caused you in your life, he’s also got the ability to heal—as well as the ability to help you help others with their pain. Looking at your Chiron—or that messy closet—straight in the face can be overwhelming at first, but once you dive in and start the cleaning process you might start to feel better.
I will tell you that even if you decide not to really look at him (and I know some of us would rather not) he will surface when he’s touched off in your chart by a transit. When one of the moving planets decides to touch off your Chiron, it will likely bring some emotional baggage to the surface. However it’s not until these things start to come out that you’ll be able to begin the healing process.
It’s similar to how you would feel when you first opened that closet door. It can certainly be overwhelming looking at all the stuff that has piled up over the years. Gosh … where do I begin? However, it is possible to tidy it up, and what better time than the start of this New Year? Old shoes … or old boyfriends? It’s time to get rid of the old, make way for the new and move on! The best part is that you’ll likely attract some new more beneficial relationships in the process.
[Editor’s Note: You can look up the position of Chiron by your year and month of birth at Serennu.]
What do you see when you peek into your Chiron closet? Let us know in comments below.
Photo Credit: KellyJHall via iStockphoto
Related: Chiron in the Houses and in Aspect to Venus