A new era is upon us, now that Chiron has entered the sign of Pisces. Chiron is an interesting and widely-debated celestial object. It was only discovered in 1977, and so has had little time (compared to the classical planets we see with the naked eye) to catch hold with old-school astrologers and the public alike. One reason for this is that Chiron is a tough little rock to classify; from an astronomer’s point of view, is it a comet or is it an asteroid? The jury is out on this and so, at least for now, Chiron is considered both asteroid and comet. It’s a half-and-half type of thing. This would be of little interest to me, if it weren’t for the fact that, in Greek mythology, Chiron the Centaur is also a half-and-half type of thing. He is part human (from the waist up) and part horse (from the waist down). This idea of being half one thing and half another resonates even further when one considers that Chiron was half divine. His mother was a mortal nymph named Philyra, and his father was Kronos – now known as Saturn. (And thanks from this half-Greek gal to the ancient Romans for appropriating the entire pantheon of Greek gods…But that’s another soap box…)
So, the first thing we need to bear in mind when looking at Chiron through an astrological lens is that he’s neither fully this nor that; he’s encamped in two states of being. Take this idea further when you consider the alternate moniker given Chiron: that of the Wounded Healer. Chiron was a healer, and a teacher of the healing arts. Yet when he became wounded by a poisoned arrow, he could never heal himself of the pain inflicted upon him. Toxins coursed through his veins, and he essentially couldn’t detox himself. But hey, anyone else who showed up on Chiron’s doorstep received the benefit of his curative powers. This brings to mind the proverb: “Physician heal thyself.” Interestingly, that phrase comes from Christian scripture (Luke 4:23). And I mention this because I think it’s important that various biblical texts were being written and amalgamated into the bible during the days of Roman Occupation. The people in those times were well acquainted with astrological tenets, and monotheism was still a growing movement. That’s just a backdrop; more to the point: I think there’s a connection between Chiron and Christ.
Let me elaborate: It could be said that there are many aspects to Christ. For me, Chiron in astrology represents that of the wounded Christ. I imagine that moment of impact of spear on flesh when Christ was said to have uttered: “My god, my god why have you forsaken me?” I think that Chiron in astrology speaks to that moment of excruciating pain (physical, emotional or spiritual), which is complicated by an accompanying sense of abandonment. Chiron the centaur was abandoned by his parents, fyi. And, speaking of parentage, Christ was born of a divine father and immortal mother, just like Chiron. He was a healer – but that didn’t change the fact that Christ couldn’t get off the cross. Consider as well that Pisces – the sign that Chiron has now entered for the next eight years – is the zodiac sign associated with Christ and the Age of Christianity. Also look at the glyph for Chiron: it’s a key. A key is a way in, yes? And Christ’s words were: “I am the Way.” (John 14:6) Finally, consider that Chiron sacrificed his life in a bargain struck to end Prometheus’s daily torment. Prometheus was the unlucky dude that had his liver eaten by birds, only to have that liver grow back again so the birds could return and feast on him daily. That’s what you get for stealing fire from the gods, ladies and gentlemen.
The correlation with Christ is, of course, that he too sacrificed his life as a means of revealing that Life is Eternal – regardless of whether the body is strung up on a cross or running gaily through fields of clover. I’ll even go so far as to say that Christ was crucified, in a sense, for stealing fire from the gods (or rather, The God). Hey, he claimed to be God at a time when one’s experience with the Divine was seen as strictly external. God was out there or up there but certainly not in here. Today we may recognize the Divine in each and every person, but this would have been an unthinkable and heretic philosophy at the time that Jesus tried to promote it. I can only begin to imagine how such a claim would be seen by his country men as a form of hubris and blasphemy – a stealing of thunder or fire from their monotheistic deity.
Let me be honest and transparent: these are one astrologer’s thoughts (namely mine) about how we can interpret Chiron in astrology. I come from a Christian background, and it’s part of my spiritual journey to connect the planets with different facets of God. I generally try to leave that to the privacy of my own internal musings. I’m not interested in converting people to Christianity. But, as its impact on Western civilization is huge, neither is it of any use to ignore the behemoth that is Christianity. My ideas aren’t necessarily popular with Christians, many of whom see astrology as strictly verboten; and they may prove distasteful to astrologers, many of whom are loathe to connect astrology with a religion that has been an enormous source of wounding (more shades of Chiron) for countless souls over a couple thousand of years. I’m straddling two camps here – which suits the theme of half-this half that Chiron appropriately enough.
If you’re interested in the source of these ideas, they began formulating for me (or perhaps through me) after months of transiting Chiron sitting on my natal Mercury (communication) and Midheaven at 27 degrees Aquarius. Now that transiting Chiron has settled into Pisces, he’s going to be hanging out on my natal Pisces Sun for a good long time. Later he’ll hook up with my natal Saturn (remember, Saturn is Chiron’s father), and later still, my natal Chiron. Clearly I’m being Chiron-ized. Perhaps what I offer you is slightly unorthodox. But I’m putting it out there with the conviction that we haven’t fully grasped the nature of the astrological Chiron yet. He’s only been ‘known’ for 33 years, folks. Whoops – there goes another connection to Jesus, who died at age 33. Welcome to your Jesus year, Chiron.
Other astrologers don’t make a link between Chiron and Christ, as far as I know. I’m not suggesting that they’re misinformed; I’m adding a new voice to what’s already been discussed or written regarding Chiron. I am suggesting that we need to broaden our understanding of what this Chiron energy is about. I find the connections between Chiron the Wounded Healer and the wounded Christ to be striking and profound. What are your thoughts?
In the coming days I will offer up a forecast for each zodiac sign of how Chiron in Pisces may express itself. Stay tuned, and namaste.
