Chiron

Because of Chiron’s unusual orbit, it often hooks up with one planet with which it dances over a long period of time. Between 1952 (before Chiron’s discovery in 1977) and 1986, Chiron opposed Uranus a total of 41 times. The Chiron/Uranus opposition is a strong significator in the birthchart of an individual who is becoming awakened (Uranus) to the power of transformation that results from facing the painful psychic wounds (Chiron) from which we attempt to hide. Chiron is associated with the healing of the body through achieving spiritual wholeness, and during the awakening period of the Chiron/Uranus opposition, and particularly after the discovery of Chiron in 1977, the concept of “holistic healing” and the body-mind connection was revived after centuries of taking the back burner to “science.”

The current cycle of Chiron’s opposition to Saturn which concludes this month has occurred a total of 27 times, making this another key significator. The current phase of the dance began in September of 2003 and concludes this month. To fully understand the way Chiron works astrologically, it’s useful to go back to his roots in mythology and legend.

In mythology, Chiron was born of Philyra, mortal woman, and Saturn, immortal god. In order to escape Saturn’s amorous pursuit, Philyra had herself turned into a mare; however, Saturn outsmarted her and shapeshifted into a horse in order to accomplish his intention to rape her. When Chiron was born half horse and half man, like a Centaur, Philyra was so ashamed she abandoned him in a cave, thus establishing the deep psychic wound for which Chiron is well-known.

Being one-half god, Chiron was immortal and thus survived this early abandonment. He went on to study with the god Apollo, who some say became his foster father. There Chiron learned the arts […]