The asteroid Chiron was “discovered” in 1977. Of course Chiron had always been there, but like a Terma in Tibetan Buddist tradition, it appeared in our consciousness at just the right moment. The time was ripe for healing and that is the meaning of Chiron. In Mythology Chiron was a teacher and skilled with medicine. He was a healer, astrologer and respected oracle. Chiron was a centaur, half human and half horse and was rejected by his parents. Though Chiron was a healer, ironically he could not heal himself. He died from a poisoned arrow lodged in his foot.
In Astrology, Chiron is the wounded healer and it’s placement in our birth charts represents the areas where we have experienced wounding, usually in childhood. Finding it’s placement in our chart helps to understand the wound. As the wound sometimes acts like a Terma in our unconsciousness, lying waiting for discovery at the right time, the pain is often repeated over and over in our lives calling for us to pay attention. It’s that pattern that in the midst you realize, I can’t believe this is happening again. Chiron is the essence of “what we resist persists”. Yet every time it happens you are given the opportunity to go deeper into the wound and are presented with profound opportunities for spiritual growth.
Chiron also presents itself like a riddle. In Mythology, he was a healer, but could not heal himself. Chiron’s wound is essentially where we feel rejected and disconnected from others. Even when we become aware of the wound, it can seem impossible to heal. In Mythology Chiron’s original wound was rejection and one can only wonder if connection, vulnerability and the ability to look imperfect could have saved him. It’s the classic case of the Doctor having a heart attack, or therapist having a breakdown. Watch Brene Brown’s talk on vulnerability for a great example of this.
Chiron is not a Goddess Asteroid, but I believe it is the masculine persistent teacher, teaching us how to be receptive to the feminine antidote, vulnerability and receptivity in order for healing to occur.
What is your wound? What false belief about yourself does it create? In my own chart Chiron is in Aries in the first house of “who am I” and opposed to Venus in Libra in the seventh house of “who are we”. The wound is around being myself and experiencing a wound in love and relationships every time I express the Aries “who I am”. Chiron created an essential false belief that I can’t be myself and be loved. Oh what relief to discover this and to heal it! Okay Okay… it’s in the process of being healed!