Many people are familiar with their own astrological sign because Sun Sign astrology is popular in today‘s culture. However, astrology is a complicated tradition and there is much more to the chart than just the sign where the Sun resides. The Earth’s Moon, for example, is a powerful factor to help a person gain greater understanding of a person’s nature, and so are the planets from Mercury out to Pluto. All of these bodies, working through zodiacal signs, residing in sections of the sky called Houses, and interacting with each other via angular relationships known as aspects, create a birth chart which astrologers can interpret.
In 1977 another body was added to the astrologer’s toolbox. Given the name Chiron (after the mythological Centaur) by its discoverer, this minor planet adds another dimension to a person’s chart. It reveals a person’s wounds, how to heal those that can be healed, and how to accept those that cannot. By exploring Chiron in a person’s chart, the path to healing and becoming psychologically well is highlighted. Doors to a larger perspective are revealed, and lessons are learned which enable you to teach others what you have discovered.
When exploring Chiron interpretations, please bear in mind that, inevitably, every chart will contain some apparent contradictory influences, but this is because human beings themselves can have conflicting thoughts, emotions, and desires active at the same time. Usually, an astrologer will synthesize these apparent contradictions in order to present a cohesive and meaningful interpretation of the dilemmas of the chart.
Please also be aware of the fact that each person may possess both positive and negative influences arising from Chiron in their chart, and therefore in their lives. The challenge is to accept and overcome the negative influences, so that you can successfully focus on manifesting the positive traits or qualities that are inherent within their own personal chart. This report outlines the cosmic influences to better enable a person to work towards achieving wholeness within one’s self. Advice given within this report is meant to encourage the individual to accept responsibility for his or her own actions during a lifetime. Ultimately, the decision rests with each individual.
At birth, óur parents, (and everyone else in the world), are worrying over many of the problems that relate directly to whatever sign Chiron may be transiting at a particular moment in time. The obstacles you are trying to overcome could be major issues, and preoccupy much of the parents’ minds. These obstacles may be decisions that have been neglected for too long, and now MUST be taken care of immediately or you could be the result of changes in the world that cause restructuring, or redefining of issues and situations that need immediate attention. Whatever the problems are, it may be essential that they must be dealt with.
What may occur is that a child’s mind may become imprinted with the importance of a particular psychological problem. The child does not realize that she/he will have to face other problems later on in life which may be of equal or greater importance. Since our parents (or other role models) are so concerned about what is going on in their lives during gestation the child may become imprinted with the concept that solving these problems at some stage during life may become a psychological issue..
The child learns that nothing must stand in the way of resolving any difficulties in these areas. This then becomes a deeply ingrained ‘personal imperative’, which remains imprinted within the unconscious of that child..
Chiron has an extremely eccentric (or elliptical) orbit. Astrologically this means that it stays in some signs much longer than others. It moves through the signs of Virgo and Libra in less than two years each, while it takes over 8 years to travel through Aries. Consequently there are many more people born in some Chiron signs than in others.
In order for a person to tap in to the healing energy of their Chiron sign, they need to also turn to the opposite sign for grounding, so we will also refer to this sign as we describe your Chironic energy.
Chiron is in Aries
At your birth, your parents, (and everyone else in the world at that time), are worrying over some types of problems that relate directly to whatever sign Chiron transits. The obstacles you are trying to overcome are major issues, and preoccupy much of the parents’ minds. These obstacles can be things that have been let go for too long, and now MUST be resolved or you could be the result of changes in the world that cause restructuring, or redefining of issues and situations.
What happens is that your child’s mind becomes imprinted with the importance of these particular problems. You do not realize that you will have to face other problems later, which may be of equal or greater importance. Since your parents (or other role models) are so tense about what is going on at the time of your birth you become imprinted with the concept that solving these problems is ‘priority one’.
You learn that nothing must stand in the way of resolving any difficulties in these areas. This then becomes a deeply ingrained ‘personal imperative’, which stays with you for the entirity of your life.
As Chiron in Aries manifests in your life, the most important issues for you to centre on is your sense of self, and this becomes a lifelong quest for self-discovery and self-awareness. It can express initially in feelings of worthlessness, that you are just not strong enough, or self-assured enough, or capable enough, to deal with the challenges you are continually confronted with. So one of the major lessons here is for you to overcome such low feelings and to discover who you are and what you are capable of achieving.
Chiron’s sign also shows the best pathway for you to take to heal your wounds, and in Aries, the path is one of self-healing. While you can seek advice from others, and profit from their wisdom, your only real healing will occur when you take charge of your own life and work towards becoming whole.
Grounding is through the energies of the sign Libra, and Libra is the sign of others,partners, or anyone you have a one-to-one relationship with. Your Chiron shows you that you need to have others in your life to bounce ideas off, to compare notes; the more you are able to clearly see the distinct differences between you and others in your life, the more grounded you become, and the more complete within yourself..
Chiron, by the way, stays in Aries longer than any other sign — over eight years. So you share these challenges for self-awareness with a great many people born within that eight year period..
The twelve divisions of the sky, known to astrologers as Houses, represent twelve areas of life, and the House where Chiron is placed indicates the circumstances surrounding a person’s wounding, and the life matters that will be shaped by the wound will give clues as to the direction they must take to begin the hero’s journey towards healing.
Astrologers tell us that Saturn denotes basic lessons in life in the House it resides in. Where Chiron is placed in a House describes how a person will discover the lessons they need to learn next, after Saturn’s tasks are learned. The affairs of Chiron’s House have an element of ‘NOW!’to them; when a problem arises here the person cannot wait until later to resolve it and nothing must stand in their way when they are trying to overcome obstacles here. The House in which Chiron is placed is where the greatest focus for healing and wholemaking lies. By using the positive energy as described by Chiron’s House position can help heal any problems that may be inherent in the horoscope.
People represented by a particular House are of a special importance to the person relative to the horoscope under question.. On the one hand there is a feeling of something in common with people here, but these people are often those that kindle pains tied to old wounds; in other words, people described by House position are the instrument for opening old wounds whether from the present life or even those suffered from a previous life that had not been resolved.
Chiron can act like a doorway to the basic energy force of the House itself, enabling a person to tap the particular power inherent in the House under review, and use it almost without limit or restriction. In fact, through Chiron’s House position a person can open doors to whole other realms, once opened, those doors can never be closed again.
Chiron is in the 9th House
Chiron likes the 9th House, because Chiron seeks to understand what needs to be done in order to bring about healing, and the 9th House is the House of higher learning, searching for meaning and understanding. But there can be a very deep wound here because when you were growing up people tried to instil in you the need to find THE truth, or some central belief system that would cover any/everything you run across. As a result, there can be a feeling that you must find, and stick to, some core belief come hell or high water. If the wound is not healed, it can cause you to have a narrow philosophy in life and in the extreme cases, it can produce an urge to convince others of what you feel is the absolute truth. (I’ve seen people hold on so tight with this aspect, fearing change that they develop an ‘us versus them’ mentality, the pain so intense that they close off and try to remake the world to fit their philosophy.)
But for those who truly seek self-understanding, the urge, the need, is still to find THE truth, but the quest is to go anywhere, everywhere, to find it, and the ability to sense others who also have such a hunger for learning. The more you seek healing, the more the potential expands to help others.
Everyone with this position has their own direction, their own path, that is uniquely their own. In the direction you choose to go in, you develop a talent for finding and understanding basic laws, general principles and the underlying significance of a situation; the root, basic meanings which are often hidden from others. You also can work with these in ways that are quite unbelievable, synthesizing them into more complex patterns, or finding ways to explain them to others in words that an ordinary person can understand. Or you may not use words as your medium but find some other way of communicating your in-depth understanding of symbols. It often comes out as a talent for simplifying technical explanations, an ability to ‘tune-in’ on the current topics of today, a talent for really identifying with the audience, a desire to teach, or a fantastic ability to persuade (or mold public opinion).
Planets interact based on angular relationships which astrologers call aspects. Chiron’s aspects show a person the specific cause of any wounding, and where they must turn on the path to becoming whole, to face and defeat the inner dragons that are blocking the healing path.
Chiron is Conjunct The Sun
Samuel Maverick was an early American Frontiersman and cattle rancher. While all other ranchers branded their calves to show ownership, Samuel chose not to brand his, which set him apart from all other ranchers, and chose to alienate many of them. To make a long story short, his last name came into the English language as a person who does not wear the brand that the rest of the herd wears, and in doing so often alienates some of their peers. (Not to be confused with a revolutionary who wants to tear down the present system. A maverick is just someone who follows his or her own path.)
The Sun is your basic self, the most conscious part of you; the ‘I am’ within you. And with Chiron conjunct the Sun, you ARE by nature a maverick, but it comes from a wound which gave you a deep fear of losing your own unique identity. All Aquarians, by nature, are unique, different, and hate the idea of fitting into a mold, but Chiron here accentuated this need. It may be that the adults tried to make you feel really bad about yourself for not fitting in, or it may be that you were pushed really hard to stand out. But the end result is a fear of ceasing to exist in some manner.
One of the results of this fear is that it accentuated your uniqueness. You are definitely an original, and have the creative spirit of an originator. And this aspect further emphasizes your need to take your own stand on things, stay true to yourself, no matter who may disagree with you. And you may alienate many people, even groups of people, with the stands you take in life, but this is usually because those who feel alienated cannot see why you do not buckle under, fit in, stick to the traditional rules.
Chiron gives you an ability to reach people on all levels, to connect with people from all walks of life as equals. Inside, you have a great concern for other people, and their problems, but on the outside you can give the appearance of someone who doesn’t want to be bothered, and inside, you never really feel that you ‘fit’ more like that you are a stranger in a strange land, and this puts a bit of a barrier around you that keeps many from really getting close to you.
In truth, you DO disregard many rules, for yourself (although you don’t usually begrudge others for following them).
Deep inside you have a feeling that nothing is impossible, and tend to ignore people who say, ‘That can’t be done.” or “You can’t do it that way.”. Not only that, but once you choose how you are going to express yourself, you refuse to accept any obstacles in your way. This refusal to be stopped leads you into many new worlds enabling you to bring together elements and ideas which others may never think of connecting.
To sum up, Sun conjunct Chiron people go through life forming two groups of people; those who like them, and those who don’t. It is very difficult for anyone to be indifferent about you.
Chiron is Conjunct Mercury
Mercury represents the logical mind and the ability to communicate. But when close to Chiron it adds another level to its nature as it gives you a great concern for others,.their needs are often a major part of your thought processes. (It would take a drastically negative chart to really suppress this concern.)
Because of your concern, you grow to understand quite well how the average person thinks, and are able to reach such people with your words and ideas.
You have the ability to think on many different levels, and thus reach many different types of people.
Because of this ability, you are not restricted to simple verbal communication or written words. Chiron takes Mercury out beyond its normal realm, enabling you to communicate on many non-verbal levels. Perhaps it is because your mind goes places Mercury ordinarily doesn’t go, but you are a truly original thinker, coming up with ideas that seem far-fetched, yet work wonderfully.
But this ability is also tied to the root of a problem. While you were young, your were perhaps criticized for how you communicated; perhaps you were criticized for not speaking clearly, or perhaps people paid attention to your words only and misunderstood what you were trying to say with more than words (emotions, feelings, facial expressions). Or alternatively, you may have picked up the subtext from others, hearing more than they thought they were trying to communicate. In any event there is a deep wounding that impacted how you communicate, so that you were never sure just how much or how little to say, nor were you sure you were being understood. So one of the major lessons you have had to learn in life is how to communicate, and also how to listen.
You seldom overlook some piece of the puzzle because it is too small, or apparently insignificant. It is often such a piece that changes everything. Because your mind is not limited by convention, you can be quite controversial, but often others discover it is well worth paying attention to what you say or write. (In truth, it is difficult to ignore you, even if one does not agree with you, or even like what you are saying.)
You are the person to consult when someone feels blocked and needs to find some way out of their dilemma, you can find the loophole, or think of a way to open the door for others.
Chiron is Conjunct Jupiter
There is a deep wound when it comes to the learning process with this aspect, but it is not easy to deal with.
People born with Chiron conjunct Jupiter are born with an insatiable desire to learn. In fact, you were born wanting to learn more intensely, and a broader range of subjects, than other children. The problem was, however, one of structure.
It was difficult to teach you, but not because you were not smart. The difficulty was getting you to learn by following a particular schedule, at a particular time, or following any preset route, especially if you had to be in the same place each time.
Your ability to understand concepts and symbols, meanings and ideas, works best when outside a structured environment. You are at your best when you can teach yourself, or at least, pick the subject, time and place to study. (You would have profited much more from individual tutors than you would have from regular schooling.)
You may have been made to feel at times you were stupid, or uncooperative, or even a troublemaker, because your mind did not want to follow the course of learning set out for you by authorities. You may also have been made to feel that there was something wrong with you because of your curiosity, perhaps you asked questions about ‘forbidden’ subjects, or perhaps you were criticized for going off the subject time and time again.
In order to heal, you need to understand that the wound occurred because your particular type of mind was just not understood, nor were your methods of learning.
As a result of your unique mind, you can often perceive significance in things that others overlook, or in ideas others find trivial. Thus you have the potential of reaching others to help others find meaning in their own lives. But if you have not done much healing, this special vantage point can also come out negatively, you may notice great significance in many unpleasant or negative events, and weave a philosophy built upon despair or sadness. But as you heal, you can perceive the meaning of even the most negative events, and develop a philosophy of change of the sort needed to alter negative conditions. One lesson this aspect requires you to learn is to see the bright side in situations, even if it is not readily apparent, and to see the good in people, even if it is buried deep within.
Another aspect of the wound with this position is that you may have been ridiculed for your beliefs, or judged because of them. Or perhaps authorities tried to make you doubt things you were sure of. Either way, it hurt.
As you grew, this wound caused you to feel a need to be certain in your beliefs to have no doubt that your convictions are correct.Depending on how well you have healed, this can manifest positively or negatively, the courage of your convictions, versus negative blind faith.
All in all, you are able to find meaning in events, and in life itself, that are not quite the same as the way others perceive them. Because of your unique way of thinking, you develop a philosophy/religion/belief system that is not part of any mainstream system.
Chiron is Opposite Saturn
On a positive level, this aspect can give you the strength to triumph against seemingly impossible odds. It makes you a fighter for your principles and you can have very strong principles.
No one, nor anything, is going to stand in your way when you are striving for some goal. On some level you likely perceive life, or at least part of it, as a war between what is, and what should be, and are convinced that what should be is the winning side.
If you have not worked your way through your wounds, however, the negative side can manifest and you can be quite ruthless in your methods, believing, ‘The end justifies the means.’. If other aspects also point in this direction, you can become a truly dangerous foe to anyone who stands in your way. There is a tendency with those who have this aspect to become totally convinced of being right on some issue, and then become closed off from any information that points to the contrary. But, as in all Chiron aspects, if you go too far along this line, drastic events will come along to shake your closed world. The normal reaction is one of two things: Either to pull the walls more tightly around self, and thus begin to see others as enemies, or to recognize that no human being can ever know all the facts on any subject. If the latter path is chosen, then you have the chance to develop a keen eye to search for new information, new facts, new data where others do not go.
Chiron is Square The Ascendant
Any aspect of Chiron to an angle makes Chiron more important in your chart. A square makes you easily dissatisfied with the ordinary circumstances of life, and gives you a need to look for new doorways, new windows, whenever an obstacle is in your path. Not only your path, but (since Chiron is also square the Descendant), you also can be a major influence helping others to find new methods of getting past obstacles in their paths.
The square does show a wound. Your perspective, your way of looking at things, your ideas of how to deal with other people, where questioned, perhaps denounced, perhaps ridiculed. But this wound has given you an incentive to find alternative choices of seeing things, and as you heal, you find that you are able to help others heal as well.
The Ascendant to some extent is the self-image, or at least that part of it that you show to the outer world. Because it is square Chiron, you can be your own worst enemy in that this self image blocks you from seeing, even knowing about, inner blockages, deep wounds, it is difficult to heal if you won’t let yourself acknowledge your wound. Another way of looking at it is that you can identify with your persona (the mask you wear), hide behind it and repress your awareness of unresolved issues.
Healing comes from finding ways to step outside of yourself and face the issues. Some people find it is easier if they spend time far from their birthplace; that going elsewhere allows them to see more clearly what they need do to deal with their problems. Others find role playing, or taking up acting, helps them to step outside of themselves. Still others work with another person using such things as hypnotherapy.
You have a great desire to help others, you feel their pain intensely, and you feel quite miserable if you are unable to help. But as you come to terms with your own wounds, the better you are able to help others, and could in the process develop into a gifted healer.