Chiron
Chiron is another minor planet circling the Sun, and also in strong connection to the sign of Sagittarius and the constellation of Centaurus. Here, we won’t be speaking about its rule, as it stands out and doesn’t fit any system anyway. Our only goal is to understand its possible manifestations once we realize its role in mythology and Astrological interpretations. As the first Astrologer and the one unaccepted by the society, “commons” and everyone focused on earthly, instinctive and basic needs and instincts, Chiron is something closest to enlightenment we have the ability to reach in this lifetime. Its orbit is set between Saturn and Uranus, and we can see that it represents the bridge we have to cross in order to reach the point of unseen, universal, beyond the ordinary, reaching our true fulfillment through enlightenment.
Chiron in Mythology
In mythology, Chiron was one of the centaurs, posing as their teacher, healer and innovator, being also the first Astrologer in the group. While other centaurs had the body of a man and the legs of a horse, Chiron was the only one who had human front legs too, and was estranged by birth as being different and more human than the rest of his kind. His nature was different too, and while his fellow mates were drinking and turned to satisfying their instinctive needs, Chiron was practicing different healing techniques, discovering herbal remedies, and studying the skies.
Although different from the rest of his kind, he managed to coexist with the group until Heracles came to visit and was given sacred wine. Its smell attracted centaurs and in all versions of the myth, this led to a conflict, and poisonous arrows being fired, one of them hitting Chiron by mistake. Since Chiron was immortal, the poison from the arrow caused him unbearable pain from day to day, but could not kill him. In the end, he sets free from pain by trading his immortality in exchange for Prometheus’ freedom, and moves on the Mount Olympus along with the gods.
Interpretation
It is almost as if Chiron’s role is the role of Jupiter-Uranus connection, making it able to heal the humankind, but also being judged by the surrounding group of commons. It stands for all that we are not yet ready to reach and accept as normal, representing our last boundary towards Uranus. It isn’t easy to incorporate the role of Chiron in our everyday life, mostly because of the archetypal hurt it carries within. Being somewhere almost out of our reach, it can manifest through objective circumstances that bring a lot of pain and pressure into our existence, ones we seem to be unable to ever change.
The myth of Chiron depicts Heracles as his friend as well as his accidental executioner. In language of Astrological interpretations, this burdens Chiron with accidental hurt caused by our friend, or someone close to us, someone heroic and a person we’d look up to. The house it resides in always speaks of a wound we have to live with, and its most challenging position is the first house setting, giving us Chiron’s role on a personal and physical level. Its teaching skills and connection to centaurs speak of Sagittarian nature and qualities, but putting an emphasis on the human side to the sign, where knowledge is much closer to people and instincts further away. The bigger this gap and our separation from the material world of body and instincts, the greater the troubles with Chiron have a tendency to be. Its final sacrifice is his immortality, speaking of the symbolism of one’s preparedness to give life away just to help someone else live.
On the plus side, incredible teachings and healing powers Chiron carries in its core, often make the best doctors, psychologists, and alternative healers ever known. Being under a strong influence of Chiron gives us the ability to help others while being unable to help ourselves. The motivation to help comes from our own unsolvable pain and suffering. Although its story isn’t at all easy, it can be quite fulfilling if a positive role is taken and kept in balance with the surroundings, so that our name stays hidden from plain sight, but our teachings finding a way to create an impact on human consciousness.
