Chiron in mythology – what’s his story?
In Greek mythology, Chiron was the son of the god Cronos (Saturn) and Philyra, a sea nymph. Cronos desired Philyra, but she tried to escape his advances by turning into a mare. Cronos transformed into a stallion and achieved his conquest. Cronos left after satisfying his desire and Philyra gave birth to a centaur, Chiron. She was so disgusted by her son that she abandoned him without hesitation. Apollo, the god of poetry and music, came to his rescue, raising Chiron as his own. Chiron became a powerful healer, astrologer, and teacher – he mentored the sons of kings and many Greek heroes, including Achilles and Hercules.
Chiron’s wounding continued beyond his abandonment by both parents. He was accidentally wounded in the knee by one of Hercules’ arrows. The arrow was poisoned with the monster Hydra’s blood, causing an everlasting wound. Chiron’s pain was unbearable and an everlasting wound is a big problem for an immortal – it meant his suffering would go on forever. At that time, Prometheus had been sentenced to torture by Zeus for gifting mortals with fire. Each day, an eagle would eat Prometheus’ liver, which would grow back each evening, to be devoured again the next day. Prometheus could only be released if an immortal took his place, giving up their immortality. Chiron volunteered himself, recognizing his suffering could serve a purpose in freeing Prometheus, and in losing his immortality he would eventually die and be free of his own pain. Zeus was so impressed that after nine days he released Chiron into the stars as the constellation Centaurus.
What does Chiron represent in astrology? 🌌
In astrology, Chiron (debated to be an asteroid, comet, or minor planet) in the birth chart represents our deepest sense of separation, woundedness, and inadequacy along with our special gifts of healing and the potential for bringing our “medicine” to humanity. Find the sign your Chiron is in by using your birth chart or free Chiron transit tables here. With Chiron, we learn that the “medicine is in the wound,” and if we’re brave enough to expose our wounded selves with compassion and self-love, we’re worthy of the cure. The cure doesn’t necessarily make us “perfect,” but it makes us more whole and able to act with a new sense of strength and confidence.
Chiron through the signs
The sign your Chiron is in reveals the nature of your “wounding” – those parts of yourself that seem beyond healing. Because we believe these seemingly broken, weak, or unlovable parts cannot be “fixed,” we tend to avoid them altogether or overcompensate to hide from the pain, fear, and embarrassment. Just like Chiron was born different from his parents, we all experience feelings of not fitting in and not being enough. Even as a planet in our solar system, we’ve had controversy over physically classifying him. Your Chiron sign reflects your personal Chiron theme that can help you open your heart to a new level of healing and acceptance. To embrace the Chiron within you is to embrace your humanity and all its imperfections. It’s also embracing your strong spirit and the wisdom of your heart. Rumi said it best: “The cure for the pain is in the pain.”
Chiron in Aries: Wounds of self-image and confidence; feeling physically weak or unable to fight for yourself; lack of courage; fear of initiating and standing up for yourself; feeling incapable of successfully going after your true desires. Brings healing to the world through courage, strength, assertion, and authenticity.
Chiron in Taurus: Wounds of self-worth and self-love; fear of not having enough money and food (survival); believing you are not enough/not feeling inherently valuable; feeling unable to be self-sufficient; feeling somehow blocked from receiving love and security. Brings healing to the world through stability, comfort, pleasure, and deep self-love.
Chiron in Gemini: Wounds of communication and intelligence; not feeling smart enough or able to figure things out; believing you can’t communicate clearly or be understood; difficulty learning and solving the problem, especially by standard methods. Brings healing to the world through writing, teaching, speaking, and creative thinking.
Chiron in Cancer: Wounds of childhood, family, and belonging; not feeling connected to roots and family; lack of emotional security, feeling a lack of mothering and nurturing (the ability to give or receive it); not trusting life (and people) to care for you. Brings healing to the world through sensitivity, empathy, nurturing, and creating home wherever you go.
Chiron in Leo: Wounds of the heart and self-expression; not feeling special; feeling unable or not brave enough to shine and show yourself to the world; believing you’re not creative or that your “show” is not worthy of praise; feeling unlovable and unseen. Brings healing to the world through play, creative expression, heartfelt love and attention, and passion for life.
Chiron in Virgo: Wounds of health, work, and imperfection; feeling unwell or symptomatic, but unable to cure the body; never feeling like things are cleaned up enough; feeling guilty for not doing and being better; not feeling useful or able to make things better. Brings healing to the world through physical healing, the fine details, process improvement, and humble service.
Chiron in Libra: Wounds of relationship, commitment, and harmony; believing you are unable to find or keep a true partner; feeling unable to commit or make decisions; feeling out of balance and not able to find the middle road; peace doesn’t seem possible. Brings healing to the world through cooperation, beauty, symmetry, and partnership.
Chiron in Scorpio: Wounds of vulnerability, power, and emotional and sexual intimacy; feeling unable to trust anyone; fear of abandonment and betrayal; believing that relationships always end up as trauma and drama, believing your shadow is too dark. Brings healing to the world through psychological exploration, confronting fears and limits, and the power of transformation.
Chiron in Sagittarius: Wounds of beliefs, truth, and intuition; feeling unable to trust your own wisdom or that it’s not credible; feeling something’s wrong with your truth and view of life; lack of confidence in your natural self and own internal compass. Brings healing through confidence, positivity, adventure, and seeing the big picture.
Chiron in Capricorn: Wounds of authority, accomplishment, and control; feeling unable to take charge of your own life; believing you aren’t powerful or capable enough to reach your goals; believing that no one respects you and that you won’t amount to much. Brings healing through leadership, accountability, productivity, and mature wisdom.
Chiron in Aquarius: Wounds of individuality and alienation; feeling like you’re on the wrong planet; believing you’re alone, even while surrounded by others; feeling like there’s something wrong with your differences and that you’ll always be on the outside looking in. Brings healing through active community, innovation, celebrating diversity, and pushing the envelope.
Chiron in Pisces: Wounds of faith, spirituality, and acceptance; feeling like there’s no hope and nothing greater to believe in; not believing you are unconditionally loved and united with Everything; feeling a loss of faith in humanity and in a vision for the future. Brings healing through compassion, helping others, inspiration, and imagination.
5 steps to turn your wounds into medicine ✨
Need a place to start? It can be as simple as acknowledging your fears – where you are constantly struggling in life. Whatever you’re struggling with is desperately trying to get your attention. Are you willing to jump in and find out what’s really in there? Most of us have a long-running story going on about ourselves that we’ve bought into, but I promise you…it’s just a story. When you get past the filter of your mind, the real healing can begin. Here are five ways you can start the Chiron journey.
1) Embrace your individuality 🦄
Chiron was different. He was too gentle and cultured for a centaur, yet not quite a god. He was a Titan, abandoned by his parents, and raised by a god. Chiron didn’t fit in anywhere and yet, he is one of the most influential mythological beings of all time. In what ways do you believe you are different from others? How do you deal with your difference? Do you overcompensate for it? Do you ignore it entirely? Do you embrace it?
As human beings, we all want to belong. We all want to feel accepted. And when our differences stand in the way of that, we can feel like those aspects of ourselves need to be changed to fit our ideal mold. But that difference will always remain. That difference is what makes you unique. And ironically enough, that difference is what will help you find where you belong. Embrace your individuality in all its imperfections, and find that medicine your soul is starved for.
2) Face your fears 😱
What are you afraid of? Why are you afraid of it? Where is your wound? Sometimes the thing we fear most is ourselves. Our true nature. Sometimes our fears manifest in our insecurities. We fear we’re not good enough, smart enough, pretty enough, or talented enough. That fear leads us to overcompensate for our alleged misfortunes. Or, that fear can close us off completely to something we might actually love; if only, we weren’t afraid to fail. When you face your fears, you not only start healing yourself, you also open up your heart just a little more. You will find your passion through unexpected avenues.
3) Open the door 🗝️
The astrological symbol for Chiron is the key. Chiron’s key reminds us that we can open the door to our highest good if we only look within. The key to our desires exists within us – everything we need, all the tools we need, already exist within us. We only need to use our inherent power to open the right doors – to look within the light, the dark, and the wounded parts of our being to expose and mend what needs to be healed. It’s time to open the door to new ventures courageously and not be afraid of what will be revealed. Be the key. Expand your consciousness and open the door to the unknown.
4) Heal others ⚕️
Chiron wasn’t able to heal himself from his wound, but he was able to heal others. It was what set him free in the end. People who have deep wounds and have found the gift within their wounds are able to heal others. Embrace your inner Chiron and open your heart to others. Help wherever you can, whenever you can. This will heal your spirit and soothe those wounds that have left scars.
5) Journey
Sometimes the wounds we obtain are not of this life, but the remnants of our ancestors or past lifetimes. Do you feel like you have a karmic debt? Are there fears or pains that can’t be explained? It’s possible that your spirit has unresolved issues, and it’s time to dive into the past. It’s time to journey in meditation however you feel called. The simplest way is to close your eyes in a safe, sacred space, and allow your mind to take you on a journey. Imagine a hallway, leading to a door. Where are you? What does the ground look like? What does the door look like? What happens when you go inside? Seeing, understanding, and releasing the wounds that followed you into this life will help you acknowledge and mend the broken pieces of your spirit and grow from it. However you feel called to journey, be open, and be safe.
In Closing
To embrace the Chiron within you is to embrace your humanity in all its vulnerability. Japanese wabi-sabi is a worldview that sees perfection in the imperfection, and imperfection as a kind of beauty. You have no idea how much power is in these actions. To find the medicine in your wound, heal yourself through courage, love, and acceptance, and help others to do the same.
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