What is Astrology for? Chiron’s Messages, Healing, Acceptance and Second Chances
Here’s the link to Astrotheme – so you can see the sign and degree of the planets in your own or any other natal chart. Or to check the signs and degrees outlined in the blog. Simply enter your data into the boxes provided:
https://www.astrotheme.com/horoscope_chart_sign_ascendant.php
The Astrology Blog 10 December 2018
All times given are stated in GMT
It’s noticeable that I rarely mention Chiron in the blog although I do use him for my natal and predictive work.
I rather forget about Chiron as although his daily motion is listed in my Ephemerides (the book of tables that track the journeys of all the major planets) his aspects are not. The aspects are however listed on various websites – and here’s a link to Café Astrology, where you’ll find all aspects for any year, including Chiron:
https://cafeastrology.com/2018-astrological-aspects.html
What does Chiron Symbolise?
Chiron was discovered in 1977, coinciding with the rise of the holistic health industry and the subsequent spiraling awareness of the mind – body – spirit connection.
In terms of astrological tradition Chiron is still something of an infant. The most recently discovered planet before him is Pluto, discovered in 1930.
Chiron doesn’t yet have an official sign of dignity, although Sagittarius is the favourite suggestion as there’s an obvious connection to the Archer and Centaur.
Chiron in mythology
In mythology Chiron is recognized as the most superior Centaur, standing apart from his unruly brethren.
Civilized, knowledgeable and kind, this skilled physician, teacher, astrologer and oracle is a fount of ancient wisdom. Ultimately, unable to use his healing arts upon himself, Chiron gave up his god status in order to die. And thereby he ended the eternal agony of a poisoned arrow wound.
The full power of his message is captured in his “rebirth”, being returned to source and immortalized in the constellation of Centaurus.
Chiron in astrology
In astrology we commonly refer to Chiron as the Wounded Healer. His importance lies in how “he points to the issues that accompany the path of awakening, such as health crises, life-changing experiences, meetings with teachers, recapitulation of old trauma or major insights”. (Melanie Reinhart).
You don’t have to do much research to find that Chiron transits work – ie you can locate in the Ephemerides the dates for when Chiron was in aspect to any of your own natal planets or angles .
Start with the conjunctions.
When I first did this exercise years ago I started with some skepticism and if I’m totally honest I only did it to satisfy an insistent student, but the very first date I checked was a major life event. Chiron is clearly here to stay.
Chiron direct
Chiron has just turned direct, and he’s another one who’s been moving in and out of the early degrees of one sign and the late degrees of another. Here’s the sequence for this year and going into next:
- Chiron entered Aries – 16 April
- Turned retrograde at 2.25 Aries – 6 July
- Went back into Pisces – 26 September
- Turned direct at 27.54 Pisces yesterday – 9 December
- Will re-enter Aries – 18 February 2019
Chiron transits
Chiron transits signal:
- Emotional wounding
- Anguish
- Learning experiences for personal and spiritual growth
- Finding or giving guidance
- Evolving own beliefs
- Healing old hurts
- Events that unfold in a subtle but meaningful or magical way
- The arrival of those who can teach us with their wisdom or heal us with their skills and compassion
- Or being with those who cannot be healed.
If you have planets or angles in the late degrees of Pisces or the early degrees of Aries
You will be experiencing Chiron transits at this time.
You’ll have your own individual and unique context for how this is playing out in your life and you may get a richer and deeper understanding if you look at the natal condition – ie the house Chiron occupies in your own horoscope and the aspects formed to the other planets:
- How does he tie in and what does he contribute to your bigger picture?
- Does he relate to a wound that you cannot hope to heal but must learn to bear?
- Does he signify an important person in your life?
Chiron in my chart
In my own chart I always knew from when I first started studying astrology that I had a T – Square. This is an aspect pattern created when two planets are opposite each other, and both are then square (90 degrees) to a third planet. When you join the dots you have the shape of a capital T. My opposition falls across the Taurus – Scorpio axis, and the square is to planets in Leo.
When I introduced Chiron into the picture at 18 Aquarius (the 4th of the 4 Fixed signs) he became the “missing leg” to a Grand Cross – ie four planets all in the same mode and in aspect to each other. I’ve often been told that this formation reflects great creativity – which I’ll choose to go along with! – but more obviously it’s also “the cross to bear”.
Chiron is in my 3rd house of siblings. The symbolism is unmistakable. The loss of my twin sister last year, as regular readers will know, was the biggest ordeal and tragedy of my life. So there is the wound that I can never heal but must always bear.
What is Astrology for?
That’s the big question. In my own view there is no doubt in my mind whatsoever that astrology connects us to something bigger than we are.
No matter what life chucks at you, it’s there in your horoscope, and is therefore part of the plan. And so are all the good things, although we don’t need that same level of support and understanding when life is on a roll. Even so, it’s great to get the thumbs up from the likes of Jupiter when seeking our path of good fortune. But astrology really comes into its own as the comforter when life stops making sense.
We say that time heals, but I’m grateful to healer Rasha Osman who said to me after Sue’s death, “No, time is not the healer, acceptance is the healer.”
Of course there’s a link as acceptance comes with time, it’s not something we can do instantly. But astrology is a wonderful help as, even if we can’t understand the “why???” of something, we can accept that it was part of our own and/or someone else’s destiny.
We may rail against it, but ultimately we can’t argue with it. Learning acceptance and how to work with it is one of astrology’s gifts.
Why does it work?
It takes many years of study in astrology to become proficient but you know that you’re in a place of knowledge and confidence when you stop asking does it work, and start asking, why does it work? How come the heavens work in this “as above, so below” way?
In some awesome and wondrous way the journeys of the planets are simply reflecting our own. Looking into this vast celestial mirror tells us what has already happened (retrodiction), what is happening now and what is unfolding for the future (prediction).
What else is Happening this Week?
Mercury is the main player, starting with a minor but awkward aspect to Uranus:
Tuesday 11 December
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Mercury 29 Scorpio quinqunx Uranus 29 Aries 11.38
This is also worth noting from the point of view that it’s Mercury’s first aspect since turning direct (last Thursday evening at 27.16 Scorpio). Incidentally this is the exact position of Harry Redknapp’s Jupiter. He’s just won I’m a Celebrity.
This is also Mercury’s last aspect before changing sign.
The quinqunx (sometimes called the inconjunct) is formed when two planets are exactly five signs/150 degrees apart. In this formation, they have absolutely nothing in common.
Planets five signs apart don’t share an element or a mode. In this example we have Mercury in Scorpio – water, fixed and feminine – and Uranus in Aries – fire, cardinal and masculine.
So this aspect often reflects compatibility issues or blind spots. It can be two people who are definitely not on the same page and probably never will be.
With these two particular planets it can be news (Mercury) that you couldn’t possibly have seen coming (Uranus).
Or information can come to light that you’d missed but now seems glaringly obvious.
Also be very wary of entering into arguments, especially ongoing ones. As this is Mercury’s last aspect in emotionally complex Scorpio it’s better to agree to disagree. Don’t hold grudges. Let it go.
Also be extra careful on the roads. Mercury has turned direct, and is slowly picking up speed again, but this blind spot aspect to wild card Uranus is unfortunately the stuff of accidents or at least, more haste less speed. You don’t want to be broadsided, metaphorically or literally.
Mercury then opens a new cycle midweek:
Wednesday 12 December
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Mercury ingress Sagittarius – 23.44
This is the second time for this ingress as Mercury first entered Sagittarius on 31 October, got as far as 13 degrees of this sign, then turned retrograde and slid back into Scorpio.
So look out for second chances and look out for:
- Something you were planning to do and then had to ditch
- A new approach for an issue you had to give up on
- Or the reappearance of a special someone or an opportunity you thought had passed you by
Cheerful and talkative
This is definitely a more cheerful and talkative combination than Mercury in mute and intense Scorpio, but, in traditional astrology, this is one of Mercury’s signs of detriment.
He rules the opposite sign of Gemini, who is all about communication and clever with language. Sagittarius is known for honesty but also for bluntness, the zinging arrows of truth that hurt when they hit the mark. Ouch. Beware of foot in mouth disease and think before you speak.
But it’s good news for all Sagittarian themes, especially as Jupiter is also now travelling through this sign and the two will link up the week before Christmas. And it will be the third and final conjunction between these two planets. These themes include anything related to education, long distance travel, all things foreign, legal concerns, publishing and major decisions that shape your longer term future.
Venus and Mars
The love planets Venus and Mars move back into the picture at the end of the week:
Sunday 16 December
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Venus 9 Scorpio sextile Saturn 9 Capricorn – 14.28
Monday 17 December
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Mars 20 Pisces sextile Pluto 20 Capricorn 06.54
Venus is nearly back at the degree at which she turned retrograde and in that long and winding journey she’s linked up with slower moving Saturn twice already.
So again this is the third and final alignment and so again look out for second chances or the reappearance of issues that were important but frustrated at that time.
Here’s a summary of Venus’s complicated journey these last few months:
- Venus ingress Scorpio – 9 September
- Venus 2 Scorpio sextile Saturn 2 Capricorn – 13 September (first time)
- Venus turned retrograde 10.50 Scorpio – 5 October
- Venus 4 Scorpio sextile Saturn 4 Capricorn – 24 October (second time)
- Venus went back into Libra – 31 October
- Venus turned direct at 25 Libra – 16 November
- Venus ingress Scorpio – 2 December (second time)
- Venus 9 Scorpio sextile Saturn 9 Capricorn – 16 December (third and final time)
Venus will return exactly to the place at which she turned retrograde next Tuesday (18 Dec) so she’s nearly there and is therefore pretty much back up to full speed again.
She’ll be travelling through the rest of Scorpio up until 7 January, so we’re on the home stretch of this very intense period, which you’ll know all about if you have planets or angles between 25 Libra and 11 Scorpio.
The run up to the Christmas period will be a time of resolution for:
- Relationships already in irretrievable breakdown
- Tentative new romance or love affairs that have been constantly thwarted by outside factors
- Money issues that have brought a lot of hard work or bad feeling
- ANY love/money dilemmas
Saturn in dignity in his own sign has been pissed off with having his goal posts constantly moved and he’s now ready to put them back in place again. Enough!
Mars and Pluto
The Mars – Pluto alignment falls in the early hours of next Monday morning so this aspect is also part of the picture for this coming weekend.
As Pluto is also about endings and starting again there’s an ongoing theme of fresh starts or back to the drawing board. If nothing else it’s a week for finding out a lot more about what is not working in your life and for making real and meaningful changes.
Next week
Next week will bring that final Mercury – Jupiter conjunction, followed by a Full Moon on the Winter Solstice, so do whatever it takes to clear the decks or wipe your emotional slates clean,
Until next week,
With love from Greece
Joanna