The author of this article, Rob Tillett, has been an astrologer for more
than three decades. A poet, musician, magician, healer, dramatist and
composer, he is the editor and publisher of Astrology on the Web and has
written many of the articles on this website.
Rob lives in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, on the east coast of
Australia.
Chiron, the Wounded Healer
In very ancient times, Chiron, the Wounded Healer, was originally a god of
healing. In later mythology, as a teacher of heroes and an oracle, he survived
as one of the centaurs. These wild creatures, half man and half horse, were
not noted either for their sensitivity, or their intelligence and represented
mankind's attachment to the lower animal passions. In modern astrology, he
stands for the deep karmic wounds in the subconscious that we have come to
this life to heal.
Immortal Son of Saturn
Chiron, immortal son of Kronos (Saturn), governs healing and relationships; he
teaches us, as he did with Jason, Achilles and Heracles, to fulfil our
ultimate potential. Chiron taught his secrets to Asclepios, the divine healer,
but in modern astrology he profoundly stands for the deep wounds we have
brought into this life to be healed and so to enable us to heal others. His
emblem represents holistic understanding. The area of the chart in which
Chiron is located is the focus of the karmic healing process, which is often
very painful.
A comet-like planetoid now called Chiron was discovered in by Charles Kowal on
November 1, 1977. This rara avis flies between the courses of Saturn and
Uranus in a highly elliptical 51-year orbit, closer at perihelion to the Sun
than Saturn and at aphelion travelling out beyond Uranus. This has the effect
of moving him swiftly through some signs, such as Libra, but very slowly
through others, such as Aries. The current scientific position is that Chiron
probably originated in the Kuiper Belt, a disk of objects orbiting beyond
Neptune. The first of many such minor planets (Centaurs) to be discovered,
Chiron still remains the largest and most significant of these in terms of
human destiny.
An Inner Teacher
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