Chiron And The Healing Journey
The word astrology is derived from the Latin astrologia. For a long time astrology and astronomy were treated as one science. The two subjects were gradually separated by the Western seventeenth century philosophy known as the Age of Reason, when astrology was rejected as not being scientific enough. During the later part of the medieval period, people were increasingly looking at astronomy as the foundation on which astrology is based. By the eighteens century the two subjects were more and more regarded as completely separate disciplines. Astronomy, the study of objects and phenomena that originate beyond the Earth’s atmosphere, was considered to be a science and became a widely-studied academic discipline.
Many use the positions of celestial objects as the basis for astrological predictions of future events. As a form of divination astrology is regarded by many as a pseudoscience of no scientific validity. In contrast to this, my kind of astrology is applied psychology and one of the finest tools for getting to know ourselves more intimately. To me, astronomy represents the study of the physical manifestations of the planets, i.e. the part that can be seen by earthly eyes – if only with the help of ever more powerful telescopes. Astrology to me is the Divine science that provides us with interpretations of the higher esoteric spiritual realities that are at work behind all earthly life, in us as much as anywhere else in the whole of the created world. This part is invisible to earthly eyes and can only be perceived and interpreted intuitively.
Astronomy tells us that Chiron is a small icy body that orbits the Sun in the outer solar system among the giant planets. Once thought to be the most distant known asteroid, Chiron is now believed to have the composition of a comet nucleus, i.e. a mixture of water ice, other frozen gases, organic material and silicate dust. This heavenly object, whatever you may wish to call it, was discovered in 1977 by the American astronomer Charles Kowal. It was then classified as an asteroid and given the number 2060. Let’s take a peek at what this may mean numerologically.
2 = the Moon, represents our earthly self with its soft and sensitive feeling side, the soul. 6 = Venus, ruler of Libra, the peacemaker of the zodiac, supports us with its energies for making peace with ourselves. 2 + 6 = 8 = Saturn, planet of Karma, a symbol of the Divine aspect of the stern schoolmaster who demands self-discipline and self-mastery from its children of the Earth. Saturn is the planetary ruler of Capricorn, the sign in which the highest human achievements are possible, if we are willing to work for them patiently and hard enough. Saturn’s energies bring with them the ability to envisage distant goals and working our way towards them with great strength, tenacity and determination. If that’s what we do, our efforts in the end are rewarded and Saturn’s role changes from that of the teacher into the rewarder. Life itself is our teacher and our rewarder and Saturn’s position in connection with Chiron brings us the promise that, if we keep on searching even our deepest and traumatic wounds will eventually be healed. As Saturn and Uranus are the co-rulers of the sign Aquarius, our work at the same time prepares us well for our entry into the greater spiritual freedom of the Aquarian Age.
The zero represents the circle of Eternity and 2060 containing it twice points to a reinforced double attunement with eternal life and the rediscovery of our immortal nature. Can you see how nothing happens perchance, not even the giving of a number? Isn’t that a clear indication that the love of our Creator is at all times trying to help us in some way, if only we open our eyes to perceive it? I find it astonishing that even the minutest and seemingly unimportant details like this are attended to with great care and have to be just right for the purpose they are serving. Observing this kind of thing leaves me in no doubt that with the appearance of Chiron, individually and collectively the points were set for the healing of our deepest Karmic wounds.
That no doubt is why the comet Chiron, in spite of its smallness, for a while entered into the focus of our world and attracted a good deal of special attention. The comet is about 200 km (125 miles) in diameter and travels in an unstable, eccentric orbit that crosses that of Saturn and passes just inside that of Uranus with a period of 50.45 years. In 1989 American astronomers Karen Meech and Michael Belton detected a fuzzy luminous cloud around Chiron. Such a cloud, termed a coma, is a distinguishing feature of comets. It consists of gases and entrained dust escaping from the cometary nucleus when sunlight causes its ices to sublimate, i.e. change from solid to gas without going through the liquid stage.
Given Chiron’s distance from the Sun, the sublimating ices are likely to be far more volatile substances than water ice, carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide. On the basis of that discovery, Chiron was reclassified as a comet. Additional study of historical observations showed that Chiron has been active in the past, including at the time of its discovery in 1977. Subsequently, additional asteroid-size icy bodies in orbits that cross those of the outer planets were discovered and given the class name Centaur objects. Several of them have also displayed sporadic comet like activity.
Chiron’s astronomical details are an indication that astrologically it is a link between the inner planets of the personal self and the outer ones of the collective and transpersonal consciousness of our world. Chiron’s energies provide us with a bridge from the known to the unknown, from the old to the new and from the Age of Pisces to the Age of Aquarius. In our birthcharts the comet reveals the area of our life in which we were most deeply wounded in previous lifetimes. The pain of these injuries is felt with such intensity in this one to force us eventually into seeking some genuine relief and healing. Because this wound is of a karmic nature, it manifests itself early on in life as the result of behaviour and thinking patterns we brought with us. They were already deeply ingrained when we took our first breath.
Chiron’s position by sign and house is a highly sensitive point of our birth chart. In the areas of our life experiences they are an indication of our primal experience of pain and rejection. The suffering we endured in the earlier part of our present lifetime magnifies our pain with great strength. Much of the behaviour of our parents, siblings, lovers, friends and others in our environment towards us constantly adds to our inner soul wound. If we try to internalise the signals our soul is giving us in this way, the pain gradually deepens and our suffering increases.
This continues until we finally decide that something has to be done about it and so that to end our suffering, we go in search of healing. Some may wander to the four corners of the Earth in search of a cure for their pain. Cure after cure may be tried, healer after healer consulted. With each one of them we are making a step forward along the path towards healing and wholeness. Although Chiron’s position gives us pointers about the nature of our wound, there is but one effective cure which can only be found through the inner way and an ever increasing awareness that we are immortal beings and that our immortality has not vanished from us in earthly life.
My life’s experiences has taught me that Chiron’s main message is that every human soul carries within one particularly deep karmic wound that throughout all our lifetimes it has been causing us a great deal of pain and is doing so to this day. It takes a long time until we realise that the cause of this wound is our lost inner connection with our Highest Self. When the link to our inner teacher, healer and comforter, who knows the way of all things, has been consciously and fully re-established our healing process is complete and we are whole.
Developing the spiritual qualities of our Christ nature is the only way of healing this wound and forgiveness is the key to all reconciliation. First of all we need to forgive ourselves for setting the wheels of everything that is in our life in motion. But that’s by no means all. The next step is facing the fact that this part of our healing journey is usually accompanied by very powerful fears. Only when we bravely pursue and face that which we fear most can our fears dissolve and healing take place. The work involved may be a long haul that takes courage and willpower, and to our astonishment we may find out that more often than not the things we feared most never came to pass. Love is the law of life and the greatest healer of all. It dissolves fear and when we learn to love and accept ourselves just the way we are, and do the same for others, our wound closes.
Healing takes place when we get to know the source of our pain and accept it. It can be transmuted by going beyond it and using it in creative ways for the benefit of others, for example by writing about the learning we have gathered along the way and sharing it. Chiron’s wound thus turns into a means of transformation for ourselves and others. As time and again we work our way through our pain, the characteristics of our Christ nature stir from their slumber and feelings of love and compassion for our own suffering and that of others are born in us. Although pain and suffering are powerful personal experiences, they are also Universal ones. It is through our newly won awareness of the nature of pain and suffering that we begin to empathise with others and get involved with the grief of the collective consciousness of our world.
As our own latent healing abilities awaken, we feel increasingly drawn towards doing something to alleviate the suffering of every one of God’s creatures and ultimately our whole world. And that is how the wounded one in us transforms him/herself into a teacher and healer.
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This article is a chapter from ‘War And Peace Between Nations.
If it has whetted your appetite to read more, please follow the link below:
‘War And Peace Between Nations’
