In the study of astrology, astrologers have begun to observe Chiron more closely especially when it comes to healing ourselves and finding sense in synchronicities.
Some have even referred to natal transits in Chiron as symbolic of “Chirotic” time, a time where signs and purpose meet in our lives. The patterns that we see and the odd events, like when we’re thinking of someone randomly and that person calls.
Even though Chiron is only a minor, terrestrial planet, it has an important impact on our birth charts and personal growth throughout our lives. If we ignore Chiron, we ignore progress and we can never truly know ourselves.
What is a Chiron Return?
You have heard of Saturn Return or Jupiter Return as powerful times in our lives, but seldom talked about it Chiron’s return and its affects on us.
Chiron is known as the ‘wound healer,” therefore, when it transits through your natal sign – things will begin to heat up and heal.
Chiron takes roughly 50-51 years to make its circuit around the Sun, and as such the Chiron Return lies midway between that Uranus opposition and the Second Saturn Return. We experience the first Saturn Return in our late 20’s up until age 30, a time when we move from being young adults into taking our place in the world with larger responsibilities.
This can catapult us into our 30’s if we handle it right. Then when we get to age 42 or so, we encounter the Uranus opposition which challenges us to find new ways to incorporate the idiosyncrasies of others in our lives and to encourage our own innovative element. The mid-’40s oftentimes are the moment when the fabled “mid-life crisis” occurs and the radical choices being made are going to be reflective of one’s level of maturity.
At age 50 then, another milestone along the way comes in the form of the Chiron Return, where we come to assess progress made in learning the lessons of the sacred wound and its integration into our lives. Astrologer Zane Stein, who has written extensively on this planetoid, has noted that individuals’ handling of the issues of this time will have an impact on that second Saturn return which will take place between ages 56 to 58.
Chiron Retrograde changes the game. Learn more in What to Expect during Chiron Retrograde.
Chiron’s History & Mythology
The mythology of the centaur who was a class apart from the other man-horse hybrids shows another dimension of synchronicity and leads us to examine our sacred wounds. Chiron was said to have divine parentage, and one myth makes his father none other than Cronus (also known as Saturn). He was tutored by Artemis and Apollo in civilized skills and talents. He in turn taught many of the heroes of Greek myth, including Heracles.
The well-known hero is actually the instigator of Chiron’s death. During a drunken melee, Heracles attacked a pack of centaurs and killed several of them. In the wild fight, he let loose many arrows that were dipped in the blood of the Hydra. (One centaur, Pholus, who also has a planetoid named after him, was said to have picked up an arrow and dropped it, grazing his leg and killing him instantly.)
Chiron, as an immortal, could not die, however. He was left in agony and he implored Zeus to put him out of his misery. He was allowed to die and at his passing was installed as the constellation we all know as Sagittarius.
This mythology is relevant to the consideration of Chiron in the birth chart, for it indicates a place where we have been wounded by the Gods. There is something mysterious about where Chiron appears in our charts and the planets it aspects and a feeling of being wounded such that the pain cannot be healed. Chiron in Aries or the 1st house, for example, shows up as a feeling of not being good enough.
Chiron’s wound is direct and indirect action – while Chiron taught Hercules to make arrows, they also were what ended him. Therefore it is a reminder that we allow ourselves and others to wound us and rewound us if we do not seek corrective action.
For Example: From April 2010 – February 2019, Chiron Return was in Pisces
People in their late 40’s and early 50’s today are experiencing the Chiron Return in the sign of Pisces. We who have entered or are about to enter the 6th decade of our lives have a wound in the place where we feel connected to the Divine. Pisces placements reveal something about our relationship to the Spirit realm and its non-rational experiences.
We Chiron in Pisces folk have difficulty with feeling that all will be well, that our needs will be met. Oftentimes we will have had to have been self-reliant and have a defended nature. For many of us, this has been all we know, and yet deep down we sense there is something more, something divine that could be impelling us towards better choices.
To stay in self-reliance will keep us Chiron in Pisces folks stuck. It’s necessary we take some risks and really trust that the God of our Understanding has our backs. This is never an easy prospect, especially for people who have made it their business to boot-strap ourselves along.
Many of the Chiron in Pisces generation also have an opposition to Pluto and/or Uranus in Virgo which was also operative in the 1960’s, and can not only emphasize our bravado but also add a ruthless edge to it. Many who have this aspect have at least flirted with a stark and unforgiving atheism or agnosticism, if not delved into these waters more deeply.
Many will have a deep discomfort with religious words and names or conversely try to impose their views and dogmas on others. People with Chiron in Pisces are also in danger of elevating their suffering to the status of being so sacred that they refuse to escape it.
Right now, Chiron is in Aries until 2027
Where we are seeing a whole generation born in the 1970s with Chiron in Aries developing and facing feelings of worthlessness that it has to counteract. We could have an impaired ability to express our direct desires at any given moment. Somewhere along the line, we got hurt in this area, and we are trying to heal that wound if we’re smart about it.
Since Chiron spends a long time in Pisces and Aries (the last and first signs of its transit), we will see a long period of this generation coming to terms with their own worth – hopefully reshaping the future instead of seeking for escape.
Learn more about Chiron in Aries or try a Chiron Direct in Aries 3-Card Tarot Spread.
Chiron in the Houses: Where are your Wounds?
So when Chiron enters your natal sign, it’s time to come to grips with the emotional wounds you have because of its planetary alignment and look back over their lives to see how it has manifested in their choices.
But, you can also get insights into your wounds through the house position on Chiron in your birth chart.
Chiron in The 1st House
As stated before, Chiron in the 1st house will give the sense of being wounded in the self-identity. This is associated with childhood wounds or trauma that we gain early in life. It often has to do with self-discovery and the Marsian flaw of overcoming the feeling of not being enough.
Personal focus importance on discovering the meaning of existence and becoming present in life will be the salve to this wound.
Chiron in the 2nd or 7th Houses
Chiron in the 2nd house and the 7th house can act in similar ways, for these are the realms of Venus.
Relationships both to one’s body and to others, in general, are going to be the area to examine for these Chiron placements regardless of gender. The 2nd or 7th house aspect is more intimate than others. All of these placements resonate with wounds having to do with relationships with the Self and another, as well as with the values we hold dear. The 2nd and 8th can also relate strongly to wounding around money, both personal finances as well as those shared with a partner.
Chiron in the 3rd or 9th Houses
Chiron in the 3rd house and the 9th house will have attracted wounds to the thought processes and one’s ability to communicate.
Chiron in the 3rd will show up with traumas surrounding simple communication skills and one’s ability to trust in their own speech to talk out their truths. The 9th house shows a wounding around one’s intellectual abilities, and the faith we can have in how we process more abstract and difficult learning. Chiron in the 9th can also manifest as wounds experienced as children around prophetic abilities, like the little girl who can see when grandma is about to transition, or the boy in the film The Sixth Sense, who can see dead people.
Chiron in the 4th or 10th Houses
Perhaps the hardest places to handle Chiron’s wounds are in the 4th house and the 10th house for these are the houses related to one’s parents.
Often, the 4th represents the opposite sex parent while the 10th speaks to the same-sex parent, and with Chiron situated in either of these, the parent-child relationship is the source of the wound. The relationship with both parents as well as the themes of nurturing and security are likely to be vexing and painful for the person with these placements, and they can unconsciously turn their suffering onto their own children. Owning the wound and giving appropriate care and attention to one’s children will be the hallmark of success here.
Chiron in the 5th or 11th Houses
Both the 5th house and the 11th house speak to creative expression. The 5th is the more personal of the two, for the 11th relates to how one interacts creatively with friends.
The 5th house Chiron has the suffering attached to being rejected for their brand of creativity. The 11th house is similar, but this has more to do with the feeling of being somehow different from other people and therefore rejected for the differences. It’s important for people with Chiron in these houses to find supportive relationships that affirm one’s creative elements. The 5th house is also a house of playful sexuality and the desire to have fun can also have attracted the wounding that Chiron has initiated.
Chiron in the 6th or 12th Houses
The 6th house and the 12th house have affinities with the Virgo-Pisces axis and they actually emphasize all the themes of suffering and service so far spoken of herein.
Chiron in the 6th makes it more of a challenge to find the opportunities to be practical in one’s service, but doing so will help them to engage the feeling of being divinely guided. Contrasting that, Chiron in the 12th needs to transmute their suffering into practical acts of devotion and consideration for others.
Chiron in the 8th Houses
The 8th house can also echo this element, but this can also manifest as a wound in one’s sexuality.
This often is found in a struggle to understand someone’s sexuality or even sexual attraction to others – this can often be seen in those who struggle to come out to others or come into their own.
To Chiron & Beyond
Astrologer Adam Gainsborg has noted that the house and sign opposite one’s Chiron placement show an avenue for expressing our newfound understanding of our wounds. As we understand more about this planet and its place in our stars, we will begin to understand more about ourselves.
So, will you be looking at your Chiron placement the next time you feel you are struggling?
Want more? Learn more about Chiron the minor planet.