Twicken, David. Classical Five Element Chinese Astrology Made Easy.Lincoln, NE: Writers Club, 2000.
———. Four Pillars and Oriental Medicine.Lincoln, NE: Writers Club, 2000.
Walters, Derek. Chinese Astrology: Interpreting the Revelations of the Celestial Messengers.
Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, UK: Aquarian Press, 1987.
———. The Chinese Astrology Workbook: How to Calculate and Interpret Chinese Horoscopes.
Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, UK: Aquarian Press, 1988.CHIRON
Before considering the meaning of Chiron in the horoscope, exploring some of its
astronomy can help us reflect on its meaning. Chiron was discovered in 1977,
between Saturn and Uranus, and reclassified several times until 1992, when the
Kuiper Disk was discovered. This is a large disk of matter surrounding the solar system
that comprises probably billions of small celestial objects and has yielded several new
astronomical categories, including “Centaurs.” Chiron is now considered to be the
first of this group, and to date more than 20 others have been discovered, although
only a few are named. The naming process itself tells us something about the astrolog-
ical themes of Chiron and the Centaurs, as it is the first time in recorded history that
astrologers and astronomers have cooperated in such a venture. The scientific and
intuitive and the rational and inspirational have been brought together.
Chiron’s discovery at this pivotal time in our history reflects the process of
innovation and change by “quantum leap” and most importantly, the skills needed to
deeply integrate the resulting profound changes of consciousness, belief, behavior, and
lifestyle. In this sense, Chiron bridges the realms of Uranus (radical change, revolu-
tion, and the overturning of old collective structures) and Saturn (the preserver of
existing forms). By weaving both impulses into a higher synthesis, more uniquely per-
sonal than either planet, Chiron’s process helps us individuate beyond the various
pressures of the collective to which we are all subject. Commitment to the healing of
self, others, and our environment is the price was are asked to pay, and it is a lifelong
journey, not a weekend workshop.
Further, Chiron and the other Centaurs all have very elliptical orbits, distin-
guished by the fact that they cross the orbital path of at least one other body, from Sat-
urn outwards. Here, too, we can see that Chiron is about integrating the powerful expe-
riences signified by the outer planets, Uranus, Neptune, and especially Pluto, which is,
in fact, the largest inhabitant of the Kuiper Disk and the only orbit-crossing planet.
Centaurs come into being when objects are drawn in to the solar system from the icy
wastes of space in the region around Pluto, pulled by the gravitational field of Neptune.
So Chiron and the Centaurs function as integrators of transpersonal experience, weav-
ing together different levels of reality; they are the messengers of the underworld (Pluto’s
domain), the bringers of transformation, and the facilitators of deep healing. They pre-
side over all rites of passage, especially those concerning our spiritual development.The Mythic Image
In Greek mythology, the Centaurs were a tribe of unruly creatures who were half
horse, half human. Of these, very few have individual names and stories, and ChironChiron
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