is perhaps the most well-known, often associated with the archetypal theme of the
wounded healer. He was the son of Kronos (astrological Saturn) and a sea nymph
called Philyra. Because both parents were in their horse form when he was conceived,
Chiron emerged as a centaur—half horse, half human. (Note here the reference to the
deep past—the conditions around our conception.) Philyra was so horrified that she
prayed to be turned into anything other than what she was—the mother of a monster.
Chiron was abandoned and rescued by a shepherd who took him to the Sun god Apol-
lo. This suggests the primary level of “wounding” that Chiron can depict, in a dramat-
ic and painful separation from his mother who rejects him. This reminds us that even
with the best mothering, at the “animal” level we all suffer from a sense of abandon-
ment at birth. Chiron’s mother Philyra also demonstrates the primary state of mind
that creates suffering (i.e., the inability to accept things).
Further, we can see the astronomy reflected in the mythology, in that Chiron is
taken to Apollo, and fostered by the Sun god. In their elliptical orbits, Chiron and the
Centaurs appear to be tending inwards to the Sun, like Chiron taken to Apollo. This
detail also tells us that our suffering and our compulsions needs to be brought into the
light, for Apollo was the god of healing, music, prophecy, and other skills. Chiron
became the mentor of many famous Greek heroes, passing on the knowledge that
would prepare them for their destinies. In the episode that earned Chiron the title of
“Wounded Healer,” he was accidentally wounded by Hercules, one of his students.
Because Chiron was a demigod, he could not die, but neither could he heal himself as
the wound was poisoned. After existing in agony for a long time, Chiron changed
places with Prometheus, who was chained to a rock as a punishment for tricking Zeus,
the astrological Jupiter. Note that Chiron approaches the orbit of Jupiter, cutting across
the orbit of Saturn, as if trespassing the boundaries, or breaking the old model. Thus,
both were released from their suffering. Chiron was able finally to die and was immor-
talized in the constellation of Centaurus, which flanks the Southern Cross.
Learning through Suffering
So in the horoscope we find multilayered themes around Chiron’s placement.
It indicates where situations encountered in the present may trigger memories of earli-
er suffering in the preverbal domain. Thus, we may experience powerful reactions
seemingly out of proportion and resulting in a driven quality to our behavior and
interactions with others. This intensity can produce stress and anxiety, but it can also
be the stimulus for enormous creativity, originality, and authenticity. Chiron in the
horoscopes of famous people demonstrates this, where a cameo is revealed of precisely
the person’s main contribution to life, for good or ill. Chiron shows where intense and
sometimes painful experiences may occur, where we might malfunction by deficiency
or by overdoing it, where there is a sense of struggle for balance, and where we give
more easily than receive owing to the vulnerability residing there.
Equally, Chiron may show our “destiny” as our innate gifts and wisdom seek
inner recognition there, and it both locates the inner teacher and describes the nature
of significant learning experiences that life will provide. The development of compas-
sion for our own suffering and that of others is also an important Chiron theme, where
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Chiron