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Chiron: The Quest for Wholeness

by Joyce Mason

Comets have been seen as omens throughout history. A
relatively new celestial body, Chiron was discovered in
1977. Before long, visionary astrologers just knew that
Chiron heralded something momentous.

It took a lot longer to confirm that Chiron has as many
characteristics of a comet as a small planet or asteroid.
Solving the mystery of Chiron's meaning has been a thrilling
astrological adventure. Clues come not only from its
astronomy but from two other places where astrologers mine
for metaphorical significance: the mythological character
for which the planet is named (often magically correct) and
the events in our culture, approximately 15 years before and
after its discovery. Here's what we've found, so far:

Chiron orbits just like an outer planet, a captured body
between Uranus and Saturn. In this position, it is the
ambassador between Revolution (symbolized by Uranus) and the
Establishment (represented by Saturn).  Chironic people
"pass for normal" while they catalyze change. With a foot in
both worlds, they weave the past and future into a newly
possible present. Just like Chiron in the early days of its
discovery, these folks are often "one of a kind" and
difficult to classify. They respect valuable traditions but
have the vision to implement needed reforms. Hence, I
connect Chiron with gradual change or Evolution.

Like Pluto, to which it is remarkably similar in relative
size, behavior, and erratic orbit, Chiron is small but
mighty. Mythological Chiron's littlest daily deeds
cumulatively transformed boys into mighty heroes, such as
Jason, Orpheus, Hercules, and Asclepias. Half-man and half-
horse, Chiron the Centaur, was a teacher and mentor. His
holistic subject matter spanned the spectrum from martial-
arts type warrior training to music and other creative arts.
Chiron himself was taught by both Apollo and Artemis, in the
guise of the Sun and Moon, implying the importance of a
balanced masculine and feminine approach to life.

Although multi-talented and widely influential, in most
sources of Greek mythology, Chiron is most noted for his
lingering wound, incurable even though he was an herbalist
and surgeon. Chiron was accidentally shot with an arrow by
Hercules, his most beloved student. Chiron's immortality
meant non-stop suffering, Eventually, he offered to replace
Prometheus, chained to a rock in the underworld for
eternity, where an eagle pecked at his liver nightly for
stealing fire from the gods. For his self-sacrifice, Chiron
was released from the bonds of his immortality by Zeus
(Jupiter) and raised to the heavens, memorialized in the
constellation Centaurus.

Accordingly, Chiron has something to do with our wounding,
healing, and the process of becoming whole again (and in our
own way, immortal). Author Melanie Reinhardt, in her book
Chiron and the Healing Journey (Viking: 1989) says Chiron
represents our cultural wound, the separation of our
instinctual and intellectual selves (symbolized by Chiron's
dual species body).

Getting beyond our pain and limitations (Saturn) is the more
important dimension. Just like mythical Chiron brought out
the best in boys who became exceptional men, astrological
Chiron in a natal horoscope points to how each of us can
make our greatest contribution to the world. Ironically, our
greatest gifts are often closely connected to the place we
were wounded.  Healing ourselves betters others.

One thing's for sure: Chiron brings a prescription for
wholeness in these turning-point times, involving ecological
balance, both inside ourselves and reflected outward all
over the planet. Chiron's story hints at how to create the
right kind of relationship with ourselves and others, by
making optimal self-development our quest and sharing our
best with the world at large. Chiron's 1977 sighting
coincides with the rediscovery of many ancient healing arts
and the New Age, hinting that whole-making is our work on
Earth and that well-rounded human beings come from a blend
of right- and left-brained skills, like those Chiron taught
his students.

Chiron's symbol or glyph is a key -- to a doorway that
changes our consciousness. Chiron asks us to see the world
from a different perspective, to consider alternatives,
ecology, and the big picture. Many astrologers have
described Chiron as the critical, missing factor in chart
interpretation -- apropos, because Chiron was the first
astrologer mentioned in myth, whose greatness at his craft
is proven by the way he turned out heroes. The discovery of
Chiron represents a new phase for astrologers and astrology,
where mentorship and finding and fostering the best in
ourselves and our clients is of critical importance.  (No
more ducking transits of the outer planets or certain
aspects as "bad."  Instead, a holistic astrologer helps his
or her clients find the best expression of each astrological
archetype.)

Last but not least, Chiron is a precursor to a whole new
species of human being I call homo improvement. Recently,
other Chiron-like bodies have been discovered beyond
Neptune. The American Astronomical Association has termed
them "centaurs," after Chiron -- comet-asteroid composite
bodies, paralleling mythical Chiron's dual species body.
Metaphorically, this new kind of human being merges
instincts and intellect, putting him or her in constant
contact with the flow of divine inspiration (and
information). If you always knew just what to do in any
situation, what would there be to fear --  ever?

Chiron represents personal and planetary evolution at a time
when do-or-die changes are desperately needed. The times
call for heroism -- the kind Chiron fostered. Chiron is a go-
between,  and its path goes between Uranus and Saturn, often
connected with Heaven and Earth. In our charts, Chiron is
the key to unlock our personal quest to full self-
development and positive empowerment, to find our own star
quality--and to put it in action toward creating Peace on
Earth -- another name for Heaven.

(c) 1995 by Joyce Lee Mason. All rights reserved.

[Joyce Mason, an astrologer who specializes in Chiron, is
the editor of Chironicles, an international newsletter on
Chiron and holistic astrology. Contact her at PO Box 41127,
Sacramento, CA 95841 or by E-mail at [e-mail]]