Understanding Chiron: The Wounded Healer

So the saying goes ‘we teach what we most need to learn in this world’ and so it’s from our greatest wounds our greatest ability to heal comes. This is the lesson of Chiron.

Let’s start with the myth then go a little into what it means and where you might look if you want hints as to what it is for you? To be honest it can sometimes be hard to see this wound because our subconscious can sometimes protect us from it, because we’re not ready to face it...yet.

THE CHIRON MYTH

In Greek mythology Chiron was a centaur - half man, half horse. Son of the titan Cronos, who took the form of a horse when he lay with (more like raped) the ocean nymph Philyra. She fell pregnant and upon seeing her son, when he was born as a centaur, Philyra was shocked and so disgusted she abandoned her son. With both parents rejecting him, we now have a centaur with some very very deep wounds.

Regardless of chronology, Chiron was adopted by Apollo (even though Apollo was Chiron’s nephew). He was renown for his skills in the healing arts (most likely taught by Apollo) - medicine, prophecy, astrology, botany, pharmacy and the science of herbs and medicine. His mastery of these skills talks to an overcompensation for his early life rejection. (We’ve all been there). He was looking to the healing arts in order to heal himself.

Now let’s move to his death where the wounded healer archetype becomes even more apparent. As the son of Cronus, Chiron was born immortal, however he exchanged his immortality for Prometheus’ life (that’s another story to tell all together). So Chiron become mortal in a very self-less bargain with the godhead (and his half brother) Zeus. Then moving forward in time, and in an altercation Chiron was pierced by Hercules arrow which had been treated with poison (the blood of hydra). The wound was deep and deadly, although Chiron had mastered the healing arts he could not heal himself. Zeus took pity on his mortality and placed him amongst the stars for eternity as the constellation Centauri.

SO WHAT’S THE SIGNIFICANCE OF CHIRON?

We all have our deep wounds - whether that’s rejection by a parent, self worth, past life karma, ancestral trauma etc - that we carry around with us. We often enter jobs or vocations where this wound shows up. This shows up as projecting onto others or healing them the way we are trying to heal ourselves or the polarity, we run in the opposite direction and overcompensate.

This wound is a marking of where we need to expand our consciousness, clear energy or raise our own vibration.

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHERE THE WOUND IS?

Most of us know what this wound is or at least our higher self does. That said, because the wound is so deep and we’ve been born with it in most cases we can’t always see it - in our everyday consciousness. Added to that we’ve compensated for so long it’s just a part of our subconscious. One great tool for spotting it is astrology. In astrology every birth chart will have Chiron’s position marked on it. Where he is, is where our deepest wound is and also our efforts to heal this.

SO, WHAT SHOULD YOU LOOK FOR IN THE CHART?

If you’re new to astrology, start by looking for the Chiron key symbol (see here) . We’re going to keep it very simple to start with and just use the houses to understand Chiron. The houses give a location for where to find the wound. For example in the 12th house that would suggest this is something you’ve brought in from a previous incarnation, where as 7th house would suggest something to do with partnerships or marriage.

DECODING CHIRON

To do this you’ll need about 15-20 minutes to yourself.

Step 1. Look at what house Chiron is in your natal chart. Write this number down.

Step 2. Using the wheel on the left, write down next to the number the words this house is associated with. For example, 5th house would be ‘creativity, children, passion’.

Step 3. Now with this in front of you, close your eyes and clear your mind. Now feel into your body and then look at the information in front of you. Write down (without thinking) what comes up - even if it feels like it doesn’t make sense.

Step 4. Look at what you’ve written and reflect on how this shows up in your life. This is an exercise you can do over and over again as your self-awareness increases.

I want to finish with a beautiful quote from Rumi which for me sums up the important of our inner Chiron - ‘ the wound is where the light enters’. This is the blessing of Chiron. Although he is a wounded healer and it’s easy to feel like the victim when you’re channeling him - he is a beautiful, healing energy as you recognise within you the lessons that have pushed your consciousness to the next octave, dimension or vibration.

Want to learn about Chiron in your chart?

If you want to go deeper into the Chiron mythology and how he presents in your chart, check out a foundation reading with me. During our time together I will guide you through his meaning, upcoming transits as well as other aspects that make up your blue print. Learn more here.