CHIRON
at 50:
Return to the Scene of the Crime
by Cathy
H. Burroughs
The Chiron Return poses the question:
What am I going to do with this last part of my life?
– Astrologer Melanie Reinhart
After the Saturn Return at 30, and the midlife crisis at 40, one of
the lesser known, but most significant rites of passage, at 50, is
the formidable Chiron Return. It is, perhaps, due to the relatively
new discovery of Chiron, in November 1977, that so little is known
about this profound period of transformation, that reveals so much
about the secrets of the human psyche.
Neither planet nor asteroid, Chiron has been determined to be a comet
or planetoid (minor planet). Found between the orbit of Saturn (representing
tradition) and Uranus (representing progress), Chiron forms a bridge
between the old and the new; historical origins and individual expression.
Chiron mediates between the conscious awareness and reality-basis
of the practical personal and social planets (Sun through Saturn)
and the multi-dimensional cosmic consciousness of the outer planets
(Uranus, Neptune and Pluto). It provides a gateway forward or back,
whichever is deemed essential for growth, forming our own link between
the natural and the supernatural; the physical and the metaphysical.
|
~
CANN DENTISTRY~
Exercise
a healthy
choice for your teeth!
We do general and
aesthetic densitry and
have been mercury-free
for over twelve years.
Click
on image at right to
find out more!
|
Part
horse and part human; part mortal and part immortal, Chiron, a Centaur,
is associated with the archetype of the 'wounded healer.'
Mythically, Chiron, born a mutant, was rejected at birth by his mother,
who thought him an abomination. Chiron was forced to raise himself.
Facing many rejections and trials, ultimately, his accomplishments
as a great teacher and healer (he was personally trained by Apollo),
self-sacrifices (he relinquished his immortality to Prometheus who
was imprisoned in the underworld for bringing fire to earth), and
wisdom (tutored personally by Athena), brought him the respect of
Zeus, who gave him his own constellation.
In our own charts, Chiron represents (and is given definition by sign,
house placement and aspect) where we feel fundamentally wounded. He
also embodies our dualities and inner contradictions: where we have
the potential to be both godlike and human; instinctive and reasoning;
where we feel most rejected and ashamed, but where, too, we have the
capacity to heal.
The fact that Chiron has been so difficult to categorize is emblematic
of the Wounded Healer's dilemma: that of feeling unable to find
one's niche or place in the world. Hence Chiron in our charts
also represents where we feel disenfranchised and where we can contribute
most to those who feel themselves to be outcasts.
Astrology