Chiron and His Wound

The Chiron Myth

Chiron was a centaur, son of Saturn and the nymph Philyra, rejected by both parents.

Chiron was a healer, astrologer, oracle, teacher, mentor, and wise man. He taught many famous heroes.

Heracles accidentally wounds Chiron with an arrow dipped in the poison blood of the Hydra – creating a wound that can’t be healed.

Chiron gives up his immortality to be relieved of suffering. He takes Prometheus’s place, chained to a rock, and dies.

Today a “Hydra-like problem” or “hydra’” refers to a multifaceted problem that seems incapable of step-by-step solution, or to one that worsens upon conventional attempts to solve it… (Source)

Chiron couldn’t heal his wound – and neither could anyone else

The Chirotic wound is likely to be one that is not talked about in mainstream conversation. The fact is, Chiron couldn’t heal his wound, and neither could anyone else. No one had the cure for his particular problem.

Chirotic problems are those that are unlikely to have ready-made solutions. People with Chiron problems often ignore conventional medicine and explore alternative therapies in an attempt to discover a cure of their own.

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Michelle writes AstroFix | The blog of an astrology addict.

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Anonymous

I hadn’t realized that Chiron was the son of Saturn– that’s really interesting to me because Saturn was the son of Uranus, and I have Chiron at 19 Aries in the 10th exactly opposite Uranus at 19 Libra in 4th exactly trine Saturn at 19 Gemini in the 12th. So there’s almost a myth being told in my chart, if I could only figure it out!

http://astrofix.net/ Michelle

That’s an incredible connection and I think there’s something to it. I’m becoming interested in mythological families and the connection to family legacies in birth charts. You said you never met your father, do you know anything about that side of your family?

Anonymous

No, I’ve never even seen a picture of my father or known a single member of his family, though I carry his last name. (I’ve always hated that, preferring my mother’s maiden name, but it would require mountains of paperwork to change it at this point because of social security etc) I had a series of step-fathers. The first step-father abused me physically from age 5-8, and then I refused to recognize step-fathers 2, 3, 4, and 5 as anything other than temporary enemies to be outlasted (Pluto opp MC). My grandparents raised me from age 12, but their version of raising me was putting me in a room and ignoring me. So the family picture is pretty jumbled and psychologically taut.

I think the Chirotic Wound definitely relates to the loss of the father and the way it has worked its way in my life has been a kind of paralysis in which I feel unworthy of being “in the world” (10th house) and instead follow the easy sextile to the 12th house of solitude and self-undoing. (Of course I have South Node in the 12th house conj Asc, too, making that path all the more tempting.)

Just to add to the whole Mythic story, my grandfather, who could be represented by Uranus in the 4th (opposed Chiron in the 10th) committed suicide when I was around 5. So there’s the death of Uranus the Grandfather, Chiron’s Wound of the Missing Father, me, the Sun at 19 Taurus actually hitting all these points with semi-sextiles or inconjuncts, and then the escape of the trines and sextiles provided by Saturn into the 12th house.

(Just to complete the drama, my mother is Venus on Algol Star of death by hanging at 27 Taurus, actually Trine my IC at 27 Virgo, Sextile MC 27 Pisces. She committed suicide by hanging 5 years ago.)

http://astrofix.net/ Michelle

Your family history is complex. It is amazing how the relationship between Uranus, Saturn and Chiron adds information to your own family mythology. Having the 4th-10th emphasized really shows the parental nature of Chiron’s wound, and you’ve mentioned before that you spend a lot of time alone with Saturn in the 12th.

Anonymous

I’m starting to think the sextile into the 12th house is more of a curse than a blessing! It’s like the ant trap that leads you in, then you can never leave.

http://astrofix.net/ Michelle

A sextile should represent an opportunity, or some natural trait that comes easily to you, that you probably take for granted, and that others struggle with. Many people struggle with feeling at ease being alone- and most creative work demands a great deal of alone time (just an example).

Leah-nine

“Today “Hydra-like problem” or “hydra’” refers to a multifaceted problem that seems incapable of step-by-step solution, or to one that worsens upon conventional attempts to solve it…”

My Chiron is heavily aspected and, being in Cancer in the tenth opposite Saturn in the fourth relates a lot to my parents, whom I have felt an inherent sense of estrangement from since I can remember. It sounds like the solution is not only unconventional but a sobering realization and acceptance of fate. Even though Saturn rejected Chiron, the lessons still get passed from generation to generation and Saturn DOES, after all, teach limitations. Chiriotic problems seem to involve a lot of denial…

Michelle

a sobering realization and acceptance of fate
I’m not a huge fan of the word “fate” but I have to agree.

Chiriotic problems seem to involve a lot of denial
It’s a bit of an elaboration of what you said above, but Chiron seems to involve a very frank look at the facts of the matter.

Leah-nine

I used “fate” interchangeably with “circumstances”. So having Chiron (frank looks at the matter) opposite Saturn (…frank looks at the matter) translates to…? I struggle with that one.

Michelle

Yes, Chiron and Saturn are similar like that. There may be some kind of wounded with having to deal with reality at all. Maybe dealing with the real world is a struggle.

Leah-nine

That’s heavy, but resonates with me. Chiron also being in the 10th or 11th House by Placidus or Whole makes me feel as though I don’t really belong in the “real world” as its most generally interpreted. Saturn conjuncts Neptune in the 4th- 5th by Whole- adding yet another element of escape from reality. Thank you as always for your invaluable input :)

PS- My Grand Earth Trine is really eager to figure out how all this can be practically applied, lol.