Tag: Chiron

On February 18, 2019, Chiron enters Aries to stay here until 2027.

This is one of the most important transits of the year. Although Chiron is not literally a planet, any person who has studied Chiron and has experienced Chiron transits knows that Chiron transits are VERY intense and life-changing.

Why is that?

Chiron – The Key to the Zodiac

Chiron is classified as both a minor planet and a comet and it’s primarily connected to the archetype of the Wounded Healer.

Chiron’s glyph is literally a key, and if we study Chiron’s orbit and Chiron’s mythology we soon understand why Chiron is truly the key to the zodiac.

Chiron – The Bridge Between

Chiron has an irregular orbit and spends more time in some signs than in others. Chiron can transit a sign from anywhere between 1,5 years to 9 years. Chiron spends the most time in Pisces and Aries (8 to 9 years).

This is interesting because Pisces is the last sign of the zodiac, and Aries the first sign of the zodiac.

Connecting the end of everything (Pisces) to the beginning of all possibilities (Aries) is not an easy task, but if there is someone that can embark on this journey, that is Chiron.

Chiron orbits between Saturn (the last visible planet) and Uranus (the first transpersonal planet). By orbiting between Saturn and Uranus, Chiron links our personal experience to the collective experience.

Last but not least, the duality is also linked to mythology. Chiron was a Centaurus – half God, half horse, signifying the animal and the God coming together in one entity.

Ultimately, Chiron’s role is to break, but also to put back together different forms of existence.

Chiron is the alchemist of the zodiac. Chiron breaks everything only to find a higher, a superior order.

Chiron In Aries – The Identity Wound

Chiron in Aries is where you feel you don’t have the right to be yourself. Aries is concerned exactly with the affirmation of the self but Chiron will challenge this affirmation of the self, with the purpose of finding a higher order.

Aries is the 1st sign of the zodiac – is all about the individual, about impulse, passion, instinct, “Me first” attitude.

Aries in where we assert ourselves, where we go for what we want, where we draw borders to express our uniqueness.

Aries is the very first sprout to emerge from the soil in the spring, choosing life, choosing to ‘get out there’ into the world and express itself.

Chiron is where we feel wounded, ashamed, broken and inadequate.

Chiron will challenge Aries’ expression of the self, expression of individuality.

Chiron in Aries is about the greatest wounds of all – the wound of identity.

The wound of identity is when we feel we don’t have the right to exist. This is the most painful wounds of all because it is the most difficult to grasp.

We Are Born With It

We are all born with the wound of identity. When we are babies, we hardly have an identity. We are the result of the genetic makeup of our parents.

As we grow up, if our self-expression is encouraged, we slowly develop our unique identity.

But the process is not always smooth. Our parents may – rightly so – see us as an extension of themselves, and may have difficulties in acknowledging that we are a different human being. It’s not their fault! They do this because they want to protect us.

But trying to force the child to become anything else but what they were born to be, is incredibly damaging to the sense of the child’s self. Stifling a child’s individuality is more dangerous on long-term than neglect and even violence.

People who have the most challenging forms of psychosis usually come from upbringings where they were not allowed to be themselves, to express their unique identity.

Symptoms of the identity wound

• “I am nobody” – an overall feeling of emptiness and disconnection
• “I am not enough” – a desire to “prove” oneself
• “If I don’t fit in, I don’t exist” – a desire to be liked by everyone
• A tendency to copy other people, but at the same time a lack of defining role models
• A desire to remain unnoticed, a fear of expressing one’s opinions and beliefs
• Difficulty to connect with one’s body or feelings
• …or on the contrary, a continuous to prove one’s uniqueness by behaving oddly
• A tendency to hurt oneself, physically or psychologically – self-inflicted wounds, abuse of drugs, alcohol and medication, overworking, feeling ‘numb’

How to Overcome the Wound of Identity with Chiron in Aries

What can you do about your feelings of worthlessness? Can you heal your wound of identity?

No achievement, no money or success can heal this wound – because being you is not about becoming something you are not, but is about learning to accept that it is OK to be you!

Chiron in Aries will ask you to address and heal – once and for all – the wound of identity, a wound that we are all born with.

Chiron in Aries is about taking responsibility for your existence, is about being present with your wounds, with your pain and with your shame.

Show yourself despite the pain. You are going to feel it, no doubt. But no matter what, you need to show up, do what you need to do, take a step forward, to BE YOU.

You are Here for a Reason

Your existence is the very proof you deserve to BE. There is a reason why out of billions of genetic possibilities, it was YOU who made it.

Yes, not only you have the right to exist, but you are here for a reason. You were born with a unique mission.

You were born to express the divine in your unique way, to develop and share your unique gifts, talents, and skills. You are much more than you think. The stars, the whole universe collided so you could be here today.

When you allow your true self to shine through, there is no more pain, there is no more wound. You achieve self-realization.

Self-realization happens when all the broken parts of you come together to form a whole.

But you need to put ALL these parts together. Yes, even those you are ashamed of. They are part of you too, they are part of your story.

By allowing them to exist, you allow yourself to exist. And this is how you find the key, the higher order, the higher meaning of your existence.

If you want to learn more about Chiron in general and about how Chiron in Aries transit will influence you, make sure you enroll in Astro Butterfly’s online course Chiron – Your Deepest Wound, Your Greatest Gift.

Chiron – Your Deepest Wound, Your Greatest Gift is an online course that combines astrology with psychology, self-inquiry, and other self-development approaches.

In the course you will explore how each Chiron archetype plays out in your natal chart:

• In Module 1 you will learn about the 1st Chiron archetype “The wounded healer”. You will identify your deepest wound, based on the position of Chiron in your natal chart.
• In Module 2 you will explore the 2nd Chiron archetype “The Shaman”. You will learn what a ‘healing crisis’ is, and what the best approaches to heal your wound are.
• In Module 3 you will dive into the 3rd Chiron archetype “The Alchemist”. Here you will discover what Chiron in Aries has to say about your unique gift.

Here you can find more details about the course:

Chiron – Your Deepest Wound, Your Greatest Gift 

 

Chiron Return – A Turning Point

Chiron spends his last days in the sign of Pisces. Chiron is now at 29° Pisces, ending a 50-year journey around the zodiac. On February 18, 2019, Chiron enters Aries, starting a completely new journey, and opening up new doors of possibilities.

Because Chiron spends more time in Aries than in any other sign, many people are born with Chiron in Aries. If you are born between April 1968 – May 1976 and October 1976 – March 1977 your Chiron is in Aries, too.

If you have Chiron in Aries, in the next 8 years you will experience your Chiron return. Chiron return is a turning point in one’s life.

This is when people have major breakthroughs, when they completely change their lives, transform their careers, discover latent talents and gifts, and experience profound healing.  

If your Chiron is not in Aries, this means you either have already experienced your Chiron return, or you will experience it in the future, more exactly at the age of 50-51.

If you already had your Chiron return, go back in time and try to recall how your life looked like when you were 50.

If you haven’t had your Chiron return yet, this is definitely something you want to look forward to. Chiron ‘ripens’ at the time of the return and most people experience positive shifts and profound healing in their lives.

Chiron Return – There Is More To Life

Because Chiron orbits between Saturn and Uranus, Chiron return happens between your first Saturn return and your Uranus return. If you have your Saturn return at the age of 29, and the Uranus return at 84, the Chiron return is in the middle, more exactly at the age of 50.7.

Therefore, the Chiron return represents the in-between stage. By 50, when we have the Chiron return, Saturn has (hopefully) taught us how to become responsible adults, which is a necessity if we want to a). firstly survive, and b). make the most out of our lives.

But Saturn also has an over-cautious approach to life, and tends to do too much that is expected of him. That’s why Saturn has rings. We are bound to Saturn’s territory.

Uranus, the first ‘invisible’ planet in the sky, represents our liberation from the boundaries of society as represented by Saturn. A good metaphor for Uranus is the bird that escapes from the cage. Uranus, the God of the sky, is pure spirit. Uranus represents the messages from other realms, and connects us with what’s beyond our limited ‘universe’.

Chiron return is when we start tapping into Uranus’ insights. What society expects from us is no longer enough. We want to break free from our limitations and explore completely new horizons. Uranus is our divine side. The Chiron return is when we finally become aware that there is more to life.   

You don’t have to wait for your Chiron return to work with Chiron in your chart. The more you explore Chiron before the return, the most remarkable your Chiron return will be. And the more you embrace Chiron after your Chiron return, the more you will open up to the divine insights of Uranus.

At a deep level, Chiron represents the process of reconciliation of your human side with your divine side.

You are not God (Uranus), but you’re not just matter either (Saturn). You are human, a mix of both.

Chiron is the connection between mind and spirit, the link between what can be seen and what cannot be seen. When your body communicates with your spirit, and when your spirit speaks through your body, that’s when Chiron is at play.

Chiron is a Centaurus, a half-horse, half-man who has learned not only to live, but to thrive with his dual condition.

If you have eyes to see, Chiron is everywhere. It comes into your life disguised as a teacher, as a life lesson, and sometimes, in the most literal of ways… as a horse.

Read about the incredible story of Julie Bradshaw, a psychic and intuitive healer who has discovered Chiron thanks to her horse, Scout. With Chiron in strong aspect to the Sun and with an approaching Chiron return, Julie’s life is a story of the triumph of love over pain – and an example of the incredible opportunities that open up when you embrace your Chiron.

Julie Bradshaw is not only a gifted psychic and healer, but an Alchemist of the Soul. I’ve learned more about Chiron from her than from years and years of research.

Chiron Return –  Interview With Julie Bradshaw

Astro Butterfly: What’s your story? Can you tell a little about yourself?

Julie: “I lived a majority of my life in sadness or turmoil, including the death of my father at an early age, sexual abuse, being shunned by my family, and having two children with special needs, but I have found the way out of that and having the insight around Chiron in my chart has played a major role.  I’m now a masterful conduit for Universal consciousness and energy healer for both humans and animals, across all time and space.”

Astro Butterfly: Chiron, the wounded healer, plays a very important role in your chart. What was your wounding experience? This can be an episode from your early childhood or a life experience that left your heart shattered. When did it happen?  

Julie:  “I know that my mom was pressured by my father’s family to have an abortion and that my mother resented me for many years, possibly even for my coming into existence.  I know that I don’t remember not having some inherent sadness even as a small child.”

“I will say a defining time of my life that was a catalyst to my broken heart but also eventually to my healing was my stepfather (at the time, not my current one) being mildly sexually abusive to me for several years when I was a teen and discovering that my mom knew it was happening and never tried to stop it.”

Astro Butterfly: What were your first attempts to heal your wound?  

Julie: “In reference to the experience with my stepfather, my resentment towards my mother grew over many years without my recognizing the cause. It festered into depression and anger when coupled with the pressures of a toddler and infant with special needs. I eventually confronted my mom, but finally realized that the only person I could make a change in was me.  And I discovered the power of forgiveness, of myself and others.”

Astro Butterfly: When did you have the breakthrough? How did you find about your psychic abilities? How did you use healing to turn the initial wound into something greater?  

Julie: “My discovery of forgiveness and my psychic abilities all came about in the same time frame, my late 30s. The forgiveness aspect came first which led to more insight coming my way of an alternative nature. But once the door swung open, it became a flood. Practicing forgiveness and teaching others about forgiveness became a mainstay of my life and my work.”

Astro Butterfly: How did you find out about Chiron?

Julie: “A very special horse named Scout came galloping into my life after 20+ years of not being owned by a horse. He had a lifetime history of abuse and neglect and a fear/anxiety that was bigger than he was as a result (and he’s a huge horse.)” 

“I was reading a book about the intuitive/spiritual side of horses and the author introduced me to the story of Chiron, the Centaur. I was in awe when I read that Chiron was shot in the right knee with the poison arrow.”

“A few years before he came to me, Scout had an abscess in his hoof that developed into a tumor that went up his leg into his knee. And it was his right front leg!!  And Scout’s energy is absolutely that of a healer and he helps me with clients to help them heal their trauma. I had a living and breathing Wounded Healer that had come to join me less than a year before I learned about Astro Butterfly and the Chiron course.”

Astro Butterfly: Your Chiron is quincunx the Sun. The Sun represents one’s identity. A quincunx asks the individual to reconcile two different energies that have little in common. But when the individual manages to reconcile these different parts of themselves, something beautiful emerges. The quincunx is the ultimate “alchemist” aspect.  How does this Sun-Chiron aspect play out in your life?  

Julie: “With my Sun in Virgo, I have a tremendous love of others which manifests in my desire to help others heal. With Chiron, my greatest challenge and wound in life was wanting others to love me as much as I loved them.  So, the two things that had little in common: my love of others vs. my love of myself.”

“And the reconciliation? Realizing that I had to truly believe that I am capable of being loved.  With my wound, I had come to believe that I must not be love-able, by either The Universe/Higher Power or other humans. So, I created a new belief to replace the old one….I am love-able!!  My gifts are coming full-force now and my relationships have shifted so that the ones I have are with people who confirm over and over that I am love-able. And the Universe is showering me with signs that It loves me too!”

Astro Butterfly: Chiron moves into Aries in February 2019 and will stay there until 2027. Your natal Chiron is also in Aries and you’re approaching your Chiron return. Can you feel the first manifestations of this transit? What do you expect from your Chiron return?  

Julie: “Is there any doubt I’m already feeling the first manifestations? Yes, my relationships really started shifting when my Sun transited Chiron in Libra at the end of September 2018.  Quite a few relationships ended with people who were not willing to meet me in the middle in the relationship.”

“Looking back this is a clear manifestation of my approaching Chiron return. I am honestly practically giddy about my Chiron return because I have done the work and I think the results I’m starting to see are merely scratching the surface of my Alchemist role.”

Astro Butterfly: What advice would you give other people who go through a wounding experience? How can others transcend pain and suffering and become an alchemist, just like you?  

Julie: “My advice: honor the pain, but try not to live there. You may not understand the “why” of it at the time, but eventually, it will come. So, keep asking for insight and answers, and follow any trails that promise to give you the answers. Each answer is a piece of the puzzle.”

Astro Butterfly: In 2018, you participated in “Your deepest wound, your greatest gift” Chiron course. The course is open for enrollment again in a few days. You created a bonus material that will be part of the course. Can you tell us a little bit about what you will teach us?

Julie: “As I mentioned I do believe that forgiveness is the foundation for healing on any level, but particularly at The Alchemist level. While we often discuss forgiveness of others, the critical importance of forgiving ourselves is often overlooked. It becomes the foundation to creating empowering new beliefs to transmute the limiting beliefs that have been creating the challenging cycles we most want to break. I will be guiding participants in a forgiveness of self-meditation that will ignite their inner Alchemist.”

Astro Butterfly: How can others learn more about you?

Julie: My website is www.YourSoulSpeaksToMe.com and my Facebook profile is www.facebook.com/Julie.Bradshaw.Love

***

Want to read more Chiron stories?

Chiron in Aries: Naomi, a talented musician has Chiron in Aries conjunct her South Node. Her music touches the soul of a generation of people who share Chiron in Aries’ wound of identity. Read her story here Chiron In Aries – Beautifully Human

Chiron and one’s vocation: Eva has Chiron conjunct her ascendant and after years of working as an editor, she has finally embraced her Chiron vocation as a mosaic artist. Read her story here Chiron Stories – From Editor to Mosaic Artist – Interview with Eva Nagy

Chiron is known as the Wounded Healer, but Chiron is much more complex than that. In astrology, Chiron represents our initial wounding which if embraced, transforms into our greatest gift.

You may wonder why we need to suffer in order to access this great gift that we are all born with. Think about all the masterpieces of this world.

Great painters who choose art despite any health or financial difficulties, athletes that break their muscles – and world records – all the time, heroes who sacrifice themselves for a higher ideal.

None of these people were born that way. Van Gogh was not born a painter, the athlete was not born agile and the hero was not born courageous.

If you dig into their biographies, you oftentimes find that there were some difficulties these people went through early in their lives.

These difficulties became fuel for their later achievements. It’s in the struggle that we find a higher meaning, that we push the boundaries of what is possible, that we become better and better human beings.

Just like the flu gives our immunity system a boost, in the same way, our wounds are Universe’s loving way of helping us grow and evolve. If you look back in your life, you see that all the pain you’ve been through has been a blessing in disguise.

Instead of running away from problems, stay with them. Try to understand what the Universe is trying to tell you. Something amazing is waiting on the other side, if you don’t hide away from your wound.

In astrology, Chiron represents the process of identifying your wound (Wounded Healer), healing it (Shaman), and then transcending it and transforming it into a gift (Alchemist).

A wound remains a wound if you hide it. A wound becomes a gift if you embrace it.

But what is a gift? A special talent? An opportunity? Something you get by chance? Something you are born with? Or something that is cultivated?

The most common way we leave our mark on this world is through our work. We have a job, we contribute, we put in the effort, and eventually, we get rewarded – monetarily or in other ways.

In the past, when work was hard, the definition of work was “Something you do to get paid and earn a living, an effort you wouldn’t put otherwise”.

Although this definition still stands true for most of us, nowadays we also want to derive meaning from our work: we want to contribute, we want to create value, we want to know that what we’re doing matters.

Chiron And Our True Vocation – From The 6th House To The 10th House

In astrology, work is represented by the 6th house, while the career or the vocation is represented by the 10th house.

The 6th house is what you do for a living.

The 10th house is your contribution to the world, the highest expression of who you are.

It all makes sense if we understand the meaning of the houses relative to the position of the Sun.

The 6th house is where the Sun has set, is the dusk. In the 6th house is where you are literally – and metaphorically – giving away your light. When you’re trading work hours for money, that’s your 6th house.

The 10th house happens at mid-day, when the Sun is at the highest point in the sky, shining at its brightest. This is where you shine your light fully, and effortlessly.

The 10th house is our vocation, but we cannot find our vocation unless we put some work first (6th house).

This is how Chiron works too. If you want to shine your light, you have to give it away first, just like the Sun sets into the night.

There’s nothing wrong with the 6th house, on contrary, a strong 6th house shows a no-Ego, responsible and compassionate individual. But this doesn’t mean we have to ignore the 10th house, our vocation.

If you don’t shine your light, like the Sun does at mid-day, you will soon be left with no energy and zest for life. Too much 6th house type of work and your health starts to suffer. That’s why the 6th house also rules health!

We are all born to leave our mark on this world, to shine our light in one way or another.

Chiron Conjunct Midheaven – The Artist’s Way

To illustrate the beauty of moving away from the 6th house into one’s true vocation, I would like to share with you Eva Nagy’s story. Eva is an absolutely brilliant mosaic artist, who has found her true vocation around the time of her Chiron return.

Eva’s Chiron is exactly conjunct her Midheaven. Chiron conjunct the Midheaven represents a calling to become Chiron, to shine our light through Chiron, to share our Chiron gift with the world.

Eva was not always a mosaic artist. Beforehand, she was an editor. And although she was very good at what she was doing, at some point she found it rather pointless in the big picture, and this is when she discovered she was drawn to mosaic art.

Eva is a Cancer rising with Sagittarius ruling her 6th house of work. Sagittarius rules publishing and foreign languages, so no wonder Eva’s work gravitated around this industry.

Moreover, the ruler of her 6th house, Jupiter is in Virgo in the 3rd house. The 3rd house is the house of communication, and Virgo loves to pay attention to details. This combination makes indeed for a great editor. That’s her 6th house story.

What about the 10th house? Eva’s Chiron is exactly conjunct her Midheaven (the 10th house) in Pisces. When Eva had her Chiron return, she felt compelled to embrace her true vocation in the fields of art and healing (Chiron in Pisces). This is when she discovered mosaic art.

If you’re approaching your Chiron return (around the age of 50-51) you may too feel compelled to embrace your vocation.

Once she has embraced her Chiron, her contribution to the world has become a masterpiece. Since then, Eva has produced numerous prize-winning mosaic sculptures.

When you look at Eva’s wonderful mosaic art sculptures you can sense Chiron’s gift at work.

This is one of her wonderful mosaic sculptures called “Shelter”. After Eva immersed herself into astrology, she has retitled it “Sun in the 4th house”. Eva’s Sun is in Libra and in the 4th house.

I’m sure you will enjoy this interview, and I hope it will inspire you to embrace your true vocation. Make sure you check out Eva’s amazing art (you can find her Instagram account at the end of the interview)

Chiron Story – Interview With Eva Nagy, Mosaic Artist

Astro Butterfly: What’s your story? Can you tell a little about yourself?

Eva: “I’m a Hungarian-born woman in my early 50s, a published author with an advanced degree in foreign languages who lost her identity built on words and found her true voice in art.”

Astro Butterfly: Chiron, the wounded healer, plays a very important role in your chart. What was your wounding experience?

Eva: “The wound first happened in college when I was told that the language degree I had been working so hard for was going to be useless by the time I got it.”

Astro Butterfly: What were your first attempts to heal the wound?

Eva: “My reaction was that after college I moved to the US with an American man I fell in love with. There, I was faced with a serious culture shock and wounds at work, which I always attempted to heal with a new relationship, working harder, and becoming a people-pleaser, all the while being less and less sure of myself. It all culminated in illness that severely affected my ability to speak, write, and think clearly. I hid from the world.”

Astro Butterfly: When did you have the breakthrough? How did you discover your creative vocation? How did you use mosaic art to turn the initial wound into something greater?

Eva: “When I was left with nothing, I could be anything. Caring people around me created a space in which I could change my view of myself. They showed me that you don’t need a degree or even words to speak from your heart. I had my hands and my imagination and a desire to connect with others. It manifested in a mosaic wall in our backyard that I made with broken tiles and a host of different objects that neighbors gave me. This was the first step.”

Astro Butterfly: Your Chiron is conjunct the Midheaven. The Midheaven is the highest point in our charts, and represents our vocation, our purpose in life. Chiron conjunct the Midheaven will ask the individual to “become” Chiron, to find a vocation or a career that is connected to healing or to the healing arts. How does this Chiron conjunct the Midheaven play out in your life?

Eva: “Over time I found that my mosaics, especially the ones I installed in homes, act like a hearth, something more than a piece of decoration. They seem to make people smile and wonder. Even in my darkest days, what I created spoke of sunshine and ease, and I wasn’t trying to achieve that.”

Astro Butterfly: What advice would you give other people who go through a wounding experience? How can others transcend pain and suffering and become an alchemist, just like you?

Eva: “My advice is not to get too attached to your identity. Be brave enough to fully experience your life, your ever-changing “self,” and when you stop being afraid to do that, when you stop trying to fix it, just observe it with compassion for yourself and others, you will find healing. Honesty is key. So is patience.”

Astro Butterfly: In 2018, you participated in “Your deepest wound, your greatest gift” Chiron course. The course inspired you to draw a girl in a wheelchair and no arms, painting with her lips. The dots are the true positions of the stars in the constellation of Centaurus. What’s the story of your sketch, and what does it symbolize?

Eva: “I like stargazing and always wondered how ancient cultures came up with the names for constellations when to me they looked totally different. I’m also moved tremendously by people who paint using their toes and mouth for hands. Finally, the life and death of Stephen Hawking must have been in my subconscious as well.”

“The Chiron course, among lots of aha moments, gave me an impetus to reimagine traditional myths and symbols such as Centaurus. What do I see in him? How am I him or he me? What do you do when you can’t walk and have no arms? What is your arrow that you send out then?”

Astro Butterfly: How can others learn more about you?

Eva: My Instagram account is enmosaics  https://www.instagram.com/enmosaics/

***

Want to read more Chiron stories?

Chiron in Aries: Naomi, a talented musician has Chiron in Aries conjunct her South Node. Her music touches the soul of a generation of people who share Chiron in Aries’ wound of identity. Read her story here Chiron In Aries – Beautifully Human

Chiron Return: Julie, a psychic and intuitive healer has already embraced her Chiron when Scout entered her life. Who is Scout? Chiron himself… Read Julie’s story here Chiron Return – When Your Soul Speaks To You 

Chiron In Aries – Saying YES To Life

On February 18th, 2019 Chiron enters Aries, to stay here until 2027.

Aries is the first sign of the zodiac, the starting point of everything else. Aries is where a new story begins.

Aries is the YES we say to life. Aries is an affirmation of humanity. We come into this world for a reason. Aries knows that every single individual has a mission. 

Chiron is the Wounded Healer of the Zodiac. There is much more depth to Chiron and in the next days, I will be writing more extensively about the incredible potential you can unleash when you embrace your Chiron.

Too many people play small in life because they don’t believe their existence matters. That they can truly make a difference in this world.

Nothing can be farther away from the truth, but this wound around the existence, this uncertainty, this constant doubt it’s Chiron’s way of asking you to look deep inside yourself and face some deep truths about what makes you human, what makes you special and unique.

Chiron wants you to see that you’re beautiful, that your true nature is beauty. That you couldn’t NOT be beautiful even if you tried.

Chiron – The Wounded Healer, the Shaman, The Alchemist

There are three stages of Chironic development: the Wounded Healer, the Shaman, and the Alchemist. The Wounded Healer discovers the wound. The Shaman heals it. And the Alchemist transforms it into something much greater.

The Alchemist is the ultimate expression of our human potential, the reason why we’re here, but an Alchemist only becomes an Alchemist when he or she is firstly a Wounded Healer and a Shaman.

Chiron in Aries has arrived to tell you that your existence MATTERS. Not only that, but it’s also necessary. You have a duty, you have a mission to accomplish, and you won’t feel alive until you take responsibility for this special mission.

The world needs you because you have a particular gift that no one else has. And the way to find this gift is through Chiron. No wonder Chiron’s symbol is the KEY. You need to put it in the lock and open the door.

But the best way to understand Chiron is through stories. In the next three days, I will share the stories of three amazing HUMANS, Naomi, Eva, and Julie, who have transcended the initial Chiron wounding and have transformed it into heart-touching music, beautiful art, and spiritual healing.

The world is now a better place thanks to them and I hope their stories will inspire you to find your inner Alchemist.

Chiron Story – Naomi Wachira

Naomi Wachira is an incredibly talented musician and human being. She was born with Chiron in Aries in exact conjunction to the South Node, and opposition to the Moon.

If you want to know what to expect from Chiron in Aries, listen to her song Beautifully Human. Her song tells more about Chiron than 100 blogs. If Chiron in Aries was a soundtrack, then it would be her song Beautifully Human.

Here is an interview with Naomi. I’m sure her story will inspire you as much it has inspired me. If you want to learn more about Naomi, make sure you listen to her music and check out her website (details below).

Astro Butterfly: What’s your story? Can you tell a little about yourself?

Naomi: “My name is Naomi Wachira and I’m an Afro-Folk Singer-Songwriter. I was born and raised in Kenya, but moved to the US 20+years ago. I’m also a single mom to a delightful and life-giving daughter. Ever since I was a little girl, I knew that I wanted to change the world, but more specifically I wanted to offer hope to the world.”

“I grew up in a Christian home and that upbringing definitely influenced my worldview because it embedded the idea that spirituality is an essential part of my existence. I’ve spent most of my life trying to understand what that actually means and how it shapes who I am and what I do with my life.”

Astro Butterfly: Chiron, the wounded healer, plays a very important role in your chart. What was your wounding experience?

Naomi: “As early as 5yrs old, I felt like there was something missing in my life. l carried this fear that no one understood me, which created feelings of loneliness and isolation. Everywhere I went, whether at home, school or even social gatherings, I felt that I didn’t belong, but I could never reveal this to anyone. I just pushed these feelings as far away as I possibly could because I didn’t know what to do with them. Even now as an adult, I still carry that feeling of isolation and it has always felt like I’m looking at life from inside a bubble.”

Astro Butterfly: How did you react initially to this event/wounding experience? What were your first attempts to heal it?

Naomi: “The first time I tried to do something about this feeling of isolation and loneliness was during my sophomore year of college. I knew something was wrong with me, but had no idea what it was. I talked to one of the campus counselors and she told me I was suffering from depression. She suggested I take some anti-depressants, which I did for 6 months, and they helped elevate me from the dark fog so I could process all the complex emotions I had been suppressing for most of my life.”

“That first look into my unprocessed emotions was the beginning of a journey that has been both painful and liberating. It’s something I’m still doing 20 years later and still feel like I’m still scratching the surface. Now I’m aware that what I’ve been chasing after is my true identity. One that goes beyond what is expected of me, how I’ve succeeded or failed, what I’ve done right or wrong. In a way, it is like slowly peeling layer upon layer of stories I’ve told myself or have been told of who I should or should not be, to get to the core of what/who I really am.”

Astro Butterfly: When did you have the breakthrough? How did you use music to turn the initial wound into something greater?

Naomi: “I feel as though my breakthrough has been gradual, like everytime I peel a layer, I have a small breakthrough. The biggest one happened last year when I faced a relationship that had always been difficult for most of my life. The simple admission that something hadn’t been right for a long time was so freeing and even though I didn’t have a blueprint for what direction the relationship would go, I felt like I had faced one of my greatest fears – and that was a huge victory.”

“Music has always been my home away from the world. I’ve always referred to it as the ‘safest place in the world’ because it is where I feel completely whole and one with myself. I’ve also tried to use music to create a safe space where their spirits can be animated. My mission statement is that I want to create, “an expansive, breathable space where anyone can feel empowered and inspired to be all they were created to be.”

Astro Butterfly: Your Chiron is conjunct the South Node. This aspect can show a wounding related to the past, or to the place of origin, but also the opportunity to liberate oneself from ancestral and collective karma. How does your experience from leaving Kenya and moving to Seattle relate to this?

Naomi: “I believe that moving to the US helped me look at life from a very different perspective. The stress and learning curve of being in a new country and culture brought up so many unprocessed emotions, which now looking back, was the gateway to start liberating myself from old narratives that didn’t really serve my soul or purpose for being on this earth.”

Astro Butterfly: What was your intention when you wrote the album “Songs of Lament”? Tell us about the creative process behind the album.

Naomi: “When I wrote Song of Lament, I was staying with my sister in Germany and I was in the middle of a really difficult time personally. I was feeling quite hopeless about how my career was going and was contemplating whether I should quit and return to a regular job. It was also at this time I became aware of what was happening to many men, women and children escaping violence in their home countries. Many were using dangerous ways to find new life in other countries and my heart was grieved at the lengths they had to go just find a dignified way of being.”

“I used my personal and collective grief to write Song of Lament. I felt it necessary lament for these fellow human beings who didn’t ask to be thrown into war. I wanted to weep for those whose lives were lost while trying to find a better way to exist or through senseless acts of violence. But it was not all about lament, I wanted to share my hopes of what could happen if we truly believed in the sacredness of every human life. Or that even when every part of our being feels like giving up on our dreams, we can keep running in order to fulfill our life’s purpose.”

Astro Butterfly: Chiron moves in Aries in February 2019 and will stay there until 2027. This transit will help us heal our identity wound, at a global level. How does your song “Beautifully human” relate to our collective identity wound? What would you hope to inspire and awaken in others through this song?

Naomi: “My strongest desire with my gift is to help us as a human race rise to our true potential. I think we are at a crossroad as a human race and we must decide whether we will continue to live in our collective shadow, where fear rules us or shall we liberate ourselves by remembering what we are truly capable. My hope is to awaken the Divine in all of us so we are not are looking down on ourselves or others based on whatever label or story we’ve placed on each other. That we can expand beyond our physical senses and discover the wonder we are.”

Astro Butterfly: What advice would you give others who go through a wounding experience? How can others transcend pain and suffering and become an alchemist, just like you?

Naomi: “One of the valuable lessons I’ve adopted lately is to see adversity/hardships/trials or even my wounds as an opportunity to reset my course or dig deeper to discover my true potential. There’s beauty and liberation working through the pain, instead of resisting it.”

“It’s not necessarily an easy thing to walk into your fears or your wounds, but being able to look them in the ‘eye’ and not run away, allows you to see that they are just shadows of what used to be and that each of us has been created with the capacity to rise above those shadows.”

Astro Butterfly: How can others learn more about you?

Naomi: “The best way to find more about me would be through my website: www.naomiwachira.com or on Instagram: www.instagram.com/imanafricangirl or Facebook: www.facebook.com/imanafricangirl”

***

Want to read more Chiron stories?

Chiron and one’s vocation: Eva has Chiron conjunct her ascendant and after years of working as an editor, she has finally embraced her Chiron vocation as a mosaic artist. Read her story here Chiron Stories – From Editor to Mosaic Artist – Interview with Eva Nagy

Chiron Return: Julie, a psychic and intuitive healer has already embraced her Chiron when Scout entered her life. Who is Scout? Chiron himself… Read Julie’s story here Chiron Return – When Your Soul Speaks To You 

Wind the Key

Chiron’s symbol is the key. As Chiron begins its yearly retrograde journey on July 4th, the image of a key turning in a door lock springs to mind.

When we want to lock a door, we turn the key clockwise, but when we want to unlock a door, we turn the key anti-clockwise. In the same way, when a planet appears to move backward (goes retrograde) in the sky – a secret is being revealed. A door is opened. We get access to something otherwise unseen or unknown.

Do you remember the old music boxes with a winding key? I used to LOVE them when I was little. I always wondered how they worked.

Music boxes produce musical notes by using a set of pins which pluck the tuned teeth of a steel comb. Music boxes are powered by a clockwork – when we wind the key up, the energy is stored in the clockwork mechanism, and when it is released, the music starts playing, until the stored energy is used up.

I dreamt of making music myself, but as you probably know, if you are not a musician, making music is the most difficult thing on Earth. You just don’t know where to start. It is not like you put some notes together and get a song. There is a higher order to music, a secret order that only musicians seem to understand and have access to.

Music is an experience of wholeness, divine alignment, and eternity. For lack of anything better, the little music box was the only way I could ‘make’ music. I would wind the key and then let it go: the music would start.

To make music, you need to let yourself go. But to let yourself go, you first need to wind the key. To put in some effort. To break through the resistance.

When you wind the key you initially feel pressure. You go backward in the story of your song – a song that has already been written, but you have forgotten.

And just when you get to the point of no return, the music starts – enchanting you with its beauty, releasing all the forgotten energy trapped inside, bringing higher order into chaos.

When a planet goes retrograde, it goes against its natural movement. There is a feeling of implosion, of going inwards, of pressure.

But this looping movement is necessary. Without moving backward, there will be no energy, no music, no life.

Chiron – The Key To Wholeness

Chiron – the wounded healer, the shaman, the alchemist – is the KEY to yourself. Chiron is associated with your deepest pain, but also with your greatest gift. Chiron is about the experience of healing and the experience of wholeness.

Wholeness is nothing else but bringing higher order within chaos, putting puzzles together to unravel the mystery of the Entity – YOU – an entity that is much more than the sum of its parts.

Chiron retrograde gives you the opportunity to dive into the healing waters of Chiron and clean any wounds that stop you from integrating all of the parts of yourself, to become a whole, and healthy human being.

Chiron retrograde is like a cosmic reshuffling at the core of your being.

There is no wonder Chiron’s symbol is a key. Chiron unlocks the secret doors of our psyche, allowing the divine energy of the outer planets to flow into what we call the reality of our body, symbolized by Saturn.

Chiron orbits between Saturn and Uranus. Saturn is the last planet we can see with the naked eye in the sky, and his beautiful rings are a metaphor for the limitations of our human existence.

The outer planets (Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto) represent what is beyond the known, out of what we can grasp with our limited cognitive functions.

Chiron is, therefore, the link between the two worlds. Chiron’s role is to channel the ethereal, intangible energy of the outer planets, into the structures and realities of Saturn.

Unfortunately, we have forgotten how to delve into Chiron’s powers. Our ancestors, especially the hunter-gatherer type societies, were in a way much more connected to nature. In the past, every village had a spiritual doctor or a Shaman.

The initiation into shamanism started after a so-called shamanic illness. That’s why Chiron is called “the wounded healer”. It is only by delving into our wounds, that we can become whole again.

Your Broken Parts

But what is stopping us from accessing all of this divine energy that surrounds us?

The reason we can’t easily access it is that we humans are a sum of conflicting, broken parts.

Think of the engine of a car. If any part of the engine is broken, the car will not operate in the way it’s supposed to. In the same way, we cannot be whole and move forward until we learn how to get all the parts of ourselves fixed and working together.

Just like Chiron was half human, half horse, half mortal, half immortal, we too are a hybrid of matter and spirit. There are parts of us we accept and identify with, parts of us we despise and reject, and parts of us we don’t even acknowledge.

Wounding, shame, guilt, inadequacy – feelings often associated with the Chironic wound – are nothing else but the experience of resisting yourself, of resisting your perfection.

Can you contemplate, just for a moment, that you are not broken?

Can you contemplate that you are not here by mistake?

Chiron Retrograde From Aries to Pisces

Chiron is retrograde from July 4th 2018 until December 9th 2018. Chiron starts its retrograde motion at 2° Aries and moves back into Pisces on September 26, 2018. Chiron goes direct again at 27° Pisces and re-enters Aries on February 18th 2019.

Chiron will travel through the last degrees of Pisces, the last degrees of the zodiac. It’s something you left behind there, something you still need to figure out.

Everytime a planet goes retrograde in the previous sign, it’s giving us a second chance.

If Chiron in Aries is about affirming yourself, about learning to be proud of your existence despite your flaws, Chiron in Pisces is pretty much the opposite. Pisces is the sign of surrender. It’s about being comfortable with being a drop of water in the ocean.

Chiron moving back and forth from the last degrees of the zodiac to the first degrees of the zodiac can help you reveal the mystery of your existence.

Chiron will ask you one more time to face your pain of separation (Pisces) and surrender to the unknown. Only by surrendering to that forgotten part of yourself, you can start again (Aries) with integrity and confidence.

Chiron journey from Aries to Chiron and back to Pisces is a journey from the beginning to the end… and then back to the beginning.

Chiron retrograde in Aries and back to Pisces will show you what you need to let go of vs. what you should take action on.

If you want to start anew, there is still a part of you that you need to embrace. A part of you that you find unacceptable. A part of you that you are ashamed of.

But which wound is truly yours and which wound is existential?

Chiron retrograde back in Pisces will help you to take a closer look at the universal myths you have believed in – maybe for too long. And Chiron in Aries will ask “What if?”. “What if the stories I’ve been told are not real?”. “What if there is nothing inherently wrong with me?”. “What if I am not broken?”. “What if I am fine, just the way I am?”.

What is blocking you? What needs to crack to get the light in? Turn the key and go back into remembering. Remember those places that you may have forgotten, but that your soul is still hooked on. Where love and wholeness are the only things that can possibly be.

Turn the key. And then tet the ancient and nearly forgotten song squeeze your heart.

Your Chiron Retrograde Journey

Chiron retrograde will show you whatever you need to acknowledge so it can be healed.

When you fully accept and integrate all the parts of yourself, then nothing can affect you anymore, there’s nothing left to be ashamed of. You are you, the sum of all your parts.

And when you accept yourself, the magic happens. The divine energy starts flowing effortlessly through you. You are healed, and you become healing.

Chiron retrograde is a great time to tune inside yourself and acknowledge that you are a sum of parts. Without bringing all of your parts together, including those you are ashamed of, you cannot find that kind of inner balance that leads to healing and spiritual growth.

Chiron retrograde will help you unlock any blockage, fix anything that is broken, and heal yourself – with one condition – to take responsibility for your healing. To ask yourself, “Where do I need to unwind the key to make music?”.

Read more about Chiron in Aries:

Chiron – Your Deepest Wound, Your Greatest Gift

Chiron in Aries – Beautifully Human

Read more about the Chiron Return:

Chiron Return – When Your Soul Speaks To You

Read more about your Chiron vocation:

Chiron Stories – From Editor To Mosaic Artist 

In my previous blog post, I briefly introduced the 3 Chiron archetypes: the Wounded Healer, the Shaman, and the Alchemist.

The 3 archetypes represent the transcendental journey of the soul: we firstly suffer and explore our primal wound (the Wounded Healer). We then attempt to heal it and embrace it (the Shaman). Only after we explore the first two Chiron archetypes can we transcend the wound and turn it into a gift (the Alchemist).

You can resonate with one, two, or all 3 Chiron developmental archetypes, depending on where you are in life with your wound and your life’s circumstances.

Let’s take some examples.

I will share with you 3 stories – one for each Chiron archetype.

The Wounded Healer: The Wounded Healer describes our first experiences with the primal wound. In this stage, the wound is not yet acknowledged.

Adriana, one of my friends, was born with Chiron in her 4th house, the house of home, family, roots and nurturing. Because she was born in a large family, she never got the level of nurturing she needed. At a deep level, she didn’t feel taken care of.

When she grew up, she decided to become a doctor. Becoming a doctor was her way of coping with the pain. She wanted to take care of others so she could experience, over and over again, the primal wound of nurturing.

Years passed. She tried hard to take good care of her patients, but no matter what, she felt like a fraud. There were always people suffering, people dying, and she thought that if she would only work hard enough, she would feel better about herself. But that never happened. What she was really doing, was taking less and less care of herself. She was not healing her wound, but going into a downward spiral of self-destruction.

One day, she had a wake-up call and decided to completely change her career, so that she could have more time for herself. Her life changed for the better, but her initial struggles to deal with her wound without fully understanding it are characteristic of the Wounded Healer archetype.

The Shaman: The Shaman describes our ‘healing crisis’. A healing crisis, or healing reaction, is a temporary worsening of symptoms when we go through the process of healing. In this phase, we become aware of the wound, and in this way, we finally heal it.

You usually experience this phase when you go through a Chiron transit. The Chiron return at the age of 50 is the most important transit, but you can also experience it when you have a Chiron square, a Chiron opposition or when Chiron transits other planets in your natal chart.

I have a personal story with this archetype. As I mentioned in my previous email, I was born with Chiron on my ascendant. I was transitioning from childhood to adolescence when I had my first Chiron square, and like many other adolescents, I started developing acne.

The first Chiron square usually brings changes to the physical body. Girls have their first period, boys’ voices change.

I was very aware of my acne problem and I started putting foundation to my face to try and hide it. Years passed, and my friends’ skin got cleared, but mine did not. I started piling on more and more foundation to hide my pimples.

I tried everything to heal it – medication, healthy diets, sports, yoga, spiritual healing, homeopathy. But no matter what I did, the pimples didn’t go away. I am still grateful for my first attempts to heal the wound because in the process of healing I developed several healthy habits that still make my life so much better now.

Finally, one day I decided to stop wearing foundation. In the beginning, I was horrified. I still remember when I first left the house, without any makeup. I felt so vulnerable! Only a few weeks later, my face cleared up.

The Shaman describes our attempts to heal the wound. Ultimately, we heal the wound when we accept it and integrate it within us.

The Alchemist: in this phase, we transcend the wound and turn it into something greater. No one is born an Alchemist. We firstly need to go through and learn from the previous phases – only then we are able to transform the wound into a gift.

Becoming an Alchemist is not about trying to heal the wound. You know you are an Alchemist when there is no more conflict. This phase is about effortlessly shining out your light. It is about giving back and healing others, from a place of awareness and compassion.

My client Tom was born with Chiron in the 10th house, the house of status, career, and the role you choose to play in the world. His grandfather and father were very successful businessmen and powerful leaders. In the first 48 years of his life, this is exactly what he tried to become. He graduated from a top university, got a job in a top company and worked hard to climb the corporate ladder. He didn’t want to disappoint his father.

But no matter how hard he tried, he never reached the top. Yes, he was earning a top salary, and he even became an advisor to the board of management, but he never became a leader himself. He was in fact intimidated by power and always struggled when he tried to assert himself.

His father died a few years ago and while he suffered a big loss, he also felt a sense of relief. When he had his Chiron return, he decided to leave the corporate world to become a Kung Fu master. He finally realized that he was never the assertive, powerful leader his father was – his best weapon was his defense, was his ability to stay strong in times of struggle.

He feels happy and accomplished now. Although he finally got the status and the respect he was looking for in his early life, he doesn’t care about it anymore. His passion is to help other people become strong and resilient. He turned his wound into a gift.

Imagine what your life would be like if you healed your deepest wound. Chiron’s long stay in Aries is your opportunity to heal your deepest wound and turn it into your greatest gift.

Chiron in Aries is one of the most anticipated transits of the year. Chiron recently moved into Aries in February 2019 and leaves Aries only in April 2027.

Aries is the first sign of the zodiac. Aries stands for “I am, I exist”. Aries is probably the most important transit for Chiron, because it’s the longest. Chiron spends very little time in some signs (only 1.5 years in Libra, for example)… but spends up to 8 years in Aries.

Chiron spends so much time in Aries because it has perhaps more work to do here than in any other sign. Aries is the Self. This is where it hurts the most. Wounds related to our identity, to our sense of the Self, take a long time to heal.

Chiron In Aries – A New Beginning

If in Pisces, your lesson was to surrender to your pain, to find a higher meaning in your suffering, in Aries, you will want to finally do something about your wound and take personal ownership for your healing.

Chiron crossing the 0° of the zodiac marks a new beginning for all of us.

Chiron archetype comes from Greek mythology. Chiron was the son of Saturn and the nymph Philyra. Born half man, half horse, Chiron is rejected by his mother. Abandoned by his parents, Chiron suffers his first wound.

Apollo, the god of music, prophecy, medicine, and healing, adopts Chiron and teaches him everything he knows. Chiron carries the Appolo’s legacy forward – and discovers botany and pharmacy, the science of herbs and medicine.

Chiron was highly skilled, educated and kind. But the irony was that even if he could heal everyone else, Chiron couldn’t heal himself.

Ultimately, Chiron gives up his immortality to help Prometheus, who was chained to a rock.

Gods agree to release Chiron from suffering and let him die. Upon his death, Chiron is released from his wound that would never heal and honored with the constellation of Centaurus, one of the largest constellations in the sky.

Chiron – A Bridge To Heaven

When Chiron gave up his immortality, ironically – he became immortal. Your deepest wound eventually becomes your greatest gift, your legacy, what you leave behind for generations to come.

Chiron rising in the sky and transforming into a beautiful constellation is a message that while your greatest gift can only rise from pain and suffering – this gift is much more than your pain and your suffering.

Chiron, this half-horse, half-God maverick, represents our hope that we can unite the instinctual animal part of ourselves with the divine, immortal part of ourselves.

Healing takes time and awareness. Chiron stands for the different stages of soul development.

Chiron symbolizes our deepest wound – that deep, dark part of us that we’re not only hiding from others – but also from ourselves.

Chiron symbolizes our attempts – conscious and unconscious – to heal this wound.

Last but not least, Chiron represents the key to our spiritual transformation, what we do to transcend our physical, emotional or intellectual limitations.

The house where you have Chiron in your natal chart shows your primal wound – the wound your soul has been called to heal in this lifetime.

While you may think you’re the only one that is broken, remember that we all have Chiron somewhere in our natal chart. All of us come into this life with a wound to heal.

But if you open up, if you’re brave enough to face and embrace this wound, you will not only heal it, but transform it into your greatest gift.

By healing your wound, you are healing the world. By bringing your gift out of the shadows, you are making the world a better place.

The Three Chiron Archetypes

There are 3 expressions of Chiron energy, corresponding to the 3 Chiron archetypes:

The 1st Chiron archetype is the Wounded Healer. You cannot heal yourself unless you know where it hurts. The first stage of healing is acknowledging the wound. The Wounded Healer is the dormant, unconscious expression of Chiron.

The 2nd Chiron archetype is the Shaman, the intermediate expression of Chiron. This is when we embrace and heal our wound. All the struggles we humans go through happen because we fail to integrate the broken parts inside of us. Think about the big decisions in your life, your failures, and missed opportunities. There was one part of you who wanted something, and another part who wanted something else. There are parts of you which you love and accept, and parts of you which you hate and are ashamed of. But unless you learn to bring together all these broken parts, you cannot become whole. You can not reach your potential.

The 3rd Chiron archetype is the Alchemist. This is the highest expression of Chiron. In this form, Chiron has transcended his limitations. He has healed his wound and transformed it into a gift.

If you want to explore the three Chiron archetypes within yourself, make sure you enroll in Astro Butterfly’s online course Chiron – Your Deepest Wound, Your Greatest Gift.

Chiron – Your Deepest Wound, Your Greatest Gift is an online course that combines astrology with psychology, self-inquiry, and other self-development approaches.

In the course you will explore how each Chiron archetype plays out in your natal chart:

• In Module 1 you will learn about the 1st Chiron archetype “The wounded healer”. You will identify your deepest wound, based on the position of Chiron in your natal chart.
• In Module 2 you will explore the 2nd Chiron archetype “The Shaman”. You will learn what a ‘healing crisis’ is, and what the best approaches to heal your wound are.
• In Module 3 you will dive into the 3rd Chiron archetype “The Alchemist”. Here you will discover what Chiron in Aries has to say about your unique gift.

Here you can find more details about the course:

Chiron – Your Deepest Wound, Your Greatest Gift