Chiron is an asteroid in astronomy and the wounded healer archetype in astrology. What this means for us, is that through Chiron, we can discover our deepest wounds and learn how to heal them.
Everyone has gone through pain and suffering at one time or another, and some of us have buried wounds so deep in our unconscious that we can’t even remember what they are.
You may be wondering why this matters or you might not want to go back and revisit old wounds. Understandable, but what if you knew that your greatest freedom and ultimate happiness could be found through the recognition and integration of these wounds?
Chiron and Pluto
There are actually two placements in your chart that tell us about your greatest wounds: Chiron and Pluto. Pluto shows us long-standing trauma (where it all began), while Chiron triggers the wounds in our day-to-day lives. So, without Chiron helping us see where and how we get triggered, we would have no incentive to heal ourselves. This is very important to recognize.
Chiron is called the “wounded healer” because he came here already wounded and with a mission to heal others even though he himself was not healed. I think this gives us all a powerful reminder of what we are capable of – and it eliminates the excuse that we cannot go out into the world to complete our mission because we are "wounded.”
Pluto, lord of the underworld and all things dark brings out our shadow side and shows us where we were hurt the most. The place you have Pluto in your chart is where you want to focus on self-transformation. This means changing the parts of you that have held you back and healing the parts of you that are still bleeding from the past.
But where do you begin? You begin with Chiron. Because Chiron shows us where and how you most easily get triggered in this life. Chiron is a representative of the Pluto wound. Where Chiron sits in your chart is where you have the most healing work to do now.
Let’s look at an example. Say you have Chiron in Taurus in the 8th house. Taurus implies this wound is about not ever doing or having enough. So, one always tries to work harder and do more. There is a pervasive “lack mentality” with someone who has their Chiron in Taurus.
In the 8th house, we add in the element of death, sexuality, and intimacy. Any of these areas could have been the cause for the original wound (and yes, Pluto in your chart can tell us more information about the cause too), but what’s important to learn from Chiron, is why we get triggered the way we get triggered today so we can and see how to be less reactive and more responsive to these external forces in the future.
A wonderful book to consider if you’re on this healing journey is The Presence Process by Michael Brown. I’ve found that reading it while doing my own Chiron work dramatically increased my understanding of the steps needed to heal unconscious emotional wounds.
Another important point to consider is that whenever specific Chiron transits occur, you want to be extra attentive to where they are happening in your chart because they often initiate a major healing opportunity in your life. This can be experienced as a sudden breakthrough when you've been stuck or a new perspective that offers you more peace. This is a time to "expect the unexpected" and even be open to miraculous healings.
The role of Chiron is to awaken us to our most healed selves and our highest potential. As we work with Chiron throughout our lives, we’ll be better equipped to help others along their healing journeys. We'll be able to move from the victim to the wise helper and healer. As we spread our hard-earned gifts of wisdom, we simultaneously heal the wounded parts of our psyche.
Using your birth chart as a psychological roadmap to your inner workings is, in my opinion, a shortcut to traditional methods of therapy because it gives you instant clarity. With the knowledge of Chiron and Pluto, you can dive deeper into the wounded parts of yourself and make space for better outcomes in the future.
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