This writing was inspired in part by the Myth of Chiron as told by astrologer Dale “Doc Chiron” O’Brian during a series of 1995 Chiron classes at MAAS in Atlanta, GA. My thanks to Dale for the research that led to his telling of the complete Chiron myth.
The Golden Key
“The sighting of a new planet in our solar system…provides a metaphorical key to crucial trends arising in the collective psyche.” ~ Thomas Anthony Joseph
When new heavenly bodies are discovered, astrologers look to several things to decipher what it could mean in an astrological chart. Two of these are cultural changes in the years surrounding the discovery and the myth surrounding the mythological character for which the newly discovered body was named.
Chiron, discovered in November 1977, has come to represent our deepest psychological woundedness, as well as the journey from fragmentation to wholeness. And though most astrologers speak of the physical wound Chiron suffered when he was accidentally hit by an arrow that had been dipped in the blood of the Hydra, fewer talk about the psychological wounds Chiron suffered from conception and extending into his childhood.
“A golden key will open every lock.” ~ Yiddish Proverb
Interestingly, the glyph used by astrologers to represent Chiron looks very much like a skeleton key. One of the words that is used to describe Chiron is “KEY”. Indicating it’s in Chiron’s nature to enable one to gain access to someplace or something. A key is also that small bit of information that gives understanding and helps you find a solution. Putting a key in the correct place will allow you access to what is locked behind closed doors. Opening a prisoner’s door with a Key enables those imprisoned to escape confinement.
Prisoners of Childhood Cracks Open the Door
Though the inner child movement began in the 1960s, it did not gain much recognition until just after the discovery of Chiron when the importance of healing the wounded child became part of the fast-growing recovery movement.
In 1979, a revolutionary little book titled Prisoners of Childhood was published in German. It was written by German psychologist Alice Miller. Miller’s work had first appeared in several German psychological journals but had not been well received by her peers. Not deterred, Alice Miller released her work to the general public, and Prisoners of Childhood went on to sell well over a million copies.
Prisoners of Childhood was only the first in a series of books by Miller in which she cracked open a door to reveal just how a wounded childhood so overwhelmingly affects the adult a child becomes. Further, when an adult needs to suppress our children’s true needs, there are dangerous societal consequences. (For a complete list of books by Alice Miller, Ph.D. visit “The Natural Child Project.”)
Alice Miller, a true pioneer in child psychology, was incredibly forward-thinking. Her theories eventually struck a chord with her peers in the mental health community and changed the collective perception of child-rearing. Alice Miller is credited with turning therapists’ attention to the negative consequences of childhood trauma.
“Alice Miller makes chillingly clear to the many what has been recognized only by the few: the extraordinary pain and psychological suffering inflicted on children under the guise of conventional childrearing.” ~ Maurice Sendak, Author of “Where the Wild Things Are”
Of course, in the 21st Century, we might think all of this is just common sense and something that has always been known, but in 1979, Alice Miller’s theories were revolutionary.
Additionally, though the relevance of an individual’s birth experience was recognized even in the early days of modern psychology, it was not until 1981 (just after the discovery of Chiron) that Thomas R. Verny’s book The Secret Life of the Unborn Child brought public attention to this importance.
The Subconscious Holds Memories
It is now widely known that an adult’s subconscious not only holds memories of any early parental neglect, abandonment, physical and/or emotional abuse suffered during early life but also traumatic memories that have nothing to do with cruel or abusive parenting or caregiving. Some of these are Subconscious memories of a difficult birth, unintentional or perhaps medically necessary physical traumas that were endured while in the womb or during a difficult birth experience, as well as any number of other unintentional but perhaps necessary traumas that can occur during infancy or early childhood.
In her later book, The Untouched Key: Tracing Childhood Trauma in Creativity and Destructiveness (1988), Miller elaborated further on childhood trauma, calling it the Key to both creativity and destructiveness.
(For those interested, Alice Miller was born in Lwow, Poland (now Lviv, Ukraine), on Jan. 12, 1923, with Chiron in Aries. She passed away at her home in Provence, RI, on April 14, 2010, times unknown)
Chiron
An astrologer’s understanding of Chiron implies that our inner wound contains the gifts of understanding, empathy, and compassion. When we embrace and accept this gift, we can use it as a key to open the door to our own healing journey and to help others on their healing journeys.
Understanding Chiron could be the golden key for unlocking the doors and freeing us all from the prisons of our childhood.
The Myth: Genealogy, Conception, and Birth Experience of Chiron
“Astrology and myth go hand in hand, at once partaking of the same magical order of reality.”
~ Richard Nolle
The archetypal energies of the Greek/Roman gods and goddesses are represented in the symbolic language of Western astrology. Ancient myths about these deities are studied and the stories used to give definition to the “character and actions” of the various heavenly bodies. And so it was with Chiron, a seemingly minor but critically important mythological character.
Chiron, the Grandson of Uranus and Gaia, was born of the illicit union between Chronus and Phllyra. Yes, Chiron was half-sibling to all the Olympian gods: Zeus, Hades, Poseidon, Hera, Demeter, and Hestia. If you’ve read the myths, you know that Chiron was born into the archetypical dysfunctional family.
Chiron’s mother, Phllyra, was a sea nymph. Sea nymphs, born of the ocean, were said to be very beautiful, live very long lives, and have the gift of prophecy. Though mortal, Chiron’s mother was also endowed with the ability to shape-shift, and it was this ability that determined Chiron’s fate.
It is said that Chronus came to earth and, upon seeing the beauty of Phllyra…desired her. However, Phllyre did not welcome Chronus’ advances and attempted to make a speedy escape by changing herself into a mare and galloping away. Not to be detoured by her little trick, Chronus proceeded to change himself into a stallion, galloped after Phllyra, caught up with her, and raped her. Chiron was conceived during a rape.
Chiron, the centaur, was born of this union. He was Chronus’s illegitimate son, conceived not of love but by force and lust. Then, passions sated, Chronus deserted Phllyra and abandoned his future son. (One could argue that this may have been a great blessing for Chiron, considering Chronus’ habit of devouring his children.)
Ravaged and deserted by Chronus, Phllyra went on to give birth to Chiron the Centaur. However, upon seeing her newborn son, she became hysterical and cried out to the gods to be anything but the mother of this defective, mutant, and half-breed child. The gods, hearing her plea, granted her wish by turning her into a Linden tree. Proving that you should be careful what you wish for.
Orphaned, wild-looking, unloved, and unappreciated, the infant Chiron was taken to the top of Mt. Pelion, as was the custom in ancient Greece when a defective child was born and abandoned to the elements. But Chiron was the son of a god and, therefore, immortal. Additionally, he was half horse, and like all horses, Chiron could stand on his own shortly after birth.
Chiron, who was to become a gifted healer, teacher, and mentor, was born a defective but divine child, a half-breed, a misfit, and the outcast of an extremely dysfunctional family. He was wounded and scarred emotionally by the trauma of his conception and birth, an absentee father, and a rejecting mother. Yet remarkably, though he was left to fend for himself at a very early age, Chiron survived.
Mentors and Teachers
“One troubled child channels her pain into art; another vents his anguish in destructive acts. What makes the critical difference in the way each translates childhood suffering? Combing the life histories of Picasso, Buster Keaton, Nietzsche, Hitler and others, Miller concludes that the presence of an enlightened witness – someone who offers a contrast to cruelty – tips the balance between constructive expressions of “forgotten” trauma and repetitions of internalized inhumanity.” ~ Review of “The Untouched Key” retrieved from Amazon.
Although Chiron’s dual nature facilitated his survival, surviving did not guarantee he would be able to overcome the circumstances of his birth, live a personally meaningful life, and make such important contributions to the lives of others. How was he able, with such a harsh beginning, to become such a kind, wise, and knowledgeable teacher in so many diverse disciplines?
Chiron’s Dual Teachers, Mentors, and Enlightened Witnesses
Very early on, Chiron came under the protection of the god Apollo and his twin sister, the goddess Artemis. It’s not known for certain how this happened, however, I suspect Chiron first came to the attention of Artimus.
Artimus
Artimus is connected with childbirth, having assisted her mother, Leto, with the delivery of her twin, Apollo, just a few minutes after she herself was born. Artemis is the protectress of the unborn and the newly born and personifies the often-overlooked female dimension of Aries. She is the goddess of fire, active creativity, and female power (the power to bring forth new life).
As the goddess of birth, she is connected to the lunar cycles and hence is a Moon goddess. As guardian of newborns and young maidens, she teaches them to be independent and true to themselves. She is also the protectress of the forest and provider of medical herbs. She protects the rivers and the wind and demands respect for nature and nature’s way. She is a virgin goddess of the wild, a huntress skilled with the ways of the forest, and famous for her ferocity.
Chiron certainly needed such a mentor and protector, and in her role as protectress of newborns, Artimus naturally assumed these responsibilities and taught Chiron all he needed to know about surviving and thriving in the wild by living in harmony with nature and the natural cycles.
Apollo
Apollo, the twin brother of Artimus, is the patron of nearly everything associated with the advancement of civilization. He is not only a god of the Sun but also the god of poetry, music, prophecy, archery, medicine, youthful beauty, law, and philosophy. He is the patron of shepherds. His mastery of musical instruments, composition, and the setting of lyrics to his music also makes him the special patron of the Muses. The Muses, like Apollo and Artimus, are children of Zeus but by the Titan Mnemosyne (Memory). The Muses are the inspirers of all artistic endeavors and wisdom.
The special role of the Muses is to entertain the gods. However, as inspirers of wisdom, several Muse-cults were established throughout ancient Greece. Some important philosophical schools ~ for example, Plato’s Academy and Aristotle’s Lyceum, began as Muse-cults. The word Mouseion, originally “a temple or haunt of the Muses,” came to mean a place of research and learning, i.e., a museum. Barbs, dancers, and scholars are all practitioners of the Muse’s arts. Chiron’s connection to the Muses through Apollo’s patronage seems to be significant when you consider the diversity of his talents.
Paradox, Diversity, and Synthesis
We begin to see Chiron, from a very early age, recognizing and confronting the diversity and the paradoxes of life. A paradox is two opposing things poised against each other that can’t exist without each other. Thus, good and evil, life and death, beauty and ugliness, male and female, wild and civilized, appear to be at odds with each other, but the very confrontation with one breathes life and meaning into the other. Taught diversity by Apollo and Artimus, his dual paradoxical mentors, Chiron’s dual natures – mortal and immortal, human and animal – enabled him to see alternatives and have the courage to move ahead despite his traumatic beginning.
Abandoned by his father, he was not swallowed up by the patriarchy. Rejected by his mother, he was not engulfed by the matriarchy. Isolated from traditional society, mentored by paradox, and educated in diversity, Chiron merged instinct with intelligence and did not become overly identified with any one world. The concept of unity of person and environment was emphasized. Centered in the self, Chiron realized he could live life through the meaning he placed on the center. Unbiased, he could view his life and the lives of others from a different point of view.
Raised by dual divine mentor/teachers, Chiron grew to be very wise. Stories about his great wisdom spread far and wide, and various gods and high-ranking mortals brought their children to him to be educated. So, Chiron, the wild-looking half-breed infant who was unloved, unappreciated, and abandoned by his own parents, when grown, became a mentor/teacher…sort of a foster parent really…to the sons of kings and many of the most famous Greek heroes, including Jason, Asclepius. Achilles and Hercules.
The Importance of Mentors/ Teachers to Chironic Children
A mentor/teacher is the person who sees who a child is, sees the child’s genius, falls in love with it, and then helps and inspires the child to reach their potential. Or, a mentor can be a person a child falls in love with who enchants and inspires them to be the best they can be.
Certainly, a mentor can be, but probably won’t be a parent, because most parents have their own agenda for a child. A mentor can and maybe the eccentric aunt or grandparent, a favorite teacher, or a friendly neighbor. Anyone or anything that inspires a child’s genius can become the child’s mentor. A child may even find its mentor in a historical or fictional character or hero. The point is that any character that mirrors a child’s genius to him can be a mentor. In being loved and accepted by a mentor or in loving and admiring the historical or fictional character or hero, a child comes to love, admire, and nurture that part of him or herself.
Are You Chironic?
Wounds heal… even emotional wounds. Still, if the wounds are deep enough, they leave scars as constant reminders. Everyone has Chiron in their birth chart, but not everyone is Chironic. If you want to know just how Chironic you are, Joyce Mason, an astrologer who has studied Chiron extensively, has designed some quizzes for just that. Follow the links below to find out how strong your Chiron is and to take the Chiron resonance Quiz.
Chiron Quiz: How Strong is Your Chiron?
The Chiron Resonance Quiz: What’s Your Chi-Res Score?