Gazing at the cosmos reveals a greater understanding to an astrologer who studies the archetype of a planet, with each astronomical body representing a universal symbol or archetype. For example, Chiron was a critical discovery that opened up a whole new paradigm in the healing arts and our relationship with health and disease. Found by astronomers in the late ‘70s orbiting between Saturn and Uranus, the icy comet-like body is the archetype of “healing” and “the wounded healer.”
Alternative healing methods have since been developed and advanced and are substituted for orthodox medicine in specific cases. With more profound acknowledgment and acceptance of the body/mind/spirit connection, we are moving down the path of our journey of healing. And in two areas in particular: how our emotional and psychological histories are stored in our cellular memory, how they affect our physical well-being, and how our thought patterns and beliefs are connected to the healing process itself. This has clarified that treating a physical or emotional symptom does not cure the root cause of the problem.
Looking into Greek mythology, Chiron was the wisest and most just of the centaurs. The half-human, the half-horse creature was the foster son of Apollo, one of the 12 Olympians and god of healing. Chiron was immortal and was a teacher and mentor known for his knowledge of medicine — despite being unable to heal himself after being wounded by a poisonous arrow. He nonetheless dedicated himself to the vocation of healer and later astrologer and oracle, mentoring many of the memorable heroes of Greek mythology like Achilles and Hercules. Yet the chronic pain was too great to bear for Chiron, who gave up his immortality and was placed among the stars by his half-brother Zeus.
There are profound lessons to be learned from Chiron that relate to health, disease, and disorder, as well as their interwoven nature in our lives as we advance in our spiritual journey. The saying “The gift is in the wound” heavily speaks to this and is a message symbolic of the life of Chiron. That there is nothing to fix or get rid of, that healing occurs through the wound, that the wound enables us to discover the gift that it contains. Chiron’s journey is not easy. It takes us into the darker edges of our soul precisely to find our light. Facing our own life’s inevitable fears, struggles, and pains, we are inclined to feel negative. To feel wounded.
When we deny ourselves when we fail to acknowledge aspects of ourselves — including our potential — this sense of woundedness pains us. Rather than denial, Chiron challenges us to face our woundedness and view life from a new perspective. A lesson we also learn from Buddha, who teaches that when we see life from a limited point of view, “we suffer.” When we suffer, we are wounded.
