Chiron in Aries: Fight for The Right to be You
Chiron dipped into Aries for part of 2018 (April – September) and in February of 2019 solidly entered Aries where it will remain until 2026.
Chiron’s passage through Aries will push each of us to claim who we are. Aries is the “I AM” principle. While Chiron transits this sign, we will be given opportunities to heal what is standing in the way of expressing our true identity. In order to heal, however, we must become aware of the wound.
The Myth of Chiron
The myth of Chiron begins with parental rejection. Chiron was the product of the union of Cronus (Saturn) and a nymph (water spirit) named Phylira. He was born a centaur, and his deformity drove his mother to abandon him. Orphaned for a time, he was then adopted by the god Apollo. Apollo taught him of the arts of healing, music, and prophecy (including astrology).
Chiron was able to transcend his rough beginning by using his wisdom in service. He engendered a reputation not only as a great teacher, but as a master healer and oracle. He also went on to become a renowned mentor.
Without the initial wound--the rejection by his mother--he would not have been set upon his path. Chiron’s story, at its heart, is about a positive response to this core wound.
Whether subtly or overtly, many of us received some form of parental rejection along the way. It can be boiled down to the message: You are not okay just as you are. It is not that our parents were evil or even necessarily abusive. It is common for parents to reject the parts of their children that do not reflect them, or that go against their expectations, as their children develop a separate identity. But the intensity of the "parental rejection" wound can be either magnified or diminished depending upon the level of self-awareness with which parents responded to a child's developing individuality. And their response is in turn dependent upon the tools that these parents had, given their own wounds from childhood. And so on.
Parental rejection is the wound that blocks many of us from the expression of the I AM principle. With Chiron in Aries for the collective, we are invited to revisit, and to heal, this original wound. The seven years ahead are a period in which to embrace radical self-acceptance. But in order to do so, we will likely have to fight against opposing forces. These forces have the appearance of being external to us. But they come from inside of us, from the parts of our true nature that we have, to this point, refused to accept.
In order to illustrate some of the the qualities of Chiron in Aries, I'll share my own experience as a Chiron-in-Aries native.
Photo by Joshua Hanson on Unsplash.
A Personal Chiron-in-Aries Story
I am currently in my “Chiron Return”: the time when Chiron returns to its natal position. This happens at about age 50 for everyone. My hope is that this story will shed light on some of the themes that are up for the collective right now.
In my freshman year of high school, I was drawn to acting. I took drama class that year, and I thrived. I felt I had found a like-minded tribe in the other students in the class, and I loved learning about theater.
The time came for auditions for the spring play. It was Harvey, which had been one of my favorite old movies. There was a small speaking role, the nurse, and I tried out for it. I got the part.
Meanwhile, I didn't actually tell my mom about the audition. Then, on the day I got the part, I had to go home and give her the news.
I was so scared. You see, I already sensed that she didn’t like my being in drama class. She’d given me no encouragement. In fact, she seemed annoyed whenever I brought it up. My parents were divorced, and my dad didn't live nearby. So, he wasn’t there to offer any support.
But if I was going to be in the play, I needed rides to and from rehearsal, as I was too young to drive. When I told my mom about the play and asked if she could drive me, she refused. She wasn’t even happy for me that I got the part. Instead, she was angry that I had auditioned without asking her.
So, I had to go to school the next day and tell my drama teacher that I couldn’t take the part after all. I was too embarrassed to tell her why. I knew that my mom’s reaction was very abnormal for a parent, so I kept that part a secret. The teacher was visibly irritated with me; I could tell that she thought I was just chickening out. Then she promptly gave the part to another girl who had done well at the auditions.
But I kept going with drama classes throughout high school and college. That next year, I was in another performance, and that time, I boldly asked a friend’s mother to give me rides to and from rehearsals. (Again, my mom refused. She didn’t even come to the performance).
I had to reach out often for the help of my friends’ moms during my teenage years. They became my mentors, helping me to see that I had reason to believe in myself.
Today I think of that 14-year-old, and I am in awe that she had courage to do any of it. To get out on stage. To try and to fail. To ask for help. Somehow, I had the guts to do these things on my own, with no parental support.
But my Chiron is in Aries, and Aries is a sign that has the guts to do just about anything. Especially in pursuit of a passion.
Part of my healing path has been in realizing that my parents’ emotional abandonment was what led me to develop the courage to pursue my passions as and adult. And, after a lot of therapy, I have come to have compassion for my parents. I used to view myself as the victim in this story. But I understand now that my mother’s mental health issues and my father’s struggles with post-Vietnam PTSD were at the root of their limitations. Meanwhile, I managed to find the kind of mentors and teachers who could help me along the way.
With my natal Chiron is in Aries, my healing path now at the "return" is about facing down the fears that continue to block me. I have to take big risks. But I know from my own history that I can do this. Taking risks, facing fears, and continuing on--this is my medicine.
Aries is a sign of self-focus, desire, and passion. Chiron in Aries for the next 7 + years is inviting all of us to face down our fears so that we can grow strong in defense of our right to passionately pursue our desires, and most importantly, to be ourselves.
Here are some writing prompts for journaling and/or questions for reflection:
What passion have I been afraid to follow?
What was a trait in me that my parent(s) labeled as negative?
How might this label continue to block me from following my passion?
How can I re-frame this label as a strength?
How can I use this strength to get where I want to go?
If you were born with Chiron in Aries, you may be experiencing these the themes I've described in this post more strongly as Chiron moves through the sign.
Anyone born between the following dates has natal Chiron in Aries:
4/1/68-10/18/68
1/30/69-5/28/76
10/13/76-3/28/77
You will also be experiencing your Chiron Return about age 50, whenever that happens (or happened) for you. That transit lasts about 1.5 years. (More on that in the next post).
The sign placement of our natal Chiron can tell us how we can transmute the wound of rejection to become more fully ourselves. If you'd like to find out your natal Chiron sign, you can do so by locating your birth date within the tables here.
Transiting Chiron as it moves through our chart can tell us how this theme relates to our life today. In the next post, I’ll focus on Chiron’s transits through your natal chart houses. In that, you can find out what area of life Chiron in Aries is most affecting for you.
