Chiron: a symbol of the healing journey & being a healing presence for others

I've been thinking more deeply about Chiron in the birth chart and Chiron transits over the past several months. I find Chiron's myth intriguing.

In Greek mythology, Chiron was half human & half horse. He was a healer, wise mentor, and friend to many Greek heros and healers.

At one point, Chiron was injured by a poison from a creature of the Underworld. The poison caused Chiron intense pain.

After spending some time hiding in a cave, Chiron took a long journey seeking a cure for himself. During this journey, he learned a great deal and healed many people in the process.

Though Chiron healed many folks, he couldn't find a cure for his own situation. Eventually, he surrendered his mortality for Prometheus place of seeking a cure.

There's so much more to the myth, but those are some key components :)

As with all myths, there are collective interpretations and there are personal meanings you may glean from this story. The possibilities are endless and myths means different things to us over time.

What I find most striking at this moment is that Chiron at his core was a healer and a mentor. He helped others even when he himself was suffering.This brings to mind how our healing process is highly relational. We are not meant to walk this path alone or isolated from others. We can seek mentors (Chiron). We can also share what we have to offer with others (Chiron). Your own journey and struggles may somehow be a healing function for other folks.

I recently learned that my maternal Grandmother had Moon conjunct Chiron, exact by degree (!). I found this out as I have been meditating on the Chiron myth and what it means for me personally.

My Grandma had many struggles in life, but was always available to others. She didn't shy away from difficult situations and she often had a sense of humor even when things were troublesome.

She would often say, "you have to look for the good, always look for the good in every situation" and then she'd somehow simultaneously grimace and laugh and say, " . . . sometimes it takes a while!"

She had this way of saying exactly what I needed to hear at exactly the moment I needed to hear it (Chiron). I always felt she understood me deeply in a way that was almost non-verbal or beyond words (Moon).

This intensified in her later years when she had dementia. When she could still speak but didn't remember who I was, she would look at me and say something seemingly random and it was as if she was seeing into my soul and what I most needed to hear at that moment.

In my Grandmother, I see how Chiron was embodied as selfless service for others and being a channel, a wise presence, even without realizing it. I am so grateful to have had her in my life and I miss her immensely.

In my private practice as a psychotherapist and astrologer I get to see the variety of ways Chiron manifests in the birth chart and transits.

Chiron via transit or in the birth chart often seems to have this quality of initiating a healing journey (especially via transit) and/or being a healing presence for others.

This is such a gift. And our gifts often involve some level of sacrifice, honoring, protection, or active cultivation.

Each person and gift is unique and requires different things at different times. I think this is also a core component of Chiron, to honor our needs at any moment.

One of Chiron's questions may be: what do you need at this moment to honor your healing process?