
Gustave Moreau, prominent painter of the Symbolist movement, born 6 April 1826- 18 April 1898 – Sun in Aries, Chiron in Aries.
This painting by Gustave Moreau, for me is one of the most poignant and revealing images of Chiron.
Here Chiron is rescuing a woman who is close to death; he lifts her in his strong arms and carries her to safety, to be healed and revived in his care. The woman, delicate and pale looks like a musician, poet, or artist, at any rate there is a suggestion of her sensitivity and vulnerability. Her soul is waning or even departed and Chiron, the Shaman, is performing a soul retrieval. She will be restored and brought back to life, resuscitated, by the powerful medicine of the Centaur.
This image speaks to the parts of ourselves that are exiled, suppressed, distressed, lost, broken, parched, or burned. It could be that the lost parts were too sensitive for this world, or too different to fit in. Maybe those parts were not acceptable in a world that demands and expects ‘normality’, or mediocrity…crushers of the soul.
It could also be the parts lost through an ancestral legacy of persecution or trauma. On the ancestral level Chiron helps us to accept and integrate not only our ancestral shadow but also our ancestral gifts. It also operates on the astral level.
Here Chiron is the hero, and it is to our inner Chiron that we turn for salvation. No one is going to revive these lost part of ourselves, no one can. In trying to make other people do this for us we abuse and are abused in the process… bascially retraumatised.
In the Chiron journey of reclamation we become our own hero or heroine. Once we have reclaimed ourselves, we let go of the people, situations, circumstances, limitations, and voices of contempt that rejected, disrespected, or tried to change us, and stand firm in the truth of who we are.
This is the true hero or heroine’s journey- I do not think it is easy- however once we have made it, we are strong and do not allow anything or anybody to mistreat or abuse us… only we know the often-perilous journey made to reclaim ourselves… sometimes to hell and back…sometimes more than once. Only then do we know and protect our value.
At the moment of writing this Chiron is at 9 Aries 30’ 7”, and my own Chiron is at 9 Aries, 30’ 31”
I am right on my Chiron return. The transit lasts for about 2 years – there’s the lead in, the exact hits, and the exit. It is essentially a rebirth. So far it is the most profound experience of my life, and I think the reason for this is because there is a certain conscious awareness that comes with the Chiron return that is not necessarily as accessible with the other big transits. I am feeling every bit of it in all its excruciating and exquisite pain and beauty. There are elements that do not surprise and me and there are other things that totally floor me, but I ride with it. There is also a lot of spiritual guidance and grace available now.
On Monday’s new moon in Aries myself and 12 other women who are also having their Chiron return will embark of a 7-week journey to explore and share our experiences… this is a great blessing. Let the journey begin!