A bridge to other realms
This week the asteroid Chiron moves into Pisces. It made an initial foray into that watery realm between April and July last year, and will now be swimming with the two fishes until 2018. In many ways this is a positive placement for Chiron, as both Pisces and Chiron are comfortable in the realm of the spiritual, and familiar with transformation and suffering.
Pisces is the final sign in the round of the zodiac, and as such carries a sense of letting go, of giving up the self to something greater. Consequently this sign is often associated with sacrifice. The object of sacrifice might be family and loved ones, artistic talent, or religious faith. On the negative side, this urge to go beyond the self can lead to escapism, an over-reliance on alcohol or other drugs, or co-dependency (where the self is defined only by others and their needs). People with strong Piscean energy often lack boundaries, and might have trouble knowing where their own feelings end and those of others begin. This makes them strongly empathetic and sensitive, and it is the Piscean energy in all of us which makes us feel another's pain, or want to help a stranger we see suffering.
Chiron was discovered in 1977, and so many astrologers consider that its meaning is still being revealed. It is generally considered, according to the sign and house where it is located, to show where we have suffered, where we carry wounds. For example, a person with Chiron in the third house of communication might feel that they struggle to be heard (er, that would be me). A person with Chiron close to the planet Venus might feel that they have been wounded by their relationships to others, that love always seems to mean suffering for them. However, Chiron is also where we are able to find healing. In the myth of Chiron the centaur, Chiron becomes a great healer, but is unable to heal his own wound. Often the placement of Chiron in our natal chart shows where we can help others to heal, even if we cannot fully heal ourselves. Like the centaur, who sacrificed himself to save Prometheus and found immortality as part of the constellation of Sagittarius, we need to find a way to resolve our own wounds, without allowing ourselves to be defined by them.
So Chiron and Pisces have an affinity for healing the suffering of others, an urge to act for the greater good. Both can be seen as a bridge - Chiron is part of the asteroid belt which is found between the so-called inner planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars) and the outer planets. It forms a symbolic bridge between the individual psyche and the collective unconscious. As the final sign of the zodiac, Pisces forms a link from the collective concerns of Aquarius and Pisces back to the individual focus of Aries. All of this means that Chiron in Pisces is a powerful opportunity for healing, both individually and collectively. Of course, we will feel this energy most strongly if we have natal Chiron in Pisces (which means we are due a Chiron return in the next few years), or if we have other planets and key points in Pisces. But wherever our natal Chiron is found, this is a time when we can work to heal our connection to the divine. These coming years are a period when we can let go of our attachment to our suffering, or at least find a way to work with it constructively. Often, letting go of this old stagnant energy releases us to do something new, and we may find that the creative powers of the Piscean imagination lead us down whole new paths in the coming years. We can use this energy for creating art, practising meditation, or simply for learning to be fully connected in the moment. Chiron helps us to dive more deeply into the Piscean waters of vision and spirit - who knows what treasures we might find there?
Pisces is the final sign in the round of the zodiac, and as such carries a sense of letting go, of giving up the self to something greater. Consequently this sign is often associated with sacrifice. The object of sacrifice might be family and loved ones, artistic talent, or religious faith. On the negative side, this urge to go beyond the self can lead to escapism, an over-reliance on alcohol or other drugs, or co-dependency (where the self is defined only by others and their needs). People with strong Piscean energy often lack boundaries, and might have trouble knowing where their own feelings end and those of others begin. This makes them strongly empathetic and sensitive, and it is the Piscean energy in all of us which makes us feel another's pain, or want to help a stranger we see suffering.
Chiron was discovered in 1977, and so many astrologers consider that its meaning is still being revealed. It is generally considered, according to the sign and house where it is located, to show where we have suffered, where we carry wounds. For example, a person with Chiron in the third house of communication might feel that they struggle to be heard (er, that would be me). A person with Chiron close to the planet Venus might feel that they have been wounded by their relationships to others, that love always seems to mean suffering for them. However, Chiron is also where we are able to find healing. In the myth of Chiron the centaur, Chiron becomes a great healer, but is unable to heal his own wound. Often the placement of Chiron in our natal chart shows where we can help others to heal, even if we cannot fully heal ourselves. Like the centaur, who sacrificed himself to save Prometheus and found immortality as part of the constellation of Sagittarius, we need to find a way to resolve our own wounds, without allowing ourselves to be defined by them.
So Chiron and Pisces have an affinity for healing the suffering of others, an urge to act for the greater good. Both can be seen as a bridge - Chiron is part of the asteroid belt which is found between the so-called inner planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars) and the outer planets. It forms a symbolic bridge between the individual psyche and the collective unconscious. As the final sign of the zodiac, Pisces forms a link from the collective concerns of Aquarius and Pisces back to the individual focus of Aries. All of this means that Chiron in Pisces is a powerful opportunity for healing, both individually and collectively. Of course, we will feel this energy most strongly if we have natal Chiron in Pisces (which means we are due a Chiron return in the next few years), or if we have other planets and key points in Pisces. But wherever our natal Chiron is found, this is a time when we can work to heal our connection to the divine. These coming years are a period when we can let go of our attachment to our suffering, or at least find a way to work with it constructively. Often, letting go of this old stagnant energy releases us to do something new, and we may find that the creative powers of the Piscean imagination lead us down whole new paths in the coming years. We can use this energy for creating art, practising meditation, or simply for learning to be fully connected in the moment. Chiron helps us to dive more deeply into the Piscean waters of vision and spirit - who knows what treasures we might find there?