Chiron

KY-ron

Definition

Chiron is a small body that orbits the Sun between Saturn and Uranus, found on 1 November 1977 by Charles T. Kowal at Palomar Observatory. It carries two catalogue names — minor planet 2060 Chiron and comet 95P/Chiron — and is the first known of the "centaurs," a class of objects whose orbits are unstable and cross the paths of the planets. It takes about 50.7 years to circle the Sun. Chiron is named for the centaur Chiron (Greek Kheiron) of Greek myth.

In Tradition

In modern psychological astrology, taking shape in the late twentieth century, Chiron is most often tied to wounding and healing — the "wounded healer" — after the mythological Chiron, who was himself wounded yet was a master teacher and healer of others. Astrologers do not all use it the same way, and it is not part of the classical or medieval seven-planet framework.

In Practice

When a chart includes Chiron, astrologers look at its sign, house, and aspects to other planets — often alongside Saturn and Uranus, since Chiron's orbit crosses both. A much-discussed transit is the Chiron return near age fifty, when Chiron comes back to where it sat at your birth — usually just once in a lifetime. Because its orbit is irregular (about 50.7 years on average, not the steady pace of the outer planets), the return age shifts by a few years from chart to chart, so astrologers check an ephemeris — a table of planetary positions — rather than relying on a fixed age.

Historical Origin

Chiron has no record in ancient, medieval, or early modern astrology — it entered astrological discussion only after its 1977 discovery. James Holden reports that, among the minor bodies added in the 20th century, Chiron drew early and lasting interest and quickly became a standard feature of computer-generated horoscopes, with Al H. Morrison an early interpreter and Neely & Tarkington publishing the first ephemeris (1978). How it fits into interpretive frameworks still varies a good deal between authors and schools.

Etymology

Origin: Greek. Meaning: Named after the centaur Chiron (Greek: Kheiron, possibly from kheir, "hand," suggesting skill and craftsmanship).

Definition

In Tradition

In Practice

Historical Origin

Etymology

Further Reading