Roaming free upon the plains, wandering hither and yon this strapping young CENTAUR boldly goes where no man, er, horse has gone before. Or at least that’s the way our SAGITTARIAN friends imagine it. If she could have her way she would discover and immerse herself in every new culture, continent and galaxy available.
Endlessly fascinated by the places and people they have yet to meet, SAG’S are born explorers. It’s as if the world doesn’t really exist until they have turned over every rock, examined every leaf and poured themselves into every nook and cranny of it. They are born observers and commentators, and wherever you find groups of people gathered together, the CENTAUR will be drawn, as if by magnetic force, right into the center of the action. They are energetic to a fault, causing would-be traveling companions to drop like flies from exhaustion. Often you will find her in the center of the action, as, say, a professional athlete. But if injury or lack of athletic talent keeps him off the court, he’ll be commentating, making jokes and generally rousing the crowd to a state of enthusiastic fervor, or hysterical laughter. Oh yes, these people can be very, very funny.
As physically restless as the SAGITTARIUS usually is, he is equally restless mentally, seeking to engage and understand as many points of view and philosophy as can be crammed into one life span of experience. She may love to read, but she longs to go to the places she reads about, it’s only fear that holds her back. And it is always experience that the SAG native seeks out. You see, to some extent every last one of them feels like a Stranger in a Strange Land. And as such they do all they can to grok the local customs. It is in fact astonishing how many CENTAURS there are who move to a country other than the one they were born in, or who marry someone from a different culture than their own. Somehow they all feel like they didn’t quite fit into the mores and customs of their origins and so they strike out into the world to understand themselves and the place they came from. It is this kind of attitude that lands men and women on the moon, and teaches us new languages, cultural experiences and philosophies. Broadening horizons, for themselves, and everyone they have contact with is their secret purpose. Usually they disguise it very well under a magnanimous, JUPITERIAN smile, and an optimistic wave. Oh, they can be zealous, but you usually enjoy their company too much to take offense.
They are perhaps some of the luckiest people you know. Things just seem to fall into place for them. As he jaunts off into the sunset with barely two nickels to rub together you wonder what will ever become of the cockeyed, gawky lug, stumbling off into the sunset as he trips over his own oversized feet. And then 6 months, or 10 years later he returns with a Galleon filled with gold and raucous tales of adventure to share with you. But then that money disappears as easily as it arrived and he’s off into the sunset again. One might even get the feeling that to a CENTAUR, having a good story to tell is worth more than all the tea in China. And you would be right. These are our natural storytellers, and as such, often find themselves loved and revered for being so damned entertaining.
GEMINI, the natural compliment for SAG teaches them much about communication. You see people get annoyed when the Heroine of the story gallops off without a word. Ultimately, the philosopher in CENTAUR’S clothing learns to make an impact on people both hither and yon, by communicating with them, using words and sharing ideas. And then our Hero takes his place at the table as translator bringing ideas together to form something greater than before.
If you love one of these wandering adventurers, don’t even think about tying him or her down. Keep a bag packed at all times and get ready to explore the world. Get really good at telling jokes, and keep them chasing you. Make yourself unavailable, and exotic. Your CENTAUR will gladly play hide and seek with you over and over again, and exhaust you with the sheer athleticism of their lovemaking. Maybe you won’t have to play hide after all, maybe you’ll just need a break!
Deep-thinking Chiron is the civilized Centaur who trained several famous disciples, being known for his wisdom and justice. Chiron, who was not a drunkard like other CENTAURS, never used his weapons against a man. Instead he spent his Old Age learning about herbs, and teaching to play the lyre to his pupils.
Born a Centaur
Chiron was born in very ancient times, for some have said that he was conceived at the time when Zeus was hiding in Crete, and his father Cronos, anxious to devour the little god, was looking for him throughout the earth. And Chiron, they say, was born a Centaur because Cronos begot him in a horse’s shape.
No medicine without him
Without Chiron, they say, there would not be art of healing. For Asclepius, despite the fact that he was the son of Apollo, the god of healing, learned medicine from the Centaur Chiron. And as it has been pointed out, the art that Asclepius’ sons Machaon and Podalirius performed at the time of the Trojan War, as when Machaon cured Menelaus, was the same art that Chiron had taught to his disciple Asclepius.
Wide education
But Chiron taught the art of healing to his other disciples too, for that is what the wounded Eurypylus 1 says to Patroclus 1 when they were fighting at Troy:”I want you to cut out this arrow from my thigh, wash off the blood with warm water and spread soothing ointment on the wound. They say you have some excellent prescriptions that you learnt from Achilles, who was taught by Chiron …” [Eurypylus 1 to Patroclus 1. Homer, The Iliad 11.829]
Restores sight to blind
Phoenix 2, who later accompanied Achilles to the Trojan War, was blinded by his father King Amyntor 1 of Ormenium, son of Ormenus 3, son of Cercaphus 2, son of Aeolus 1, son of Hellen 1 the eponym of the Hellenes, son of Deucalion 1 the man who survived the Flood. Amyntor 1, doing exactly as Phineus 2, blinded his son on the strength of a false accusation of seduction made against him by Phthia 3, concubine of Amyntor 1. But Peleus brought Phoenix 2 to Chiron, and the Centaur restored his sight.
Lives with wife and mother
Although it has been told that Philyra 1 was turned into a tree when she discovered that she had given birth to a monster, others say that Chiron lived in a cave in Mount Pelion, which is in Magnesia (Thessaly), with both his wife and his mother, and that is what Jason, who was one of the disciples of this Centaur, says:”… I shall give proof of Chiron’s training; for I come from his cave, from the presence of Chariclo and Philyra, where the holy daughters of the Centaur raised me.” [Jason to Pelias 1. Pindar, Pythian 4.112]
Chiron and Cyrene
Chiron is regarded as a civilized Centaur, sometimes wiser than the gods, and certainly wiser than men, whom he surpasses in justice. As it is told, not even Apollo knew, or seemed to know, who Cyrene was when he found her near Mount Pelion without spears wrestling alone with a lion. But the god asked the Centaur to leave his cave, and tell him all about her. And Chiron showed amazement at the god’s question:”Do you ask of the maiden’s birth? You who know the end supreme of all things, and all the ways that lead thereto, the number of the leaves that the earth puts forth in spring, the number of the sands that, in the sea and the rivers, are driven before the waves …” [Chiron to Apollo. Pindar, Pythian 9.45]
However, Apollo was not ignorant, says Chiron, but instead reluctant to show his love openly:”Secret, O Apollo! are the keys of wise Persuasion, that unlock the shrine of love; and both gods and men blush to take the pleasure of a bed for the first time openly. For even in your case, for whom it is unlawful to touch on falsehood, a gentle impulse has swayed you to dissemble your words.” [Chiron to Apollo Pindar, Pythian 9.39]
After this, Apollo carried Cyrene off to that part of the land of Libya where in later times he founded a city and named it, after her, Cyrene. And this was decided that very day when Apollo saw the girl, for as it is said:”Swift is the achievement, short are the ways of gods, when bent on speed.” [Pindar, Pythian 9.68]
Cyrene, who was daughter of King Hypseus 1 of the LAPITHS, gave birth to Aristaeus, who himself became a disciple of Chiron, and the discoverer of honey and the olive.
Mortally wounded…
Chiron was mortally wounded in the following way:
Heracles 1, in his wanderings, came to the cave of the Centaur Pholus 1, who received him and set roast meat before him. Heracles 1, then, asked for wine, but Pholus 1 said that he feared to open the jar since it belonged to all CENTAURS in common. After some discussion on this matter, the jar was opened and the CENTAURS, scenting the smell, arrived armed at the cave of Pholus 1. A battle ensued, and Heracles 1 shot and repelled many of them, who took refuge with Chiron. At that point, Heracles 1 shot an arrow at Elatus 3, which passed through his arm, sticking in Chiron’s knee. Distressed at this, Heracles 1 applied a medicine which the Centaur gave him. But the wound was incurable, because the arrows of Heracles 1 had been dipped in the gall of the Hydra, and were therefore utterly poisonous.
…in one way or another
However, others have said that it was when Heracles 1 once visited Chiron and they were examining his arrows, that one of them fell on the Centaur’s foot, bringing about his death. And still others have said that Chiron himself tried to draw the bow, and the arrow, slipping from his hand, fell on his foot, wounding him.
His fate foretold by his daughter
In any case Chiron, who was in pain, wished to die, but, being immortal, he could not. So when Heracles 1, after some time, released Prometheus 1, he presented Chiron to Zeus, who consented to die in Prometheus 1’s stead. This had been prophesied by Chiron’s daughter, the seeress Ocyrrhoe 2:”You also, dear father, who are now immortal and destined by the law of birth to last through all the ages, shall some day long for power to die, when you will be in agony with all your limbs burning with the fatal Hydra’s blood. But at last, from immortal the gods shall make you capable of death, and the three goddesses shall loose your thread.” [Ocyrrhoe 2 to Chiron. Ovid, Metamorphoses 2.649]
Among the stars
This genial Centaur, who renounced immortality, reared famous disciples, and surpassed men in justice, conscientiousness and diligence, was put among the stars, and is known today as the constellation Centaur (Centaurus).
Roaming free upon the plains, wandering hither and yon this strapping young CENTAUR boldly goes where no man, er, horse has gone before. Or at least that’s the way our SAGITTARIAN friends imagine it. If she could have her way she would discover and immerse herself in every new culture, continent and galaxy available.
