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).

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In the mythology of Greece and Rome there was a race of beings called Centaurs, who were half man and half horse. This is the current symbol for the sign Sagittarius. According to the ancient legends CHIRON was the immortal version of the Centaur. He was a very wise and kind being who lived in one of the caves in a high mountain in Greece. It was in this cave that he taught valuable skills to his chosen pupils whom he mentored. Among these students were Hercules, who he taught the art of battle to, Caduceus, to whom he taught medicine, and others to whom he taught Astronomy, Astrology, Poetry, Music, Art, Farming and Healing. In Greek mythology the Centaurs were a rowdy and unruly group. They would drink excessively and engage in tests of manhood and strength which would often get out of hand, so they were famous for brawling, raping and pillaging any unfortunate who got in the way. One day they went too far and upset the gods on Mt. Olympus, who called on CHIRON to do something to stop their bad behavior. CHIRON decided to throw a huge banquet with the intention of reasoning with them and convincing them to behave in a civilized manner. But this was useless, the Centaurs immediately got drunk at the banquet and a fight broke out between the hosts and their guests. Hercules succeeded in overthrowing them, since his skill in battle was so great. But during the fight CHIRON was accidentally wounded in the leg by one of Hercules’ poisoned arrows. CHIRON was an immortal so he could not die from the wound, but the poison was too effective for him to be able to heal from it either. Since he was in constant agony, and deeply mortified by his failure he went to the Gods and asked them to allow him to die. They refused, but they took pity on his torment and decided to change his physical form to that of a constellation of stars and thus placed him in the heavens where he would no longer be in pain.

Therefore in Astrology CHIRON rules all relationships of a Mentor/Student nature, as well as any ancient knowledge made new. He is the figure from ancient myth that is responsible for unlocking hidden knowledge and talents in his chosen pupils. He is said to be the planet of the ‘wounded healer,’ representing people who have gifts to help and heal others, physically, emotionally or spiritually because they themselves have had to undergo an intense healing and purification process.

In my Astrology practice I view CHIRON as the modern ruler for Virgo. The old ruler ship of Virgo by MERCURY still has validity, but I see CHIRON as relating to Virgo because of its connection to healing. In the Virgo personality CHIRON makes his influence felt in the Virgo need to be of service, and also in their attention to health related issues. The Virgo who has managed to surmount their natural nervousness and gleaned a direction from the huge amounts of information that CHIRON has presented them with will be a strong force in their natural realm; healing. This healing can take the form of mental, physical, emotional or spiritual work, but essentially it will be about bringing wholeness to the individual. The Astrological symbol for Virgo is the Virgin, and this is entirely appropriate to CHIRON as its ruler. In Astrological terms Virginity can be equated to individual wholeness and self-sufficiency, rather than sexuality.

As the ruler of Virgo CHIRON represents all the holistic health practices including Chiropractic, Acupuncture, Homeopathy, Hypnosis, Massage Therapy, Herbology, and Astrology among others. CHIRON is especially responsible for bringing these practices into popular use since its discovery in 1977.

All though I attribute a special relationship between CHIRON and Virgo, CHIRON will make it’s presence felt in each individual’s personality differently. In the Natal Chart CHIRON would represent the area in the individual where a deep psychic pain existed and where they could achieve a level of knowledge, healing and wholeness that could be of universal use to others. For more information about CHIRON in your life you may want to have a Natal Chart Interpretation

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