Chiron Retrograde in Aries: Self Reliance, Autonomy and Healing Old Wounds
Let's talk about the Chiron retrograde.
Chiron goes retrograde in Aries on July 11, where it will be for the next five months, going forward in time for the great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn on December 20.
Chiron is the wounded healer in astrology. It's not a planet, but a comet that resides in our solar system between Saturn and Uranus. In Greek mythology, Chiron was a centaur known for his wisdom and knowledge of ancient medicines.
Currently, in the sign of Aries, which is all about self-reliance and autonomy, Chiron is the comet that reminds us that what wounded us is also our point of healing. Those things we would rather change about ourselves are often our greatest gifts to the world.
Two great poets from two different time periods spoke of this sentiment well:
The wound is the place where the light enters you.
-Rumi
There is a crack, a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in.
-Leonard Cohen
There is always a greater purpose in what we go through in life, the lessons we sign up for, and the challenges that we face.
This past weekend Chiron went retrograde on Saturday before Mercury stationed and went direct the following day.
When circumstances shift away from our intention or out of our control - like what has happened this year - it can trigger the Chiron wounding point.
Chiron went retrograde in 9°Aries.
If you have any planets or placements aspecting this part of your chart, these next five months will highlight any wounds, areas of healing, or areas that are looking for closure related to those points. It might be helpful to look at where Chiron is in your heart - the sign and the house it is governed by. This gives us insight into what area of life holds our greatest wounding point.
With the miscommunications that can occur when Mercury is retrograde, now that Mercury is direct again, it's a good time to voice boundaries that you haven't made clear where you need to.
On July 14, Chiron retrograde will be exactly conjunct Mars in Aries.
Aries is the first sign of astrology, and as such, it rules our earliest childhood years and developments. During a Chiron retrograde, we could feel particularly nostalgic or have unearthed memories about the past. Aries also rules our sense of identity. It is natural confidence, headfirst strength, and ambition towards the uncertain and unknown. It is risk-taking and independent in its pursuits.
With all of the Capricorn energy, planets in Cancer now, and Mars and Chiron together in Aries squaring the both of them, this year is like a collective growing-up period.
It is a great time to work on reparenting ourselves - holding space for ourselves, for our healing and continued development, and to set up boundaries with other people and also with ourselves when necessary.
As children, we naturally take on many of the qualities and beliefs of our caretakers, which is a natural part of our existence and survival in that "village" of our nuclear family. As we grow older, we separate from that in one way or another and step out on our own. We reassess our beliefs and widen our view of the world. We find our own village and create our own sorts of families, not looking one particular way, but based on who we want to surround ourselves with. We move into conscious choice.
If Aries represents the earliest childhood years, Gemini represents the adolescent years, the first years we really start preparing to launch out on our own.
Our north node moved into Gemini in May, and it will remain there until we have learned what this cycle is also teaching us.
We may feel repeatedly called to conjure up and then reassess certain unconscious beliefs or things we regarded as fact simply because we were born into them, and not because they are absolute. It is all a part of the process of living authentically, which is the universe's greatest purpose for us through it all.
Sometimes we don't realize just how many decisions we make in a subconscious attempt of avoidance of pain.
Coming to terms with our wounding helps us to not only heal ourselves but to help other people who have gone through or are going through the same things as us. Healers are being called forth at this time, though the model of what a "healer" looks like is changing dramatically.
We are living in a time of transition into a new era, and in that new place, we will not need to outsource our healing or sense of direction in another's hands, but we will be able to assess for ourselves and turn inward for the answers. Many have already started doing this.
To do this, we must be able to trust ourselves on deep levels.
Community is important, but thinking and believing that someone outside of ourselves has the answers is putting the power and responsibility in the hands of others to save us. Doing this time after time has us believing that someone outside of us has the power to save us. No one knows more about us than us. It's just that sometimes we can forget, and it can get covered up by layers of things we didn't even know we were piling on.
So if we are still making choices in an attempt to avoid pain or to prove something, even with low burning anger like a hum in the background, those choices we are making might not really be for us. They might be for other people, and more performative than personal.
The healing process isn't linear, and we don't end up healing ourselves as much as we do holding space within ourselves for the healing to occur. Over and over. And with new things occurring, it can feel like more is being piled on. Without clearing out the old stuff, and continually clearing the new stuff, gunk can start to form on the fabric of our existence.
Daily cleansing rituals can be beneficial.
Slowing down and taking baths or conscious showering. Using palo santo, sage, or copal (sustainably sourced). Getting out into nature with phones tucked away. These are just a few ideas of how to get back in touch with the harmony that exists and always will exist underneath whatever else is going on around us.
It can help to cut out caffeine for a time, even if only temporarily. Many have naturally done this instinctively in preparation. Caffeine can dull our body's natural energy sources, which we need when getting in flow with and working with these retrograde energies.
It's also a good time to ask ourselves earnestly and with expectance that the answer will come through when it is meant to, "Who was I, before the world decided who I should be, for me?"
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Elisabeth is a writer and astrologer, based in Seattle. To connect with her more about astrology, you can connect with her via a chart reading her Instagram @elisabetham, or email her at info@elisabethmckinley.com.