THE 13TH ARCHETYPE: EVOLUTION OF (YOUR) CHIRON
In Greek mythology, Chiron is the wounded healer.
An intriguing combination: to be both wounded and healer in one and the same person(a).
In the astrological chart of every human being, you can find a Chiron (and I can assure you, Chiron will find you.) This both literally and metaphorically implies that we all carry a persona, a subpersonality, a wounded healer within us.
Technically speaking, Chiron is not a planet, but a planetoid. In the grand symphonic orchestra of astrological potentials (which, in classical astrology, stops at 12), I like to call Chiron the 13th archetype—an indicator of its importance in the cosmic dance.
Just like a planet, Chiron in your chart is placed in:
a) a sign
b) a house,
c) and may form aspects with other planets.
These factors determine the unique qualities, the individual potential of your Chiron.
Symbolically, Chiron is represented by a key. And indeed, it is a key. But, like most key-issues, it can be hidden in plain sight. For many, its true power remains dormant, buried beneath layers of the prevailing clinical paradigm, which has strayed far from its alchemical roots. Most people follow the medical mainstream instead of exploring their own path, neglecting their role as active participants in their own healing process.
But Chiron—understood as the wounded healer within—can be the key to understanding not only the nature of disease itself but also the specific prescription tied to your individual patterns of illness and healing.
In short, Chiron in your chart represents your medicine.
But it’s not just that.
Chiron also points towards your medical handicap.
And to top it off—your inner medicine(wo)man.
All three baked into one “persona”.
Let me explain.
The Three Faces of the Chiron Coin
Let’s start with the first key statement: Chiron is your medicine.
In my therapeutic practice over the past 30 years, I’ve seen this principle hold true 111%. Chiron reveals what kind of medicine works best for your healing—and where to find it. But, let’s be clear: we’re talking about self-generated healing here. Self-responsible healing. While inspiration, nudges, and the occasional “little help from our friends” (visible or invisible) may come into play, the ultimate responsibility for your healing lies with you. Your Chiron represents the inner medicine(wo)man that you must cultivate, so you can become more capable of healing yourself.
Now, on to the second point: Chiron is also your medical handicap.
Most of the symptoms we experience share a common denominator—the unique signature of Chiron’s placement in your chart. If you’re searching for the key, the sesame to unlock the cave doors to your patterns of disease, looking in-depth at your Chiron would be your best bet. The more you “get” how you subconsciously generate a specific set of symptoms, the more you can learn to see through the surface and recognize the underlying pattern. This awareness helps transform the symptom into what it really is: a healing agent.
Finally, Chiron represents your inner medicine(wo)man. The following sentence is popping up for me just now: Your Chiron indicates the healing potential that you have -and are. Meaning: you carry a healing gift within you that you are meant to pass on, and “gift”, share with others. I don’t believe anyone can truly “heal” another person, but we all carry the responsibility to share our experiences and leaning, to pass on the torch. Your Chiron symbolizes that torch. Your healing process, your journey, your tools, can inspire and serve as a model for others.
These three aspects of Chiron exist simultaneously. They are three sides of the same coin (a form of currency still waiting to come into circulation).
The Chronology of Chiron’s Evolution
In real(ity)-time and space, it is worth noting that there is a working chronology, a sequence where those three levels built onto each other:
The Handicap: In the early stages of life, Chiron typically shows up as an unconscious expression. It typically manifests through its shadow-aspects, as a bitter medicine, a handicap. This phase usually plays out most acutely during childhood and adolescence, particularly before your first Saturn return (around age 29 ½). It’s not exactly fun, but still necessary as a form of initiation, a primal wound. Without that wound, there could be no healing, no learning, no growth. In this first stage, we’re talking levels 1-3 on the scale of archetypical evolution. **
2. Self-Healing: As you mature and your consciousness of Self deepens, and you begin to a) withdraw your projections of fault onto others and b) stop beating yourself up (the inner critic!), it dawns upon you that you have a capacity for self-healing. Typically, this process gains momentum after your first Saturn return (29 ½+). Interestingly, the healing medicine lies within the very same archetype that originally “sickened” you. As the alchemist Paracelsus famously said, “What is there that is not poison? All things are poison, and nothing is without poison. It’s the dose that determines whether something is poison or medicine.” Another way of saying: if something is experienced as a medical symptom or as a healing agent depends on the level an archetype is being lived. This second stage, would fluctuate between levels 4 and 5 of archetypical evolution.**
3.The Medicine(wo)man: In its highest form, all knowledge, wisdom, understanding that you have gained about a) the general nature of this disease and b) the evolution of the specific journey from handicap to healing of your Chiron, you are asked to contribute to the larger, collective pool of healing. Thus, you become a medicine(wo)man, sharing your gift (***) with the world, in one way or the other. This represents levels 6 and 7 on the scale of archetypical evolution.**
Such is the archetypical journey of Chiron.
Stay tuned for a astrological example in a future post.
If you want to dive deeper into this theme, I wholeheartedly recommend Melanie Reinhard’s book, Chiron and the Healing Journey.
*I use the word medicine here not in the clinical sense, but in its deepest etymological meaning. “Medi» points towards the cure that comes from the midpoint, the symbol of being centered in the hub of (the wheel of) life.
** Refering to the «The Seven Levels of the 12 Archetypes», which you can find on the Elementorship platform.
*** The etymology of the word “gift” is fascinating. It stems from the Germanic roots, meaning both “to give” and “poison.” This dual meaning beautifully mirrors Chiron’s nature—reminding us again how healing and poison are two sides of the same coin.