Is there a soul?
Or is the universe nothing more than subatomic particles interacting?
Astrology maps psychology, that which exists in us, and the wider universe, that in which we exist. Duality is essential to understanding Astrology and the reliability with which I’ve applied it over the decades indicates this is also the nature of reality. No claims here, just a premise.
We are born on Earth and this is positioned in the centre of the natal chart: from our perspective, the solar system and zodiac revolve around us. The application of Astrology does not interpret the centre as the most important, however, merely a matter of perspective.
The inner planets from the Sun through to Mars indicate how we are constellated within, Jupiter and Saturn our perspectives on society, and the outer planets from Uranus to Pluto how we interact with forces greater than ourselves.
Chiron is the metaphor for how we transfer our perspective from the social to the impersonal and how we relate to this change.
The Chiron Return is when we terminate failed efforts. We gain insight from a broader perspective on ourselves as we see our lives in review. Some may experience this as a logical step, others may panic, others may realise they have one last chance before decrepitude envelopes them: the mid-life crisis. Others still reconnect with parts of themselves, wounded and in pain, and seek to heal past injuries.
That’s what I’ve been attempting.
If the universe is merely an interaction of subatomic particles, us an evolving set of predilections, that is perfectly rational. However, this philosophy can offer no contribution to the meaning that people seek and find, nor the resolutions we achieve. Hence my passion for psychology and Astrology.
Chiron in Astrology reflects when and how we resolve some of our most fundamental and painful experiences; the Chiron Return when we have the chance to confront what has injured us the most deeply and to seek resolution.
Sacrifice is a vital factor in the Chiron myth where the role of wounded healer is sacrificed to sacrifice self for just one other. Rescinding our role as wounded healer allows the cycle of drama to end and allows us to become ‘mortal’: to live in reality. Sacrificing the roles, and concomitant relationships, is incredibly painful as we must also sacrifice who we identify as.
‘Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.’ -Gibran
The awareness of this process evinces the soul.