Chiron Retrograde in Aries: Headstrong Healing

All About Chiron

Chiron was discovered in 1977 by an American astronomer named Charles Kowal. While searching for distant galaxies in the sky, he ended up capturing Chiron on a photo plate on October 18th. However, it wasn’t until reviewing his findings on November 1st that he discovered an unknown object distorting the images. It came to be known as a comet called Chiron.

To learn more about Chiron, we can look at the way it moves in the sky, and even the way it was discovered, to begin to uncover what it might have to teach us here on Earth. Chiron’s orbit, for example, is erratic. It moves between Saturn, the last visible planet, and Uranus, the first “invisible” planet (in that it can’t be viewed by the naked eye) at varying intervals in each of the signs. 

So we know that Chiron showed up on the scene unexpectedly, while an astronomer was actually looking for something else, and we know that its movements are varied- never staying a prescriptive amount of time in one place. If you’ve ever taken a psychology course or read a self-help book…this process might remind you of what it’s like to heal.

Our healing journeys, and the wounds that elicit them, rarely show up because we’re seeking them out. They burst onto the scene, unapologetically, ready to be felt and demanding to be integrated. Chiron, therefore, is all about that transformative process of healing. It tasks us with moving from the visible wounds- the ways we cope with or mask our actual wounds, like addictions or escapist tendencies, to the unseen, yet always felt, core wound that we often self-medicate.

Another big part of this work is releasing the burden that our wounds always directly stem from ourselves. Of course they do in many ways- but they’re also generational, collective, and possibly even remnants from past lives. It’s important to have empathy with ourselves as we face our fears and take the steps to heal, and to acknowledge that healing doesn’t exist in a vacuum. The adage, “the trauma might not be your fault, but the healing is your responsibility” comes to mind when working with Chiron.

Chiron Retrograde in Aries

Joining Venus Retrograde, Saturn Retrograde and Neptune Retrograde, Chiron will be the latest heavenly body to join the retrograde party, stationing on Sunday, July 23rd- the first full day of Leo Season. Because Chiron is currently in Aries, it’s significant that this station happens as the Sun enters its exaltation in Leo. Our wounds, and their healing, are now center stage.

Chiron in Aries, the sign of the headstrong Ram, asks us, point blank, what we’re fighting for and why. And coupled with the North Node that’s also newly in Aries, we’re quite literally being asked to move towards our healing.

Chiron will be in Aries from 2018-2027, so this is not an overnight healing journey. And of course healing never is! But a retrograde has a way of pulling focus, so for the second half of 2023 especially, we all might feel a particular push to really attack our wounds, and their healing, head on.

In Aries, Chiron is concerned with our identity and the things that define the way we uniquely move through the world. It’s unafraid of conflict- and might actually disturb the peace intentionally, in order to maintain a healing process of full steam ahead.

General Tips for Chiron Retrograde

• Chiron is called “the wounded healer” for a reason, and the first step in addressing our wounds is acknowledging their presence. Journaling about the wounds that seem to be patterns in your life (or talking about them with a therapist) is a great way to be intentional with Chiron energy.
• Studying the myths around Chiron is a great way to add an additional layer of understanding and context about what it represents in our lives- both personally and collectively. Chiron was abandoned by his parents, yet, once adopted by Apollo, went on to become a legendary healer. Notice how these themes can bring about abandonment and self worth issues and try to address where you might be playing small due to your familial/parental circumstances.
• A retrograde is always about a review or a revision- rather than blindly moving forward, it’s a moment to look back intentionally. Ask yourself how you might be able to re-frame your old wounds as your greatest strengths and see if you can find some examples of people in the world that have done the same.

Chiron Retrograde through the Rising Signs

These horoscopes were written based on your rising sign. The rising sign indicates which house Chiron is currently transiting in your birth chart.Aries 

Chiron will station retrograde in your 1st house. If you haven’t begun to confront it yet- the time is ripe for addressing any and all body hang ups that might continue to plague your human form. What old narratives about how you show up in the world are you ready to transmute? While the scars might never fully disappear, the stories you tell yourself (and others) about how they got there are what really matter now.

Taurus

Chiron will station retrograde in your 12th house. This is a liminal space, and Chiron wants to help you make sense of the more nebulous areas of your life- though, of course, this work will happen behind the scenes. Your dreams could be a particularly healing place during this retrograde, and are worthy of close inspection. If you attempt to define the “why” behind the ways you’re checking out, you might just be able to check back in.

Gemini

Chiron will station retrograde in your 11th house. The communities you’re part of might be the outlet for your ultimate healing now…though, this won’t come without conscious attention. Notice the group conversations you’re having and even the ones you’re observing online and in the media. What are they stirring up in you personally? When you experience an intense conviction around what’s happening in the hive-mind, see it through.

Cancer

Chiron will station retrograde in your 10th house. You’re concentrating on your life’s legacy in this space…but Chiron here wants you to know that healing is your ultimate purpose on the world’s stage right now. Rather than pushing towards success to no end, pause to notice the wounds you have surrounding appearing successful. Who originally told you that should be the aim? And instead, what does success look like on your terms, and how does it make you feel? 

Leo

Chiron will station retrograde in your 9th house. Chiron transiting this area of your life suggests that the philosophies that expand it can also be a bit rough around the edges right now. Are there belief systems you’re still in the process of unlearning? Chiron stationing retrograde here wants you to re-examine the beliefs you hold true…and find a way to make them your own. Feel free to run head first into a new adventure, but also pause and ask yourself why you’re headed that way in the first place.

Virgo

Chiron will station retrograde in your 8th house. Spirituality doesn’t get more transformational than this! This retrograde could mark a distinct change in the headwind of your healing journey and help to make sense of the endings that have been occurring for you. There’s a conversation around control here and what you’ve come to believe about the responsibilities attached to power. Letting go is the key to your transformation right now. Let the chips fall where they may.

Libra

Chiron will station retrograde in your 7th house. Chiron residing in this place gives you the opportunity to heal through your committed partnerships. When it stations retrograde, though, coupledom won’t arrive without a spoonful of medicine to help your bleeding wounds go down. In order to realize the relationships you crave, vulnerability (of everyone involved) about past hurts will be the key to preventing future scars. 

Scorpio

Chiron will station retrograde in your 6th house. There’s something that might feel a bit crunchy in your 9-5 life, whether that’s your physical health or the habits that’ve been maintaining it (or not). Taking a retrospective look at the way you’re moving through your day could be especially healing. Do you set an alarm clock? What are your beliefs around productivity? When triggers arise, know that they’re anything but mundane- they’re the keys to your spiritual healing.

Sagittarius

Chiron will station retrograde in your 5th house, making creativity feel like a major bugaboo. Whether you’ve been stumped with your latest artistic project or have a lover that’s bringing up past hurts, Chiron retrograde here wants you to process the pain through your inner-child. Write a poem about what happens when you hear an ice cream truck, or buy a hula hoop and get into your body. Being silly can also be deep, cathartic work.

Capricorn

Chiron will station retrograde in your 4th house. Our past, and the stories that are passed down from generation to generation about it, can be incredibly difficult to navigate. Even if your lineage isn’t full of too much drama- there’s unlearning to do here. Because where families exist, so too, does some form of pain. Learn, or relearn, the stories your ancestors told and try to discover how you fit in with their narratives. If you find that you don’t…decide to write your own.

Aquarius

Chiron will station retrograde in your 3rd house. Friendships become the healer’s stomping grounds because of Chiron’s presence here, and could mean your friends are busy bringing out some of your growth edges. It’s important to notice red flags during your weekly book club…but with Chiron’s retrograde, it’s equally important to know what deep seated struggles you’re bringing to the circle. The company you keep is ready to help you heal, and the possible tough love their dishing up is nothing you’re not ready to digest.

Pisces

Chiron will station retrograde in your 2nd house. Money is rarely a Piscean’s favorite topic, usually because of the fact that it’s just so…practical. With Chiron transiting this area of your life, though, understanding money as energy becomes the biggest gift you can give yourself. Writing a list of your values, and how those values would be aided by financial support, rather than hindered, would be helpful for this journey. Your values are never the enemy.