The Discovery of Chiron

by Robin Armstrong

Chiron was discovered on Nov. 1, 1977 at 10:00 AM in Pasedena, California. It had previously been photographed but was not discovered until this time. This explains the day time discovery. It was discovered by Charles Kowal of the Hales Observatories.

Chiron was the first of the Centaurs. His father was Saturn (Chronos) and his mother was Philyra, a daughter of Oceanus. Saturn took the form of a Stallion to hide his extra-marital affair with Philyra. As a result Chiron had upper torso and head of a man, and the lower torso and hind portions of a horse. Chiron was alone among the other Centaurs, in that he was gentle, kind, and wise; while the other Centaurs were violent lustful creatures. Chiron was famous for his knowledge of herbs and medicine, astrology, music, and the arts of war. He taught the arts of war to Achilles, Acktaeon, Jason, and Peleus. He taught music to Aristaeus. He was a teacher to many of the greatest Greek heroes.

HOROSCOPE FOR THE

DISCOVERY OF CHIRON

Chiron was the only Centaur who was immortal. He was a healer to others. In a fight between Hercules and the other Centaurs; Chiron, who was not involved in the fight, got wounded in the ankle by one of Hercules’ poisonous arrows. He could not heal himself. He could not die because he was immortal. He asked Zeus to let him become mortal and die rather than let him live endlessly in pain. Zeus agreed and Chiron became mortal and died. On his death he was placed in the constellations in the sign of Sagittarius.

Some of the modern astrological associations to Chiron is that of the wounded healer. Physician heal thyself! However the myth of Chiron takes on a special quality in that he chose death over a life of constant pain. His embracing of death was probably his most outstanding action. It leaves us to wonder about mercy killings, and the value of transition. For me, I am left thinking about death and rebirth; karma and reincarnation.

Chiron was at 3°08’ Taurus when it was discovered. It was also retrograde at discovery. Taueans do like their health and are traditionally afraid of death and pain! The degree positions at Chiron’s discovery should prove illuminating.

TA 04°(Charubel) A ram standing alone looking towards a flock of sheep in the distance. Denotes one in whom the male principle predominates excessively the female being nearly nil, sympathies towards the opposite sex wanting. If a man he rarely ever marries, if a woman, she ought not to marry.

Editor’s note: This aggressive male attitude was very Centaurean. Chiron was the exception,however, and he did marry . His wife was Naiad Chaticles, and he had a daughter named Thea who could prophecy. She prophecied that her father would give up his immortality status. For this statement she was transformed into a mare by Poseidon and placed in the heavens as a constellation.

TA 04°(Sepharial) A burning brand beneath the paw of a lion, whose rage is against it. It denotes a person in whose life much sedition will prevail, whose affairs will be marred by his own violence, and whose house will be dismembered through strife, in whom wrath will effect great evils, and whose force will be turned against himself. It is a degree of DISINTEGRATION.

Editor’s note: Well this does not seem true for his life, but it was very appropriate for both his death and his birth. He died from a poisoned arrow of Hercules which struck him in the ankle (paw of a lion). Even though he had eternal life, he chose to die.

TA 04°(Leo) One accustomed to authority, a disciplinarian: lofty station.

Editor’s note: His father was Saturn! He was placed in the heavens to reside in a lofty station.

TA 04°(Muir). One with magnetic force who can control others. A strict disciplinarian. Impulsive and brave.

Editor’s note: Chiron had healing force, and while being gentle, there is no reference to his being anything less than brave.

TA 04° (Chandra) A MAN TALKING IN HIS SLEEP. Irrepressibility. Not wanting to have to deal with basic needs. Desire to be taken care of. Spontaneous release of emotion. This image reminds one of Edgar Cayce, who was called “The sleeping prophet.”

Editor’s note: The caring and healing of others is a main part of Chiron’s life. When he needed care to heal the poisonous arrow, he could not find it.

TA 04°(Jones) The rainbow’s pot of gold This is a symbol of the true incentives of an outer and physical world, and of the rewards which are guaranteed by an eternal covenant between the least of individuality and the universal matrix of life itself. There is always the promise of a treasure which at the end proves to be a gratifying complementation in physical tokens of whatever spirituality the self has brought into manifestation through its own efforts. The keyword is FAITH. When positive, the degree is an inner assurance which enables man to hold steady in every course of his choosing, and when negative, a loss of all opportunity through futile expectation and an unintelligent wandering off in the quests of pure fancy.

Editor’s note: There is much depth to contemplating the concept of Faith in the beginning, middle and ending of Chiron’s life.

TA 03°-04° (IChing -lvl1) OPPOSITION: Hx.38, Line 4: Active.

Editor’s note: Fire above and water below. These forces move in opposite directions. It’s almost like the two halves of the Centaur. It talks about the oppositions of heaven and earth, spirit and nature, and man and woman……these are all needed to comprehend the circumstance and nature of Chiron, the Centaur. It talks about maintaining one’s individuality and staying away from hostile forces. If Chiron had stayed with his wife and avoided the association with the other carousing Centaurs, he would not have been wounded, nor forced to give up his immortality.

                03° 00’-03° 10’ Li (IC-lvl2) PREPONDERANCE OF THE SMALL:                                              W.62, Line 1: Yielding.

Editor’s note: In the second hexagram it advises strongly to keep to the lowly, the simple, and the humble. Success can come through small things rather than large and glamorous ones. Chiron was the most humble of the Centaurs. He was Saturn’s son. He was modest and kept aloof from others.

TA 03°-04° (Alexandinus) The Face of Mercury, the expression of Saturn

Editor’s note: Chiron is a teacher who has Saturn as a father.

PHASE 34: TAURUS 4°(Rudhyar): THE POT OF GOLD AT THE END OF THE RAINBOW.

KEYNOTE: Riches that come from linking the celestial and the earthly nature.

  In Genesis, the rainbow is the symbol of the Covenant of God with Noah. In all mythologies it expresses, in one way or another, a linking process–or the bridge used by divine beings to communicate with mortals. What the linking process brings to the individual consciousness is elusive, as the rainbow never ends where you are, yet it is the source of symbolic, universally valid wealth. All wealth, in a very real sense, comes from “commerce”; i.e. from the commingling of minds and from contracts, and thus is based on faith in the validity of a promise.

At this fourth stage of the five-fold process we are given a mode of operation, which reminds us of the symbol for the second stage, “an electrical storm.” Man need not be overawed by the celestial display of power, for it leads to a fruitful contact with beings of light. This is a natural kind of COMMUNION, involving a transubstantiation of matter.

Editor’s note: Half man/half horse could be considered the reward that comes from linking the celestial and the earthly nature. This could also include the karma of being born from an illegitimate relationship of a God (Saturn) with a woman. The implications here are significant.

TA 04° (Carelli): A stronghold built pillar fashion, crumbling and decayed; on its ramparts, warrior awkwardly handling dangerous Greek fire contraption.An exacting, disdainful, short-tempered being, destined to remain, so to speak, raw stuff throughout his life, who cannot possibly keep in harmony with the ones he loves. The native has, however, a nearly military sense of discipline as something absolutely necessary for himself as well as for the others. The key note of this character is its lack of that indispensable minimum of feminine fluidity needed to melt and blend any spiritual alloy; therefore, both the native and his never sufficiently plastered buildings tend to harden and collapse. A male every inch of his boorish being, an irksome grumbler easily roused to fury, the native will not be able to put up with anybody; he will handle things and people awkwardly and clumsily and will be peeved and disgusted at any show of weakness in his neighbours. Hence, a tendency to isolation and ultimately to self destruction, as in Dante’s figure of Pier della Vigna (Inferno, XIII, 70) who, embittered and nearly crushed by all the fellow courtiers’ envy and slander, ended by committing suicide. Unless no other features balance this influence, the male native will never be able to appreciate feminine charm. The female native should never marry. This degree shows sometimes a remarkable feature: a special fondness of fireworks which may well become a passion if the rest of the pattern helps (see especially the Fire element). The native’s body will be subject to decalcifying. EXAMPLES: Warren G. Harding, 29th President of the USA (Moon’s degree). I personally incline to believe that this was George Clemenceau’s Asc. (According to Alan Leo, it ought to be Gemini.)

Editor’s Note: There are many references in Carelli that apply to Chiron. In Carelli’s over negative style his suggestion of a tendency to isolation and ultimately to self-destruction; really is appropriate here. Even though married and having a daughter, it would be difficult to appreciate the charms of a daughter who predicted your death.

4° TA (Ebertin) Throat or larynx space

Editor’s note: It is only Chiron’s mastery of music that could be given a Venusian, Taurean, or vocal accentuation.

TA 04°(Kozminsky). UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE PLANET VENUS. The arena of a circus during a night performance, the ringmaster in the centre urging forward the movements of a large white horse galloping round the ring, a lady gymnast standing on the animal’s back holding a hoop of fire.  Denotes one whose destiny it is to come before the public in some professional capacity. The native will be impulsive, bold, and brave, and will be gifted with controlling and magnetic force. He will travel and move about a great deal, and will be exposed to danger with little or no hurt. It is a symbol of Intrepidity.

Editor’s Note: We have a horse with a human on its back. The Centaur is at least half of that.

04°Taurus (Bardon) Faluna – This intelligence is a very great friend of human beings, and helps the magician, should he want it, to wealth. It gives him various instructions how to make from plants certain substances which are able to preserve his body, or even to make it younger and more resistant against inharmonious influences – diseases and the like. Faluna is an excellent instructor for the production of spagiric substances which can be gained from certain plants.

Editor’s Note: Chiron is the healer working with herbs and a teacher.

TA 04° (Leinbach): Gives an imagination guided by the mind’s eye. More a Mercury imagination than a Neptune imagination. A practical ability to plan and portray with mental activity to mentally see a completed project. This ability probably contributes to success in later life. Often brings a marriage to some one younger in later life although this may be reversed and is not always successful but has a better than average chance with the influence of this degree. It generally contributes to a building up of resources and a bringing together of people which usually results in a very prosperous and socially happy old age. He does not wait until old age to enjoy life but seems to enjoy the years of accumulating and building.

Editor’s Note: Again the reference to a teacher would apply.

TA 04° (Leek): Prefers the company of his own sex.

                Not good for marriage.

Editor’s Note: Having a Centaur for a husband would not necessarily provide for the best ideal of social participation.

3-4° TA (Weber): Sagittarius and Aries double fire influence immediately below the surface of this seemingly sleepy Taurus-short-tempered impatient, rough and decisive, there’ll be much disharmony surrounding this degree’s activities. Meddlesome, perhaps an activist or crusader-can’t sit. Needs quiet solitude more than most, which helps to cool the rapid almost destructive pace. Marriage is not a partnership: there’s little respect for femininity. Fixed star Sheratain reflects the Mars/Saturn effect and promotes unhappiness difficulties lowly vocations.

TA 04°: (Klimczak)  A pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Hopefulness. Optimism. Inspirational beliefs which keep one going on. Renewal of resolve. Inducement vs. enticement. Simplifying one’s approach. Mythicizing one’s insights vs. literalizing the symbolic.

Editor’s Note: Chiron won’t have too much trouble mythicizing his insights, or we his!

TA 3°-4° (Matthews) “PLOT” The fixed star Sheritan is at 3.13 Taurus, nature of Mars, Saturn. This degree of plot, planning, tact and scheming is found in the charts of novelists, playrights, military men and organizers who work to uphold the law. Bismarck Mercury conjunct M.C., F.W. Woolworth, Uranus; J. M. Peebles and Mary Pickford, Jupiter; and Shirley Temple, Sun,.B. Apr. 23, 1928.

Editor’s Note:The whole concept of Centaurs has a very Mars Saturn quality. The aggresive rowdy nature of Centaurs fits well here, as does the fact that Saturn was Chiron’s father. I am left reflecting on whether Saturn had a lot of affairs and if the other Centaurs were brothers of Chiron or his children…….since he was the first Centaurs. Where did the others come from.

TAURUS 4° (Manthri) – April 22, 23 or 24

Creative words: Tejpil Sheproud. Excellence of perception is thy celestial estate and thou canst spin from within thyself a web of marvelous strength and beauty. Thou art blessed with talents beyond those who must plod, alike thy joy and thy responsibility. Greater skill requireth in thee a performance greater than that of ordinary mortals. Thou art observed from every corner; thy secrets are known better to others than to thyself. Be ever alert to understand the feelings and affections of those about thee, for thou could’st rely too fully upon theory and fail because of that which is thy most valuable strength when rightly employed: thy manner and mode of comporting thyself. The excellence within requires similar excellence in thy regard for thy companions. Great wealth may be thine; it testeth thee.

Editor’s Note: Chiron was blessed with excellence of perception, being healer, astrologer, and teacher. He was very talented in music. Reference to a performance greater than that of ordinary mortals is quite remarkable. Chiron was indeed more than mere mortal and more than mere Centaur. He was immortal and a Centaur.

04° TA (Henson): Literature (skill in working out plots); writers of detective stories; one accustomed to the exercise of authority; favors playwrights; military men; organizers who work to uphold the law; degree of plot, planning, tact, and scheming; (Sharatan) bodily injuries; destruction by fire, war, or earthquake; unscrupulous defeat; throat or larynx.

Editor’s Note: It is interesting that Chiron met his end in a violent and painful way. He was injured on his ankle by a poisoned arrow of Hercules.

It is curious that a modern day event concerning the rebirth or discovery of Chiron, could be so appropriately symbolized by the many various degree interpretations. It does seem like Chiron chose a most significant degree to be found in.

Degree:                        Focus:                      Hexagrams                                                             Person/Event

03TA00 39 d    NNd     H04     38L4:62L1:32L1      Depardieu, Gerard Actor

03TA09 32 d    NEP     H02     38L4:62L1:32L6      Jung, Carl Psychologist

03TA16 21 r     JUP      H10     38L4:62L2:57L4    Gauquelin, Michel Astrologer, Statistician

03TA21 35 d    MER    H04     38L4:62L3:48L1    Little, Malcolm X: PoliticalActivist

03TA45 29 d    NEP     H02     38L4:62L5: 6L3      Cayce, Edgar: spiritualist

03TA46 39 d    VEN    H07     38L4:62L5: 6L3              Prince Edward

03TA54 00 r     SAT     H08     38L4:62L6:47L4    Ismail, Rahgib Rocket Football Star

03TA59 41 d    NNd     H02     38L4:62L6:47L1    Armstrong-Jones, Anthony