Been Feelin’ it?
The last few months of this year have seen us all buried thigh-high in an onslaught of celestial back-spinning. The Astrology of Summer 2020 (or the winter months, for our friends in the Southern Hemisphere) has been a party of planetary retrogrades.
In case you need reminding, here are the retrograde planets we’re looking at:
- Pluto retrograde through Capricorn (April 25 — October 4 )
- Saturn retrograde through Aquarius (May 10 — September 29)
- Jupiter retrograde through Capricorn (May 14 — September 12)
- Mercury retrograde through Cancer (June 17 — July 12)
- Neptune retrograde through Pisces (June 22 — November 28)
- Uranus retrograde through Taurus (August 15 — January 14)
- Mars retrograde through Aries (September 9 — November 13)
- Mercury retrograde through Scorpio (October 13 — November 3)
Phew!
Has there actually been anything else to feel, apart from this constant cosmic urge, to retrace your steps and try to figure out where you’ve been going wrong?!
In the midst of all this, Now Chiron enters the Game
On July 15th, the centaur of Greek Mythology: Chiron, the Wounded Healer turns retrograde, back-spinning through Aries until December 19th.
Chiron has been downgraded over the years from planet to asteroid to comet. But don’t let this change in status fool you. It’s a spinning celestial body that packs a mighty punch. And it has a huge role to play in this game of human ascension we’re all taking part in.
In the charts, Chiron’s place shows transition linking the mundane to the extraordinary. This heavenly body takes us on a journey through our darkness, where we pass through to the next side with strengths we did not realize we had until we pass through that black place.
Who is Chiron: The Wounded Healer?
In Greek Mythology, Chiron’s story is one of abandonment and tragedy. But he’s also a character that was descended from royalty, trained in the arts, music, and medicine, and became one of the wisest (demi)gods around. Through the usual ups and downs, blood and gore of the Greek Myths, the ultimate role of this half-man-half horse became that of the wounded healer.
His greatest weakness became his greatest strength.
His struggle became his gift to the world.
Healing his pain led him to what he most desired.
Translate this into Astrology, and Chiron’s gift to us, is showing us where our greatest healing needs to take place. He shows us that our greatest weakness can become our greatest strength. That our struggle can become our gift to the world. And that, yep, healing our pain will lead us to what we most desire.
Want to know more about Chiron in your personal chart? Head over here and read this article about Chiron through the signs
So What Happens With Chiron Retrograde?
When retrograde, Chiron’s planetary influence encourages us to take the deep dive inward. Meaning that from now until December, the scene is set for healing.
The kind of healing that will change your life.
The kind of healing that will change all of our lives.
The kind of healing that will leave you a hot emotional mess if you don’t take a few careful precautions whilst you’re in the midst!
So here are 10 ways to help that healing process along, and take extra good care of yourself at the same time.
1. Set an Intention for Healing
Sounds obvious, doesn’t it? So obvious that most of us probably don’t bother to consciously intend to participate in the healing vibes of an astrological window like this. So instead, its huge potential energies either pass you by OR hit you like a bus when you’re least expecting it!
So choose to set an intention. Create a small ritual if that helps – light a candle, some incense and get real quiet for a minute and say that you’re ready to heal. Ask your Spirit Guides to support you (if that feels in alignment). Then trust that you’ve been heard.
* Something to be aware of: by setting an intention, you’re inviting in situations that will trigger your healing. Trigger being the word to watch – be prepared to come face to face with some form of your pain, frustration, annoyance or even anger. But at least you’ll be prepared, right? We never said it would be easy!
2. Go Inward
Again, sounds obvious, doesn’t it? But how much of the time do you spend looking for information, answers, signs, and symbols outside of yourself, in the world around you? But the truth is Chiron’s energy lives within you, and is being activated by this retrograde portal within you. YOU know, on a deep level, what needs to be healed. So listen to your inner voice.
3. Take Responsibility for your Healing
Nobody else will. Take it seriously (and by that, I don’t mean it needs to be “serious” – a lot of the best healing asks you to lighten up and laugh! And if you’ve ever experienced ecstatic healing, well, ain’t nothing serious about that!) This is about spending time and energy on your healing. Actually writing those lists and acting on them, instead of just skim-reading self-help books and convincing yourself you’re doing the work. Or paying a professional to help you. (Interesting that Chiron’s healing power never actually extended to healing himself – maybe another lesson here is not to go it alone?)
4. Get Away From Victim Mentality
Chiron was abandoned at birth. He was shot in the thigh by a poisoned arrow by his best friend. He spent the rest of his life in excruciating pain. But he never played the victim. Self-pity wasn’t part of his vocabulary, so don’t you fall into that trap. Letting yourself wallow in feelings of victimhood, and behaving like the world is set against you will, guess what, create even more situations where it feels like the world is set against you!
So instead, be proactive. Work on your self-worth first, if that’s what you need. Claim your sovereignty. It’s the only way.
5. Express Yourself!
Chiron was trained in the arts. One of the most healing things we can do is create. To sing, dance, paint, draw, cook, stitch… indulge in whatever is your medium of self-expression. Why? Because creativity loosens us up, it activates different parts of the brain from our normal, left-brained activities. It also wakes up our bodies, moves energy through the chakras and releases energetic blocks that it’s impossible to access in other ways.
6. Sound Healing
Sound is vibration. And it’s the closest collectively-perceptible thing to the Spirit realm. So again, activates us on different levels of our being to things like talking therapies. With Neptune, the planet that rules sound and music also retrograde until the end of November, take the journey into sound healing.
Gong baths, Singing Bowls, Binaural Sounds, Sonic Acupuncture, Drumming, Kirtan, and plain old singing (which can be as transformational as it comes) are a few places to start.
7. Don’t Numb Out
As tempting as it is, when feeling gets tough, don’t numb out to what’s happening in your life. If this astrology is triggering you, if your weaknesses are showing up and you don’t like what you see, dive in.
Notice if you’re reaching for the wine/biscuits/TV remote/substance of choice and stop for a second. Read through this list and choose something else on here instead. Write it down. Call a friend to talk it out, or allow yourself to just be. This difficult, liminal space is where healing happens, so don’t avoid it.
8. Care For Yourself Deeply
Pain doesn’t have to be rooted in deep trauma. Sure, a lot of the time that IS where it comes from, but sometimes it’s more to do with simply not being seen, heard and cared for when it mattered. But neglect, either from caregivers or, yourself is something that can be reversed at any time. So make the time now. Rewrite that internal story about how much you are cared for, and begin today.
Check out this article about Sacred Self Care for more guidance.
9. Detach Emotionally From the News
The overarching astrology of this paradigm shift we’re moving through is intense. There is SO much going on around the world at the moment, that it’s a miracle any of us are still sane! We all have different levels of involvement with the news and media, so it’s unrealistic for most of us to unplug completely. But what we can do, is emotionally detach. Chiron retrograde requires emotional energy. Especially if you’re committing to the healing work you’re called to do. So don’t leak your energy elsewhere.
10 Anchor Yourself in the Here and Now
Every day, at least once, find a practice that anchors yourself into the present moment. This could be as small and seemingly insignificant as getting 100% conscious as you pour your morning coffee. Maybe you have an altar, and sitting for just 5 minutes in prayer each evening is your jam? Or maybe eating your lunch without distraction, whilst soaking in gratitude for it, could be your anchor? Whatever it is, make it simple, do-able and sacred.
Ritually returning to center in this way means that you’ll always have a place to come back to. And when Chiron’s in town, boy, do you need it!
Now, we’d love to hear about your healing toolkit.
What do you return to again and again when deep healing is taking place in your life?
Share with us in the comments below, and who knows, you could really help someone who needs it.
