The Hierophant
Today as Chiron turns retrograde, you might be looking at how some of your own life experiences — including those that have brought you pain — have led you to express more kindness, compassion and understanding toward others.
Chiron was known as the “Wounded Healer” in Greek mythology. Chiron the planet represents a similar dynamic in astrology. It refers to the point of “woundedness” — which so often results in immense compassion and understanding — in the natal chart.
Unlike other savage and unruly Centaurs, Chiron was intelligent, wise and humble. He was a teacher as well as a healer. He taught medicine to the ruling class from a specially prepared cave. He was known as a great healer, but having been accidentally pricked by a poisoned arrow, was unable to heal himself.
I love this version of the Hierophant card, which is usually so steeped in traditional religious symbolism that it’s hard for many to relate to. But all of us have a vast amount of untapped wisdom locked away in our own private “caves.” Sometimes this wisdom is hidden even from ourselves. And this is where embracing the Chiron retrograde archetype comes in.
This is a time of turning inward and accessing previously undiscovered gifts. Often it’s those experiences that have broken us down that lend themselves to our greatest strengths. The retrograde encourages us to look within and to break through some of the traumas that have been holding us back.
