Chiron and the Patriarchy
The Education of Achilles by Auguste-Clément Chrétien (1835-1913)
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Chiron is a powerful ally, if you want to dismantle the patriarchy in your head (and who doesn’t want that, right?)
Astronomically, this intriguing body is something of a mystery. Believed to have started out as a comet coming into our solar system from the space beyond, Chiron has become trapped by our Sun’s gravitational field and now inhabits a long, oval orbit around the Sun.
It’s one of a class of bodies known as “centaurs” – bodies with strange orbits that often behave with characteristics of both asteroids and comets.
They are named for the mythological centaurs that were a mixture of horse and human, and it’s particularly apt here since the character of Chiron in Greek mythology was, of course, a centaur.
Many astrologers view Chiron as representing the ‘wounded healer’, and work with him as the representation of an old wound which is never fully healed.
And that is by no means the full story.
Chiron’s mythological story begins with the nymph Philyra and her lover, the Titan Cronos (known to us as Saturn).
Cronos disguised himself as a horse to avoid trouble with his missus, but the result was Chiron’s birth as a creature of dual natures – man and horse - at a time when such creatures were associated with their bestial, animal nature.
Ultimately rejected by both parents for this ‘ugliness’, he was adopted by Sun-god Apollo and his sister, Moon-goddess Artemis.
They taught little Chiron all they knew - the arts of medicine, music, gymnastics, prophecy, archery and hunting - and helped him activate and evolve the human side of his dual nature.
He became known for his wisdom, kindness, intelligence, generosity, and willingness to teach others.
There are stories about Chiron’s being wounded by a poisoned arrow and, since he was an immortal, finding himself caught between life and death.
These gave rise to his reputation as the eternally wounded healer (though the stories are inconsistent – in some versions he dies and is placed as a star in the heavens by Zeus; in others he exchanges places with Prometheus).
But his life and his life’s calling are far more interesting than the end of it.
Chiron the coach
Chiron shows up in the legends of over two dozen different heroes and warriors.
He was their teacher, their mentor, their guide and their friend.
All the famous names - Heracles (the Roman Hercules), Jason (of Argonauts fame), Ajax, Perseus, Achilles, Odysseus, Dionysus, and Asclepius (the god of medicine).
He trained his students to do the impossible, and he does the same for us.
He is the wounded healer who helps us to heal our own wounds.
And with his complex dual natures – horse and man, comet and asteroid, healer and coach – Chiron is also linked to our capacity to ‘step outside’ our own selves at will.
We can change perspective, see our own complex nature, and connect to different parts of ourselves when we tap into our own Chiron audacity.
That’s why he’s such a great ally for those of us raised as girls, and living as women.
Because we all grew up immersed in a patriarchal system of oppression which told us - throughout our childhood and beyond - that:
women belong in the background
women can’t be trusted with money and shouldn’t have large amounts of it
women’s needs must come second after everyone else’s
women and girls are emotional and irrational, and therefore can’t be trusted to wield power
women and girls are responsible for the emotional wellbeing of those around them, in ways that are not expected of men and boys
for women, speaking our truth often results in punishment or abandonment
productivity is how a woman proves she is worth taking up space on the planet
If you don’t think you were raised with those dynamics at play, I can guarantee you were - in part - raised by people who DID believe that.
And I can guarantee you grew up in a world full of toxic patriarchy messaging - in every history book; on the sides of buses and in every magazine; and in every Hollywood movie.
These principles lie at the foundations of our own neural wiring, until we deliberately and consciously do the work of changing our own (miraculously plastic) brains.
Think of Chiron as your own inner audacity coach (hat tip to Kim Falconer for that excellent phrase).
Tap into that inner audacity for a moment, right here as you’re reading this.
Can you imagine how powerfully you could smash through the glass ceilings that exist in your head, if you allowed the mighty power of Chiron to course through your veins?
Can you see how audacity is a core ingredient in healing yourself and others from the devastating impact of the patriarchy?
How do I activate Chiron?
Here’s a starting point:
read or watch or listen to an ‘impossible quest’ story, either one you already know and love, or one that’s new to you. There are plenty of examples in the blog posts for A Mighty Girl - women and girls who defied their culture to achieve amazing things. You’ll find examples in fiction, too - whether it’s Elizabeth Bennet defying social mores of her time in Pride and Prejudice, or Lisbet Salander breaking free of her traumatic past to live her own life in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.
if you like to work with angels in your practice, seek to connect to Archangel Raphael, known for his role as a healer
reassess some of your physical and mental health support habits, notice where those habits don’t yet support you fully - and then ask “what would audacity enable me to change here?”
connect with your mind and body via a mindfulness practice such as meditation or by a touching therapy such as massage (or both)
make a list of your own strengths, and keep it handy to remind yourself - you can be both the hero and the audacity coach, in your own story
revisit your relationship with your own boundaries – are they clear, do you manage them well, how might they change with more feisty audacity in the mix?
look at any old habits which you know are holding you back, and which you only keep repeating because they feel safe. Make a decision to replace them with a new and better habit. Seek support for that if you need it (coaching is my personal go-to for this work - and I do this with my clients)
Listen for the hoofbeats, and embrace the potential.
