CHIRON is unusual in the solar system as it is classified as both a comet and minor planet, and its official designation is known as a "centaur". As of April 2002, there are at least 39 known Centaurs any many should be assessed, in my opinion, for their astrological value in the future.

Every astrologer comes to their own system for evaluating what should be contained in an astrology chart. Personally, I find less is better than more, and although I have done little study in these areas, it seems to me that the nuances of "stellar gravel" can also be found in the traditional planets, if their meaning is fully comprehended. However, I do use Chiron because I have found the placement of this "Centaur" to be extremely significant both in a natal chart and by transit, where it has often explained events to me that could not be illustrated by any other planetary means I am aware of.

One of the best known experts on Chiron is a fine astrologer named Zane B. Stein, whose webpage on Chiron has a wealth of information contained within it.

Chiron is known as the healer, or where the healer comes to heal his/her own shadow-self, and then to share this information with the world around them. It represents the restoration of balance, and the process of becoming whole. As Zane B. Stein says, "… it is not just the removal of some undesirable condition, but a much deeper, more involved process. A healing can also take place on a larger scale, such as healing a rupture that has occurred in a relationship, or a division that has taken place in a group or organization. And thus healing need not be thought of only in medical terms, but on any level."

Chiron is also known as the maverick, or where in our lives we come to reject the values around us, without necessarily needing to overtly oppose those values, and to find and monitor our own values in this area of our lives. It's placement in the zodiac, between Saturn (the authority, tradition, rules and regulations) and Uranus (the revolutionary, the individual, the eccentric) explains its qualities in this way. And just as a wound that will not heal forces us to come to a greater understanding of the nature of our physical bodies, Chiron provokes a process that results in expanded balance, wisdom and wholeness. Examined in our natal chart, by degree, sign, house and aspect, it will bring us a world of information and a blueprint forour personal healing process.

This quote, from Stein's webpage, says it all perfectly:

"The child must know that he is a miracle;
that since the beginning of the world there hasn't been, and until the end of the world there will not be, another child like him."

~Pablo Casals

The Sun | Mercury | Venus | Earth | Moon | Mars | Jupiter | Saturn | Uranus | Neptune | Pluto | Chiron