The traditional ruler of Virgo is the planet Mercury. Many modern astrologers feel the more appropriate rulers of Virgo are the asteroids and the centaur Chiron, a small body in our solar system that orbits the Sun between Jupiter and Neptune.
The asteroid belt lies between Mars and Jupiter and consists of what some astronomers believe to be innumerable pieces of a planet which broke apart and fragmented. These fragments symbolically represent the different parts of ourselves that have become disconnected, compartmentalized, fractionated, wounded and hurt. Through the asteroids we become aware of the wounded fragments of our self and seek relief through healing and integrating the disjointed parts of our psyche.
In Greek and Roman mythology Chiron is a centaur, half man and half horse. Struck by an arrow in the thigh, Chiron received an injury that stayed with him throughout his life. Although he was a master of the healing arts, Chiron could not heal his own wound. For this reason he is known as the “Wounded Healer,” helping others heal their own hurts. He continued to serve others through his instruction and became the Sacred Teacher, leading the way towards healing, wholeness and self-sufficiency by guiding, mentoring and instructing others.
Chiron in the astrological chart points to our own unconscious sense of wounded-ness and trauma. Rejection, abandonment, deprivation, abuse, loss, and all sorts of devastating experiences can create our Chiron wound. The wound is karmic and carries emotional pain from that experience into this life. The wound is stored in our unconscious as cell memories in our physical body, and we are most likely unaware of its origin. The irrational fear we have about certain areas of life are our only clues.
We become fearful of approaching the area of life associated with our Chiron wound and engaging with it, treating it as a “no go zone” and avoiding it as much as possible. We may have soul contracts with family members, friends, acquaintances and others to provide experiences that bring this pain to the surface. We can face our fear, summon our courage and will power, and do what it is we fear. Doing our inner work we can discover the source of our wound. Through forgiveness we can resolve and release the old karmic experience, and claim the gifts of our wound: its benefits, blessings, lessons, gifts and potential for service.
Awareness of our Chiron wound sets us on a path of healing in order to become whole. We begin our healing journey by engaging our Virgo energy to seek relief: we discern the nature of our wound and take practical, methodical steps to resolve and heal our injury. Through the asteroids we become aware of parts of our self that have been fragmented, disassociated, and compartmentalized. We move beyond our pain and reconnect and align the fragmented parts of our self. We leave the past behind and engage more fully with life.
“Healing takes courage, and we all have courage, even if we have to dig a little to find it.”
– Tori Amos