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     The purpose of this article is to lay out the essence of the new paradigm augured by the discovery of planet Chiron in 1977. As such, for the sake of economy, many details must be left out in favor of presenting the bigger picture. My books, articles, presentations and research over the last so many years will fill in the details and will elucidate and vindicate the broad assertions made below.
     In short, the new Chiron paradigm asserts that the Wounding and Healing journey is synonymous with the descent and re-ascent of consciousness through the cosmos—with Creation (the Fall) and subsequent evolution (Ascension). Chiron asserts that the Healing journey consists of awakening to the perfection of our lives, no more, no less. It asserts that there lies a Gift within every Wound, waiting to be discovered. (“Wound” is taken in the broadest sense, encompassing the physical, the emotional, the mental and the spiritual.)
     In order to fully understand and appreciate these assertions, we must expand our vision well beyond the astrological considerations of Chiron, the planet. In this day and age, it is ever more important that astrology moves toward consilience, i.e. towards the cross-disciplinary unification of all knowledge. The survival and credibility of astrology rests upon this. However, before solving the mysteries of life (!), we must begin with our rogue comet friend and its astrological considerations.

Early Studies of Chiron
     Early studies of Chiron were undertaken by such noted astrologers as Zane Stein, Richard Nolle, Melanie Reinhart and Barbara Hand Clow. In these studies, the theme of Wounding (taken in its broadest sense) was emphasized. Its partner theme—Healing—was broached, but not satisfactorily understood or elaborated. At best, it was understood that the Healing journey was mirrored in the outward planetary journey from Saturn to Uranus—i.e. in the “Rainbow Bridge,” as coined by Hand Clow. Healing was considered the (insufficiently explained) process of rejoining our lower earthly nature with our higher celestial nature. True enough! However, our potential Healing path was mapped in terms of more traditional and established psychological and archetypal paradigms, leading to many inadequacies and contradictions. The difficulties encountered during these early studies were aptly summed up in Reinhart’s Chiron book:

    “This book [“Chiron and the Healing Journey”] is in the nature of a mosaic; the long process of researching and writing it has been rather like the experience of trying to piece together a jigsaw for which initially there was no picture, and eventually several different pictures! The reader will find many irreconcilables sitting here side by side, sometimes with no attempt to resolve them. The archetypal nature of Chiron himself is also thus: the opposites of horse and human being are yoked uncomfortably into one form, awaiting the more inclusive synthesis that only a journey into the depths of his own inner nature can bring. Latching on to ready-made philosophies does not necessarily work where Chiron is involved, for this archetypal pattern suggests the need, and brings the opportunity, for each of us to make our own personal and unique quest for the meaning of our lives. During this process, we inevitably come up against many imponderables, paradoxes and unanswerable questions.”

    How true! However, more than ten years later, Chiron’s new paradigm is finally coming into view. With it comes the requirement to turn many consensus views concerning psychology, physiology, spirituality, astrology, metaphysics, mythology, religion and more on their heads. At the same time, the new Chiron paradigm is gradually reconnecting us to wisdom that was already known in our distant past, but that was subsequently forgotten.
    The net result of these early studies was a growing dread of Chiron and of the issues within us that Chiron’s placement in our natal charts mirrored. Now, at worst, like Pluto, Chiron strikes terror into the hearts of men and women! In some ways, Chiron has become synonymous only with “Wound” and “pain.”
    My aim over the last 11 years has been to discover and present the balancing half of the equation. When both sides of the picture are seen, all contradictions, dilemmas and paradoxes are resolved; all seemingly unanswerable questions are answered. In fact, the Chiron paradigm asserts that the ongoing process of discovering both sides of any given issue is the Healing journey. Such is one of Chiron’s greatest messages and tools. All that remains is for us to face our inner Darknesses with the tools Chiron has given us. Such is Healing . . . more than this, such is the evolution of consciousness.

The New Chiron Paradigm
     The essence of the new Chiron paradigm is summed up in the phrase, “The Gift is in the Wound.” In short, when painful, traumatic, adverse and/or negative experiences befall us, we tend to see the negative side more than the positive (if we see the positive at all). Said another way, in these circumstances, we tend to express the negative and repress the positive. Such is the face of Chiron as initially seen in the natal chart (in synergy with many other factors, not the least of which is the Moon).
    What we do not see at the time are the benefits, blessings, lessons, Gifts and Service of these experiences. We fail to see the balancing sides. The Healing journey consists of discovering these balancing sides. This can take anything from a second to a lifetime. Hindsight is one great gift in this respect. As we discover and uncover the hidden balancing sides, so a larger picture is revealed—a picture that contains our Gift, i.e. a piece of the puzzle of the meaning and purpose of our lives.
     The Chiron paradigm also asserts that there is nothing to fix, change or get rid of in our lives . . . all is perfect as it is. However, our failure to see this at first (or our out-and-out denial) takes us on the journey of our lives. Along the way, we become who we are meant to become. That is, our Service to ourselves (in terms of learning our lessons and evolving our consciousness) and to others (in terms of how we contribute to others’ lives) is manifested. Our gradual awakening to and embracing of this Service is the Healing journey, is the evolution of consciousness. In this lies a larger Perfection.
     Such assertions inevitably bring us to the idea of an ordered universe—a universe with a Plan and a Purpose. Although one cannot scientifically argue this case (yet!) with those who are so Wounded as to deny a higher order or higher power, our personal Healing journey will inevitably (and inexorably) awaken us to this higher order. Such is Chiron’s promise. Moreover, herein lies the hope for the unification of science and spirituality/religion. We can expedite this process (if we so wish) by putting Chiron’s musings, as seen astrologically, into ever-larger contexts. We will hint at some these directions in what follows.

Chiron Astrology
     Chiron, in the natal chart, points to the place of our greatest Wounds—the things we feel are the most missing, wrong, unjust, painful or lacking in our lives. In this place, we harbor bottled-up negative emotions, traumatic memories, past life issues and ‘rooms’ within us where we either fear to tread or that we would rather avoid, ignore, condemn or banish altogether.
     However, hidden within this place of Darkness lie all the balancing sides of the equation—the benefits, blessings, lessons, Gifts and Service of each and every one of our issues. Through the Darkness lies the Light. When we try to avoid the Darkness, the Darkness persists and blocks our way. Inherent within the Wound itself lays the Healing path. As we approach the Wound, so its hidden aspects are illuminated, allowing growth, transformation, Healing and evolution of consciousness. If we understand the principles involved, each person’s Healing path can be clearly seen in the natal chart.
     Perhaps the most striking symbol of Chiron’s Healing process was presented in the animated film, “The Dark Crystal,” where the dark and light sides of the psyche, represented by different races of creatures, joined into one ‘super-race’ of Light beings via the Healing of a fractured crystal. Of all the psychologists of the last hundred years, perhaps Jung came closest to understanding this principle of rejoining our light and dark sides (individuation). All that remained was to define the exact nature of the light and dark sides of the psyche. Chiron points the way to just such definition.

Myths & Themes
    The schism between what we perceive as our Wounds and their hidden benefits, blessings, lessons, Gifts and Service is aptly summarized in the animal (lower) half of the symbol of the centaur. The centaur was half horse (animal, lower nature) and half man (human, higher nature). The wounded leg of the centaur, Chiron, symbolizes the Woundedness of our lower nature—a nature that sees one side of the world while repressing, ignoring, denying, disowning, condemning and/or failing to acknowledge the other balancing sides. Such is the origin of blame.
    However, as we shine a light upon our Darkness, seeking out the balancing sides, so our lower nature is Healed, transformed, unified, wholed, rejoining with our higher human nature.
    Chiron’s message is only understood when we understand and appreciate that the world we see around us is a world of perceived duality. Everything in existence has an equal and opposite companion, albeit often hidden from us in the beginning. Modern quantum physics concurs with this view in its conception of matter and anti-matter. Such is the eastern view, too—yin and yang, for example. However, to put it more poetically, we quote from Emerson:

“Every excess causes a defect; every defect an excess. Every sweet hath its sour; every evil its good.  Every faculty which is a receiver of pleasure has an equal penalty put on its abuse. It is to answer for its moderation with its life. For every grain of wit there is a grain of folly. For everything you have missed, you have gained something else; and for everything you gain, you lose something. If riches increase, they're increased that use them. If the gatherer gathers too much, nature takes out of the man what she puts into his chest; swells the estate, but kills the owner. Nature hates monopolies and exceptions.”

     Why the world presents a dualistic face is, in the final analysis, all a matter of perception. It is all about consciousness. The astrology chart is, in the final analysis, a Mandala of consciousness. Again, quantum physics can teach us much concerning this topic. However, we have gotten ahead of ourselves . . .
     Many other mythic, archetypal and symbolic examples are available. Each reveals its secrets in the wake of the Chiron paradigm. More than this, each mirrors and supports the Chiron paradigm. Why and how this is so will only become apparent as we draw increasingly wide circles around our topic of study.

Astronomical Features of Chiron
     So far, we have presented Chiron’s new paradigm without much recourse to astronomical data. Here follows a short overview of some of Chiron’s astronomical features and how each contributes to and illuminates the basis upon which the new paradigm is built.
     Chiron’s highly elliptical orbit means that it spends considerably more time in Aries than in Libra. In short, it exaggerates Arian traits and minimizes Libran traits. Taking the view from the Zodiac of the Mysteries, where the Moon rules Aries and the Sun rules Libra , Aries/Moon represents our dualistic (Wounded) lower nature and Libra/Sun represents our potentially unified (Healed) higher nature. Thus, Chiron, on the surface, exaggerates Woundedness and minimizes Healing. (We must be aware, though, that Woundedness and Healing are, ultimately, a matter of perception. Healing is a journey of consciousness.)
     Moreover, Chiron’s degree of inclination from the ecliptic makes it somewhat of a rogue in the larger scheme of things, also giving Chiron an unusual perspective compared to the other planets (except, perhaps, Pluto). Moreover, studies show that extremes in ellipticity and inclination give rise to more polarized, more extreme expressions of planetary (and, hence, human) expressions. From this perspective, cometary bodies, like Chiron (and perhaps Pluto), represent the solar system’s more extreme emotional expressions.
     Furthermore, Chiron, like Pluto, may be more correctly associated with the Kuiper Belt of objects, most of which orbit beyond Neptune. Without going into detail here, this association means that Chiron’s energetic origin may well lie outside the local Seven-Ray origin of the rest of the solar system. Psychologically, this puts Chiron ‘far from home’, isolated, abandoned, a loner and so on. However, it also gives Chiron an ‘extra-solar’ perspective and offers the potential for a reconnection to consciousness outside our local solar ‘egg-sac’ (solar magnetosphere).
     Lastly (for the purposes of this article, at least!), the fact that Chiron’s orbit, although mostly confined between Saturn and Uranus, periodically approaches Jupiter and Neptune, means that its affairs span a wide scope. Moreover, it means that Chiron has the potential capacity to bridge the affairs of these outer planets, to ‘see life from on high’, so to speak. Jupiter’s association with the Inner Child and with naïve views of the world (pre-Saturnian, pre-responsibility) and Neptune’s association (in its higher octave) with Unconditional Love (post-Uranian, the culmination of the Healing journey) are extremely relevant when deciphering Chiron’s themes and its modus operandi. In fact, one cannot fully appreciate Chiron’s higher message unless one puts Chiron into the larger cosmic picture, as these few preceding points have endeavored to do.
     Chiron is at once disconnected from the rest of the solar system (by virtue of the aforementioned astronomical features) and connected to the higher consciousness that lies further ‘up-stream’ (outside our solar system) in the larger cosmic picture (also by virtue of the aforementioned features). Such a dichotomy makes for a very interesting proposition. In short, the answers to Chiron’s own Wounds lie within its very orbit, so to speak. Again, the Gift is in the Wound.

The Chiron Cycle
     When we examine Chiron’s elliptical orbit, its perihelion and aphelion in Libra and Aries, respectively, map this out over time and correlate it with human history, we begin to see a definite cycle. Individually, this plays out over 49-51-year cycles in our lives. The elliptical nature of Chiron’s orbit means that this cycle’s nodal points (major transits to its natal position) differ from person to person and from generation to generation. Individually, this traces the waxing and waning of our inclination and ability to address and deal with our Wounds and issues. Taken collectively, this cycle traces the waning and waxing of humanity’s collective interest in and pursuit of spiritual matters (Wounding and Healing, taken in its broadest sense).
     Moreover, when this is placed against the background of the ebbing and flowing of major aspects between the outer planets (including Chiron), we begin to understand why and how Chiron was discovered when it was. The tumultuous years of the nineteen-sixties constituted the fulcrum point. However, the details of this historical and astrological tapestry go beyond the scope of this short article.

Chiron’s Musings in Relation to Body and Mind
     The Chiron paradigm in relation to Body and Mind asserts that our physiology is a perfect mirror of our consciousness. In short, in the same way that Chiron in the astrology chart mirrors our issues and Wounds, all our Wounds and issues can be seen upon our countenance in the form of various states of health and disease, in our tensions and relaxations, in our excesses and deficiencies and in our postures and expressions. Such is the holographic nature of the Body/Mind. The Body/Mind, like the astrology chart, is a Mandala of consciousness. Lop-sided (unbalanced, Wounded) consciousness (in the form of exaggerations and minimizations in our perceptions of the experiences of our lives, i.e. when we exaggerate Aries/Moon dualities and minimize Libra/Sun unity) creates lop-sided physiology (in the form of hypo- (inhibition) and hyper- (activation) reactions of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems and the immune system in general). Conversely, as we Heal our consciousness—i.e. seek out the balancing sides of our Wounds and issues and bring unity to our consciousness—so this is reflected in the Healing of the Body. There is now ample medical and scientific evidence to support the connection between our emotional and mental states and our body’s health and disease.
     Moreover, if we examine the extremes of mental and emotional disorders in our society, we can see our own predicament as in a mirror, as brought into sharp relief, as in a powerful microscope. We each have elements of every psychosis and neurosis ever discovered and labeled. Such are the elements of our Woundedness. Fragmented mental and emotional processes are the symptoms of fragmented consciousness—the dualistic consciousness of our lower nature, of our terrestrial nature, of the Woundedness of the horse half of Chiron the centaur.
     As we bring our consciousness into greater unity—by seeking the balancing sides of our issues and Wounds—we reconnect with our higher human nature, with our celestial nature. Such Healing goes beyond the illusion of the physical (material) world of reality and reconnects us with the truth of the energetic (spiritual) world of Actuality. Again, there is physics to support this assertion.
     The secret to Healing—whether physical, emotional, mental or spiritual—is thus to bring the Darknesses of our psyche into the Light. As we do so, we gradually awaken to the perfection of our lives and, thus, to the larger Plan and Purpose of existence.

Chiron’s Musings in Relation to the Cosmic Plan
    Must we wait for Healing in order to gain a glimpse of the Plan and Purpose of existence? Yes and no. Yes, inasmuch as personal experience can never be replaced by second-hand or anecdotal evidence, even when such evidence is scientifically based; no, inasmuch as the Plan and Purpose of existence can be seen anywhere and everywhere we look. We simply need the key. Chiron hints at this key.
    If we expand our view of Wounding and Healing from the orbit of Chiron, past the Body and Mind and out into the starry cosmos, we can witness a universal law, known in ancient times and only just being rediscovered. This is the law of the One and the Many. In short, we are, individually and collectively, consciousness as Light, descended from Oneness (the Big Bang), into Manyness (the Creation, the Fall, the Wounding). Our path then takes us from Manyness back towards Oneness (evolution of consciousness, Ascension, the Healing). This cyclic movement from Oneness to Manyness and back can be seen in all aspects of nature as well as in innumerable ancient texts, myths, spiritual teachings and so on. The cycle is also called the cosmogonic cycle.
    The story of our descent and re-ascent—our cosmogonic journey of Wounding and Healing—can be seen in astronomy, the physics of light, the nature of time and space, in music, in astrology (in the zodiac of the Mysteries), in mythologies, in religions, in metaphysics and more.
    The essence of the story is that all is astronomy. And, all astronomy is a dance of Light (taking Light in its broadest sense to mean all energy in the cosmos, whether in the form of free intangible energy, i.e. spirit or frozen tangible energy, i.e. matter). All is Light, not just in the metaphysical sense, but in the scientific sense, too. Moreover, all is consciousness. In these last statements lies the key to deciphering Chiron’s musings. Our metaphysical journey can be traced physically and energetically in the starry heavens and in the physics of Light thereof.
    Astrology was once one of the keys that joined the two sides—the physical with the metaphysical and the celestial with the terrestrial—but it has degenerated over the centuries.
    Moreover, like astrology, all mythologies and religions were attempts by wise beings in antiquity to put the great cosmogonic story into a form that humanity would not and could not forget. All mythologies and religious parables are analogies of astronomical events, analogies of the descent and re-ascent of consciousness as Light, analogies of our metaphysical journey of Wounding and Healing. However, over time, the stories have been distorted, perverted, lost, altered, misinterpreted or forgotten. Nonetheless, the key still exists. The myth of Chiron is but one example of this great Story of Life. If we examine myths and religions from such diverse places as Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Polynesian, North America, South America, Great Britain and so on, we will see the same Story written before us.

In Conclusion
     Everywhere we look, we can see evidence of the Story of Life—of our journey of Wounding and Healing. The Chiron myth and Chiron’s astrological considerations are but two examples amidst a myriad of examples. Everything in existence is a hologram of a greater picture of existence.
    Moreover, every aspect of our individual lives is also a holographic piece of a larger puzzle—of our lives personally and of the greater life of humanity. When we deny, disown, fail to acknowledge, ignore, try to escape from, condemn and/or try to banish certain parts of ourselves, we are Wounded; we are in denial of the larger Plan and Purpose of the cosmos. Such are the Wounds that Chiron mirrors. However, when we walk willingly into our Darkness, shining a light, so to speak, we gradually recover the lost pieces of our lives. Gradually, we become whole once more, reconnect with our higher celestial nature and take our rightful place as co-Creators of this magnificent universe.
     Most importantly, Chiron’s higher message is that everything is about perception. Seeing one side of things (duality) is Wounding. Seeing all sides of things (unity) is Healing. As we Heal, so the world around us changes, not because we have set out to change it, fix it or get rid of the things we do not like, but because we see things differently. In short, as we Heal, we increasingly see things from the eyes of Love. Such is the ultimate Gift in the Wound. Surely, this is a journey worth pursuing.