Healer Chiron visits Aries from February 2019 until April 2027

Oscar Wilde once quipped, “To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.” But how many of us actually know what it means to truly j’adore me, myself and moi? For starters, cue the Whitney Houston and follow up with a Beyoncé- heavy playlist. The greatest love of all will soon be “happening to me” as Chiron—a comet known to astrologers as the “wounded healer”—began a nine-year journey through self-authorized Aries this past April 17, 2018.

According to Greek mythology, Chiron was a philosopher, teacher—and, yes, healer—who, ironically, could not heal himself. Chiron’s placement in our natal charts, as well as its transits, can reveal a core wound that may take a lifetime to work through. But don’t stress! Chiron is also a secret power. As you grapple with pain, you gain wisdom that you can pass on to others like a magical salve. In fact, the symbol for Chiron is shaped like a key since unlocking his powers opens up a portal to deep, inner peace.

Chiron’s orbit

Chiron orbits between two intensely oppositional planets—uptight, restrictive Saturn and liberated, revolutionary Uranus. His role as the metaphysical mediator can help us synthesize the energy of both. Where do we hold ourselves back (Saturn)? Where can we be destructively rebellious (Uranus)? We must understand both extremes in order to find the middle ground. In Astrology and the Rising of Kundalini, author Barbara Hand Clow refers to Chiron as the “rainbow bridge” between Saturn and Uranus. Aptly named, since integrating the full spectrum of emotions is the key to wholeness.

While Chiron generally stays in one zodiac sign for eight years, when he enters Saturn’s orbit, he can buzz through a single sign in under two years. (It’s up to him whether he wants to undergo outpatient surgery or opt for a longer course of therapy.) Since Chiron takes approximately 49 years to journey through all twelve zodiac signs, we all go through a “Chiron return” about age 50. At this point, core wounds may rear up for another round of cosmic therapy, especially if we’ve resisted doing any deeper self-examination.

Chiron in Aries Tour Dates

Due to several retrogrades, the comet will weave in and out of Pisces and Taurus during this Ram-bunctious transit:

Apr 17, 2018: Aries
Sep 25, 2018: Retrogrades into Pisces
Feb 18, 2019: Aries
Jun 19, 2026: Taurus
Sep 17, 2026: Retrogrades into Aries
Apr 14, 2027: Taurus

Of course, there’s always farther to go!

Between ages 49-51, the Chiron return will certainly insist upon soul searching. If we’ve “done our work” we may be called into leadership roles that allow us to spread our wisdom and flex our healing gifts at this time. Chiron was last in Aries from 1968 to 1976.

Transiting Chiron sets the tone for universal healing: What wounds do we, as a world, need to deal with together? Take a look at Chiron’s most recent journey through spiritual, esoteric Pisces—the water sign that rules healing and escape—that began in April 2010. The wellness movement is having a heyday now, from the popularity of juice bars and yoga studios to Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday and guided meditations with Deepak Chopra.

Shamanic healings, like ayahuasca and other sacred medicine ceremonies, are as prevalent in Brooklyn apartments as they are in Peruvian jungles. Whole Foods, once a boutique health food store, is now owned by the behemoth Amazon.

About that cruise through Pisces

Simultaneously, we are painfully present to the shadow of Chiron in Pisces, which also rules institutions like jails and hospitals, and governs our addictive tendencies. From privatized prisons to a distressed health care system to an opioid crisis, there are still wounds to be (ad)dressed! We’ll all be grappling with identity while Chiron transits through Aries on a worldwide level.

Where do I belong? Do I even need (or want!) to fit in? How can I maintain my individuality and be part of a group? If you’re a Type A overachiever who can’t leave the house without your brows on fleek and your outfit styled to Level: Paris Fashion Week, get ready for an existential crisis.

But don’t freak out! It’s long overdue. Before you can speed down the self-esteem superhighway you have to pass a toll booth guarded by your own inner critic. When the Snapchat filters are off, what voices come up in your head? Getting acquainted with your own self-deprecating thoughts is the way to neutralize them so you can replace them with empowering affirmations.

“Where do I belong? Do I even need or want to fit in?” We’ll all be grappling with identity while Chiron transits Aries.

Warning bell

The goal of Chiron in Aries is not to achieve a narcissistic swagger of, “I’m a queen, get out of my way…I’m doing me!” Rather, think of the next nine years as a beautiful opportunity to understand (and love!) every voice that makes up the chorus of your personality. Are you going to let the tone-deaf-but-eager alto sing the solo aria during a performance at The Met? Heck no! But you’re not going to kick them out of the choir. You know that turning up the volume on other “singers” will integrate him into the composition that is you. In the sage words of Lao Tzu, “Because one accepts oneself, the whole world accepts him or her.”

Interestingly, Chiron was originally classified as an asteroid but has gone through an identity crisis of his own. He’s now considered a Centaur, part of a class of bodies orbiting between the asteroid belt and the Kuiper belt. And he has been leveled up to “minor planet” status while simultaneously being categorized as a comet. (Meanwhile, there are talks of calling him a dwarf planet, like his bro Pluto.) But whatever his planetary pedigree, understanding his influence can be downright medicinal.

A shift from me to we

Rugged individualism, which has long been the mantra of the Western world, could hit its limit as oceans are polluted with plastic packaging, greenhouse gases threaten to melt the polar ice caps and the economic divide widens. While “Mine!” might be Aries’ favorite word, Chiron in Aries will push for innovation instead of overconsumption. Rather than crowding racks with excessive merchandise, savvy retailers may soon allow shoppers to customize items on the spot through 3D printing and high-speed knitting machines that are gaining popularity in Japan.

Put down those VR and AR glasses—those are so Chiron in Aquarius and Pisces. The wounded healer’s tour of physical Aries will make RR (reality- reality) en vogue! Instead of living vicariously through YouTubers, we anticipate a resurgence of live events like open-mic nights, interactive sports… or perhaps another upgrade to the Escape Rooms that Chiron in Pisces popularized.

The Ram is also an aggressive warrior, but with Chiron traversing this field, time’s up on the “fight or flight” mentality. Drawing guns, dropping bombs, putting up our dukes…the world can’t handle much more of that. Chiron in Aries is here to heal the “wounded masculine” which has fueled centuries of bloody destruction and devastation.

Simultaneously, Chiron in Aries may also reveal where fear of conflict is keeping us stuck in self-destructive patterns. Yes, there’s a time to fight for our rights—but is there a way to do so that doesn’t involve domination, violence, one-upping and power-mongering? The inquiry begins!