CYLLARUS, one of the more recently named Centaurs, addresses the theme of things happening ‘out of nowhere’ or without an apparent cause: for good or for ill. Another manifestation of Cyllarus is the extension of the results of any such change into our relationships, one’s social circle or or the culture. We have the question,
“How could such a thing happen to such a nice (or beautiful) person?” and a second question, “How does everyone else respond?”
In our lives, we see and deal with many events that seem to happen for no reason, or where we say, “what a waste.” In our societies, we witness enormous waste of male life, in particular. Men account for most of the people on the front lines — as soldiers, cops, firemen or prison guards, and they usually take the worst hits. In many segments of society, vast numbers of men are in prison and do not belong there.
In many of these circumstances, we notice that life is simply wasted, and the survivors and communities are expected to deal with the grief. This is not just a fate suffered by men; there are plenty of women whose losses seem merely a waste. But typically, it is indeed men who fall to the overall violence of society, as if for no reason, and it is women who are left dealing with it, sometimes in self-destructive ways.
Cyllarus reminds us to be conscious of the choices we are making in our lives — particularly the choice to fight, or walk away from one. Cyllarus says that the decisions we make directly affect our relationships, and we need to be conscious of our choices in this context. We are connected by the threads of our lives to every person in our lives.
We are also part of our environments, and it would seem that one theme of Cyllarus was summed up by Bob Dylan in the line, “A man should not be where a man does not belong.”
The themes and mythology of Cyllarus are closely related to his consort, Hylonome, who addresses senseless grief, suicidal tendencies, self-inflicted injuries of any kind (be they ‘conscious’ or ‘unconscious’) and the cry of the poor. She is someone who chooses to endure the same fate as her husband, killing herself on the same javelin that killed him. This is contrasted with Chariklo, who holds space for the fate of her husband, Chiron, rather than choosing that fate for herself.
The orbit of Cyllarus is 133.2 years, close to that of Nessus. There is an interesting cross-reference here: Nessus has more the energy of a perpetrator or instigator. Cyllarus has more of the qualities of a victim.
It was discovered in 1998 at Kitt Peak, a famous telescope in Arizona. The orbit crosses the orbits of Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. Cyllarus is currently transiting the sign Gemini and will be entering Cancer this year, transiting the Aries Point. Cyllarus and Pluto are currently in a long opposition that will follow into the cardinal signs Cancer and Capricorn, where it will remain in effect for years.