Editor’s Note: Tuesdays after we finish with monthly horoscopes, Planet Waves publishes other articles in newsletter format. This is a new series called the Chiron Files, which will focus on astrology and health. This series will generally run the first Tuesday after the Inner Space horoscope is published. — efc

Dear Friend and Reader:

Using astrology to focus on health, the first place to look is Chiron. Chiron is a minor planet — not an asteroid — discovered in 1977, which has deep connections to health and wellbeing. Chiron, the mythological figure, was a surgeon and healer, who was given his knowledge directly by the Sun-god Apollo. He in turn passed his knowledge on to Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine. So he is a pivotal figure in the history of the healing process.

Chiron, the first centaur, is the founder of the art of medicine. He was the teacher of Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine.

In astrology, Chiron is the planet that reminds us that health is a whole-system affair. The issues we face are not strictly mental, or physical, or emotional — rather, these different facets of how we express our energy each influence the others.

Chiron, which takes 51 years to move around the Sun, is currently in a gradual transition from Aquarius to Pisces. This transition finishes in February when Chiron arrives in Pisces to stay for the next eight years. This transition emphasizes the relationship between what we think and how we feel. In recent months, we’ve been learning to observe and come to terms with environmental pollutants — whether that means an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico (which happened precisely during Chiron’s brief visit to Pisces in late spring and early summer) to toxins in the mental environment (advertising, media chaos) to the psychic environment (the effects of microwaves, cell phones and mental overstimulation).

Through this past September, with Mercury retrograde in Virgo, we learned the importance of our state of mind on our total health. Psychological stress can throw us out of whack, which is to say that keeping ourselves reasonably calm and rested can bring us back into alignment. The last remnants of Mercury retrograde were still wearing off through early October; with Mercury in Libra, a state of mental clarity is getting easier to grasp.

Through October and into November, Venus takes her turn being retrograde, in Scorpio. This is a complex transit because Venus rules Taurus — the sign opposite Scorpio, and Libra, the sign adjacent to Scorpio. So we have Venus out of her element for most of the retrograde, which is going to call attention to what is usually the most difficult to see and feel. This is the deep layer of emotions that we don’t usually notice, or acknowledge, and which will be truly helpful to focus our attention on. Much of this involves desire, and in particular, sexual desire — there is no simpler way to describe Venus in Scorpio.

There are related questions — how does attachment influence our health? By that I mean attachment to our feelings, our emotional habits and to people. Venus in Scorpio can indicate jealousy, and with the retrograde we can get a sense of where within us, or in the past, this jealousy is rooted.

What about our attachments to food, material possessions and to luxury? This transit, which lasts through mid-November, will bring this material to the surface, and give us the opportunity to prioritize. Doing this, do we really consider what is the most meaningful, or do we count coffee, the electric bill and new shoes as being on the same level? In this process we need to emphasize what we truly want and let go of what we don’t need. Remember, we don’t resolve this material in theory; we do it in reality: with actual physical experiences, conversations that evoke deep emotion and by saying hello and goodbye consciously.

Yours & truly,

For more about Chiron, please visit this link.