Chiron, Lilith and the Asteroids
© 2002 - 2012 by Melanie Lichtinger
Astronomically, Lilith is considered an asteroid.
Asteroids
are small rocky bodies (“mini-planets”) situated in the belt between Mars'
and Jupiter's orbit (asteroid belt), therefore with an orbit around the Sun (as well as
from Earth perspective) of between 2 and 12 years. There are thousands of them!
Her
mythology dates back to Sumerian and Hebraic creation myths.
She
was considered the first man's (Adam's) wild and instinctual female consort who
animated his sexual longings and claimed equality with him, “because we were
created from the same earth”. When he wanted to dominate her, she left him and
chose loneliness and exile rather than subjugation. As ‘punishment’ for her
rebellious act against the masculine, Lilith was regarded as a personification
of the ‘feminine evil’, a demoness and ‘vamp’ that attracts and then
devours male energy, the raging, ‘out-of- mind’, uncontrollable feminine,
uncivilized woman who cohabits with men at her own
will. The witch in her role as devil’s consort and the temptress and bitch /
prostitute are some of the prominent dark Lilith archetypes and (particularly
male) phantasies and projections in our Western societies.
Psychologically,
Lilith brings up deep and primal issues like unbound sexual power, repressed
feelings of rejection and rage, and yet refusal to submit. In a ‘Lilith state’, we
are very irrational, but sometimes it seems as if that’s what it takes to
bring out the truth
from underneath. Perimenstrual times can guide us women to Lilith’s realm. I
would suggest acknowledging themes that come up, and finding a safe, creative and
transformational outlet.
The association with 'Black Moon' which some astrologers attempt to justify with calculations round the Moon's shadow in my view has to be regarded symbolically and psychologically: In mythology, Lilith got enraged about the 'diminishment of the Moon', in other words, about the treatment and self understanding of the feminine as secondary and inferior: As 'Moon', lots of women have been (expected to) merely reflecting back the sunlight of the creative, Sun-like masculine. Lilith's causes for claiming equality for the feminine were dual - for herself, and for her 'Moon sisters'. It reminds of feminists who fight also for equality on behalf of their home and family bound woman 'sisters'. Therefore, the 'Black Moon' speaks of the alliance of Lilith and Moon. It is always interesting to consider the relationship between Lilith and the Moon (and also Venus) in one's birth chart, to find out more about the dynamic of the inner 'feminine trinity', in women as well as in men (as their 'animas').
Most of the (major
asteroids,
like the planets, are named after Roman deities, which refer to the earlier
Greek mythology.
Ceres
(Roman) / Demeter (Greek)
Demeter and Persephone
In Greek mythology, Demeter represents the fertile Earth Mother and goddess of
agriculture. She is the mother of Persephone,
the youthful maiden who was abducted by Pluto (Roman) / Hades (Greek) into the
underworld and kept there over the Winter which made her mother Ceres furious,
and she refused to produce crop until Persephone would be released. So Pluto
agreed after initiating her into his realm, to release her into the
‘upper world’. The blossoming of meadow flowers in Spring announce the
yearly return of Persephone.
In our charts, Ceres shows where fertility and feminine, ‘earthy’ creative
expression can be experienced, but also how we as mothers are protective of our
daughters, and yet have to let them make their own initiating experiences.
Pallas
Athena
Athena born out of Zeus's forehead
Psychologically, Pallas Athena relates to our ability to trust our intuition and inner
wisdom, to stand up for our integrity instead of dwelling in the emotional
(victim) mode. A prominent Pallas Athena can indicate a ‘father daughter / privileged
‘first girl’ agenda, issues around expectations from the paternal side, how
one copes with an intellectually focused male environment, as well as a strongly
career and/or political orientation.
Juno
(Roman) / Hera (Greek)
Jupiter and Juno
Issues relate to honoring relationship commitment, Juno’s position shows your
view on ‘marriage’ in a wide sense, reputation, and also the committed relationship with
matters of the house and sign she’s in.
Vesta
(Roman) / Hestia (Greek)
The brightest and only asteroid visible to the naked eye.
In mythology, Vesta is the original vestal virgin, chosen to guard the hearth
fire in the temple. She was devoted to keep the eternal flame alive.
She symbolizes an inner sense of duty and devotion to a certain task, inwardly
directed ability to focus, a meditative single-minded vision and contemplation.
What does the theme of being incurably wounded bring up?
Chiron’s archetype of “Wounded Healer” or “Shamanic Initiation” can
best be understood through the process it represents, as shown by its mythology:
Chiron was a centaur, with the lower half of a horse out of which grew a human
upper body. This figure as an outsider made him feel awkward and ashamed to
start with, and he did his best to cover the ‘animal side’. Yet, as he
started to acknowledge his ‘differentness’ and out of compassion for others
who suffer, he gradually grew into his healing and teaching role. Once 'adopted'
by the gods, he became a revered healer and teacher of many sciences at Mt. Olympus, particularly to Solar heroes, like
Apollo. One day, on a hunting trip together with
Hercules, one of his most devoted protégées, ‘accidentally’, yet fatally,
Hercules shot a potent, poisoned arrow into Chiron’s horse leg. To his
surprise and embarrassment, it turned out that he was unable to treat or heal
his own wound. In agony, he was longing to die, yet unable because as an
Olympian, he was immortal. Ultimately, a solution came through a trade of places
with Prometheus, the mortal who had stolen the enlightening flame from the gods
to bring it to humanity and was punished for his rebellious act. By trading
places with Prometheus, the latter was released and freed, and immortal Chiron
was also redeemed: Through his symbolic death, he became transfigured into the
star constellation of Sagittarius, the centaur who shoots his arrow into the
heavens!
The
accident that happened during a hunting trip – a venture into the nature
realms with the intention to subordinate nature and animals - turned seemingly against him, but
actually set out his own healing journey, by inflicting a wound to his animal
body part. In fact, it just pointed (with a poisoned arrow!) to an already
previously painfully neglected side that at this stage called for even deeper
attention. In other words, the neglect and woundedness of his always potentially
available connection to nature and to the wisdom of his ‘animal body’
brought him not only to the end of his intellectual wits but also into
embarrassment and agony. This state describes the experience of “healer
/teacher /professional heal thyself” that often arises in consciousness when
the Chiron return is reached round age 50, but also at other times when the
personal Chiron position in the birth chart gets triggered.
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