Stop playing martyr and stand up for yourself! You’ll get a confidence boost as Chiron retrograde ends on December 23 and the healing comet rockets forward through fire-starter Aries.
What’s up with all the anger and hate in the world? That’s not exactly a new question, but it’s been one we’ve collectively been fuming about. (Ironic or no!) Turns out, there’s a comet in the asteroid belt between Saturn and Uranus that has something to say about the global ragespell.
Enter Chiron, the “wounded healer”
Chiron makes a loopy orbit between taskmaster Saturn and free-spirited Uranus. The 49-year orbit it makes around the Sun is a lot like a complete hero’s journey. Chiron activates our wounds but teaches us to turn this into strengths.
On April 17, 2018, Chiron began its eight-year “combat mission” through fiery, aggressive Aries—the baby of the zodiac. Are there any adults in the room? Tantrums have grown louder and more insane since then with egos flaring and people acting out in violence when things failed to go their way. (Can you say, January 6?)
Aries is the sign of war
And 2022 has been a scary year on that front as the war rages on in Ukraine. We’ve also seen important revolutions take place, such as the women’s uprising in Iran that are changing trenchant, oppressive laws—but are also resulting in terrifying deaths, including public hangings, of protestors. The attack on women’s reproductive freedom continues to be underway in the United States, despite a wave of election results that was anything but red.
Truth is, this mayhem is typical Chiron behavior. This comet seems to believe that our collective wound must become far more visceral in order for us to heal it.
The vibration of a Chiron in Aries transit
When Aries goes low: hotel rooms are trashed, countries are invaded, people perpetually (desperately) try to be cool.
The highest vibration of Aries, on the other hand is: noble leadership, fearless originality and the self-authorized willingness to forge positive change for all.
We’re on year four of Chiron’s trek through the Ram’s realm—and hopefully at a turning point!
What happens when Chiron retrograde ends?
When the Chiron retrograde ends, we may soon see progress accelerate.
Astro fact: Chiron has an annual retrograde, which lasts about five months
On a personal level, confidence resumes as the Chiron retrograde ends. But beware the temptation to blow up in anger if you get a surge of suppressed resentment. While Chiron wheeled backwards through Aries since July 19, passive aggressive barbs and sneering put-downs may have been people’s best defense!
As the Chiron retrograde ends on December 23 and the comet resumes forward motion in Aries, be wary of the fine line between assertiveness and aggression.
Chiron also has incredible healing powers, so unlock its key potential (seriously, the symbol for this asteroid is a key) and turn anger into purpose and passion.
Do I have Chiron in my chart?
Yes! Wherever Chiron lands in your chart, holds clues about some of your most pivotal soul lessons. Here’s an example: A segment of Gen X-ers were born with Chiron in Aries, which took place in the early 1970s. This group is here to learn how to use anger effectively and to become responsible leaders.
But how? This generation was raised on movies about rebellious teens who flouted convention, like the school-skipping wild-child Ferris Bueller or a hard partying Tom Cruise skidding across the floor in his infamous white briefs of Risky Business. That “live for today” ethos and eternally youthful spirit has Aries written all over it. But it also comes at a cost to relationships, the environment and the future of the planet. Ruh-roh.
The reason Chiron’s symbol is the key is because it unlocks our healing gifts by taking us through our own transformational process. So look to your Chiron sign to find those.
What is the Chiron return?
Everyone will go through a ritual life passage called the Chiron return at age 49-50. During this time, old pain may flare up again, forcing us to greet it from a wiser, more mature place. As we do, we earn a place among the sages. It makes sense, right? In our 50s, we are evolving into a new phase of life as wise elders who can show our younger counterparts the way.
People who have Chiron in Aries are currently in their Chiron return cycle. Time to change the channel from Sixteen Candles to Seaspiracy.
Is Chiron still in retrograde?
Chiron retrograde dates
The 2022 Chiron retrograde in Aries began on July 19, 2022, and ends on December 23, 2022.
The Chiron in Aries transit is eight years long. It began on April 17, 2018, and ends on April 17, 2027, when the comet moves into Taurus. (The last Chiron in Aries transit was 1968 to 1976!)
Chiron slips into retrograde for about five months every year. The Chiron retrogrades for the Aries transit are listed below.
How many years is Chiron in Aries?
Chiron retrograde dates for the Aries transit
2018: July 5 to December 9, in Aries (and Pisces)
2019: July 8 to December 12, in Aries
2020: July 11 to December 15, in Aries
2021: July 15 to December 19, in Aries
2022: July 19 to December 23, in Aries
2023: July 23 to December 26, in Aries
2024: July 26 to December 29, in Aries
2025: July 30 to January 2, 2026, in Aries
More about Chiron’s meaning in astrology
Chiron is a comet that orbits the Sun (or an asteroid in scientific terms, according to NASA).
In astrology, Chiron reveals our power to process our trauma and suffering so that we can in turn, heal others. That is why astrologers (including us), call Chiron “the wounded healer.”
Chiron orbits between two intensely oppositional planets. Its role as the metaphysical mediator can help us synthesize the energy of both:
- uptight, restrictive Saturn (Where do we hold ourselves back?)
- liberated, revolutionary Uranus (Where can we be destructively rebellious?)
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.
Chiron’s transits through the zodiac signs
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.
Since Chiron takes approximately 49 years to journey through all 12 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.
How Chiron retrograde affects us personally
When Chiron turns retrograde each year, our transformation becomes more of an inside job. While we may not have quite so many external challenges, one might argue that the work gets even harder when we have to look within.
This passage forces us to introspect, study our own boundaries and responses to the triggering stimuli. Once Chiron resumes forward motion, we will hopefully have gained confidence to make any necessary changes to our outer worlds.
How the Chiron in Aries transit shapes our lives
Chiron has been on an eight-year trek through Aries since April 17, 2018, forcing the world to reckon with our anger, violence and unwillingness to compromise.
This is a powerful cycle for discovering your own gifts as a healer. Simultaneously, you may be processing family trauma along with anger and grief you never fully metabolized. Pull back from triggering situations as needed. This is a great time to do the deep work with professional practitioners, both traditional and mystical.
The Ram is also an aggressive warrior (and Aries is a fire sign). 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” (and the toxic 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?
When is the next Chiron retrograde?
Wounded healer Chiron slips into its annual retrograde on July 23, 2023, backing up through self-aware Aries until December 6, 2023.
Again, the journey through the Ram’s realm means the “wounded healer” comet is teaching us all lessons in self-empowerment and the constructive use of anger. (Arguably, the world’s got a long way to go with that!) If you’re feeling silenced, shut down or resentful, this backspin provides an important window for introspection. Are you using the power of your voice to silence or dominate others?
Plan ahead: If you play a game of “the person who speaks the loudest wins,” switch your strategy to active listening, where the goal is to understand rather than respond. For those who feel perpetually talked over, before this Chiron retrograde ends, get closer to the core of any confidence issues that may be standing in the way of your self-expression.
Know your Chiron sign
Do you know your Chiron sign? You’ll need your birth date and time to calculate your Chiron sign. You may also do a free birth chart here if you want to see all your planet placements.
The wounds and gifts of your natal Chiron sign
Knowing your Chiron sign and understanding your “wounds” and “healing gifts” can help you navigate when the 2022 Chiron retrograde in Aries ends on December 23.
Chiron in Aries (or 1st House)
Wounds: Anger management, lack of self-worth, aloofness and isolationism, cutthroat competition style—needing to be No. 1 or refusing to participate, comparing and despairing
Healing Gifts: Empowering people to embrace their individuality, channeling anger into creative expression, fearless individuality, modeling independence
Chiron in Taurus (or 2nd House)
Wounds: Stubborn resistance to (and fear of) change, following the flock instead of forming your own values and beliefs, addiction to comforts like eating and drinking, materialism and money struggles
Healing Gifts: Creating serene environments, savvy financial planning, holding down the fort during turbulent times, calm in the storm, practical magic, teaching/modeling traditional wisdom
Chiron in Gemini (or 3rd House)
Wounds: Fear of being alone (without a “twin”), approval-seeking, nervous chatter or addiction to gossip, constant pivoting that makes it impossible to finish what you start (Sparklepony Syndrome), anxiety about being judged, sibling rivalry
Healing Gifts: Play-based learning, communication arts, cooperation and mediation, using wit and humor as a tool for connection, putting people at ease/inclusivity
Chiron in Cancer (or 4th House)
Wounds: Trouble feeling “at home” or safe—both in your body and in the world, hoarding resources and money, emotional eating, xenophobia and “stranger danger,” family dysfunction (possibly with the mother)
Healing Gifts: Creating a safe haven for community, empowering women, nutritional wisdom/nourishing with food, savvy financial planning
Chiron in Leo (or 5th House)
Wounds: Need for validation, attention and approval, presenting a false front, addiction to drama and intensity, romance/love addiction, chasing the high
Healing Gifts: Empowering others through authentic self-expression, playfulness and healthy hedonism, using the arts to uplift and spread a positive message
Chiron in Virgo (or 6th House)
Wounds: Debilitating perfectionism, people-pleasing, distorted self-image (body image), anxiety about people’s judgments, being excessively critical of others, hypochondria
Healing Gifts: Creating structures to help people improve their lives (from home organization to wellness), being a storehouse of practical wisdom, creating empowering media
Chiron in Libra (or 7th House)
Wounds: Inability to commit to relationships, paralyzing indecision, romanticizing, trying to force peace at any price, trouble ending relationships
Healing Gifts: Fostering peaceful communication and harmonious compromises, diplomacy, creating beauty and heart-opening experiences, being a messenger for Cupid
Chiron in Scorpio (or 8th House)
Wounds: Nihilism, sexual addiction (possibly springing from childhood sexual abuse), power struggles, jealousy and obsession, trouble leaving bad relationships
Healing Gifts: Soul-deep sexual healing, alchemy (turning “trash” into treasure), helping people through extreme life passages such as births, deaths and other transitions
Chiron in Sagittarius (or 9th House)
Wounds: Fanatical or zealous beliefs, disruptive nomadic tendencies, aggressive or tactless communication style, chasing the “high” of the next big thing
Healing Gifts: Revealing higher truths with compassion, fostering diversity and inclusivity, creating conscious media, laughter as medicine
Chiron in Capricorn (or 10th House)
Wounds: Obsessive ambition, using career as an escape, fixation on gaining status and approval, family dysfunction (possibly showing up as daddy issues)
Healing Gifts: Levelheaded leadership, environmental consciousness, utilizing resources to provide for everyone
Chiron in Aquarius (or 11th House)
Wounds: Destructive rebellion, scientific detachment from emotions, trying to “fit in”
Healing Gifts: Social justice/activism, fostering utopian communities and a sharing economy both online and IRL, uplifting idealism
Chiron in Pisces (or 12th House)
Wounds: Fear of asserting boundaries, escapism, addiction, denial/not living in reality, having a parent with an addiction or who was mentally ill
Healing Gifts: Helping people let go of limiting beliefs, spiritual and esoteric leadership, psychic/metaphysical/shamanic powers, helping people live out their fantasies
