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The Chiron/Neptune Conjunction of 2009-2010

One of the big astrological events for 2009 is the triple conjunction of Chiron and Neptune with Jupiter that will culminate at the end of May when all three planets are within 1 degree of each other in Aquarius. Although the exact conjunction won't occur until February 17, 2010, Chiron and Neptune are within a degree of a conjunction now, so this planetary event is definitely well underway.

So what will this mean for us? Chiron teaches us to face the old wounds of our past and allow ourselves to be healed, opening us up to greater wisdom and understanding that we can then pass along to others. Neptune inspires us towards a more transcendent experience of our lives that encourages us to recognize the impermanence of life's mysteries. However, each of those planets have a darker face as well that can arise. If we resist the Chiron experience we can become stuck in our own wounds, unable to see that they are of our own making and unable to let go. If we resist the Neptune experience we can feel confused or become deluded by our fantasies and illusions.

Both Chiron and Neptune pose difficulty for the expression of the ego. Chiron requires that we process the wounds of the psyche before the ego can manifest in a truly healthy form, and Neptune calls for the transcendence of the ego into the divine unconscious: "from a drop of water to the endless sea." In Aquarius that transcendence of the ego is even more important as Aquarius is a transpersonal sign; the sign that loves mankind but isn't so crazy about people as individuals. The new "transhumanism" is a signature of Aquarius, in which technology and innovation are used to perfect the human being.

Because of this transpersonal nature of Aquarius, it is not the sign best suited to the kind of emotional processing that is required by Chiron. Where Scorpio will delve deep into a rich depression and excavate the psychological wisdom that can be found there, Chiron in Aquarius may instead retreat into a world of technology where life is more easily managed and the emotional component is less compelling. The result of this can be a core loneliness and isolation that is not easily rectified. On the other hand, there is also a brilliant innovation at work under the influence of Aquarius, and Chiron in Aquarius can bring about new and unique healing modalities that occur as conventional wisdom is rejected and new ideas brought forth. Aquarius is doubly ruled by Saturn and Uranus, and Chiron is the bridge between them so with Chiron in Aquarius we have a linkage between form (Saturn) and trans-form (Uranus).

In the conjunction, we sometimes get the best of the planets involved and sometimes their more difficult faces, depending on how we approach them and how they affect the rest of our charts. With Chiron and Neptune working in tandem, we are being called to deepen our spiritual experience of life in a body (Neptune) through feeling and releasing the pain of being human (Chiron). Barbara Hand Clow, whose book Chiron: Rainbow Bridge Between the Inner & Outer Planets is a wonderful resource, says that Chiron and Neptune serve to "bring the higher self into space and time" where we can become both grounded into our true natures under Chiron's influence, and fully aligned with our higher self (Neptune) at the same time.

When Chiron and Neptune are working together, they combine to assist with the work of the soul. The body, the mind, and the ego are all most interested in living a life well-grounded in the material world that offers the maximum of pleasure and the minimum of pain. The soul does not pursue pleasure and avoid pain; instead, there is an embrace of experiences that will assist us at the deepest level to completely learn the lessons that are presented to us so that we can release the past and move forward with greater wisdom.

Chiron facilitates this aspect of soul work by uncovering any wounded places that have been left unresolved so that we can be freed of the blocked energy that our unreleased wounds hold within the body/mind/spirit system. Neptune assists by reminding us that there is a world of experience that lies beyond the boundaries of the material world. Under the influence of Neptune we either open up to experiences of a powerful mystical nature, or else we become confused and deluded as the nature of our personal reality is blurred and we have nothing to replace it with. Neptune bestows creative genius and a spiritual connection to our Divine self as the physical world is transcended, or it can cause us to indulge in escapist and addictive behavior in an effort to escape the prison of our own mind.

As in everything else in the astrological language, there is a both a higher and lower manifestation of both Chiron and Neptune, so when they combine in a conjunction there is the potential to for a transcendent experience of healing spirituality, or a confusing descent into the hell of the unknown of the psyche.

I suspect that the epidemic of mass shootings we have seen in the spring of 2009 as Chiron and Neptune approach their exact conjunction is the result of the conjunction taking a darker turn in the personal lives of many people. Chiron can intensify any wounds that are already challenging, and Neptune can make it difficult to evaluate those experiences with any kind of rational thought. We like to think of Jupiter as being a "benefic" planet, but it is also the great liberator and expands whatever it comes into contact with, so when Jupiter hooks up with Chiron the process of exposing the wounds for greater healing potential can create an abundance of sensitivity that under Neptune's influence has no real outlet without a conscious application.

There is also an opportunity here for tremendous spiritual growth and insight if we look within for the wisdom that awaits there. The process of spiritual evolution does often require that we step confidently through a dark night of the soul or two, and this may be a necessity over the next couple of months. Jupiter and Neptune expand the potential for creativity as the inspiration of the divine showers easily through the veil of the mind, and the voice of our guidance and the divinity of our choice can be clearly heard now. Jupiter in Aquarius is humanistic and altruistic, and there is a strong focus on the call for change, both within ourselves and in the world in which we live as well!

I recently did a reading for a brand new baby whose chart includes the approaching conjunction of Jupiter to Chiron and Neptune. This triple conjunction has been building for quite some time and will culminate within a half a degree on May 26. All children born at this time have this conjunction in their charts, and in fact all children born between around March 2008, when Chiron and Neptune first entered the orb of their conjunction, and around April of 2011 when they meet for the last time, will be the "Chiron Neptune" generation.

Neptune is the planet that drives us to fulfill our spiritual longing. Every individual has in their nature a longing for an experience that will provide us with a connection to our inner Self. For some of us this manifests in a desire for the perfect bowling score. For some it is an experience of God in a Church. For some it is a few beers when we get home from work, or losing ourself in a beautiful piece of music. The experience is different - the motivation is the same.

When we add the experience of Chiron, the Wounded Healer, it becomes necessary to process any psychological and emotional blocks in order to gain that Neptunian experience. Chiron doesn't just invite us to enter the inner world of our abandoned psychic debris - it throws that stuff up in our face where we have to face it. Our emotions can run wild, feeling out of control, as any old undigested memories or emotional angst surfaces so that it can be dealt with. This process can be exhilarating if we surrender to it and treat it just like cleaning out the basement. It's a painful process to go down there and see all of the crap that has accumulated, but a thrilling feeling to be rid of it once and for all. The Chironic process helps to open the heart more and more fully, and in this process we gain greater wisdom and a phenomenal sense of peace.

The addition of Jupiter here is a two-edged sword. On the one hand the conjunction of Jupiter to Neptune expands (Jupiter) the longing for spiritual redemption and renewal (Neptune) which can lead us to incredible experiences of spiritual advancement now. On the other hand, Jupiter can lead to excesses of escapist behavior and flights of fantasy, both of which fall under the dark side of Neptune's domain.

The generation that embodies this planetary combination will, I feel, be extremely sensitive and easily wounded. But they will also possess the tools to process their wounds quickly and emerge as deeply human but also amazing spiritual beings.

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