Chiron/Neptune/Pluto/Jupiter Dancing at the end of the 20th Century (written in 1998)
This promises to be an unusual Pluto in Sagittarius period, due to the discovery of Chiron and to the comet hitting Jupiter in the summer of 1994. Prudence Nuesink, of England, pointed out this lineup of circumstances:
Pluto is now orbiting INSIDE the orbit of Neptune. It will remain there until 1999. Chiron, discovered in 1977, two years before Pluto entered Neptune’s orbit, was discovered while it was OUTSIDE the orbit of Uranus. For a while, before Chiron moved back inside Uranus’ orbit, we had this lineup of planets, from the outermost to Jupiter:
1979 Normally:
Neptune (outermost) Pluto
Pluto Neptune
Chiron Uranus
Uranus Chiron
Saturn Saturn
Jupiter Jupiter
Now, Neptune has a lot to do with inspiration. And Pluto, the Transformer, now illumined by the outermost Neptune, crept up to deliver its message to Chiron, “the bridge”. Chiron then moved back between the orbit of Uranus and Saturn: its “average” location. Then it started moving toward perihelion: February 14, 1996. Last summer, as Chiron was just about INSIDE the orbit of Saturn, Jupiter got hit by a message–delivered by a comet! Now Jupiter was a jolly old god who believed in Justice–for everyone else! He seemed to think he was above the rules he imposed on others. He was also rather fond of sending thunderbolts to those who garnered his displeasure. Well, Jupiter was certainly hit with a metaphorical thunderbolt last summer–just before Pluto moved into Sagittarius for the first time.
Now let’s look at Sagittarius: The Centaur. Before Chiron, centaurs were ONLY the wild, half-animal creatures known for drunken partying, brawling, rape, ravage, and tearing up the environment. This is ONE side of Sagittarius. Chiron’s birth so humiliated his mother BECAUSE he was born in the image of these wanton creatures. (Actually, early Greek art shows Chiron with two human feet–in other words, the entire body of a man–and two equine legs and hooves: the horse’s back and hindquarters grew out of his back. The older centaurs were depicted in art with four equine legs.) Chiron was not the same as other centaurs. His purpose was the integration of mind, body, and spirit, and this is what he taught to Jason, Hercules, Asclepius, Achilles, and other famous students. Chiron represents the Sage side of Sagittarius.
Traditionally, the first time a planet enters a sign after its discovery, it changes the nature of that sign. Pluto, the greatest transformer of all the planets, is now in Sagittarius for the first time since its discovery. Chiron is certainly a recent discovery, and last summer’s episode of a comet striking Jupiter certainly recommends an association of Chiron with Sagittarius(although I don’t believe Chiron’s rulership should be attributed to any single sign), and Chiron reaches perihelion on Valentine’s day, 1996–as close to Jupiter as it will ever get.
I think we are being a very clear message about the transformed nature of Sagittarius–from party-animal to sage; and about our old patterns of environmental abuse, wanton behavior of all kinds, and our human tendency to “throw thunderbolts” at anything we don’t understand. Chiron is helping us to clean up our act as Pluto moves through Sagittarius!
