"Key Themes" by © Robert von Heeren (2000-2012)

Traducione Italiano da Isabella Orsini: I temi basilari di alcuni Centauri

A collection of more or less preliminary interpretation guidelines for the named Centaurs Chiron, Pholus and Nessus

This is a compilation and essence of several years of research and carefull study of charts of clients and VIPs, exchange of thoughts with other Centaur-specialists within CRP and beyond. I emphasize that it is still preliminary. I summarize common known interpretations e.g. for Chiron and add also my and other's personal experience with this three and first discovered Centaurs Chiron, Pholus and Nessus. The keywords and definitions should be used as a working hypothesis for both natal chart and transit interpretations but not as final interpretation guidelines. Surely some aspects or keywords are missing, naturally this list is not complete. Any feedback, comments or queries for adding some keywords are welcome but will be evaluated by author also.

• A common consense appears to be that Chiron is connected with topics like wounding, illness, healing, shamanism and holism. To my understanding Chiron seems especially connected to turning points in life through the experience of illness, pain, accidents and woundings of any kind, be it physical or psychological. During this events and crises Chiron appears to "investigate" or even "x-ray" our soul and personality to reveal its basic structure with all its deficiencies. Often this marks the beginning of a transformation process, where we cannot get rid of the fatigue but can learn to live with it and develop a higher level of consciousness. In contrary to Saturn, which normally is more connected with patient enduring of "fortune" and "fate" and with the tenacious working towards healing, Chiron tries to give us more inner freedom and understanding for our suffering with the help of a new consciousness and worldview. Chironic therapies are more directed to find the "inner key" for the healing process, which finally helps us to understand the deeper meaning and psychological roots of the painful symptoms and which also help us to rid ourselves from frustration, which often accompanies crises and illnesses. With this we gain an inner relief and relaxation, which accelerates the healing process without deny (which is often the case with Uranus) or fatalistic resignation and depression (Saturn).
  
• Chironic humour: tendency to sarkasm (first pointed out by the German astrologer Hans-Jürgen Walter in an article about Monty Python). Opens us for the curiosities, unusual point of views, hidden truths and new horizons and dimensions, which are often very paradox and hard to understand for our intellect and ratio by the way. Chiron appears to give us a new level of awareness above earthly and material matters. So it prepares us in some way for Uranus and the outer trans-Saturnian realm in common. Chiron gives us the first glimpse what could be beyond the Saturnian boundaries although we feel often perplexed and disturbed, sometimes also amused.
  
• Some problematic Chiron: resignated indifference, apathy, agony, emptiness, absence of any humour. Liz Greene's experience is that Chiron is often connected with bitterness: we feel responsible for things we cannot be responsible, similar to the endless world-weariness of Pisces.
  
• Chiron opens us a door or floodgate through which uncontrollable energies, emotions, invades and overwhelm us (also in synastry, Zane Stein wrote about it)
  
• Chironic transformations: to find a balance between physical vulnerability and the independence and superiority of the spiritual higher self.
  
• Confrontation with paradoxes: the "Koan"-effect. Chiron is referring to trans-Saturnian realms, which are confusing us. For example: the effect of synchronicity (as C.G. Jung described so profoundly) of different levels and times (e.g. relativity theory). Time is just another dimension, nothing absolute, like it is for Saturn. A different but also important topic is Chiros versus Chronos.
  
• Two sides of the same coin: the healing arts and the arts of war. Everything, which can heal can also kill, it just depends on the dosis, so again we have a connection to the balance-theme (Libra).
  
• Chiron as a teacher: real and deep mediation of knowledge and experience is only possible from person to person, like a Kabbala, in an intimate and loving relationship between teacher and pupil. The chironic relationship is initiating us into something. It is located exactly in the middle between respect, authority, tradition, high esteem (Saturn) and parity, openess, equality, unconventionality (Uranus) and is often vulnerable and fragile. Real learning is to gain a new consciousness in the moment when we are touched and when something resonates in us.
  
• Music, culture and the arts: healing is often possible only through creative doing, for example in the arts, painting therapy, music therapy ... To free oneself from reality's boundaries through unusual angles, to find access to hidden dimensions and deeper knowledge. The arts on the other hand often give us a feeling for the eternity and holistic point of view of mankind, nature and life.
  
• To encounter and meet people who are key person for our life, but still can be difficult and imperfect personalities.
  
• I sometimes wonder whether Chiron has a deeper connection to Libra: the balance theme and to be in the domicile there, where Saturn is only in its exaltation, Capricorn, which is the domicile of Saturn, has a square to Libra, which could reflect the problematic relationship between the mythological Chiron and its father, Chronos.
  
• Darrelyn Gunzburg: "... The Chironic person has a hard time letting go of old beliefs and, hence, may try to reason away grief.
  This griefs needs the help of another to be healed." (From her new article "The Centaurs and Grief", published in The Mountain Astrologer, issue Feb/Mar 2004)
  

• During transits: a blizard-like surprising "kick" or decision, a spontaneous urge for a fast and radical transformation of oneself often accompanied with euphoria and blind venturesomeness.
  
• Spontanous and in most cases an easy "shaping of skin" (from Greek: Pholis) and transformation/change and completely ignoration of any risks.
  
• To eliminate and to make permeable limits and boundaries in an Uranian style so that alien energies can penetrate them, we experience these alien energies often as "chaotic" and unordered.
  
• To be cast or to be catapult through the "door" into absolute newland and new dimensions, in which you often feel overtaxed and there is no return to the previous state so you have to develop new abilities and cope with the new situation.
  
• the sudden, unpredictable dissolver and bringer of chaos
  
• the vabanque-player
  
• to bring something into flow with the help of an initial ignition, to initiate a chain reaction
  
• "small cause, big effect"
  
• the catalyst
  
• a fauxpax or mishap, which causes a chain reaction of tragic events
  
• the comic of a misfortune even if it's tragic (Dieter Koch)
  
• the bone of contention or the stumbling-stone (Dieter Koch)
  
• disturbations or detours turn out to be important tasks and lessons and bring you totally new perspective and point of view/awareness (in Greek mythology this is called a parergon, a sideway-story)
  
• genius and madness are close together with a strong Pholus in the chart
  
• the catalyst and provider for a landslide-like change (in history for example) and turning points.
  
• Pholus exaggerates energies in their raw state, Pholus is an emphasizer, especially during transits when he passes his perihelion
  
• vague precognitions, which later turn out to be true, but were too unclear to grasp them clearly before, but there is always a tension
  
• slip of tongues, accidents due to mishaps, which are often funny (for others) besides of their tragic
  
• the danger of self-sabotage because the unconsciousness often takes over control
  
• transits: confrontation with deficits, undeveloped/un-incarnated energies, to feel spured on something or driven to do something although the reason is not clear, a tendency to self-punishment (Phil Sedgwick)
  
• Darrelyn Gunzburg: "... Thus, in dealing with grief when Pholus is strong in a chart, there are always two options: blindness to the issue or visionary power; naivety and deception or access to sacred imaginal knowledge." (From her new article "The Centaurs and Grief", published in The Mountain Astrologer, issue Feb/Mar 2004)
  

• A connection with strong and powerful emotions, affects, passions and jealousy reveal a relation between Nessus and Pluto
  
• Nessus is probably the strongest Centaur among the first three, and often a "nasty" guy ...
  
• the feeling to do something "rightous" even if it's cruel (assassins or intruders often think so) and in the worst case an absolute unhuman, blind fanatism
  
• to be forced to deep and sudden (this is non-Plutonian!) transformation by intense and sudden shock and pain
  
• the boomerang-effect: bad actions done in the past, catch us up (some karma-circle, maybe also similar to the Freudian repetition-complex)
  
• a clear tendency to over-react, to crack up, to have hysterics, to run amok, to explode emotionally, because someone hits/hurts you at the very nerve. For a moment you feel hot and not like yourself.
  
• Panic attacks (as a result of anxiety against deep affects)
  
• the theme-complex of intrigue and conspiracy: treachery, trick, to take advantage of other's weakness. Revenge, lie and falsehood
  
• Nessus joins us with occult primordial forces and energies, which go far beyond our mental, conscious and intellectual capacity for understanding. Therefore we first experience fear until we understand it later.
  
• the border(-line) to madness. See for example movies like "Mad Max", "Lethal Weapon", "Die Hard", were brute force in combination to super-natural self-control with madness is shown (there is also a relation to Asbolus I think).
  
• to overcome anxiety and force with the mean of nearly super-natural strength and braveness (see above)
  
• there seem to be some relation between Nessus and longterm skin deseases: nettle rash, strong itching (-pain), burning of the skin, high sensitivity against sunrays, pustules, growth (often connected with troubles in relationships) and allergies (Liduina Schmed-Kik, RvH)
  
• Nessus opens us the gate into Hades, the death and Pluto's underworld, towards the shadow-world of ghosts and lost souls.
  But: Tales like "The Beast and the Beauty", "The Ghost of Canterbury" and so on reveal the other, light and good side of the so-called "evil". It's only a denied an repressed, undissolved, "dark" shadow-like energy of the soul, which needs to be re-integrated into our personality to be complete and healthy/authentic (this shows us the closeness of Nessus to Pluto)
  
• There is an obvious parallel between Nessus and the fairy man Charon. Therefore I think Nessus is a leader and guide to hidden and deep energies of regeneration and rebirth and therefore Pluto's helper or preparer in this way and process
  
• Darrelyn Gunzburg: "... Nessus in a chart brings up old issues of grief and loss thought to be buried long ago,
  which erupt in a monstrous or poisonous way... Nessus is the pitchblack face of Pluto made manifest through Saturn. The final outcome is gaining immortality." (From her new article "The Centaurs and Grief", published in The Mountain Astrologer, issue Feb/Mar 2004)