Jupiter Square Chiron: Medicine Does Not Taste Good

Throughout each month transiting points create dynamic relationships with your natal chart points.  Often times two transiting points will relate to one another in a way that affects us all, depending on the points involved. 

This article will look at one of these dynamics happening between two points this month, Jupiter in Capricorn squaring Chiron in Aries. When two points “square off” with one another, they challenge and compete with each other.  The point of expansion and adventure will challenge the point of wounding and healing.

The Square, and Jupiter and Chiron

This month, when the faster moving Jupiter reaches 01 degrees 26 minutes (01d26m) of Capricorn, it will square Chiron at the same degree, but in Aries, at 10:38 pm EST on December 8^th.  The impact of this relationship begins to be felt up to 3 degrees before and 3 degrees after the exact aspect and is known as the orb of influence.  When the faster moving body approaches, the aspect is said to be approaching and is building energy.  Once the exact aspect has passed, the aspect is said to be separating and is losing energy.  The duration of this particular aspect will run from December 1^st to December 13^th.

Jupiter

Jupiter represents expansion, exploration, and the spread of ideas and experiences.  Jupiter rules travel, higher education, and religious institutions through the 9^th House of Mastership in modern astrology.  In traditional astrology, Jupiter also ruled dreams, imagination, and spiritual wisdom through the 12^th House of Spirituality.  It is a fire point that travels through each sign of the Zodiac within a year or slightly more, meaning it completes a full cycle every 12 years.

With Jupiter moving through Capricorn at this time, the keynote is, “expansion is expedited in prudent, conscientious ways” and the symbol is, “the president of a large corporation negotiates a merger” (Astrology: The Divine Science, Moore, and Douglas, 160). With Jupiter in Capricorn, it looks to Saturn for additional guidance.  Saturn is currently in Capricorn, so Jupiter needs to act with discipline and restraint.

The Sabian Symbol is 2 Capricorn, “three stained glass windows, one damaged by bombardment”.  From the book, The Sabian Symbols, author Marc Edmund Jones says, “this is a symbol of a man’s illimitable capacity for memorializing his experience by the record he leaves in history, and of the necessity that he protect his handiwork from superficial destructiveness of life without vision or pride”.

He assigns the keyword as COMMEMORATION. Further, he says, “when positive, the degree is effective self-dramatization in some vital service to human affairs, and when negative, over-conservatism and unwarranted fearfulness” (197).

• Getting to Know Jupiter in Astrology

Chiron

Chiron represents our wound that we experience and need to heal in this lifetime.  Chiron is a new point, so it is still being evaluated by the professional astrology community with regard to its element, and sign/house ruler.   Which sign and house Chiron occupies in your chart indicates where you will most experience wounding that needs healing.  The sign of Chiron will tell you how you are to be wounded and healed.

With the Chiron moving through Aries at this time, the keynote is, “healing requires personal responsibility to take action when your health is at risk” and the symbol is, “a woman with a broken leg makes her own splint”. With Mars as the ruler of Aries, this transit of Chiron means that acting recklessly will lead to injuries and healing will require taking appropriate action when needed.

In my own professional work, I am comfortable assigning Chiron co-rulership with Mercury in the 6^th House of Health and Day-to-Day Work.  In truth, I see it as another point that will reduce the dual rulership of Mercury to single rulership of Gemini (just as Pluto did with Mars in Scorpio, Uranus did with Saturn in Aquarius, and Neptune did with Jupiter in Pisces).

The Sabian Symbol is 2 Aries, “a comedian entertaining a group”.  From the book, The Sabian Symbols, author Marc Edmund Jones says, “this is a symbol of the mirror which life holds up to itself recurrently, and so facilitates an everyday understanding of itself”.

He assigns the keyword as RELEASE. Further, he says, “when positive, the degree is the power of personality through full and completely uninhibited self-expression, and when negative, neglect of common responsibility through idle diversions of interest” (150).

Jupiter Squares Chiron: Medicine Does Not Taste Good

The square aspect seeks to challenge energies to force growth; points “encounter each other” from disparate elements, in this case, earth and fire.  During the period of this square, the point involving expansion and adventure and the point involving wounding and healing will test each other. This square is likely to be very dynamic since both points are in cardinal, action-oriented signs.

Jupiter in Capricorn is concerned with high-level achievement, through recognition of excellence and successful expansion of status.  Chiron in Aries is the wound of being trapped so that fighting for freedom is healing or the wound of arrogance and the healing that comes when authentically helping others. The strain comes from our need and desire to be appreciated, even, or especially, at the sacrifice or wounding of our individuality. Or, our need to be authentic keeps us from the status we want or deserve because of the judgment of authority figures.

Capricorn likes to lead, perfect, and rule over while Aries prefers to initiate, try, and operate without rules.  The goat and the ram butt heads.  Medicine, especially in the form of the medical industry, has a lot of answers (Capricorn) but does not always get things right for specific individuals (Aries).  When it does have the right answer, it is best for the patient to take the medicine even if it does not taste good.

Aries is willing to try maverick healing solutions in order to solve his or her own medical issues, easily turning its nose up at the establishment.  And the establishment feels complete confidence that maverick ideas about healing are just some quackery they need to stamp out.  Everywhere there is a need for innovation, but the bright individual and the established system need to find ways to reconcile and work together; otherwise, significant breakthroughs may be delayed or lost.