Last week I contracted a respiratory virus, followed by an intestinal virus and as I lay in bed writhing in agony I thought to myself, “wouldn’t it be ironic if I ended up with the swine flu after all of my ranting over the hyping of the flu vaccine?  

As it turns out, I don’t have the swine flu.  But I do think it’s interesting that I started to get sick the day Chiron hit the exact degree of my Midheaven.  Because I’m fascinated with the symbolism of astrology and healing, I have been thinking a lot about this and what it means. 

We typically think of the Midheaven as being the career, or public projection of the Self.  And certainly that is a part of it.  But the Midheaven also represents the “point of highest aspiration” – our true calling and vocation – our true path.

Planets in the natal chart are said to “culminate” when they conjoin the Midheaven, and when a transiting planet moves across the Midheaven it is at its most powerful in its effect on our future direction.  I expected that when Chiron transited my  Midheaven I would have a stronger interest and acuity in the healing aspects of my work, and instead I became ill.  

Illness can be a great teacher too, but we don’t always recognize its teachings until the lesson has passed.  In this case I am realizing that while I attend a great deal to the health of my psyche, I have come to take far less care of the personal ecology of my body.  I indulge in too much chocolate and too little exercise, and t’s really time to start practicing what I preach to strengthen my immune system. 

Chiron is a great teacher, as well as a healer.  However, its lessons are not always easy!