Chiron, Virgo, Pisces and the Divine Medicine of God
The Angel and Tobias with the Fish
c. 1625, Pieter Pietersz Lastman
Some thoughts on Chiron, Virgo, Pisces, and the Divine Medicine of God
Yesterday was the feast day of the Archangel, St. Raphaël. In the words of St. Aloysius de Gonzaga:
"... It now remains to consider the diligent charity and solicitous love exhibited by the angel Raphaël. By his own testimony, recorded in Sacred Scripture, he is one of the seven spirits who always stand in the presence of God. From this fact, it is clear that his rank within the celestial hierarchy is a very exalted one indeed and that he is one of the very greatest of all the angels of paradise... consider the many benefits which we each receive from our own particular guardian angel.'
'For Raphaël, by the offices of charity and protection which he exhibited to both Tobit and Tobias, is shown to be a model of the benefits which our own guardian angels confer upon each one of us. In his actions, he typifies and illustrates the role assigned to each particular guardian angel.'
'The name “Raphaël” signifies “the medicine of God.” This appellation is most apt for this holy angel because of the spiritual and physical healing which his actions imparted to both Tobit and Tobias. It was by the divine medicine which Raphaël administered that sight was restored to the afflicted Tobit and that Tobias was protected from the insidious assaults of a very wicked and murderous demon."
And, the story of Tobias and the Fish:
"Scripture narrates the benefits which Tobias receives from Raphael with regard to his personal well-being and temporal necessities. For when Tobias arrived at the river Tigris and washed his feet in its waters, an immense fish leapt out to devour him. The angel defended him and freed him from this peril. Moreover, he instructed Tobias to seize the fish and to extract its gall to use as a medicine for restoring the sight of his blinded father, Tobit." Aloysius de Gonzaga, Meditations on the Holy Angels, ~1580s
Scripture is full of useful information that can be applied to our understanding of astrological transits, and the story of Tobias and the Fish, with St. Raphaël, his diligently charitable guardian, is one of them.
Modern astrologers make much of the little asteroid Chiron. Technically, it is a Centaur, a type of asteroid that moves from the outer reaches of the solar system into the interior, spanning the distance between Uranus (ruler of the heavens) and Saturn (the harvest, the earth). I tend to err on the side of simplicity and tradition when it comes to astrology, and for a long time I was skeptical of Chiron's popularity. But over the years I've changed my mind, and I now share the opinion that Chiron is the modern ruler of Virgo, alongside its traditional ruler, Mercury. It makes perfect sense for the helper and problem solver, Virgo. Chiron is the wounded healer and Mercury is the messenger. Together, they reach inside the wounds of life and extract the poison, from which knowledge is gained. Virgo is an introspective sign. It is by looking inside - analyzing, sorting, thinking - that they are able to provide their famously quiet and thoughtful aid to others.
The Virgo/Pisces axis fascinates me. The axis is a Jacob's ladder that unites, somehow, the most fantastical, heavenly, Neptunian spiritual oneness of Pisces with the humble and mundane Virgo. In astrology, everything rhymes. A poetry of opposites. These two sides of life are connected, one cannot exist without the other as Christ himself illustrates many times in Scripture (today's Mass reading was a good example, from Luke 13:10-17 - Christ heals a woman on the Sabbath). The heights of spiritual ecstacy are nothing if they cannot come back down to be anchored in the Earth - the fruits of this metaphorical tree are supposed to harvested to feed not only oneself, but others too.
The story of Tobias, Raphaël and the Fish is Chironic, with these Piscean/Virgoan overtones. The fish can be an analogy of life's perils into which we, like Tobias, unknowingly stumble. But these missteps, like Chiron wounds, often yield surprising gifts. Raphaël could have easily saved Tobias before he the fish attacked him, as indeed our angels do often shield us from ill before we are even aware of it. But he didn't. Many times I hear the question - if God and His angels love us why do they permit bad things to happen to the faithful? Without presuming too much about the Lord's reasons, we can interpret part of the answer as it is illustrated in this story: because we need these experiences. (there is also the matter of original sin, but that is for another post.)
Raphaël uses this event to teach Tobias how to fend for himself:
"And he went out to wash his feet, and behold a monstrous fish came up to devour him. And Tobias being afraid of him, cried out with a loud voice, saying: Sir, he cometh upon me. And the angel said to him: Take him by the gill, and draw him to thee. And when he had done so, he drew him out upon the land, and he began to pant before his feet. Then the angel said to him: Take out the entrails of the fish, and lay up his heart, and his gall, and his liver for thee: for these are necessary for useful medicines." (Tobit 6:2-5)
Without the peril of the fish, there would be no medicine extracted to heal Tobit's physical blindness, no incense extracted to repel demons - which Tobias later uses to rescue Sara from Asmodeus.
We can draw a connection here between this story, and the divine medicine of Chiron as it funcitons in both the temporal and the spiritual realms. I get frustrated at times with some of the doom and gloom surrounding Chiron, and the overemphasis it receives. Yes, Chiron wounding is painful, but it also helps to not view painful events as strictly good or bad. Chiron is a point of great spiritual wealth in a chart, because even pain is useful, perhaps especially so. Through prayer, alchemy, or whatever your practice may be, Chironic pain can be turned into a powerful antidote to heal and help others.
Also, it helps to remember that in your moments of great pain, your angel, like Raphaël, is always there with you - waiting to give you comfort, strength and importantly, a way forward.
