Astrologically, the solstice Sun makes a conjunction to Jupiter, bringing in strong vibrations of expanding our consciousness, so that we may remove any illusions that lie within our minds. The Sun is also making a trine to Uranus, which means that if we allow it, the alignment with our higher selves, our souls can happy spontaneously and in unexpected ways. Perhaps it’s through a simple conversation with a close friend where all of a sudden we are able to shift our perception and see things differently. Or it could happen in quiet contemplation while we are engaged in seemingly mundane activities such as washing the dishes or watering the plants. And something just changes and we feel a shift in how we are engaging in these activities. Maybe there is a quiet sense of peace, or maybe we have a radical aha moment about something that we were struggling with. The key is to remain open to the presence of the divine within the mundane.

The other important aspect that the solstice Sun makes astrologically is to the asteroid Chiron, which is a square, a tense aspect. The archetype of Chiron is ‘the wounded healer’. In Greek mythology, Chiron is a centaur born of an undesired (by his mother) lustful encounter between Kronos (Saturn) and a nymph named Philyra. He is rejected by his mother at birth because he serves as a reminder of her pain and is instead raised by the sun God Apollo, who teaches him music, prophecy, poetry and healing. Being raised under the mentorship of Apollo, Chiron grows up to be very different from all the other centaurs who are boisterous, lustful troublemakers. Chiron instead becomes a revered and wise teacher, healer and prophet, mentoring the likes of the greek gods Hercules and Achilles. He is accidentally wounded by a poisonous arrow around his knee by his student Hercules and essentially becomes a walking paradox of being able to teach others how to heal while having to live with his wound indefinitely owing to his status as an immortal. Now elsewhere, the Titan god Prometheus was being punished by Zeus for stealing fire from Olympia as a gift to mortals. The only way Prometheus could be set free was if an immortal offered to take his place and to go to Tartarus. Going to Tartarus would mean the immortal was giving up his status as an immortal and would die. So Hercules, the very person who accidentally injured Chiron, worked out a deal so that Chiron could take the place of Prometheus. Upon doing so, he died and in his death was released from his wound that would never heal and was then honored with the constellation of Centaurus, immortalizing his teachings and offerings to the world.

Chiron in an astrological birth chart can show where our deepest wounds lie and where we can experience the deepest healing and in doing so, share that with others. The key to experiencing this deep healing is hidden in the story of Chiron — the very thing that hurt us, has the capacity to set us free, and in order to do that, we have to let something die. This death represents surrendering our stories, our pain and being willing to let it all go so that the light can enter into where it feels dark. The degree to which we are willing to surrender, is the degree to which we will experience healing. This healing is nothing other than an alignment with our true selves, our Soul. That is the purpose of suffering, it can help us to wake up from the illusion of darkness to the truth of light within our being.

Astrologically, Sun square Chiron has the energy of the illusion of you being yourself for your suffering rather than recognizing that that is the ego. This illusion often comes with the feeling of being trapped inside the body and a confusion about the self — who am I? And then the I gets attached to the pain and the wound, and the body is viewed as a prison. This is a distortion of the mind in cahoots with the ego, which needs you to suffer in order to stay alive. The freedom comes only when rather than looking at the form, so in this case rather than looking at the form that your pain is taking, whether it is a physical illness, a painful relationship, or the manifestation of your suffering in the form, if you can be aware of the formless, the presence of spirit in all that is manifesting, then the distortions can melt in your looking. Then the realization can come that the suffering you feel trapped in, is a catalyst for your growth, for your awakening. And then the suffering is no longer suffering, but an acceptance of what is. And as such, healing can occur.

The beauty of the human experience is to be able to feel the duality and yet be aware of the unity. The most special thing about being human is to be able to experience god while in the body. To experience the formless while in form. And in this realization lies eternal joy and peace. So in this night of the Winter Solstice, I offer you to meditate on where the light is trying to enter you. Where is the healing wanting to take place? And in that awareness, be present to all of it. Be willing to allow yourself to fill up with the light that will surely come, just as the dawn follows the night.