Chiron return – J.K. Rowling

Now the eclipse is over.. the mopping up can start. This was quite a watery show and in astrological terms, when we talk about water, we talk about feelings. Anger is a particularly potent feeling and one of the stories currently in the news erupted with this eclipse. I am talking here about the anger of native Americans who feel their tradition has being peddled in a way they feel misrepresents them and more importantly their culture. In the week of the eclipse, author J.K. Rowling started a series on her website Pottermore with the promising title ‘History of Magic in North America’. In the first episode, Rowling writes: ‘The legend of the Native American ‘skin walker’ – an evil witch or wizard that can transform into an animal at will – has its basis in fact. A legend grew up around the Native American Animagi, that they had sacrificed close family members to gain their powers of transformation. In fact, the majority of Animagi assumed animal forms to escape persecution or to hunt for the tribe. Such derogatory rumours often originated with No-Maj medicine men, who were sometimes faking magical powers themselves, and fearful of exposure.’

The perceived misappropriation of Navajo tradition has angered many. This extract comes from the Guardian Newspaper today: ‘…campaigner Dr Adrienne Keene told Rowling on Twitter  “it’s not ‘your’ world. It’s our (real) Native world. And skinwalker stories have context, roots, and reality … You can’t just claim and take a living tradition of a marginalised people. That’s straight up colonialism/appropriation.”

The birth time of J.K. Rowling is unknown so her horoscope (below) is set for noon 31 July 1965, Yate, UK. Yesterday’s eclipse in 19 Pisces – is conjunct Rowling’s Saturn/Chiron conjunction. It is interesting to see the Chiron themes in particular coming to the foreground – highlighted by the ‘appropriation of the living tradition’ of a vulnerable group of people. Skinwalkers are part of ancient Navajo Indian tradition. Rowling is just about to experience her Chiron return. Anyone familiar with ancient mythology knows that Rowling draws inspiration from the ancient Greek/Roman myths and ancient magic practice. Now.. she she appears to be moving towards a tradition which is still very much alive. Melanie Reinhart, who wrote one of the first books on Chiron, has this to say about the Chiron return: ‘During this critical time, we may relinquish that which is misshapen or inauthentic; we may re-order our priorities; or liberate the unlived passionate expression of our spirit, living a life which is intimately creative and restorative to our true selves. By accomplishing this, we can congruently contribute to the fundamental healing of ourselves, our family or soul group; our society, and our planet.‘

Chiron has often been linked to marginalised cultures, to shamanism and to themes connected with healing, the role of the outsider, primitive cultures and the idea of the victim vs the perpetrator. I find it fascinating that at this moment in time such themes are emerging in mainstream culture.

Actually, I am a Rowling fan and am curious as to how she responds to the criticism now directed towards her work. Clearly there is however a synchronicity between yesterday’s eclipse – Chiron and Rowling’s birth chart.