CHARIKLO

This glyph was designed by Piotr Piotrowski as a possible symbol for Chariklo.

Chariklo is one of the Centaurs named most recently. Her orbit is 62.4 years, her eccentricity 0.1694947, and her inclination to the ecliptic 23.39820.

MYTHOLOGY

While most mythological sources agree that Chariklo (also spelled Chariclo) was Chiron's wife, there are differences of opinion as to her nature. She is described as a Naiad or Nymph, and yet on some pictures, she is drawn as a female Centaur. The most often mentioned source of parentage for her is as daughter of Apollo, the sun-god. She was written of as a much-loved and almost constant companion of the goddess Athena.

CHARIKLO'S CHILDREN

In one story, one of her children, Tiresias, accidentally sees Athena naked, and is struck blind, but is also given the great ability to prophesy. In other sources, Chiron and Chariklo are said to have had one son (Karystos), whom nothing special is said about, and two daughters.....but here, too, the names are disputed. Melanippe ("black mare"), who is also called Euippe ("good mare"), had an illegal love affair with Poseidon, the god of horses, and didn't want to live among mortal beings any longer. She asked the gods for help, and they turned her into a star and set her on the night sky. Chiron's other daughter, some mythologists say, was Endeis, the wife of the honest king of Aegina, Aiakos, a son of Zeus and Europa. According to these, Endeis was the mother of Peleus, the father of Achilleus. According to others, Chiron's daughter was not Endeis, but Peleus' wife Thetis, whom Homer knows as a daughter of Nereus, so that Peleus was not the grandson, but the son-in-law of Chiron. However, Achilleus was a descendant of the Centaur - and a great horseman who talked to his horses and was told secret things by them.

CHARIKLO AND CHIRON

Since Chariklo was the mythological wife of Chiron, perhaps we should study the Chiron/Chariklo cycle for insights. The last time the two bodies were in conjunction was in 1949, when they joined three times^*.

Feb. 13th - 8 Sagittarius 01
May 30th - 5 Sagittarius 45
Sep. 3rd - 3 Sagittarius 37

Interestingly, Chariklo was officially named September 30, 1999, with Pluto at 8 Sagittarius 13 (and Pluto had stationed, only a few weeks before, at 7 Sagittarius 44). So, it was closely conjunct the first of those three conjunctions.

I've written an article about the above conjunctions, and what they mean to us today. To read it, go to The Chiron/Chariklo Legacy.

Previous conjunctions:

May 20, 1742 - 2 Cancer 50
June 1, 1721 - 24 Pisces 35

Chiron/Chariklo oppositions:

1844-45
- Oct. 21, 1844 - 13 Vir-Pis 32
- Feb. 17, 1845 - 16 Vir-Pis 14
- Aug. 23, 1845 - 20 Vir-Pis 32
1810-14
- Oct. 9, 1810 - 16 Aqu-Leo 37
- Dec. 15, 1810 - 17 Aqu-Leo 43
- Sep. 21, 1811 - 22 Aqu-Leo 20
- Jan. 16, 1812 - 24 Aqu-Leo 14
- Sep. 4, 1812 - 28 Aqu-Leo 00
- Feb. 16, 1813 - 0 Pis-Vir 40
- Aug. 17, 1813 - 3 Pis-Vir 35
- Mar. 25, 1814 - 7 Pis-Vir 06
- Jul. 25, 1814 - 9 Pis-Vir 03
1802-05
- Jan. 16, 1802 - 17 Sag-Gem 12
- May 5, 1802 - 19 Sag-Gem 48
- Dec. 21, 1802 - 24 Sag-Gem 24
- July 2, 1803 - 28 Sag-Gem 23
- Dec. 1, 1803 - 1 Cap-Can 29
- Aug. 9, 1804 - 6 Cap-Can 28
- Nov. 12, 1804 - 8 Cap-Can 20
- Sep. 22, 1805 - 14 Cap-Can 20
- Oct. 17, 1805 - 14 Cap-Can 48

*Special thanks to Juan for calculating the above Chiron/Chariklo aspects.

NOTED PERSONALITIES

Chariklo aspects seem to be prominent in individuals who take a step into the future. It may be through science (Pierre Curie, who studied the various types of energies, had a close Chariklo conjunct Sun...the greatest source of energy for this planet; Alexander Graham Bell, who studied ways to communicate with the deaf and who invented the telephone, had a close Chariklo conjunct Mercury....planet of communication). Unless otherwise stated, a 'close' aspect will be one with orb of less than one degree.

ONE STEP BEYOND

But I've also found that it seems to be very active in individuals closely associated with science fiction. For instance, there is a close Venus conjunct Chariklo in Steven Spielberg's chart. And sci-fi authors abound with close Chariklo aspects.

A few of the sci-fi authors I've checked:

H.G. Wells...if anyone should carry a signature for sci-fi, it is Wells...and he has a very close Chariklo conjunct Mars, both quincunx Pholus
Ray Bradbury has a very close Chariklo opposition Mars
Philip K. Dick not only has Chariklo conjunct Mars, but also square Uranus and sextile Neptune
Ursula LeGuin has Chariklo in Cancer closely trine Mars, and making a T-square with Mercury in Libra, and Uranus conjunct Asbolus in Aries
Aldous Huxley had Chariklo in Capricorn square both his Mars in Aries, and his Saturn in Libra
Poul Anderson has Chariklo closely semisquare Mars, and trine Jupiter
Issac Asimov not only has Chariklo square his Neptune, but it also trines his Sun and Saturn, making a grand trine
Robert Heinlein has a close Chariklo trine Jupiter
Richard Matheson has Chariklo trine his Venus/Jupiter conjunction
Greg Bear has Chariklo closely square his Venus, sesquiquadrate Mars, and quincunx Nessus
Fred Hoyle has Chariklo closely semisquare his Venus

TO BOLDLY GO...

This sci-fi connection really hit home when I began to study the people involved with the four Star Trek television series.

First, of course, is Gene Roddenberry, whose Chariklo is closely square his Sun. But look at the Chariklo aspects in the charts of the various cast members! All aspects listed are less than 1 degree orb, except those with a (1+) next to them....those are greater than 1 degree but less than 2 degrees. Moon, Ascendant and Midheaven aspects are left out, since I do not have verified birthtimes for these individuals:

Chariklo trine Sun
Chariklo sextile Mercury
Chariklo quincunx Mercury
Chariklo trine Mercury
Chariklo square Venus
Chariklo conjunct Mars
Chariklo semisquare Mars/North Node conjunction
Chariklo conjunct Jupiter
Chariklo square Jupiter
Chariklo opposition Jupiter
Chariklo sextile Saturn
Chariklo square Neptune
Chariklo trine Neptune
Chariklo sesquiquadrate Pluto
Chariklo conjunct Chiron
Chariklo trine Pholus
Chariklo opposition Pholus
Chariklo square Nessus
Chariklo trine Nessus

Interestingly, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton and Colm Meaney do not have a close Chariklo aspect, unless there is one to their Moon, Ascendant or M.C. so if you have their exact birthtimes, please let me know.

THE OUTER LIMITS

But what does this science fiction connection say about Chariklo?

As mentioned above, Aldous Huxley had Chariklo in Capricorn square both his Mars in Aries, and his Saturn in Libra.

(Chariklo/Mars aspects seem the most prevalent Chariklo aspect in the charts I've been studying among Sci-Fi authors. While I'm not an actual sci-fi author, I've dabbled a bit, written a few sci-fi pieces, and the genre is my favorite type of fiction. I have Chariklo opposition my Mercury/Mars conjunction, the aspect to Mars almost exact.)

Most people know Huxley as author of "Brave New World", a book about a seeming utopia.....but is actually a frightening scenario of a possible future. But he was also a researcher in the mind, and going beyond one's reality. He did a great deal of exploration with 'mind-expanding' drugs such as LSD, and one of his books, based on his experience under Mescaline, is called "The Doors of Perception."

Interestingly, Huxley was nearly blind most of his life, so his other senses were much more important to him than the visual.

This going beyond one's reality seems a recurrent theme with Chariklo.

Umberto Eco is another Chariklo opposition Mars individual. His books, such as "Foucault's Pendulum", question theories about what is real. In "The Name Of The Rose", the author questions "truth" from theological, philosophical, scholarly, and historical perspectives.

Yet another Chariklo opposition Mars individual, Herman Hesse once wrote the following lines:

"Our mind is capable of passing beyond the dividing line we have drawn for it. Beyond the pairs of opposites of which the world consists, other, new insights begin."

Herman Hesse's books question so-called reality.

Chariklo's orbit, like that of Chiron, is between Saturn and Uranus. If Saturn is an indicator of our apparent reality, and Uranus a breaking down of the walls set up by Saturn, it is easy to see how Chariklo is functioning in the above individual's charts, as well as the charts of the individuals who write science fiction, and are not content to let their minds be limited by the seeming reality they see around them.

Time and again, in studying the transits of Chariklo to natal charts, I see individuals taken actions which may be very risky....usually knowing full well that they were opening a door that could change things forever. True, they were often not fully cognizant of just how much the world would change. And quite often, they were not even sure if the action was an appropriate one....not even sure if it was a choice that they should be making. But they made it because they knew they needed a change.

Chiron was seen as a door-opener very early in our research. But often, the door was flung open for the individual, rather than he or she choosing to open it. Sometimes, the person did not even know a door existed prior to its opening.

With Chariklo, I'm finding a choice to open a door. Sometimes with the attitude, "Damn the torpedo's, full speed ahead."

OTHER NOTABLES

The following individuals also have close natal Chariklo conjunctions, all with less than 1 degree orb:

Chariklo conjunct Sun
Chariklo square Sun
Chariklo opposition Sun
Chariklo conjunct Moon
Chariklo square Moon
Chariklo opposition Moon
Chariklo conjunct Mercury
Chariklo square Mercury
Chariklo opposition Mercury
Chariklo conjunct Venus
Chariklo square Venus
Chariklo opposition Venus
Chariklo conjunct Mars
Chariklo square Mars
Chariklo opposition Mars
Chariklo conjunct Jupiter
Chariklo square Jupiter
Chariklo opposition Jupiter
Chariklo conjunct Saturn
Chariklo square Saturn
Chariklo opposition Saturn
Chariklo conjunct Chiron
Chariklo conjunct Uranus
Chariklo conjunct Neptune
Chariklo conjunct Pluto
Chariklo conjunct Ascendant
Chariklo conjunct MC
Chariklo conjunct North Node
Chariklo conjunct South Node

KEYWORDS....NOT YET

It is too soon to come up with keywords for Chariklo. But I am postulating one keyphrase: "question reality". We need to plunge ahead and study her in charts to discover the validity of this, and find what other keywords might apply.

Representing Chiron's wife in mythology.....will that be reflected in her actual astrological meanings? Just like Chiron, she acts as a link between Saturn and Uranus; how will her linkage differ from Chiron's? And she is the largest, brightest Centaur, moreso than Chiron. What does this mean astrologically?

Another perspective

Mark Andrew Holmes has an interesting article on Chariklo at http://www.geocities.com/mahtezcatpoc/chariklo.html

A PERSONAL NOTE

(I'm especially intrigued with her because of where she falls in my own chart. Previously, I had hardly any oppositions natally, and no close ones. Chariklo falls at 19 Sg 36R in my chart, opposing my Mars (19 Gemini 14) and Mercury (17 Gemini 12), with the latter being my ruling planet.) I can understand the love of sci-fi I share with many of the other Chariklo/Mars individuals listed above.

What I'd like to know is, what do I have in common with the singer, Englebert Humperdinck---born Arnold George Dorsey on May 2, 1936. The only thing I can think of is that we both took on another name for part of our lives, and in effect re-invented ourselves. For awhile in my youth, I was "Adam", and some people still know me by that name to this day.)

Click here Chariklo, to find out how to discover where your Chariklo is.

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