What’s in a name? A lot actually
Hi, I’m Maggi Colwell and my business name is Chiron Art Therapy. My website is https://columbusarttherapy.com. The other day I realized, “whoa, it’s three C’s.” I also realized that I haven’t talked much about why I chose Chiron as a business name and what it means to me. The logo, designed by Christine Foltzer, is the astrological symbol for Chiron. After all, I’m big on symbolism. I based all of these layers of symbolism to be an artful tribute to Chiron, the archetype of the wounded healer from Greek mythology. What’s an archetype, I’ll go into more detail next.
Chiron the Wounded Healer
First of all, Chiron, pronounced “Ki-ron,” is an asteroid in astrology named after a centaur in Greek mythology. He was called the “civilized centaur” and trained many of the heroes of Greek mythology. He was known for his wisdom, civilized kindness, and his knowledge in medicine, botany, and pharmacy. Chiron also learned the lyre, archery, and prophecy from his foster father Apollo and learned hunting from Artemis. He was respected as a great teacher, astrologer, oracle, and healer.
According to the myths, he is wounded by a magical arrow. He tries to heal himself with herbs, but cannot due to the magical nature of the weapon. After a time of suffering, Zeus gives him a place of honor in the stars as the constellation Centaurus. Jung often looked at mythological themes to gain insight about societal patterns.
Carl Jung on the Wounded Healer
Jung stated that a big factor in the archetype of the therapist is that of the wounded healer.
An archetype means “The primary source or first pattern.” It is a pattern of energy that manifests different in different people.
Jung also stated that in the therapist’s awareness of their own imperfection or inadequacy is also the strength that they can use to be most helpful to their clients. It is also the case through getting to know their own place of woundedness, the therapist can best be of assistance to others. Furthermore, he said that in the last stage of analysis, the therapist must change themselves so that the client is also affected by this healing.
He said this in the following quote in his book, Modern Man in Search of a Soul, “The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.”
In Astrology
In astrology, the asteroid Chiron represents both the nature of a person’s wounding as well as where they can draw healing, and likewise, spiritual development. Chiron’s wisdom shows us how to transmute pain into a source of power. When planets transit our natal Chiron, we may feel raw, but in that vulnerability, we are open and have access to potential healing.
In Therapy
Popular culture overuses the word “triggered.” A trigger is really just a stimulus. When someone says “this triggers me” what they are really saying is “this is causing me to have an emotional reaction.” In other words, “I’m activated.” Chiron activates or opens our wounds. Like in surgery, a physician sometimes must cause an incision in order to allow something broken to heal correctly. Similarly, in therapy, we have to look, and sit with our wounds in order to activate the healing process. Through this process, a wound can convalesce, like a knitting bone. It’s hard to be patient when a bone is in a cast. We itch, we get restless, and still, we have to wait for the process to complete.
Final thoughts
Chiron, is the archetype of the wounded healer. Through wounding comes vulnerability, empathy, and wisdom. Like the teacher of the Greek heroes, our wounds can be teachers that facilitates our spiritual development. Rumi stated, “The wound is the place where light enters you.” In Jungian analysis, the light of consciousness, applied over time, encourages not just symptom management, but long-term healing, integration, alignment, and personal development.
While Jungian analysis and shadow work may not resonate with everyone, for those whose soul yearns for deeper exploration and healing, my approach could align perfectly with your needs. If you’re curious to explore the transformative potential of depth therapy, I invite you to schedule a free consultation with me. Together, we can set out on an initiatory journey of self-discovery and integration.
If you want to stay in touch so that you can be notified about upcoming workshops and new blog posts, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter here.
Maggi Colwell
Maggi is a registered art therapist at Columbus Art Therapy who assists their clients to discover more of themselves through dream interpretation, art therapy, and depth psychotherapy. They specialize in working with grief and loss as well as gender exploration. Click the button below to get connected.