Eric Francis, of Planet Waves likes this book.
The first two sections, on astronomy & mythology, take up the first 70 pages of the book. Of that, thirty pages are devoted to myth.
Astrology proper starts on page 71. As Chiron means different things to different people, here it what it means to Ms Reinhart:
Chiron is not a planet (pg. 71). It is a Centaur (pg. 23). Centaurs, of which Chiron was the first to be discovered, are members of the Kuiper Belt, which at the moment seems to be an astronomical catch-all. In the first chapter Reinhart gives basic information for a number of these bodies.
"The Chiron configuration describes the person's individual 'path'. . . (pg. 78)
"Chiron leads us to the Inner Teacher to whom we owe our primary allegiance." (pg. 78)
"So, Chiron often describes the nature of a person's contribution to life, positive or negative, when it symbolizes that for which he or she will be remembered, heroicized, famed, immortalized or indeed condemned." (pg. 80
"Chiron's position relates to our sense of purpose, where we feel a genuine urge to express our true individuality in the service of life & its continuity." (pg. 81)
"Chiron may describe the nature of wounds & major influences upon us during our early formative years." (pg. 82)
"The Chiron configuration often describes what connects an individual with his or her inner suffering, and offers a route through healing." (pg. 82)
"Finally, as Chiron also symbolizes the Inner Wounder, it may also show how we inadvertently inflict pain on others or carry suppressed aggression towards them." (pg. 83)
"Areas of the psyche that connect to the Chiron configuration may be very vulnerable." (pg. 83)
"The Chiron configuration often describes a cluster of events, patterns & circumstances that repeat, in spite of our efforts to change things." (pg. 85)
"Often Chiron symbolizes things we can do for others, but which we may not be able to do for ourselves." (pg. 86)
"Finally, Chiron often describes the concretization of a quality of being; it may be translated into something literal that must be done, achieved, or pursued." (pg. 100)
It goes on like this. So to sum up: Chiron is a path which leads us to a teacher whom we cannot escape. Beyond that, it tells us what we will do with our lives, it hurts us when we are young & defenseless, it is a source of constant suffering yet somehow gives succor, shows how we inflict pain on others, but, somehow, not upon ourselves. All of which we are likely to repeat, helplessly, since, whatever it is, it is literally forced upon us. It seems clear that Chiron strips us of free will.
Have I got that right?
Let me see . . . My Chiron is in Capricorn in the 8th. Reinhart conflates houses & signs. Chiron in Capricorn, difficulty setting goals. (Why?) Difficult to enjoy prestige. (Why?) Sometimes lack a sense of responsibility. (Why?) The wound concerns the father. (Why?). Chiron in the 8th house - or it could be Scorpio - is feelings of suicide. (How cheerful! And, WHY? Suicide is not a subject to be tossed off lightly.) Destructive impulses sometimes projected upon others. (Violence? WHY?) Problems with early relationship with Mother (capitalized in original, pg. 162). Drawn to rebirthing therapy, which Wiki describes as a set of breathing exercises. Might have injured our mother during birth. My mother was, in fact, so badly injured at my birth that she found herself compelled to give birth to eight more of us (starting only a year later) before finally expiring at the young age of 77. People with Chiron in the 8th house are sometimes victims of sexual abuse & violence (pg. 163). Men with Chiron in 8 are sexually messed up by their mothers. (Why? What does mommy have to do with the 8th? Anyone know?) Those with Chiron in 8 can be transformed by near death experiences. Pity I've never had one myself.
In my chart, Chiron is exactly sextile to my Mars, to the degree. Reinhart's Mars/Chiron delineation rambles. She doesn't seem to focus on the trine or sextile aspect, but rather the conjunction, square & opposition. All of which are very, very bad.
Chiron in my chart is less than one degree from exactly opposite Uranus. We are "super Uranian" (pg. 255). Desperate for freedom from all constraints. Attuned to the future! Experiment & innovation are important! Anything & everything should be changed! - You must have the idea by now.
What complete crap. For a contrast I went to Martha. She defines Chiron's natal position as the place, by house & sign, which makes you "different", where you reject society & its norms. Retrograde Chiron she associates with a life of "teenage rebellion". Mars/Chiron is defined as quarrels & fights (Mars) over not following the rules (Chiron, the rebel). I presume the sextile would make one "touchy". Martha Lang-Wescott defines Uranus/Chiron as conflicts with peers because they're too conservative or authoritartian. I presume the opposition would result in armed camps, eternally prepared for war. But that's Martha.
The Bibliography in the back of Reinhart's book has several sections. The first, the General section, includes astrology books among other unrelated entries. I find books by Jeff Green, Liz Greene, Michael Meyer, Lois Rodden (for chart data), Dane Rudhyar (six books), Howard Sasportas & Richard Tarnas. The bibliography also has a Chiron section. In it are all the other notable books on Chiron, most of them as weak as this one.
Judging by the her bibliography, it might be the author has never read a serious astrology book. In her bios she says she was initially self-taught (read a lot of Rudhyar), and later studied with others who were also, for the most part, self-taught, and in the same way she was. If she was a hillbilly from Kansas, like much of my family, and had spent her life down on the farm, Reinhart's astrological timidity (or perhaps dull-wittedness) could be explained. In the multi-cultural powerhouse that is London, I really want to know why she never studied Carter, or Robson, or Sepharial, or Leo, or any of a dozen other astrological writers of note. It's frankly hard to be an astrologer, and be in London, without tripping over these guys. By contrast, Dane Rudhyar, and the folks at the CPA, are weak beer. My final consideration is that, well, back in 1989, when this book was first published, we didn't know very much about astrology, aside from horary. (Which, for those who had read Robson or Sepharial, is already a stretch.) But the traditional revival is now more than fifteen years old, has already produced much of note, and London, where Reinhart keeps a mailing address, is one of its centers. (As of 2010 she resides in Bedfordshire, which is about 50 miles north of London.)
The first edition of this book was published by Penguin Arkana in 1989. This revised, fully updated third edition is from 2009.
Starwalker Press, 462 pages.
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