Review © 2014 by Anne
Whitaker
To my pleasant
surprise, astrologer and writer Anne Whitaker—colleague, friend and periodic guest
on this blog—sent me an unsolicited review of my latest Chiron book. It seemed like the right time to share it during Book Month
on The Radical Virgo. ~ Joyce
Weaver - Mentor - Centaur - Stuck -
Stringed Instruments - Healing Humor - Shame - Left and Right Brain -
Abandonment - Evolution: just a few of the keywords Joyce Mason uses to unlock the doorway
to deep, deep wisdom contained within the archetype of the mythical being known
as Chiron: half man, half horse – best known in Western popular culture as the
Wounded healer.
Joyce is a
healer herself with many strings to her lyre: prolific writer, seasoned
astrologer, flower essences practitioner, dreamworker, to name but a few. Here
in her own words is the essence of her book:
“ Seldom in
life do we get such a personalized prescription of what’s wrong and how to fix
it.” ~ Joyce Mason, Keywords to Unlock
Chiron
These 50
keyword essays will help you identify where you’re stuck and suggest how you
can get from pain to breakthrough and healing–and ultimately to being yourself
in your full glory. Your
personal message lies in which keywords ‘hit home’ for you.”
As the reader
will discover from Other
Astrology Books by Joyce Mason on pp
279-281, Joyce has written extensively on Chiron in the past, both in published
books and on her blog The
Radical Virgo. This book,
however, is somewhat different in that Joyce’s focus is on the Chiron archetype
itself and an exploration of 50 branches arising therefrom.
Chiron
symbolises the deep wound present to a greater or lesser degree in all of us,
fallible imperfect creatures, uneasy blends of body and spirit; endlessly
curious, forever seeking answers to why we are here and what we are supposed to
do with our brief time on Earth. Chiron also symbolises the depth and wisdom we
can gain by addressing and seeking to heal that wound, both in ourselves and
others. Ultimately, facing and accepting our vulnerability, together with realization
of our inter-connectedness with the whole of life, and the healing power of
love: these are our salves and our saviours.
Joyce’s Keywords to Unlock Chiron is surely a ‘wisdom book’. It is a wonderful
distillation of her knowledge, personal and professional experience drawn from
a deep and wide range of sources: science, myth, symbol systems including
astrology and Tarot, astronomy, and culture both contemporary and ancient.
She writes so
well, with wit, reverence, irreverence and above all compassion both for her own frailty and ours. Open sharing
of core aspects of her personal story demonstrates that she is not trying to
tell us how we should live from her somewhat higher plane of existence. She
makes it clear that, in
the struggle to come to terms with the wounding which hopefully in the end
makes us a bit wiser and more skilled in the fraught business of living, we are
all in it together.
There are many
examples which I could quote of deeply helpful wisdom offered in this book. In Chapter
24, Disowned, there is a very challenging question posed: ‘What would you rather die than do?’ Joyce’s answer to this is ‘I’d rather die than move (house)’ which leads into a discussion of how we all to
a greater or lesser extent, disown parts of ourselves, to our detriment.
Joyce then
offers seven “Tips for
Not Disowning Yourself” including
‘Listen objectively to things
others point out that you’re missing or denying, especially if you hear the
same thing from several different people.’ I commend this section to any individual honest enough to be working
towards personal growth and change, as well as any therapy practitioner looking
for some inspiration to bring to their client work
In Appendix 3,
p273, Joyce provides information for people with little or no knowledge of
astrology who wish to obtain a copy of their own horoscope and find out where
Chiron is placed in their case. The whole book is also filled with useful web
and other references to a wonderful range of resources – arising from the core
Chironic keyword of Wholeness.
The book is of
value also to students and practitioners of astrology. From that perspective,
this reviewer certainly felt as though she had been comprehensively re-acquainted with the depth and practical value of understanding Chiron’s natal
position as well as Chiron transits.
But it is
important to stress that Keywords
to Unlock Chiron should not be
seen primarily as a book for astrologers or those interested specifically in astrology.
As I said earlier, it is a ‘wisdom book’, a great resource for anyone of a
reflective nature, or who may be practising as a healer of others, to have in
their library to turn to for inspiration, information or support in difficult
times. Be guided by how you are feeling in seeking help from the book’s wisdom.
As Joyce says herself:
“Your
personal message lies in which keywords ‘hit home’ for you.”
Joyce, thank
you for this wonderful compendium. It truly deserves to be widely read.
~~~
Cover Art for Keywords by Karen Phillips. For more on the contents of Keywords
to Unlock Chiron, now available in PDF, please visit the
launch post.
Postscript - Thank you, Anne! As my newsletter subscribers already know – and I wanted to share this update with all my readers for its irony – my personal Cardinal Grand Cross Year has me facing my "rather die than do," as I'm prepping to move to a new home. The reason couldn't be more Chironic. We need to relocate to a more user-friendly place because of my husband's disability. He can no longer safely navigate the stairs in our split-level home. Trusting I will actually survive: Once I get to the other side of rocking my 4th House off its foundations (Jupiter crosses the IC in mid-June), I'll have the time to bring Keywords to paperback and eBook formats such as Kindle and Nook. Meanwhile, the PDF version works great on most devices, as described in the launch post. ~ JM
