Do you have Chiron in Leo?
If so, be VERY careful who you tell about your passion projects.
This article is for Astrology believers and sympathisers. (I say sympathisers because maybe you don’t believe it, but find it entertaining. Welcome anyway). If it’s not your thing, feel free to skip it.
Chiron was not mapped out by the Ancients. In fact, it’s an asteroid, a modern addition to Astrological readings, which has become a staple in the modern day (more so in tropical Astrology than Vedic astrology, may I add). This is to say: not every astrologer includes Chiron into a chart or validate the meaning we have collectively ascribed to it. Nonetheless, it was named after a character in Classical mythology, just like every other “object”* you find in Astrological charts.
*I like using the term “object” instead of “planet” because really, it makes more sense. They are placeholders. Scientifically speaking, some are stars (like the sun. It’s an object in Astrology), some are satellites, some are planets, etc. They don’t have much in common other than participating in this “dance” which we see from here (Earth) and interpret metaphorically in order to read charts. (Also, can we stop the pedantism with Pluto? Who cares if it’s a planet or not? It keeps being a useful Astrological object).
Worth noting: I’m discussing Chiron in Leo by itself. Aspects can and will influence its meaning, so I’m painting with broad strokes here.
With the above out of the way, in case you’re still interested, let’s get into it:
I won’t define what is Chiron or what is Leo, I’ll just go straight to the discussion. If you’re an absolute beginner, click the links.
Speaking from experience, I have Chiron in Leo. So does a person you might have heard about because her book has been making waves lately, Jennette McCurdy. She is a celebrity and I’m not, but we have one thing in common: the effects of Chiron in Leo in our lives.
I find it very misleading when people say “Chiron in Leo makes you suffer because of fame” or “a person with Chiron in Leo either craves attention or is afraid of it”. Uhhh… No. Both are superficial ways of reading it. I’m not saying it’s entirely wrong to think along those lines! But it’s surface-level at best. It’s the interpretation a complete stranger looking at a Chiron in Leo person for the first time would arrive at. Does it have a nugget of truth? Probably. But is it the full story? Not even close.
Instead, what I find is more often the case with Chiron in Leo, is it makes you prone to having close relationships who have very problematic ideas about fame and attention. These near-and-dear people in your life become your confidantes and end up brainwashing you into having an unhealthy relationship of your own, as a Chiron in Leo person, with the idea of being in the public eye. For example: some might obsess over it and try manipulating you into pursuing fame at all costs (such as in Jennette’s story); Other people, on the other hand (like the ones in my life) might hate fame with a passion and manipulate you into thinking that if you ever DARE being in the public eye, even for a second, even doing the strictly necessary in public (eg. Giving a presentation at work), you’re being an “attention-seeker” and “how dare you” and “how shameful, how narcissistic” etc. Either way, Chiron in Leo individuals tend to feel cornered when it comes to receiving attention. Something about it “has” to be perceived as sinful and wrong — either too much or too little of it — and there’s no sweet spot where they can relax and say “oh, look, I got some attention, this is a normal day and I’m at peace”. Chiron in Leo people are constantly bombarded with extremely unrealistic and unreasonable requests from other people pertaining to (not) gaining or seeking public attention.
The explanation above is important because we’re not talking about one of those configurations in a chart that imply you are “naturally born” a certain way (such as Sun or Venus, for instance). Instead, Chiron is all about the effects external people or circumstances had on you (in order for the trauma to happen. Otherwise it would be masochism, self-inflicted suffering. Chiron is never about that. If you’re looking for self-inflicted stuff, see Sun-Moon-Mars aspects instead).
Chiron in Leo is kind of like being a songbird trapped in a cage. Yes, it draws attention. Yes, it probably resents the attention, or even likes it at times (who knows?) But most important of all: the bird wouldn’t put itself in that cage, or stay at all if the door was opened. The prisoner bird who “exists to entertain” is a victim of somebody else’s selfish actions. Selfishness = Leo’s shadow side.
To be quite honest, I think a general rant about Chiron (regardless of sign or house) is in order. See below:
Our pain can teach us lessons and help us grow, yes, that’s true. HOWEVER, let’s not romanticise it or delude ourselves that it was “necessary”. No, it was not. It happened, and we grew because we’re all intelligent and resourceful, fully able to overcome things… But we COULD do without the trauma. We did NOT deserve it. It’s NOT true that we need the disturbance of traumatic shit in order to grow up. If in doubt, just think for a second: were people in the Middle Ages as loving and kind as we are today? Not at all! They were very primitive and violent, punished any slight with a lot of barbaric force, they tortured people left right and centre, they burned people alive, etc. We no longer do any of that today! I’m sure you can point to a one-in-a-billion psychopathic outlier, but most people today have learned to be more empathetic and apply discipline in a more mindful way since the Middle Ages. We’re far from perfect, but we have evolved somewhat. So… Was any of the barbarity from bygone days really necessary? No! If it was necessary and “character-building” for each and every sufferer (or in pseudo-spiritualistic terms, usually used by white people who don’t truly understand the idea of karma, “karmic”), we’d still have all of it. And we don’t. It’s an indisputable fact.
Let’s not leave the cause of our trauma off the hook. Adaptability is a necessary part of life… But so is accountability, my dear. Don’t worry, nobody’s gonna lose their “nice boy” or “nice girl” card by rightfully holding the people who hurt them accountable. In fact, please (wo)man-up and do that, because those same bullies who victimised us will go on to bully more people if we don’t stand up to them. Just because we no longer tolerate physical violence, it doesn’t mean everything is now perfect and we can all rejoice in peace — verbal, psychological, spiritual violence (especially of the insidious kind, dressed-up as “concern” or “mentorship”) still happens and is rampant in the world. People trivialise it, enable it, think little of it and justify it — just like Medieval people thought violence was entertaining and made a show out of it. No, I’m not exaggerating. It’s exactly the same logic. We need to challenge that status quo.
Yes, I know, there are people who are rolling their eyes at me and calling me “sensitive” for having said that. Every pioneer is subjected to ridicule — just like everyone who was ahead of their time and opposed physical violence in the Medieval period would also be ridiculed and brushed off as a fool (in the best case scenario). In fact, let’s rewatch this classic:
*Swoons* I love Esmeralda. She’s like me in a lot of ways.
Anyway, now that my rant about misguided deterministic perceptions of Chiron due to unevolved ways of thinking is over, and I’ve hopefully empowered some of you guys, let’s talk about healing.
The key to healing Chiron in Leo
The video above is optional, it might not be everyone’s cup of tea. I’m only sharing it because it also comes from an Astrological perspective. I’m not the biggest follower of planet transits myself, but I notice that when people talk about transits, they tend to be less fatalistic than when they talk about birth chart stuff. The conclusions (and affirmations, if you’re into that) about how to heal resonated.
The key with Chiron in Leo is not simply to “stop caring what others think” — that’s simplistic and surface-level. Not helpful. But if you browse Astrology blogs everywhere, you’ll see this low-effort advice being dished out as if it helped anyone. I mean… sure. Ultimately, we “stop caring what others think”. But it’s not this robotic, out-of-nowhere mindset shift people think it is. I’d risk saying it’s a consequence (hence why I said ultimately), not a deliberate action borne out of blind faith in yourself.
Any kind of blind faith or blind trust is bad, for the record. It’s fuel for cults.
When your wound comes from being disrespected, treated in a patronising way, and on top of that, expected to show up for people’s enjoyment as if you were their puppet and your feelings didn’t matter (which is what happens with Chiron in Leo), you must first of all address the disrespect — not the attention or lack of it. So, there’s an order of priority people seem to ignore or turn a blind eye to when advising Chiron in Leo individuals. And I’m here to set the record straight.
The first traumatising kind of disrespect (because let’s face it, experiencing mild disrespect is a natural part of life and everyone goes through it — but I’m talking about extreme and traumatising kinds of it) Chiron in Leo individuals suffer is usually, as already pointed out, from intimate relationships (family, best friends, even lovers). Leo’s destructive side is more connected to selfishness and childish entitlement than any other outright sadism, so the perpetrators of this kind of trauma tend to be narcissists (not psychopaths or other antisocial types). It’s very common for Chiron in Leo to come from a narcissistic family member or other kind of early caregiver — and subsequently, other narcissists as the individual grows up and meets more people. If you look into the lives and stories of people with this placement, you’ll see that’s a common theme. I’m not saying “only Chiron in Leo” has narcissists in their lives, please don’t distort my message here. It’s a common evil in the world! What I’m saying instead is the specific narcissists in the specific case of Chiron in Leo tend to fixate on the pursuit of fame and attention (because, in case you didn’t know, not all do. Some are more low-profile, some are more fixated on revenge, some are more conspiracy-focused, spiritual cult leaders, etc, the list goes on).
Either way, the presence of narcissistic manipulators who put on a front of “perfection” and don’t look like they’re evil to the uninformed bystander is often the case with this placement. You’re not dealing with a psycho who is cold-blooded and callous and people can easily see through with a little attention; Instead, you as a Chiron in Leo individual deal with a much more dissimulated kind of trauma source — one that is super hard to prove, after all, “him/her?! Oh no, sweetie, don’t be silly/don’t be overly sensitive/etc! This person is so sweet and wouldn’t hurt a fly” — says every stranger ever. This can make for some very nasty and insidious collective gaslighting which is hard to untangle from.
Step 1: making sense of it.
As you might already know if you’ve been reading about narcissistic abuse, it’s not advised to try unmasking the narcissist or giving them consequences straight away — this can and should happen down the line, but not initially! — instead, it’s more effective to first break free and focus on healing your own wounds. And for that to happen, you need to acknowledge and name the disrespect you suffered. Otherwise, trust me, you WILL gaslight yourself.
When I say “making sense” of what happened, I don’t mean trying to understand the person’s (or people’s) motivation for ruining your relationship with the idea of public attention. Narcissistic manipulators aren’t beyond understanding, but it can often be a fruitless work because they wear many masks on top of one another and it’s a very tangled, very complicated web of lies to navigate. You don’t want to waste your energy on it straight away, as it won’t lead to any kind of closure and might even be counterproductive for your healing. Remember: this isn’t about your abuser, or the people who reinforced the abuse. This is about YOU healing. I know it’s tempting to try to bring logic into someone’s illogical and highly emotion-driven behaviour, but it won’t help you early on.
Instead, let’s make sense of the events. What actually happened. Let’s not look behind these events, but straight AT them. Let’s give names to the behaviours this toxic person (or people) chose to have, regardless of WHY they made that choice. This will help you discern toxic people from healthy people in your current life too.
So, first of all, dogma. This is the most common sign of abuse that leads to Chiron in Leo.
Chances are the first toxic person who had an intimate relationship with you displayed at least some level of dogma. Specifically, dogmatic beliefs around the concept of “public attention”. It’s not necessarily religious, but it behaves like religious dogma in that it’s a very stubborn, close-minded, illogical, and extremist kind of assertion the person isn’t willing to let go of or make exceptions for. And you might have experienced shame, blame, deflection, gaslighting, any number of abusive silencing strategies, whenever you doubted this dogma or asked about exceptions.
For example, you might have been indoctrinated into believing that “attention-seeking is sinful because all the people we look up to are humble and don’t show-off”. This is a dogmatic statement because it won’t account for deviations or exceptions, or any shade of grey. For instance, it “forgets” to mention that all of these prominent masters or celebrities that are really worthwhile [or insert here what kind of public person you look up to] had to put themselves out there and make their names known at the beginning of their careers. They weren’t suddenly revealed to the wider world by a spotlight coming from the heavens by an angel — now THAT’S unrealistic. There is such a thing as positive advertising devoid of evil agendas. In its most basic form, it can simply be mundane actions like participating (or taking the leadership) in charitable projects, teaching in a normal unassuming classroom, getting involved in social movements, etc. All of these acts denote “seeking attention”, but it’s not attention for its own sake, it’s attention for the sake of truly impacting other people’s lives and letting them know they can count on you. Otherwise, they won’t know it. People don’t walk around with crystal balls.
Conveniently, for some reason (hmmmmm, I wonder what that is??? #sarcasm), narcissistic manipulators who have “a thing” against attention-seeking (usually covert, vulnerable, “holier-than-thou” narcissists in this case) forget to mention that. Instead, they demonise each and every kind of action that can be labeled as “standing out”. That’s because they like it when people have a totally dependent, bordering on symbiotic relationship with them. They like the power. It’s not interesting for these narcissists to encourage anyone’s growth or independence because they’ll feel like they can’t control this supply anymore. So, they make you believe that you’re being selfish or “have a huge ego” when you seek even a basic form of place-under-the-sun in society, to ensure you stay insecure about it and under their wing. See how it’s about them and not you?
Another scenario: the [often overt, grandiose] narcissist that pushes for the pursuit of fame (usually in shallow ways such as on social media, TV, etc — Jennette’s case) will be dogmatic in a different way: they’ll indoctrinate you with a belief like “pursuing attention is vital because this is a dog-eat-dog world! Look what a golden opportunity I got you! This could be our ticket out of poverty [or insert here other manipulative argument]”.
The above is also problematic because it parentifies the child — but it does so in a very covert, dissimulated, hard-to-detect way. After all, when we think about parentification, we picture things like looking after siblings or doing too much housework while the parents always relax and do nothing. None of that is happening here [necessarily]! But don’t be fooled, it IS parentification nonetheless. When you place the expectation of bread-earning income on a child prodigy, you’re imprisoning this child and robbing them of a normal childhood. You’re making the child grow up too fast to fulfil a role (bread-earning) which should actually be an adult’s responsibility. I mean, sure, it’s great when a child goes on to do great things and earn some money for the family — but this money should always be considered something extra, a happy consequence of a lucky talent… Not an expectation.
Secondly, lack of privacy or boundaries.
Again, people have fixed beliefs about what this means, so let’s unpack it: we know celebrities suffer from that (child celebrities or other celebrities forced into the public eye, doubly so!), but that’s not where the story ends. You don’t need fame, in the conventional sense of the word, in order to feel like you’re being invaded and followed without your consent. Always remember the metaphor: a songbird trapped in a cage for everyone’s entertainment. This bird doesn’t need to go on TV and be seen by millions of people! All it takes is a small but persistent crowd, made up of people with narcissistic tendencies (or full-blown NPD) who feel entitled enough to objectify and use you.
This aspect of abuse that leads to Chiron in Leo is dehumanising. It strips you away from any rights to emotional sovereignty and instead forces you to always display what people hope to see or hear, because you become an object (something less than human) existing for the sole purpose of attending to their whims. It’s a legal form of slavery, if you will.
The problem is intensified in the case of the covert manipulator who “is against public attention”, not because they truly want to protect the Chiron in Leo individual, but because they’re selfish and don’t want the outer world to know about a gift/talent they can instead have all for themselves (or compete against and destroy — envy is common in narcissists).
In response to that, the Chiron in Leo individual might eventually rebel and start seeking strangers’ attention and recognition — This is not because “oh, this person is naturally an attention seeker, hurr durr ooga booga” (the surface-level interpretation people know and love), but instead, because we grow up and become smarter, Karen. We start realising that the prison and the shelteredness is fabricated. We wonder what exists beyond — possibly healthy strangers here and there. And this assumption is often correct!
Many a Chiron in Leo individual will confess that despite having been forced into the public eye (or conversely, in my case, pursuing some form of prominence all by themselves to escape a situation of abusive shelteredness), they “love their fans/followers nonetheless”. It’s very rare for anyone with Chiron in Leo to resent or dislike their fanbase as a whole (although exceptions can be problematic, as we all know. Nobody likes stalkers. But stalkers are always a minority). That unfortunately feeds into the illusion that a Chiron in Leo individual “shows off” and “wants attention”… When in fact, the meaning you SHOULD pay attention to is what’s under the surface: their very normal, very human need for genuine affection from people who are not personality disordered. A fanbase of many people is very likely to have those!
Not everyone in the world is toxic. In fact, a majority of people aren’t. When you can’t find healthy relationships nearby, the logical answer is to look for them in the wider world.
Step 2: Okay, we looked into the Chiron in Leo individual’s knee-jerk reaction to the abuse (and what the abuse truly is, despite all the gaslighting and desperate attempts people make to keep it hidden so they can escape accountability). Now… How do you ACTUALLY heal?
After you make sense of what happened, and after you also make sense of the automatic strategies you already went for before you knew any better (as we saw above)… It’s time to rip off this old band-aid and clean the wound more properly.
This is necessarily a step 2. It can’t come before step 1.
This is the phase where it’s safe (although still not recommended) to try and make sense of the “why” behind the abuser’s actions. This is because you have already discerned what is yours from what is external, and you won’t get mentally entangled in other people’s issues or fawn over disrespectful behaviour anymore. You’ve held people accountable already, even if just inside your mind. Chances are you feel some level of liberation.
Now, let’s look into what’s “yours”, and leave what is “theirs” aside for later.
There isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer here. People are unique and come with different personalities. Even two people with the same exact birth chart (hospital neighbours, anyone?) can have strikingly different personalites. That’s because, plain and simple, Astrology isn’t deterministic. And if it isn’t deterministic, that means we all have room for deciding some of our fate.
I’ll give you guidelines, though:
- Take a moment to look within and ask your inner child (or whatever you call the primitive version of you, the version that “simply is” and wasn’t shaped by other people’s input) when and where you’re okay with receiving collective attention. I said “when and where” because, as we already saw, this imaginary divide people make between “public people” and “private people” is just an illusion of the mind, a societal nonsense that we should all break free from. In truth, people aren’t monoliths. Even the most reclusive monk will have periods of talking to more than one person at once (and that’s some level of public attention already!)… So he needs to know how to do that. Even the most standoffish celebrity will have moments of introspective solitude… so he needs to know how to do that. I’m not saying they can, I’m saying THEY WILL. It’s only human to be plural. So, instead of falling for the lie people tell about public attention, know that it will happen every now and then. Your job isn’t to say “always” or “never”, but rather, when and where. The answer differs from person to person. No answer is wrong! They’re all correct. And you should honour it if you want to be truly authentic.
- Validate your gift to the world even if others aren’t validating it (see affirmations in the video above). Chances are others DO validate it, but these “others” might be distant fans; People you haven’t really had a heart-to-heart with because you’re still trauma-bonded to toxic people instead. But they exist, and you’ll eventually meet them. As long as the gift you want to share with the world isn’t some try-hard thing you’re forcing into existence; That is, as long as it comes from within and always felt like a natural thing for you to pursue, I guarantee you it’s good. Some might distort it or not see the value in it, but that’s because the world is plural — not everyone needs or wants what you have. That’s okay. This “knowing” is something you’ve always had within you, but abusers tried to rob you of it by slapping a more radical, more black-and-white view of things on top. They lied to you that if THEY don’t approve of something, NOBODY will; If THEY have an opinion, EVERYBODY agrees. That’s not true. So, rip this illusion off.
- Trust your connection with a higher purpose. This doesn’t have to be spiritual if you don’t believe it — but even atheists know what a higher purpose is: it tends to be something bigger than just you. If you feel a very strong pull towards a particular art, or area of knowledge, or whatever it is you feel like sharing with the world, keep track of why. The “why” can be as simple as “making people laugh”. See, it’s not just for you, it’s bringing a smile to people who might otherwise be miserable — you never know! The “why” can also be as complex as helping people see the unseen (my own calling). And if your “why” is complex, you might have been called “a show-off” or “inflated ego” by the bullies. Again, know that their reaction is about them, not about you. If you KNOW, FOR SURE, deep inside you, that what you have does not come with second intentions, that’s it. Your judgement is correct. No gaslighting shall pass.
- Do not deal with the smear campaigns that might come your way. I know it’s tempting, that’s your sense of justice speaking, but keep this in mind: truth always finds a way. No lie lasts forever. Look how many Historical figures we’re learning more about today and debunking myths created to smear their image by envious idiots in the past (Marie Antoinette, anyone?). Nobody is perfect, but sometimes the lies about them go out of control. And if this belated justice keeps happening to others, why wouldn’t it happen to you as well? Besides: those who are real, those who aren’t entangled in lies because of their own narcissism, will stick by you. And why would you want narcissists sticking by you anyway? Let them go.
You see… healing Chiron in Leo goes way beyond “not caring what others think” because that statement, in and of itself, is devoid of nuance. It doesn’t account for the people who have genuine feedback, it doesn’t account for the bridges you DON’T need to burn, etc. It’s simplistic, but more than that, it’s dangerous.
When you approach healing Chiron in Leo from the perspective of “fuck people, I’m self-sufficient”, you run the risk of becoming narcissistic at worst or developing social phobia at best.
That’s why I’m writing this article. That’s why I was so emphatic against low-effort advice in the intro.
The idea that the world is “out to get” anyone with Chiron in Leo is an illusion — and worse yet, it’s an illusion deliberately planted by abusers to better brainwash and use you. Nobody is born paranoid! But in order to get out of paranoia, you need to 1) learn to discern toxic from non-toxic people, and 2) look within and discover the higher purpose that trumps all (even cowardly smear campaigns by toxic people).
The stats don’t lie, the research doesn’t lie, Science won’t lie: most people do NOT have a personality disorder. Most the world is, in fact, safe. And if you put yourself out there genuinely, not as a defense strategy, but genuinely, you WILL find those who aren’t toxic.
I wish all the fellow Chiron in Leo people who share my wound the most seamless recovery.
I love you all.
