It’s true that for the past 50 years or so, the notion of having a ‘Prime’ has dwindled, and eternal youth has become the thing. But I feel that our generation, and the folks born ten years or so before us, are going to turn that all around. Most of us are doing our best work now, and the thought of dwindling into greater and greater ineffectiveness is absurd. It’s up to us to step up to the plate and let our actions speak for themselves.

many thanks for your helpful clarification – no chiron moon aspects here but it all rings very true – natal cancer moon is 8th ho, and aquarian chiron in 3rd, but, my chiron return was marked by two things which reflect the 4th (cancer) and 8th house issues (as well as chiron’s natal position) – after a close friend was murdered at the onset of chiron return (she was aquarian incidentally!) I found it necessary to go within and re-evaluate the fundamental truths upon which I had based my dreams and aspirations ( perhaps her and death’s gift was the clarity gained), as well as who I was going to associate with and on what terms – sounds harsh, but, I see it as a part of this larger process – I disconnected with the larger part of ‘my’ outer community, it was necessary, at least for a while – to cut a long story short, the second thing, which might never have happened without this inner work, was that I started out (perhaps very late some would say) on the parental path and became a father…….wow! If ever material reality and all its deeper and outward extending layers (beyond the material) came home….

the grounding of inner and outer in the present is a precarious business when the outer planets are vieing for our attention – raising the energies of the inner planets to a level where they can be receptive to and form true relationships with the larger, less personal creative energies of Life is real work with tangible manifestations and consequences, and this aspect of astrology is invaluable – especially as it may go some way to filling a percieved gap

with this in mind, I do wonder how much more difficult this is for us in a western context, when the outer does not readily reflect back a reciprocity that supports the process – as Michael Meade once said, for many of us here it becomes a question of becoming ‘older or elder’ – and, in more indigenous or traditional settings for example, where the bonds of community may themselves be fed by the connection to the larger picture, in the shape of the elders and the wisdoms they hold, the living reality of the traditions they uphold, based upon experience, well, this may be easier – but, it doesn’t preclude the ego work; that remains an ongoing process that is tempered by age and experience

your articles are so fascinating – thankyou

If the Chiron return hasn’t pointed us in the right direction (and the Chiron return really is just about direction, not a problem to be solved), the lunar return is more like a second chance to adjust ourselves to a less materialistic and less ego-centric direction. With the Chiron return, we deal more specifically with blows to the ego (i.e. “How come I never get what I want?). The lunar return is about our relationship with our material lives in general. If our ego is all about ‘having,’ then the lunar return becomes a problem. We start shedding our skins at the lunar return, and the wiser of us know that this particular shedding is necessary to a fulfilling and effective life.

I’m interested in the larger process of the ‘great prime years’, so, a question about the chiron return and 2nd progressed lunar return – how much does chiron return prime the issues brought up by this transition – if chiron return leaves unresolved issues, are these more likely to encourage the downward spiral, exacerbate the potential personal loss of vitality and purpose and make the connection with the ‘universal’ more difficult?