Shapeshifting with Chariklo, an offering

Chariklo Discovery Chart Sextile Lens

As the story goes, Chariklo was a fresh water nymph who fell in love with Chiron and shapeshifted into a Centaur in order to be with him. Chariklo and Chiron had three children, one of whom was Okyrhoe the clairvoyant centaur. When Chiron asked to be relieved of his eternal pain, and Zeus offered mortality and a place in the constellations, Chariklo stood by as her partner was transmuted from flesh to light. 

From this origin story comes most of our astrological significations for Chariklo "the graceful spinner": shapeshifter, midwife to birth and death, holder of space, witness. Both Melanie Reinhart and Shellie Enteen have written in detail about Chariklo, see Sideways from Saturn: Astrological Guidance from the Centaurs. 

Chariklo was discovered on February 14, 1977 at 7:51 pm in Tucson, Arizona. It occurred to me that with her shapeshifting status, we might gain insight by looking at her discovery chart through different lenses: the sextile (see above); the square and opposition (see below); and the trine (final chart). 

At discovery, Chariklo was retrograde at 6 degrees of Leo. As others have noticed, the Sabian Symbol for the discovery degree is "the wonder of the constellations in the night sky." Lovely as this is to think of Chariklo defined by her eternal adoration of Chiron, I wonder what else we can learn by exploring the relationships within the discovery chart. 

Let's begin with the sextiles. Sextiles are harmonious 60 degree angles. With sextiles, two planets talk to each other from complementary elements: fire to air and air to fire in Chariklo's case. This rings a bell for where we currently stand in July of 2026 with the outer planets in a mini grand trine in elemental fire and air: Pluto rx in Aquarius trine Uranus in Gemini, both sextile Neptune rx in Aries. 

The sextile pattern circling the discovery chart feels like a game of telephone tag. What idea did Chariklo spark for Haumea and Mars to pass to Pluto who spread it to Jupiter, Uranus, Ceres, and Mercury who sprung it over to Saturn who offered the flame to the Moon for assimilation, circling back to Chariklo in the form of a song? 

What is Chariklo's song? I am eagerly awaiting this as my partner will be writing a song for Chariklo soon. 

What is Chariklo singing in your own chart? This is of particular interest to me, since I have Chariklo as the natal Pluto Polarity Point:  Chariklo opposite Pluto, conjunct Venus and the Sun, sextile Mars and Jupiter, trine Neptune. 

In my offering to you, we will focus on your natal Chariklo by house, sign, and aspect. We will also look at the planet guiding Chariklo, the planet associated with the sign of your natal Chariklo. 

Chariklo's orbit is approximately 62.5 years. This is nearly exact because unlike the other Centaurs, Chariklo circles the Sun, rather than moving elliptically. Chariklo is also known as the Centaur with rings. In what ways does Chariklo hold space for you? 

Chariklo orbits between Saturn and Uranus, never crossing within Saturn's space. What this means astrologically is that Chariklo never comes fully into the material world. There is something ephemeral about her. 

Chariklo Discovery Chart Lens of Squares and Oppositions

If we look at Chariklo's discovery through the lens of squares and oppositions, we find a fixed square between Chariklo; Chiron (also retrograde); Jupiter, Uranus, Ceres, Mercury; and Juno. There is an inherent challenge in this marriage. Chariklo is trying to express herself but Chiron has a grip on the form, a form that the Aquarius cluster of planets is trying to break, but the contract between them remains fixed, like a constellation. 

It is as if we have only known Chariklo through her relationship with Chiron. We have only known her through the form she took to be with him. 

But Chariklo herself is not fixed. She has many shapes. The Centaur and her relationship to Chiron is only one of her forms. She is also a water nymph! She can be any shape that she chooses. 

Chariklo Discovery Chart Trine Lens

If we look at Chariklo through the lens of the trine, we see the six-pointed star. Once again, we find the fire and air elements in play: Chariklo, Pluto, and Saturn in a grand fire trine; and Mars, the Aquarius bunch, and the Moon in a grand air trine. The water nymph turned Centaur is also a star in her own right. According to Melaine Reinhart, the six-pointed star is associated with the heart, uniting the lower and upper chakras. 

Does this mean Chariklo is the heart of the chart? Her discovery degree is in Leo and she is recovering something due to her retrograde motion. 

What might your Chariklo placement reveal about the secrets of your heart? 

Is Chariklo a key to our Aquarius era? With Pluto causing all kinds of ruckus over the next 18 years, and Uranus stretching our minds to a breaking point, returning to our heart may be the choice we make each day in order to stay true to ourselves. 

If you are interested in a Chariklo reading, please fill out the contact form on the home page. We will explore your natal Chariklo as well as significant Chariklo transits. If you are in your 60s, you may be interested in a Chariklo return reading!