INTEGRATING CHARIKLO
A radical rest day
Arcady Farm, Orcas Island, February Winter storm 2021
“Chariklo is calling me into her arms. My life is spinning, where can I slow down? I teach others how to rest and yet I have adrenal fatigue. Chariklo is asking me to integrate”
What if you radically structured one day a week to rest, a YIN DAY?
Chariklo, the wife of Chiron, can show us a feminine-based approach to healing in both transit and natal charts. Chariklo is in an asteroid class called the Centaurs, so reading their ‘meaning’ is much less analytical, and by the book, instead, it is sought through instinct and feeling. Chariklo is the largest centaur and orbits between Saturn and Uranus like a noble and discerning mediator between chaos and structure.
In a recent research project on Chariklo, I noticed that she acts like a healing buffer whenever she shows up in conjunction with other planets. The native often reflects that, at the time, they had an inner knowing that a beneficial influence was present during a moment of change or challenge in their lives. I liken her to an invisible guardian saturated with unconditional love. Situations include spontaneous healing messages or persons showing up, an ability to enable mitigation, an inner knowing of their safe well-being, or an emphasis on greater trust.
Additionally, I found her caretaker archetype in the life stories of those I interviewed when Chariklo was near one of the angles, in an opposition or return. I am continually fascinated by how her presence encourages balance and rest through multiple circumstances. This gentle, steadfast midwife steers us to create conscious rest. We are absolutely ready to integrate her archetype as a necessary and sustaining way forward for our human bodies.
I love Melanie Reinhart’s notion of not getting too bogged down in the meaning of Chariklo but keeping things simple. What do you know about the caretaking aspect of the sign? What Yin energy can be extracted from the themes of the house? How do the aspects make healing helpful, natural, integrative, growth-oriented, or adapting?
With that information, I'd like to invite seekers to think about how much space and non-doing they factor into their lives and whether your interpretation of Chariklo enables you to change your routine.
Here are practical ways of connecting with Chariklo:
Track dreams
Notice messages and synchronicities - if anything, it is a sign you are slowing down enough to pay attention.
Give weight to what comes into your awareness rather than discarding it; those moments when you know something is important but you don’t know why
Plan for a day with no plans.
Make space for integration during prolonged healing.
Call upon her energy for divine support.
I also share a ‘YIN DAY’ outline, adapted from Daverick Leggett. It’s a way in which I have found I can integrate the Chariklo archetype into my life. It’s nothing out of the ordinary, but it is wild how hard it can be to stick to this routine for just one day or even break it down for one morning per week. I have found that when I am taking time out from using screens and even avoiding apps for meditation, I have a much deeper experience. The meals are suggestions that emphasize foods that cultivate Yin energy but, of course, adapt as inspired.
A YIN DAY
UPON RISING: A glass of warm warm with optional lemon to stimulate digestion
CONTEMPLATIVE ACTIVITY: Gentle stretch or walking meditation/walking prayer
BREAKFAST IDEAS:
Yogurt with blueberries or blackberries.
Toasted sunflower seeds or ground flax with creamed buckwheat and a spoonful of ghee.
Blueberries + Blackberries with chia pudding, ground flax, flaked dulse, and optional honey.
BEVERAGE: Nettle Tea
RESTORATIVE ACTIVITY: Legs up the wall with an eye pillow and music, Tai Chi, Bio-Mat, or restorative yoga, if available.
BEVERAGE BREAK: A glass of room temp water
RESTFUL ACTIVITIES: Crafts, Observational Journal, Reading or Gardening.
MID-MORNING SNACK: Freshly toasted pumpkin seeds with sea salt
BEVERAGE BREAK: Aloe Vera Gel in a glass of warm water or bitter dandelion tea/coffee
LUNCH: Seafood, fish, or local/organic meat with steamed green leaves and a side of millet (with ghee to taste)
EXERCISE: Gentle walk or movement
REST: Nap or breathing or guided meditation
SNACK: Fruit
ACTIVITY: Sauna, Guided Imagery, Cold Dip or Reading
HYDRATION: Water or Coconut Water or Hydration drink
SUPPER: Soup - Black Bean and Barley with Miso - with seasonal cooked fruit for dessert
EVENING DRINK: Marshmallow or Oatstraw Tea
BEFORE BED: Warm magnesium bath with Epson Salts or a shower; apply magnesium lotion afterward and an early night