Nodes of the Moon

One of the very important and often overlooked features of a natal astrology chart is the Nodes of the Moon. This is an axis, rather than a planet, with one side named the North Node and the other the South Node. The nodes run across a pair of opposite signs – Aries/Libra, Taurus/Scorpio, Gemini/Sagittarius etc – and opposite houses – 1^st/7^th, 2^nd/8^th etc

In the chart below, the North Node is in Libra in 10th house, and South Node in Aries in 1st.

Put simply, the Nodes reflect a direction that life wishes to take us in. When we are younger the tendency is to embody traits associated with the sign the South Node is in. This sign is comfortable and natural to us, but we tend to overdo it. And when we do so, it can bring a sense of being stuck, or held back somehow. Life doesn’t go so well as the tendency is to personify the more unhelpful traits of this sign. Likewise, in terms of the houses, we initially tend to put too much energy into the South Node, but this is an area of life where we do not find fulfillment.

On the other hand, the North Node sign/house indicates traits and areas of life that are ‘good karma’ for us. Life wants us to express ourselves here, and while it is unfamiliar and uncomfortable at first, the more we act from our North Node, the better life tends to get, the more it makes sense and the more fulfilled we feel.

Those astrologers who believe in past lives link this phenomenon to the nodes. It is said that the sign our South Node is in says something about a past life. And we carry this memory with us into this life, which is why our South Node feels so natural and why we tend to overdo it. South Node tendencies and behaviours may have worked for us then, but they do not work for us in this life.

Regardless of your view of past lives, it is true that for whatever reason we come into this life with a bias towards these traits. They are talents that we can use (it is not about totally abandoning our South Node), but we do need to work to move away from expressing their lower side in order to bring about a balance of our North and South Nodes.

Often there is a sense of fate connected with the nodes. We are naturally pulled towards our North Node at some point in our life – sometimes we go quietly, sometimes we go kicking and screaming, but the outcome is pretty much the same. The nodes have a power that seems to supersede our sense of personally being in control of our lives. When a transit of one of the outer planets happens to the nodes, we can have an experience that feels like a tap on the shoulder (or a punch in the face) from destiny. (Not that I’m saying life is fated / pre-destined – just that this can feel like our experience then.) It is good to pay attention at such times.

It is not always easy to embody our North Node side though – even when we do recognise this is what we want, the familiar sense of home (of the South Node) can keep pulling us back. It is the work of a lifetime to overcome these tendencies rather than something we do once and never have to do again. Being our North Node nature means evolution and growth, and it is always worth the effort even though it is not an easy process.

Our North Node is often felt as a deep yearning, a distant dream that we want to reach towards, but get scared as soon as we head in that direction since it is so unfamiliar.  We choose to ignore it at our peril, however, since it won’t go away. It is always a risk worth taking, but requires a leap of faith.

To give one example: North Node in Libra, South Node in Aries

The natural tendency for such a person is to overdo the Aries nature – i.e. to be particularly independent, somewhat selfish or purely looking out for themselves, feeling the need to do everything on one’s own and to find it extremely difficult to ask for help or to share. The past lifers would say that previously this person could have been a warrior on a battlefield – where there truly was a need to look out for oneself, as their life was in danger if they were not solely concerned with taking care of themselves. This survival instinct then carried over into their current life, but it is no longer appropriate. Regardless of the story you may tell about the reason for being this way, the result is the same. Such a person needs to learn about and put their energies into the Libran side of things – they have a deep desire for sharing, co-operation and doing things in partnership, but true partnership also terrifies them – it can feel like a kind of death to open themselves up to others. If they are able to drop their defense of self-sufficiency then there will be huge life lessons, growth and transformation that come through relationships and their interactions with other people on all levels. It is in the Libran realm that such a person can find a sense of fulfilment and that life finally makes sense.

The house placement must also be considered. For example if the North Node is in the 4th house (and hence South Node in 10th) then the person is likely to put too much time or effort into their career thinking it will bring satisfaction. However no matter how successful they are, it will never quite do it for them, since life wants them to put more energy into the 4th house world. Nothing out there in the world will bring them what they really want, since happiness comes in the form of the home, family and/or their sense of roots / foundations. Where to live could be a significant question for such a person and a move to a beneficial location may dramatically affect their life journey.

While house placements are dependent on time of birth, the nodes stay in the same sign for roughly 18 months, so it is easy to discover which sign your nodes are in. Find out where yours is below:

Which sign is your North Node in?

With the above knowledge of your North Node, you can also know where your South Node is (opposite sign) and ponder on the nature of these two signs to see how this applies to you in your life.