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THE NODES OF THE MOON

by Brian Habit

NOTE: To find out where the nodes are in your birth chart, go to www.astro.com, enter your birth information, and print a free copy of your chart. Then find the "True Node." That's your North Node. The South Node (not shown) lies directly opposite the North Node, in the opposite sign and house.

Most of the key points in a person's birth chart are planets. Each of the planets corresponds to some physical body in our solar system. The Nodes of the Moon are unlike the planets in this respect. Rather than correspond to physical bodies, the Nodes relate to the Moon’s revolution around the Earth.

South Node in Aries in the 9th House

Simply put, the South Node represents your past, and the North Node represents your future.

You came into the world marked by history, with a past. A series of causes and effects unfolded before you were born. We could think of the past in terms of genetics or reincarnation or both.

If we think of the past in the sense of our genetic inheritance, then the South Node symbolizes the impact that our ancestors have on us. Our genetic endowment ensures that we’ll have certain strengths and weakness.

If we think of the past in terms of reincarnation, then this life is one in a series of lives, and over the course of them, we develop awareness. We develop both productive and destructive tendencies. We bring these tendencies or karma into life with us. We can think of karma as cause and effect: past behavior affects the quality of one’s life—or lives—in the future.

It’s beyond the scope of astrology to determine whether reincarnation is an acceptable belief. Such a question falls within the purview of philosophy, or religion, or another type of belief system. However, whether we believe in reincarnation or not, we can say that the South Node represents the lingering influence of the past on the present.

The South Node represents the past and how it affects us, whether we talk about it in terms of the past lives of our ancestors or in terms of our own past lives. It indicates instinctive, automatic ways in which we act. It represents both positive and problematic potentials. The South Node’s house represents an area of activity to which we are effortlessly drawn. The South Node’s sign represents the attitudes or motivations that come naturally for us. These unconscious biases shape how we perceive our experiences.

Your South Node lies in Aries, in your 9th house (the house of experiences that lie beyond your everyday routine). Whether because of heredity or karma, you are automatically, instinctively adept in acting in Arian ways (acting independently or leading others into battle of one sort or another, taking a stand to protect your rights or your territory). You also have a natural orientation toward the affairs of the 9th house—staking out what you passionately believe in, and acting like a warrior or a pioneer as you engage in intellectual, spiritual, or philosophical “campaigns.” From the get-go, you take an Arian approach to 9th-house matters. In the process, you weed out the development of behaviors that clash with such an approach. You prevent them from developing. For example, it comes pretty naturally for you to speak your mind, to challenge people when you disagree with them, on matters of principle or personal values.

Now, if we don’t recognize our natural biases and stretch ourselves beyond them, then we get into a rut. We cover the same ground over and over and digging a hole for ourselves. We could take the easy way out and stick to South Node behaviors and pursuits. Based on experience, we know that if we act in certain ways, we’ll tend to get certain results pretty reliably. If we focus primarily on doing those things in our lives, we may seem successful because we’re such “naturals” at it. However, the victories that we win could feel very hollow. We might be successful in the world, but we also feel bored, unsatisfied, and empty.

The work of the South Node is all work that we’ve finished already. It’s behind us, not ahead of us. We’ve done everything we can in that department of our lives, and it’s time to move on to new assignments. The South Node indicates which of the qualities indicated elsewhere in the chart we have developed through experience.

Let’s look at some examples of the sorts of problems that you could run into if you focus on acting in South-Node kinds of ways. Focusing on the South Node means acting like a warrior or a daredevil when you throw yourself into whatever gives your life a sense of purpose and meaning or, in the absence of that, however you express your cynicism or “rudderless” outlook on life.

Perhaps you waste time being combative with anyone and everyone, or you fight the wrong battles involving other people.  Standing up for yourself so that you don’t become anyone’s doormat is fine, but attacking others or getting mired in destructive conflict would be a bad thing. If you go down that path, maybe you attack your romantic partner, or you go out of your way to “tighten the screws” on your political adversaries.

Another possibility is that you become a general hell-raiser. In that case, you throw yourself into wild, disruptive partying or carousing. Maybe you get a kick out of provoking or shocking others, like an actress who flashes her breasts on TV talk shows. You’re like a kid with too much money to burn and too much time on his hands, always living life in “the fast lane.”

In another scenario, you break the law or you play the obnoxious bigot. You’re the teenager who goes “wilding,” bullying and terrorizing others as part of a gang. You’re the guy who gets into legal trouble in his personal life, or gets involved in organized crime, or smuggles illegal aliens into the country. Maybe you attack certain segments of the society as being morally reprehensible. You see yourself as being one of the superior “chosen people,” and you use this belief to rationalize discriminating against others. Somehow, even if you win a political battle, you still end up losing the war.

Now let’s look at the point opposite your South Node--the North Node.

North Node in Libra in the 3rd House

The North Node represents the future to which we are drawn. It symbolizes the newest stage of our growth. Your North Node lies in Libra, in the 3rd house of information exchange. It indicates which of the qualities indicated elsewhere in the chart that you’re developing through conscious effort, starting almost from scratch. You’re developing your sensitivity, intuition, and imagination through solitary, spiritual or altruistic pursuits.

If we let ourselves experience our North Node, then we leave ourselves open to newness. With newness comes both awkwardness and excitement. We feel fascinated and anxious at the same time. After all, there’s not nearly the certainty that comes with South Node behaviors based on experience. With the North Node, all we’ve got is the uncertain future.

When you have experiences of a Libran or 3rd-house nature, they call into question your automatic assumptions about life. In other words, when situations call for you to engage in a congenial give-and-take way with others, you might feel lost at first. When you have such experiences, you may feel like you’re out of your element.  The unfamiliar can be scary, at least at first.

If we first learn to recognize our natural biases and, secondly, decide to go beyond them through an act of will, then we’re on our way to growth. If we’re going to grow in this life, though, we have to stretch ourselves toward our North Node. That way lies both stress and fulfillment. The North Node indicates what we need to become in this lifetime. We can’t know from looking at our charts whether we will become that. The answer to that question depends on us. 

With your North Node in Aries in the 3rd house, you may not appreciate just how much success you might be in developing your strengths as a thinker and communicator.  You may sell yourself short when it comes to your ability to engage people through charm and a pleasant demeanor, rather than through coming on strong, with a more forceful, combative style. However, the more you stretch yourself in such directions, the more satisfying you’ll find it in the long run. The more you focus on developing your own creative style, rather than engaging in conflict with others, the more satisfied you’ll be.

The idea here is to move toward your North Node in this life—to focus increasingly on developing Libran strengths as you address the issues associated with the 3rd house. In general, doing this means that you concentrate on thinking in fair-minded ways. You cultivate a socially or artistically graceful way of imparting your knowledge, opinions, or ideas to others. Here are some ways that you might do this…

First, focus your best efforts on developing and expressing your ideas in aesthetically-oriented ways. Dance, or ice-skate, or choreograph other people’s dancing to achieve a particular effect. Compose or perform music. Paint, or become a graphic designer, or fashion designer, or architect. You might model, or act, or host a TV or radio show. You could write. There’s even a certain art in translating words, in capturing the spirit as well as the meaning of an original text, so you might try that, too.

Another way you could move toward your North Node would be by developing your potential as a social agent, as an activist or someone who provides “social glue” for others. If you do this, then you somehow make the path through life smoother for other people. Maybe you volunteer with Doctors Without Borders, or you become a “Big Brother” for a child that needs some mentoring and companionship. Perhaps you teach, train, or counselor people, or you become a public speaker. 

Yet another way to moving toward your North Node would be by developing your potential as an adroit political “animal.” If you do that, then you learn to mingle and schmooze with people at social events. Your social gracefulness helps you achieve personal or organizational goals. Maybe you take on a role as an advisor for some politico, or you champion a cause on behalf of others, like a grassroots organizer in the area of tenants’ rights.

It may feel awkward for a while, but the more you cultivate such behaviors, the more spiritually satisfied you’ll be. Stick with it. Give it time. You’ll be amazed how far it will take you in the long run. For example, you could be like a child who takes an acting class. He’s been through some unsatisfying experiences in his short lifetime, but when he goes there, and he gets singled out for praise, it can be a real boon for his self-confidence and spiritual satisfaction. It can help him greet new social situations in the future with a positive, hopeful outlook. 

Now, I don’t want to give you the impression that, in moving toward your North Node, you need to shun making use of your South Node. In fact, you might use your South Node as a springboard toward developing your North Node potential. There are a variety of ways in which you might do that. For example, maybe you do some personal work on recognizing your greatest fears and then mustering your courage to do something about them. That’s an Arian experience. Once you get some of such successes under your belt, you might write a book or teach a course, to help others learn how to do the same thing for themselves.

By all means seek out bold, philosophically meaningful challenges and adventures. Just don’t limit yourself to such activity. Look at life’s biggest issues. However, don’t stop there. Encourage yourself to develop a “lighter” touch, a certain degree of finesse in dealing with whatever (or whomever) is most immediate in your life.