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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. They always come in pairs: the North Node always sits exactly opposite the South Node in a person’s birth chart—in the opposite sign, and in the opposite house.

South Node in Taurus in the 8th 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.

You have the South Node of the Moon in Taurus, the sign of the Solid Citizen. Whether because of what you have inherited genetically or psychological from your ancestors, or because of what you did in previous lifetimes that affects your current life, your past has prepared you well to build a simple, calm, secure life: to establish stable, physically comfortable surroundings, to be rock-solid and unflappable even in the most tumultuous of circumstances, and to use your energy efficiently and practically. You have a natural instinct to provide stability and support for others, to be honest, reliable, and socially responsible. Now, like a prisoner whose been freed from pounding rocks on a chain gang, you must learn a new lesson: to live a vital life, to live each day as if it would be your last.

The South Node of the Moon lies in the 8th House of your chart. It’s as if, in previous lifetimes, you experienced deep trauma. You were exposed to scary realities, taboo stuff, things that people normally distance themselves from psychologically. And it was absolutely essential for you to be practical and unflappable. You were like a soldier who was trained to risk death without cracking under pressure, without cutting and running. You knew that people were counting on you to stand the heat, so you did. Your spirit reflects this psychologically toughness that you’ve developed, but becoming disconnected from what motivates you and makes you tick is a risk now.  

Now let’s consider the point that lies opposite the South Node--the North Node.

North Node in Scorpio in the 2nd House

The North Node represents the future to which we are drawn. It symbolizes the newest stage of our growth. It indicates which of the qualities indicated elsewhere in the chart that you’re developing through conscious effort, starting almost from scratch.

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.

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. 

Your just-beginning ability to follow your passion is symbolized by your North Node of the Moon, which lies in Scorpio -- the sign of the Detective. We could arguably consider the North Node to be the most significant point in your entire chart because it represents your evolutionary future--the ultimate reason that you’re here. How can you accomplish this Scorpionic spiritual work? You must overcome your stoic instincts and consciously seek out experiences that engage you emotionally, deeply. You need to intentionally place yourself in situations that require you to dig beneath superficial truths, or knowledge, or understanding, to get to the very heart of matters.

In this lifetime, with your North Node of the Moon in the 2nd house, you must act to counterbalance those emotionally repressed and socially responsible tendencies... not so much because they're "bad" as because you've already learned everything that you can learn from them.

The time has come for you to learn self-confidence. It’s time to claim your right to delve into the mysteries that intrigue you, that stoke a fire in your belly--to go after the things that satisfy your desires, even if they’re not on anyone else’s agenda.