THE NODES OF THE MOON Part 6

by Brian Habit

August 10, 2003

In part 1 of this series, I described the South Node of the Moon as representing your past (whether in terms of genetics, reincarnation, or both), and I described the North Node as representing your future. Since then, I have interpreted the North Node in terms of several sign and house combinations: Taurus and the 1st house, Capricorn and the 2nd house, Sagittarius and the 6th house, Aries and the 11th house, and Virgo and the 4th house. I also interpreted the South Node based on several combinations: Scorpio and the 7th house, Cancer and the 8th house, Gemini and the 12th house, Libra and the 5th house, and Pisces and the 10th house.

This time around, let's consider the significance of the South Node in Aquarius in the 3rd house and the North Node in Leo in the 9th house. For purposes of illustration, let's assume that you have not only these nodal positions but also: the Sun and Mercury in Pisces in the 4th house; a Scorpio Ascendant; Mars, Saturn and Uranus in Gemini; and Jupiter and Pluto in Leo in the 9th house.

The South Node in Aquarius in the 3rd House

Before we get into the South Node itself, let's review what the 3rd house represents.

The 3rd house is where we filter and absorb stimuli from our environment, process it, and turn it out again as ideas, opinions, or information. This includes learning, reading, and communication through the spoken or written word or some other medium (visual images, dance, music, etc.). One of the issues that we face in this part of our chart is what we do when information from our environment doesn’t match the mental map of the world that we carry around in our head. Do we distort the information, however subtly or well-intentioned we do it, so that it fits the map? Do we update the map? Do we do some combination of these two? The 3rd house also represents how we interact with elements of our relatively immediate environment, such as people whose paths we cross in our daily routines (neighbors, classmates, etc.). It governs siblings, travel across relatively short distances, buying and selling, training, negotiation and contracts, and primary and secondary education.

OK, that’s the gist of what the 3rd house represents. Now let's assume that your South Node lies in Aquarius, in your 3rd house. Whether because of heredity or karma, you are automatically, instinctively adept at acting in Aquarian ways (applying cool reasoning or logic, acting independently, thinking and acting in unusual or innovative ways). You also have a natural orientation toward the affairs of the 3rd house—gadding about restlessly in your everyday surroundings, seeking stimulation or excitement with familiar people, such as classmates or siblings, and learning through sudden insight or lightning-quick methods. From the get-go, you take an Aquarian approach to 3rd-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, you naturally tend to take a dispassionate, cerebral, or analytical approach rather than exhibiting a from-the-heart, passionate, or performance-oriented style in your routine communication and interactions. 

Your South Node (representing what you’ve already done) lies in Aquarius, and your Sun (representing what you’re trying to achieve in this lifetime) lies in Pisces in the 4th house of roots. How well does what comes naturally prepare you for what you’re learning to do now?

Both Aquarius and Pisces are visionary signs, always on a wavelength that’s at least somewhat different from those of many people. They tend to know things through unusual means. Pisces can be quite intuitive, and Aquarius can have flashes of insight (those “Eureka!” moments that strike intellectuals while they’re soaking in the tub, for example). Both signs tend to a concern for others, though in somewhat different veins. For Aquarius, it’s an interest in humanitarian matters, social systems, collective efforts, and social change. For Pisces, it’s a tender empathy and abiding compassion for individuals who, like small bodies of water, ultimately all flow into one great ocean.

Having your South Node in Aquarius, then, provides some support for you as you go about the task of developing a Pisces identity. You don’t have to start from scratch in getting to know your natural Piscean strengths and learning how to act in Sagittarian ways. This can help you get a “jump start” on developing a strong, coherent sense of identity. In addition, you have Mercury in Pisces in the 4th house. This, too, will help you develop your Piscean Sun efficiently. Furthermore, you have Scorpio on the Ascendant. Like fellow water sign Pisces, Scorpio requires a steady diet of introspection and sometimes has a mystical, sorcerer-like bent. That, too, can help you along your Piscean way.

On the other hand, you also have Mars, Saturn and Uranus in Gemini and both Jupiter and Pluto in Leo. Gemini and Leo have some commonalities with Pisces, but they’re also quite different from the sign of the Fish in many ways.

For example, both Gemini and Pisces are adaptable mutable signs, prepared to work around rather than push through environmental barriers. However, Gemini is a logical, linear thinker and a keen observer, while Pisces is impressionistic, fluid, and intuitive. Gemini could easily find the irrational motivations and sensitivity of Pisces puzzling or tedious. Both Pisces and Leo can be very creative. Pisces has a rich imagination and an appreciation for imagery and nuances. Leo has the colorful personality of an artist or a performer, but Leo is proud. The Lion can find it hard to stomach selfless giving, which Pisces finds so spiritually satisfying.

Therefore, in some respects, you may have to go down the same road and fall in the same "hole" repeatedly until you realize some important points. For example, it may take you a fair amount of effort to learn certain behaviors, such as honoring your intuition, even when what it tells you defies all logic. It could take some conscious effort to go beyond acting merely to satisfy your ego to take more of a “cosmic” view on yourself, as you move about on the worldly stage. Gemini needs to communicate with others, and Leo is gregarious, but a Piscean Sun in the 4th house needs lots of time to recharge and reflect in peace and quiet. Taking the time for that can also be a challenge.

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.

One way you could get in trouble with your South Node in Aquarius in the 3rd house would be by communicating or moving through your familiar environment in an erratic or antisocial fashion. Here we might find the driver who has a car accident, perhaps while driving drunk, or the journalist who uses other people’s material carelessly and gets accused of plagiarism. We might also find the bright child who throws a school into turmoil by acting rebellious or provocative, or who runs away from home…the lover who wears her number of partners like a badge of honor…the employer who ends up paying legal settlements to workers who accuse him of defaming them.

With your South Node in Aquarius in the 3rd house, conforming to other people’s expectations like a robot can cause you to have as many problems as mindlessly rebelling against them. If you fall into this trap, then you let yourself get derailed in connection with 3rd-house matters, such as learning or movement. Maybe you’re the budding pianist. You want to spend a lot of time practicing your music, but your father keeps shuffling you outside to play. If you let it get to you, then you might decide that no one cares enough about your music for you to ever play for them. Or maybe you have the stereotypical stage mother. You want to become a doctor, but “Honey, you dance so well, and you’ve got just the right build for it. I would have given anything to be a dancer.” If only to stop the bickering once and for all, you go off and become a dancer. Someone might think you’re successful and happy by the looks of you, but your soul checked out a long time ago.

Another hazard is settling into a norm of chaos or alienation. Johnny’s cousin drank himself to death. His sister and his parents are constantly at each other’s throats, and no one’s looking out for poor little Junior. If Johnny lives in such an environment long enough, and it’s all he’s ever known, he might think it’s normal and shrug it off as “No big deal.” Johnny himself parties hard, so (whew!) he doesn’t have to think too long or hard about it.

Alienation can take many forms. If you slide into solo alienation, then you play the exile or the misfit outsider. In that case, you could be like the kid whose family moved around a lot and never spent much time together. You might be great at settling into a new school or making conversation with strangers, but when it’s time to pack up and leave again, it’s no problem. After all, you never let yourself get close to anyone while you were there. If you go for group isolation, then maybe you get shunned by one group for being “weird,” and you find your place with a bunch of tough, bad-boy hoods.

Those are all examples of focusing on your South Node—going awry in expressing your uniqueness and finding excitement (Aquarius) in your everyday life (3rd house), and suffering for it.

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

The North Node in Leo in the 9th 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 Leo, in the 9th house of circumstances that lie beyond your everyday routines. Before we go further into the node, let's review the symbolism of this house.

The 9th house is where we confront life’s tendency to become routine and mundane through experiencing the unusual or the out-of-the-ordinary. It relates to our belief systems—our philosophical point of view on life, our ethics and values, our worldview. It’s through our belief systems that we try to discover the meaning of life or to give meaning to life. Such a belief system could be Islam or Catholicism, for example, but it could also be art, or science, or materialism, or humanitarianism. In the 9th house, a “religion” can be anything that we believe in.

By experiencing the perspectives of other people—their values, morals, and mythologies—we can test our beliefs. We can clarify what exactly it is that we believe. Traveling and meeting people from different types of backgrounds can help us do that. So can education, especially higher education. The 9th house, then, is also where we get out of our everyday physical surroundings, rub elbows with people from different walks of life, and consider major philosophical, spiritual and intellectual matters. Concretely, this house deals with religion, higher education, long-distance travel, other people’s communication, publishing, public relations, legal matters, foreigners and distant relatives.

The North Node indicates which of the qualities indicated elsewhere in the chart that you’re developing through conscious effort, starting almost from scratch. Your North Node lies in Leo, so you’re developing your Leonine strengths: passion, playfulness, a performing spirit, and the ability to command attention. You’re also learning to master affairs related to the 9th house: pursuits and paths that help you explore life’s meaning and purpose, and activities that help renew your sense of wonder. You have expansive, enthusiastic Jupiter and intense, transformative Pluto in Leo in the 9th house. These heavy-hitting planets can thus help you develop such strengths and master such affairs.

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 9th-house or Leonine nature, they call into question your automatic assumptions about life. In other words, when situations call for you to define (and redefine) what you passionately believe in, you might feel lost at first. The same thing could happen when situations call for you to shine as a performer in an intellectual, spiritual, or artistic venue. 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 lie 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 Leo in the 9th house, you may not appreciate how zealous or engaging you could be. You may sell yourself short when it comes to your ability to cultivate the magical rapport that exists between an artist and his audience, or between a promoter and her fellow true believers. However, the more you stretch yourself in such directions, the more satisfying you’ll find it in the long run. The more you ponder life’s larger questions and philosophical points of view, the more satisfied you’ll be. The more you shine your light far and wide, the more satisfied you’ll be. By all means apply your logical or analytical power to intellectual concepts or ideas that come up in casual conversation. Define and pursue your own independent path, regardless of how much people cajole or bully you to live a life that makes sense to them, but not you. Spend time on matters, and people, and places that are right before your eyes, “in your own back yard.” Just don’t limit yourself to such behaviors.

How could you do this? One way you could do it would be by searching for spiritual, or intellectual, or ideological truth. If you’re spiritually inclined, then maybe you go through a religious conversion or you become a pastor, moving generations of people with your fierce theological passion. If your tastes go beyond the mainstream variety, then explore metaphysics or start an astrological group. If you have a strong social conscience, then aim for a high position in the United Nations or some other organization that pursues a humanitarian mission and has a large scope. If you groove on politics and you have a vision for which direction your country should move in, then you might very well have a significant impact on it in time, if you set your mind to it. The same goes for other mission-driven settings, such as the military or university associations.

If academia calls you, then you could become the inspiring professor who always seems to be thronged by bright, eager students. You could broaden their horizons and help them feel good in the process. Do the arts appeal to you? Then you could even become like an original film director, who creates a conceptual work that takes a satirical view on the American way of life. Or maybe you both perform music and conduct other performers. You keep the temperamental prima donnas happy, but you also decide who sings what.

Whatever you do, emphasize acting on your principles or your beliefs, rather than doing what is expedient. Your North Node in Leo and the 9th house is not about being a mercenary who sells her time or her soul to the highest bidder. It’s about sticking to your guns when people pressure you to violate your personal code. (That doesn’t, however, mean that you should close your mind to new ways of approaching the world. The 9th house demands breadth of vision and an openness to change.) Suppose you’re a European professor during World War II. You don’t sympathize with the Nazi cause, and you get offered a plum academic position provided that you speak the “party line.” Instead of playing that game, you might choose to go into exile in another country. Principles matter. Intellectual and political freedom matter that much to you.

To stretch toward your North Node, you could also cultivate a blend of Leonine playfulness through 9th-house horizon-expanding experiences. If you’ve got the financial means to do so, then live the life of a rich gypsy. Satisfy your affinity for faraway parts of the world. Trek off to the Far East or other parts unknown. Even if you have very modest means, make sure you get away now and then for a change of scenery. If nothing else, go for a secluded walk in the woods, or visit someone on a farm. Leo can bring a sense of play to almost anything, so pick your pleasure. Learn a language, or several languages. Become an aviator, or speaker, or cultural ambassador, and travel internationally.

With your North Node, you could very well shine as a great thinker or promoter of one “-ology” or “-ism” or another, be it paleontology or internationalism, existentialism or psychoneuroimmunology. (No, I didn’t make that one up.) For example, if you go into law, you could exhibit intellectual brilliance as an attorney, scholar, judge or prosecutor. If you paint, then you could introduce a new mode of artistic interpretation. Take Dadaism as an example. In it, everyday objects became vehicles for many ideas. That’s one way to use your South Node as a springboard toward developing your North Node: the 3rd house symbolizes the everyday, and Leo and the 9th house can add dash and significance to it. You could also do this by first writing a book (3rd house) and then publishing it yourself (9th house).

Whether you pursue the highbrow interests of an academic or artist, or you enjoy simple pleasures such as playing a game of cards, concentrate on following your heart. Pursue your dreams. Laugh. Smile. Sing a song. Demonstrate generosity and loyalty toward others. Let the world see that you love life. Make yourself a living testament to the principle that taking delight in today is part of what life’s all about. Those are all ways to fulfill the potential of your North Node. 

The more you pursue such Leonine/9th-house strategies, the more spiritually satisfied you’ll be. At first it can be like learning to bicycle, wobbly but exciting. Ride it out. Give yourself time to master such techniques. You’ll be amazed how far they can take you in the long run.

Looking Ahead

At this point, I have written about either the North Node or the South Node in each of the 12 signs, and I have written about one node or the other in each of the 12 houses. That should provide you with at least some food for thought about how to interpret the nodes in other sign-house positions. Now I'm going to pause for a while, to take some time to decide where to go with the nodes from here. I also want to devote some badly-needed attention to writing Mini-Interpretations during the rest of this month.

Sometime after this month, I may write further installments in this series, about the North and South nodes in still other combinations of signs and houses (as originally planned). I may organize one or more discussions online, so that people can get help interpreting their particular nodes by sign and house position. I may do both of these.

Please visit the Proud Phoenix later this month to find out more.

And What About Your Nodes?

Do you want me to interpret your North and South Node, and other key parts of your birth chart? Then order your very own birth chart interpretation. Click here to learn more. 

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