Among astrologers in India, the Nodes of the Moon are considered a vital part of every horoscope, as necessary as the Sun and just as influential.
The Nodes of the Moon are the points where the Moon, in its orbit around the Earth, crosses the ecliptic, which is the apparent path of the Sun across the sky. The spot where the Moon climbs over the ecliptic is the North Node; the point where it sinks below the ecliptic is the South Node. Unlike the other celestial bodies the Nodes of the Moon don’t exactly exist. The Nodes of the Moon are the points where the Moon, in its orbit around the Earth crosses the ecliptic, which is the apparent path of the Sun across the sky. The spot where the Moon climbs over the ecliptic is the North Node; the point where it sinks below the ecliptic is the South Node. The Lunar Nodes are the only astrological bodies that move backward. Because of their backward movement, the Lunar Nodes are associated with our past lives, with karma and destiny.
The Nodes, which are exactly 180° apart, gradually shift backwards (retrograde), spending about a year and a half in each sign. The entire nodes cycle through the 12 zodiac signs takes about 18 years.
Another interesting concept in astrology, which is the art of studying the cycles of time: a current N. Node- S. Node transit is about balancing karma from 18/19 years ago. In other words, what were you dealing with 18–19 years ago? It doesn’t mean you will be experiencing the same kind of events, just that lessons for which the seeds were planned then, are the results that you’re likely to reap now.
Eg. If North Node is at the 29th degree Scorpio the South Node lies at 29th degree Taurus.
The North Node And The South Node
Traditionally the North Node – or the ascending Node – is connected to our future karma and with the opportunity to change our karma and re-write the script of our destiny, and is known as Rahu. The North Node represents personal growth and illuminates the path to fulfilment. It also represents expansion and potential. For those who believe in reincarnation, the North Node signifies your path in this life — an evolutionary journey for which you may feel unprepared because it’s a trip into the unknown. The North Node brings increase, volume, rapaciousness, greed, and striving.
The South Node – also called the descending node – is connected to past lives and past karma and is known as Ketu. It symbolises deeply entrenched patterns and habits that no longer profit you. The South Node also symbolises patterns established in previous lifetimes and thus represents the path of least resistance. It supports habit over effort, stagnation overgrowth, and experience over exploration. It’s your default method. It feels right because you’ve travelled that road before, perhaps in earlier lives. The South Node brings surrender, release, giving away, and letting go.
To ancient astrologers, the North Node (or Dragon’s Head) was beneficial, allied with prosperity and luck, while the South Node (or Dragon’s Tail) was Saturnian in flavour, a point of loss or adversity. Well into the 20th century, astrologers still occasionally described the South Node as evil — a distressing comment to anyone with the South Node in a prominent position. Though South Node’s reputation isn’t good it isn’t completely negative. It represents a set of talents and skills you’ve already mastered. The danger lies not in using those qualities but in placing undue emphasis on them and thus distorting them. The South Node is your launching pad; the North Node is your destination.
For a very long time the Nodes of the Moon have been ignored in the study of horoscopes because they are not planets and their significance is mostly Esoteric in nature. This is the reason the Nodes of the Moon are used by Draconic, Evolutionary and Karmic Astrology. These aspects of Astrology utilise the maximum of their potentials.
Karmic Astrology tries through a person’s horoscope to explain his origins, purpose of life, and in general, to explain all the whys. Τhe South Node is the Karma, i.e. all the acquired experience and the North Node is Dharma, i.e. the total experience he must obtain through his life. The Nodes are the means to unify the gap that separates the present state of our soul from the previous forms that she took.
The South Node represents our unresolved karma, that we need to ‘sort out’ in this lifetime. The South Node shows us what our unfinished task is – where we need to “finish what you have started” and fulfil the mission of the South Node. The South Node is the “familiar” comfort zone, what we instinctively “know” from previous lifetimes (or through genetic memory), what feels safe and natural – our comfort zone. But there is a reason why your South Node mission hasn’t been fulfilled.
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. We need to approach them from the opposite direction. We won’t be able to complete your karmic lesson unless we look in the exact opposite direction, the direction of the North Node.
The North Node is what we need to embrace and learn how to master. We can only heal and unlock your South Node past karma when we embrace our North Node.
Does that mean we should dismiss the South Node and completely focus on the North Node? Not at all. Your South Node is a gift – something that is waiting to be birthed and brought to completion. But to do that, to get to your South Node, we need new directions, with the North Node as our compass.
To interpret the Nodes, consider their position by sign, by aspect, and most of all, by house.
The Nodes of the Moon follow the six zodiac axis:
1. Aries-Libra and Libra-Aries
2. Taurus-Scorpio and Scorpio-Taurus
3. Gemini-Sagittarius and Sagittarius-Gemini
4. Cancer-Capricorn and Capricorn-cancer
5. Leo-Aquarius and Aquarius-Leo
6. Virgo-Pisces and Pisces-Virgo
The Aries-Libra axis has to do with the struggle between the "I" and the "Other".
The Taurus-Scorpio axis has to do with the "Safety, possession and their loss".
The Gemini-Sagittarius axis has to do with the "Knowledge and Communication".
The Cancer-Capricorn axis is the axis of "Psyche, or the manipulation of emotions".
The Leo-Aquarius axis is the axis of "creation".
The Virgo-Pisces axis has to do with “Offering”.
Example 1
Peter has his North Node in Sagittarius and his South Node in Gemini. He must learn not to lean onto superficial knowledge and he must aim to acquire higher education.
Jenny has her North Node in Virgo and her South Node in Pisces. She needs to learn to offer without expecting thanks from others.
When the Nodes of the Moon make their progression into a new sign, all people resonate with the new vibrations, and sooner or later the events that follow, are in accordance with the nature of the new axis.
Example 2
09/01/2008 Aquarius-Leo: Lehman Brothers collapses, starting the global fiscal crisis domino.
22/08/2009 Capricorn-Cancer: The fiscal crisis has its foundation in the U.S. subprime mortgages.
03/03/2011 Sagittarius-Gemini: The fiscal crisis turns global
30/08/2012 Scorpio-Taurus: Most governments took austerity measures to counter-balance the fiscal crisis.
Special mention should be given of the axis Aries-Libra, as zero (0) degree of Aries-Libra signals humanity’s Karma. Any planet passing that point, especially heavy planets, like Jupiter or Saturn, and all the planets beyond Saturn’s orbit, then we have momentous events.
Great attention should be paid to those horoscopes where planets are in conjunction with any of the Nodes. The conjunction of the planets with the Nodes shows which pieces of us must be worked thoroughly. The conjunction with the North Node gives us trials so we can develop ourselves, while conjunction with the South Node gives us trials to that part of us which is not going to evolve, but we need to work much more so we can escape from its negative influence.
Example 3
George has his Moon conjunct North Node in Cancer. He must learn to love his family, his mother, to trust his instincts!
Catherine has in her horoscope her Sun conjunct her South Node in Aquarius. In her life she will always have problems with her father or companion because she is always rebellious. She must learn that men neither oppress her nor deny her freedom.
Example 4
The Karmic Lesson of Libra-Aries axis
South Node in Aries: The soul has a background in experiences such as courage, adventure, daring, pioneering, and eroticism, but also in violence, recklessness, and power mongering. Everything revolves around the exaltation of EGO.
North Node in Libra: The soul has come to acquire experiences from a place that teaches balance, harmony, cooperation, diplomacy, flexibility.
This axis’s Karmic lesson is the soul must learn that my ego can co-exist with the ego of others, and through cooperation can realise that the WE rather than I can complete her.
We should also pay attention to Saturn. If Saturn makes positive aspects with the North node, then the person goes to his Dharma, even if he doesn’t want to. With negative aspects he also goes to his Dharma but with many difficulties and always in doubt.
The Nodes of the Moon (1950 to date)
Entry Date- North Node–South Node
17/08/1950 Pisces-Virgo
06/03/1952 Aquarius-Leo
23/09/1953 Capricorn-Cancer
13/04/1955 Sagittarius-Gemini
31/10/1956 Scorpio-Taurus
20/05/1958 Libra-Aries
08/12/1959 Virgo-Pisces
26/06/1961 Leo-Aquarius
13/01/1963 Cancer-Capricorn
02/08/1964 Gemini-Sagittarius
20/02/1966 Taurus-Scorpio
09/09/1967 Aries-Libra
29/03/1969 Pisces-Virgo
16/10/1970 Aquarius-Leo
05/05/1972 Capricorn-Cancer
22/11/1973 Sagittarius-Gemini
12/06/1975 Scorpio-Taurus
29/10/1976 Libra-Aries
19/07/1978 Virgo-Pisces
05/02/1980 Leo-Aquarius
25/08/1981 Cancer-Capricorn
15/03/1983 Gemini-Sagittarius
01/10/1984 Taurus-Scorpio
21/04/1986 Aries-Libra
08/11/1987 Pisces-Virgo
28/05/1989 Aquarius-Leo
15/12/1990 Capricorn-Cancer
04/07/1992 Sagittarius-Gemini
21/01/1994 Scorpio-Taurus
21/08/1995 Libra-Aries
27/02/1997 Virgo-Pisces
17/09/1998 Leo-Aquarius
05/04/2000 Cancer-Capricorn
24/08/2001 Gemini-Sagittarius
13/05/2003 Taurus-Scorpio
30/11/2004 Aries-Libra
19/06/2006 Pisces-Virgo
07/01/2008 Aquarius-Leo
27/07/2009 Capricorn-Cancer
13/02/2011 Sagittarius-Gemini
02/09/2012 Scorpio-Taurus
22/04/2014 Libra-Aries
10/10/2015 Virgo-Pisces
28/07/2017 Leo-Aquarius
16/11/2018 Cancer-Capricorn
04/06/2020 Gemini-Sagittarius
23/12/2022 Taurus-Scorpio
12/07/2023 Aries-Libra