The Tao of Astrology
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The Lunar Nodes

 

In astrology we have a very insightful interpretation technique that can tune you into your destiny.  It’s called the Lunar Nodes.  Many beginning astrologers get confused about the nodes of the moon.  The nodes are the points along the ecliptic (the sun’s yearly path) that show where eclipses will happen.  The ancients found out real quick how to track the 19-year cycle of the nodes backwards through the zodiac and often built monuments like Stonehenge to watch the mythic movie unfold in the heavens.  They thought the moon blacking out the sun was a great dragon.  Hence, the north or ascending node of the moon was called the Dragon’s Head.  The south or descending node of the moon was called the Dragon’s Tail.  So the nodal axis emerges from the intersection of the lunar and solar paths.  But what do they symbolize?  The moon symbolizes the soul and the sun symbolizes purpose.  So the nodes came to symbolize the arrow of the soul’s purpose.

            The south node reveals your karmic inheritance.  The sign and house it is in shows the predominant archetypal themes that your soul has participated in down the corridors of time.    It indicates your talents and gifts as well as your addictions and attachments.  Whereas, the north node symbolizes your karmic legacy, what you need to do in this lifetime to find ultimate fulfillment and balance.  Think of the south node as a repository of memories and imagery experienced through many past lives.  You have already mastered the spiritual and archetypal principles of the sign and house it occupies.  This lifetime is about going beyond what you know and stretching into a new destiny.  It’s very hard to pull away from the known and familiar and to strike out into the unknown.  In a way, finding your destiny requires that you step into the darkness of the unknown to make friends with it.  You have to use the gifts of the south node in service of fulfilling the potential of the north node to truly evolve.

            Here’s an example of two famous people and their nodal axis: Elvis and Einstein.  They both had their south node in the sign of Leo and their north node in the sign of Aquarius.  The nodes are always in opposite signs.  Elvis and Einstein had past lives as special people.  They were treated with great respect and honor wherever they went.  They came to earth to get over themselves and to show other people how they were unique and special too.  Elvis stayed focused (addicted) to his gift bestowed by Leo.  He performed and he became the King, both images associated with Leo.  He did what he loved and inspired others with romance and shocked them with his unusual style.  However, he died of a heart attack from overdosing on drugs.  He was not personally fulfilled.  Although he brought something unique to the world, the focus was always on him and his career ambition.  He had to shine!

On the other hand, Einstein (who also performed with the violin) knew he had to utilize his creative imagination to inspire people in a humanitarian way.  He threw himself into his life as a scholar and developed a theory of relativity that made people think about the nature of existence, space, and time and launched a revolution in science.  He introduced the idea of a cosmic religion, and he became known by the world as the genius and the humanitarian, both Aquarian archetypes.  He spent his life either in his study working, traveling to teach and lecture, or working on pacifist peace movements.  His focus was contemplating the unified field theory, saying, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”

If you want to learn more about your own nodal axis, head to the bookstore and check out Jan Spiller’s book Astrology for the Soul.  It’s the best book written to date on the nodes.  Of course, the nodes are just one part of the entire chart.  It’s also important to study their house positions and sacred geometry (aspects) in the chart for a full picture.  You’ll be amazed at how following the guidance of your north node will empower your life!

The descriptions below of the nodal pairs are not complete.  They are meant to open up your imagination to the archetypal essences that define the nodal flow.  Naturally the principle of polarity is at work.  The theory is that to achieve fulfillment in one realm you have to stop being obsessed with it and simply focus on the opposite realm.  We come into life compulsive about our south node imagery.  In order to overcome these addictions we need to start focusing on developing the harmonious expressions of the north node’s sign, house, and aspects in our character.  At the same time we must banish the shadow expressions of our south node configuration by sign, house, and aspect.

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