THE NODES OF THE MOON peace.

Get in touch with Mother Earth – Gardening is

therapeutic.
By Brenda Black
Gemini – In past lives you were jack-of-all-trades and
WHAT ARE THE NODES? scattered your energies. You followed the crowd and
believed in a philosophy just because other people told
At the intersection of the Moon’s orbit and the Earth’s you that you had to. You had bachelor-like tendencies
orbit you find the Nodes of the Moon. They are not and were afraid to commit. In this life you are here
planets, but points in the astrology chart that indicate to pick just a few trades to master and become very
your Dharma (what you can do in this lifetime to be sophisticated at them. You are also here to decide
happy and peaceful) and Karma (what you must do to for yourself what to believe in and to be a master at
atone for actions and words done in the past). The North communication.
Node also indicates what you are working toward for
soul growth in this lifetime and the South Node indicates Cancer – In past lives you were focused on career and
traits and talents you had in past lives that you carry with social status. You had an insatiable need to manage
you into this lifetime. The North Node is more positive everything around you. In this lifetime you are here to
and similar to Jupiter. The South Node is more negative place more importance on family values. You are here
and similar to Saturn. The North Node is also called to focus on your feminine side and know when to let
the Dragon’s Head, which indicates your Dharma and others take control.
the South Node is also called the Dragon’s Tail, which
indicates your Karma. We all have a “Nodal Return” Leo – In past lives you sacrificed your life to help
every 18 years, when we reach a milestone of maturity humanity and did many things to help people. In this
in our lives. At that time there will be activation of our life you are here to place yourself first and promote
Dharma – New Doors open and we make a step in our yourself. Connect with children. They have a lot to
evolutionary growth. teach you. Also, be more goal-oriented. Many with this
placement have a life of “rags to riches.”
The direction of the Nodes is counter clockwise. The
Nodes are always 180 degrees apart. The sign and ruling Virgo – In past lives you relied on instinct and intuition,
planet of the North Node shows the psychological and many people used you as a doormat. You were an
shift one needs to make in this lifetime to achieve escapist and delved into fantasy. In this life you are here
evolutionary growth. to use logic to guide your life. Create routines, make
lists, and perfect personal hygiene. Also, learn the art
The House containing the North Node shows the of saying “NO.”
experiences one needs to access this new awareness.
Libra – In past lives you were a warrior and lived for
NORTH NODE DESCRIPTIONS yourself. You jumped into situations without thinking.
You had a me-first attitude and drained other people of
Aries – In past lives you were very dependent on your their energy. In this lifetime you need to learn to explore
marriage partner and expected that person to run your the consequences of your actions before taking them.
life and make decisions for you. In this life you are Think of others first. Focus more on partnership and
encouraged to stand on your own two feet and to make learn how to be a good companion.
decisions for yourself. There are periods of time in
your life when you need to go into isolation to regain Scorpio – In past lives you were stubborn and did not
yourself. Reading books is therapeutic for you. share your money and possessions. The more physical
things you accumulated, the more trapped you were. In
Taurus – In past lives you used manipulation and this lifetime try not to be so materialistic. Learn the art
seduction to get what you wanted. You misused sex and of letting go. Include other people in your plans and try
money and had the rug pulled out from under you many to be more physical and express your sexuality.
times. In this lifetime you need to focus on saving and
investing your money, trusting and live a life of inner Sagittarius – In past lives you were frivolous,
flirtatious, flippant and gossipy. You constantly changed
your mind about things. In this life attend universities
and philosophical organizations in a quest for higher
knowledge. Traveling is advised and always work at
perfecting your writing and communication skills. You
will be famous if you publish a book.
Capricorn – In past lives you were dependent on your
family and in need of parental guidance all your life.
You got what you wanted by emotional manipulation.
You over- indulged in food when you got upset. In this
lifetime you need to move out of the family home.
Create a career for yourself and put your energy into
working. Endings are difficult for you. Learn how to
detach.
Aquarius – In past lives you were royalty. You were
bossy and spent money like it grew on trees. You used
acquaintances, friends and family to step up the social
ladder. In this lifetime you need to be less self-centered
and be more globally aware. You should find a sense
of humility and find a humanitarian cause to believe in
and work for.
your lover in a past life.
Mars conjunct the South Node – The person was a
soldier you knew in a past life.
Jupiter conjunct the South Node – The person was
your benefactor.
Saturn conjunct the South Node – The person was
your teacher.
Uranus conjunct the South Node – The person was a
revolutionary who influenced you.
Neptune conjunct the South Node – The person was a
prophet or spiritual leader who influenced you.
Pluto conjunct the South Node – The person was in
control of a group in which you were a member.
Many thanks to Maritha Pottenger, Jan Spiller, Martin
Schulman, Donna Van Toen, Dr. Louis Turi and Virginia
Dayan (My original teacher)

Pisces – This is the hardest nodal position to deal © Eclipse Astrology 10/28/06
with. In past lives you were fussy, a hypochondriac,
a perfectionist and may have had sexual problems. In
this lifetime pursue physical pleasure in a spiritual,
metaphysical way. Instead of being black-and-white,
go for shades of gray in your thinking. Listen more to
your inner self and let your intuition guide you toward
your goals.

PAST LIFE CONNECTIONS

By knowing how the other person’s planets connect

with your South Node you will understand how you
knew them in past lives. The connections are by sign
only, not degree.

Sun conjunct South Node - The person was in authority

over you.

Moon conjunct the South Node – The person was

your child.

Mercury conjunct the South Node – The person was

a brother or sister.

Venus conjunct the South Node – The person was a

 1

North and South Nodes of the Moon

©By Michele Adler
Revised 6/9/2008

It is relatively safe to say that the Moon’s Nodes have a rather nebulous reputation in astrology, with a wide
variety of interpretations and understandings of their use in a natal horoscope. With that in mind, I offer
this discussion. It is aimed at intermediate and advanced astrologers, but beginners may find certain parts of
the article understandable, and I’ve provided a listing of the signs that the Nodes have occupied over the
last few decades. This makes it easy to identify in what sign the Node resides in your natal chart, even if
you do not have a natal horoscope chart available.

What are the Moon’s Nodes? The Moon’s Nodes are mathematical points. They represent where the
orbit of the Moon around the Earth crosses the Ecliptic (which is the Earth’s path around the Sun). There
are two Nodes, always opposite each other, called the North Node and the South Node. The North Node is
where the Moon’s orbit rises above the ecliptic, and the south Node is where the Moon’s orbit falls below
the ecliptic. They are not “planets” or “bodies.” The North Node is represented by this symbol:  The
South Node is represented by this symbol: 

What do they mean? The North Node is Caput Draconis, which means “The Dragon’s Head”, and is seen
to be like Venus and Jupiter. The South Node is Cauda Draconis, which means The Dragon’s Tail.
Traditionally this is of the same nature as Mars and Saturn. These are, however, traditional interpretations
and the modern astrology viewpoint is that the nodes signs and house placements can show this life’s
karma, the life purpose, and a host of other things.

More about the Nodes

The modern definition of the Nodal Axis (the north node and south node are always opposite) says that the
North Node’s sign and house placement show the experiences you must seek out to work with karma and to
grow spiritually. The South Node’s sign and house represents what is “familiar territory” to you—what you
brought into this life, and what is the “easy way out.”

Interestingly, the Nodal Axis is prominent in Hindu astrology. . In Hindu astrology, the North Node is
known as Rahu, and the South Node as Ketu. It is the only aspect of Western astrology that is not
grounded in Western mythology.

Interpreting the Nodes.

In my opinion, the Nodal Axis operates on several different levels in a chart.

1. The Karmic Level. The North Node is the path you should pursue in this lifetime, and its sign
and house placement give you a hint of that path. The South Node is a path you’ve pursued in
other lifetimes, and it should be blended with this life’s path (the North Node) to achieve your life
purpose. In short, the nodes have to do with the spiritual or soul lessons we encounter in a lifetime,
where the rubber meets the road—the rubber being our soul development, and the road being this
physical plane of existence. The nodes are, in this interpretation, a spiritual lighthouse. The goal is
to integrate both signs of the Nodal axis to achieve the potential of the axis.

2. Bonds, ties and connections. In keeping with the nodal axis being a “link” to your past, it can
represent ties to other people. Strong links between your nodal axis and the charts of others can be
most significant. The Moon has to do with memory, so the nodes can symbolize the connections in
memory that you have with others. A Mars/Node in conjunction can indicate someone who works
with military groups, Mars being the military, the Node being groups.