The Nodes of the Moon are the points of intersection between the Sun and the Moon from our perspective here on Earth Earth. As the Sun traverses the ecliptic of the 12 zodiac signs from East to West, the Moon is also moving through the sky. The points where the path of the Moon crosses the path of the Sun are known as the nodes of the Moon. The South Node is below the Earth’s orbital plane, symbolizing the subconscious and familiar patterns from the past, and the North Node is above, the path of conscious ascension and transformation. The North, or ascending, node acts as a signpost to take us into the future – it points the way for our soul’s evolutionary growth. The South, or descending, node is a signpost from the past. Through the South Node we release people, places and things which we carry with us that are no longer needed.
The North and South Nodes are always in opposite signs, reflecting the polarity of the astrological pantheon, and they change signs approximately every eighteen months or so, marking a global change in focus. Every 18-1/2 years the cycle is complete and begins again.
We are leaving the Pisces/Virgo axis, a polarity in which we must let go of our concepts which create order in our mind (Virgo) in order to achieve harmony with the spheres of consciousness which are at work (Pisces) – now we enter the Leo/Aquarius axis. Here we are asked to release the focus on the Self of Leo, and move more fully into the transpersonal realm of Aquarius.
This is a polarity I know well because it is in my chart! The actual expression of the nodal path will be different for everyone depending on the other factors in their own astrology, but the essential mission is the same for all of us: Letting go of personal desires at the expense of others and the need for applause and admiration as food for the soul (Leo), and embracing the transpersonal nature of Aquarius to work together with others as equals for the sake of community, and to seek the rational path rather than the self-oriented one.
This will affect eclipses for the next 18 months since eclipses occur when the lunar nodes conjoin the Sun and Moon. Eclipses alternate between the South and North node, signifying the journey to consciousness in which we learn from the past to embrace the future. The first eclipse in the new polarity will occur at the end of July with the Aquarius Full Moon.
Understanding the lunar nodes does not mean eliminating anything south node related from our consciousness or experience, just as you would not usually throw away all momentos of your past just to be able to embrace a new future. We are the entirety of our experience, but we don’t want to be imprisoned by the past or locked out of the future that awaits us. Instead we take the best of who we have been, and bring all of the parts of ourselves with which we have been blessed with us on our life journey.
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