artist unknown

The Nodes of the Moon are not planets – they are purely mathematical points that show where the path of the Moon crosses the path of the Sun (called the “ecliptic”).  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. For the past 19 months or so the nodes have been on the Aries (North)/Libra (South) Axis, drawing our attention to areas in which handling conflict appropriately (Aries) may mean letting go of our need to be liked in order to maintain peaceful connections (Libra). The nodes move backwards through the signs, encouraging us to continue releasing the past in order to move more fully into the future, and in January the North Node will retrograde back into Pisces with the South Node moving into Virgo, 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.

This affects the nature of the 2025 eclipses.

Eclipses occur when a lunation (new or full moon) occurs near the lunar nodes, so the nodes changing signs alter the flavor of eclipse season. Eclipses alternate between connecting to the South Node of past experiences and the North Node of influences which take us into a more enlightened future. Since the fall of 2023 the Aries/Libra axis have focused on the dichotomy between an experience of life as a self-directed individual (Aries) relative to our need to compromise in order to achieve successful partnerships (Libra).  The 2025 eclipses fall on the Pisces/Virgo axis; a polarity which can feel somewhat destabilizing since the Pisces South Node requires letting go and surrender, whereas the Virgo North Node needs to hold onto concrete ideas to create a reality-based life. North Node eclipses push us to grow, and South Node eclipses pull us back into an unfinished experience which needs closure.

What this means for you

The lunar nodes change signs about every 18 months, bringing us to new points of balance and polarity. Pay attention to areas where we may be too caught up in our fantasies and illusions (Pisces North Node) and ignoring the important details of living in a human body (Virgo South Node). This idea of “working the North Node” – focusing on the North to the exclusion of the South – has never made sense to me. It’s certainly true that we are evolving from the past to the future, but we carry the past with us; in the same way, we carry the South Node influence, in this case Virgoan order and efficiency into the Piscean future of dreams and wonder.

Astrology teaches the need for balance in all things, and nothing does this better than the nodes of the Moon.

Share this article...