Getting to Know Your Nodes
In my last article I talked about the nodes of the Moon. People new to astrology might wonder what the nodes of the Moon are. The lunar nodes refer to the points where the orbit of the Moon intersects the ecliptic, or the obit of the Earth around the Sun. This may sound abstract but it is a very important part of basic astronomy.
Every month the Moon conjuncts the Sun, that is to say they occupy the same degree of the zodiac relative to the Earth. We call this a New Moon. But most of the time when we have a New Moon we can still see the Sun. It’s only when the Moon and the Sun occupy the same degree as the node of the Moon that the Moon is directly between us and the Sun and we have a solar eclipse.
Not all astrologers make use of the nodes of the Moon in their horoscope interpretations but those who do typically associate them with reincarnation. Basically, the South Node is associated with talents, debts or awareness brought into this life from a previous life while the North Node has to do with new beginnings and lessons that need to be learned in this life.
In this approach the sign and house position of the South Node represents the area of life in which a person feels most comfortable and capable. However, this complacency is often an impediment to his or her spiritual development. The sign and house position of the North Node shows the area of life that is the most challenging for the person but holds the key to his or her spiritual advancement.
Personally, I like to keep an open mind about reincarnation and the theory of karma, but I always pay close attention to the nodes of the Moon. I feel they represent a point in our experience wherein our personal consciousness intersects the universal consciousness. We may not always fully understand, with our tiny, earthbound minds, how this intersection should and does influence us but that is exactly what makes the nodes so interesting and so important.
