The North and South Nodes of the Moon represent the links to our past and present karmic lessons. Astrology, as a psychological tool of self-analysis incorporates the eastern philosophy of karma. The concept gives emphasis to previous experiences that we have mastered, and new concepts to be developed. Our karmic reward and past achievements are fitted into our current life as talents and skills.
Their purpose is to assist us in our efforts as we strive to learn about who we are. When we know from where we have come on the ladder of our soul’s evolution, we can better understand ourselves, and develop new growth. This brings the karmic cycle of skills and talents to full circle: as our psyche continues to grow, we are provided with the awareness of how we achieved that knowledge, and carry it within as a sense of achievement.
Each of us individually has his or her own choice of responses to life’s challenges. How we respond to them, whether or not we choose to overcome or avoid them, can be seen in the overall pattern of the chart, as well as the singular and multiple interactions of the signs and planets. Astrology also brings to us the awareness that we are progressing through the cycle of objectively learning lessons of the 12 signs in a particular lifetime. The cycle will be repeated until we learn the strengths and overcome the weaknesses that each sign represents. The nodes are the gifts that we take with us into our new lifetime. The South Node represents those gifts that we have recently mastered, as well as a total package of obvious skills, and the North Node represents the next phase of the challenge. The Nodes will be in opposing signs, to show the path from which we have come, and the new path to tread upon. Think of moonrise as it breaks the horizon in the evening: the North Node. Think of the moon at dawn when it sets: the South Node.
The South Node represents the way in which we fall back on a combination of past attitudes, habits, and thoughts that remain from our growth patterns. It is the comfortable way without being aware in which we immerse ourselves in being spiritually lazy toward correcting behavior. The sign and house of the South Node represent our unconscious manner of allowing past-life memories to filter into our conscious expression.
We tend to program these routines into daily life. Therefore, the South Node has a 12th-house symbolism of psychological attachment to self-defeating patterns of behavior, and an opposite corresponding 6th-house manner of expression. The sign and house are familiar to us, therefore, we find it easier to fall back on this expression, rather than find our new calling by developing the North Node. The South Node does have a focus that allows us to call upon skills that were developed in previous lifetimes. A South Node placement will give a “fall-back” vocational guideline to call upon.
The North Node represents the future of the individual for growth through experiences yet to be faced. It fulfills a sense of purpose to the highest level for which we can strive in harmony with Universal Thought. It shows us a position in life yet untried, but its potential and rewards offered to beckon us to come closer. Through that unfolding, the individual gains inner strength, character, and confidence, and the knowledge that a true lesson has been achieved: the release and casting aside of the South Node habits. The South Node talents are not lost as the North Node is developed! The objective is to use those skills as a backup, a reserve source to be utilized as a sense of familiarity with one’s environment in this life.
The South Node will have a remembrance of situations in which we felt most comfortable and which we return to when we need to feel secure. Therefore, it has an awareness of situations like the natal moon. Of course, the South Node’s sign will also show the past habit traits that were undesirable as well, but just as significant. The real gift is the use of the best qualities of the South Node to help bring forward the maturation to accept the quest for the North Node’s opportunities. The North Node will provide structure for one’s efforts. Therefore, it has a Saturn-type quality. It should again be emphasized that this structure is a fulfillment of accomplishment for meeting a new challenge, and is not at all unpleasant.
(c) MDLOP8 2010
(c) MDLOP8 2010
