Knowing in which sign and house the Moon Nodes were positioned at the exact moment of birth is an important event in Astrology. There are two Nodes: the North Node and the South Node, or Dragon Head and Dragon Tail, respectively, in Chinese Astrology. The North Node represents the path of life and the South Node the habits of childhood or past lives. Lunar or Moon Nodes represent lessons that we have to learn and that relate to how we relate to others.
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North Node and South Node - What Do They Mean and What Distinguishes Them?
The Lunar Nodes are not physical bodies but imaginary points placed in space that mark the locations where the trajectories of the Moon and the Sun intersect.
The North Node represents the place where the Moon crosses the ecliptic (projection onto the celestial sphere of the Sun's apparent trajectory observed from the Earth) towards the northern hemisphere, while the South Node is the point where the Moon crosses the ecliptic on its way to the southern hemisphere (see image below).
The North and South Nodes are always directly opposite each other in the sky. They complete a full circle through the twelve signs every 18 years. When the new moon and the full moon occur together with the Lunar Nodes, eclipses occur. At this point, Earth, Sun, and Moon are perfectly aligned and reflect a perfect shadow.
The Lunar Dragon in Chinese Astrology
In Chinese Astrology, the Moon's Nodes are represented by a dragon. The North Node corresponds to the head (Dragon's Head) and the South Node to its tail (Dragon's Tail). Seen in this way, the symbolism attributed to each of the Nodes is understood: the North is the point where food is ingested; the Southern one is the point where the waste is expelled.
In this way, the Dragon's Head is understood by Astrology as the key to happiness. It identifies the areas of greatest potential for growth in each of our lives. Our attention and care must therefore be focused on the North Node and on the sign of the corresponding Astral House, in order to walk towards success and fulfillment.
What is the Meaning of Lunar Nodes in Astrology and the Birth Chart?
For Astrology, the Lunar Nodes are essential for our destiny and, for this reason, if you do your Birth Chart, you will find information about the Nodes and how they influence your way of being in life and personality.
The Lunar Nodes represent life lessons that we need to learn to realize our full potential. These lessons are about how we relate to other people and are associated with certain relationship patterns.
Identifying the blocks that prevent the development of harmonious and happy relationships is one of the goals of studying the Lunar Nodes in the birth chart.
North Node
In the birth chart, the North Node represents the future and the achievements we are trying to achieve in life. But also the experiences and knowledge that we still have to acquire and that will allow our personal growth. In other words, it's our way of life.
South Node
The South Node, directly opposite the North Node in the birth chart, represents the knowledge and experiences we bring from our past and our innate talents, often expressed in childhood.
Together, the Sun sign and the house where the South Node falls in the birth chart, indicate the way we tend to face life. As in the South Node, everything seems natural, easy, and comfortable, we risk getting stuck in the past. We can become bored, limited, stagnant, and lacking in energy.
What is the Influence of Lunar Nodes on Karmic Astrology?
The Karmic Astrology, or from past lives, looks for answers to present life questions in past life experiences. Its purpose is to help people understand their relationships, vocations, family life and help end the cycles of negative behavior that prevent them from reaching their full potential.
The symbology of the Lunar Nodes is particularly important in Karmic Astrology. Using the past to understand the present, the South Node represents the heritage of the past. The North Node represents potential and the path of evolution that the soul has chosen for the present life.
For Karmic Astrology, the big challenge is to help the person to grasp everything they have learned in the past (South Node) and integrate that personal knowledge into the present (North Node). If this balance cannot be found, the soul is trapped in its anguish and cannot evolve or find its way to self-realization.
When the soul manages to pass to the North Node, the South Node performs its role of eliminating everything that the soul has surpassed. Harmony is restored and a new point of balance is reached.
Lunar and Luminary Nodes (Sun and Moon). What is the relationship?
Nodes complete a retrograde cycle every 18-20 years. This milestone represents key moments of change and can be marked by important events in the lives of each of us.
As the Moon makes its journey around the Earth, it travels through the 12 Zodiac Signs in approximately 28 days. It stays in each sign for about two and a half days.
In order to understand the Lunar Nodes, it is necessary to take into account their position both at the level of the sign and of the Astral House. When in Leo, for example, the Moon favors or reinforces certain purposes and personality characteristics associated with this sign. When it moves to Virgo, it does the same, and so on, as it goes through all the signs.
In the birth chart, the position of the Lunar Nodes on the Sun or Moon suggests different levels of evolution of the soul and more or less difficult paths to follow. When the:
- North Node is positioned in the same sign as the Sun, the positive qualities of the sign are enhanced;
- Node North is in the same sign as the Moon, the positive qualities of the sign and its negative energies can delay the soul's evolution process;
- South Node is in the same sign as the Sun, the positive qualities of the sign and its negative energies can delay the soul's evolution process;
- South Node is positioned in the same sign as the Moon suggests difficulties in letting go of past negative patterns, requiring more effort from the soul to progress.
How is the Moon Expressed Through the Signs of the Zodiac?
Moon in Aries
New beginnings, ego, body purification, the beginning of new financial activities, leadership, courage, construction, surgery, bravery, independence, vitality, enthusiasm, personality matters, can represent a moment of impulsive behavior.
Moon in Taurus
Money, growth, self-esteem, prosperity, business, possession, personal values, investment and investors, beauty, geology, gems and minerals, arts, massage therapy, love, long-term benefits.
Moon in Gemini
Communication, teaching and learning, short trips, siblings, writing, buying and selling, cars and transport, photography, duality, adaptability, family communication, can represent moments of restlessness and change.
Moon in Leo
Authority, success, creativity, fame and recognition, love and romance, children, hobbies, vacations and leisure, gambling and stock market speculation, creative arts, entertainment, sex and passion, happiness, can represent a period of need for praise and flattery.
Moon in Virgo
Work, health and healing, service, discernment, writing, pets, natural medicine, herbs, cleanliness, organization, critical and abstract thinking, intelligence, detail, nutrition, crafts, ethics, volunteerism, community work.
Moon in Libra
Legal matters, contracts, marriage, creative effort, negotiation, society, diplomacy, balance and harmony, music, interior design, counseling, love, social interaction, time to focus on relationships.
Moon in Scorpio
Power, sexuality, death, psychic conquests, the occult, transformation, fertility, regeneration, taxes and insurance, investments, secrets, law, espionage, sensitive and intense emotions, psychic power, inheritance.
Moon in Sagittarius
Long journeys, superior knowledge, and learning, confidence, generous heart, optimism, spiritual growth, new opportunities, luck, expansion, foreign countries and people, judges, philosophy, publications and editors, animals, ethics, wisdom, shared values, culture.
Moon in Capricorn
Career, public image, honors and reputation, politics, the government in general, large enterprises, business, depression, logical and rational thinking, father, Karma, wisdom that comes from experience, structure, discipline, organization, ambition, achievements, acquisitions.
Moon in Aquarius
Group work, change, adventure, liberation, hopes, desires, friends, electronics, new age, humanitarian ideals, social concerns, space, extraterrestrials, flights, aeronautics, altruism, development, discovery, brotherhood.
Moon in Pisces
Creativity, intuition, emotional healing, psychic abilities and awareness, spirituality, aquatic life and fishing, drugs, chemicals, the subconscious, dreams, hypnosis, cinema, dance, acting, painting, medicine, exotic locations, past lives, prophecies, fantasy, Karma, expansion of consciousness, revelations, inner development, religion, devotion to the Divine.
Planets in Astrology
Each planet has its domain and symbolism. Modern Astrology also considers, in the elaboration of the birth chart, the newly discovered planet Chiron. In Astrology all signs are masculine or feminine. Find out more about the symbolism of each of the planets in Astrology, by selecting the planet to consult below:
- The Sun - Identity, Individuality, the Father
- The Moon - Instincts, Subconscious, Mother
- Mercury - Mentality, Communication
- Venus - Love, Values, Female Universe
- Mars - Action, Man, Desire
- Jupiter - Wisdom, Expansion
- Saturn - Challenge, Moderation
- Uranus - Originality, Revolution
- Neptune - Spirituality, Illusion
- Pluto - Transformation, Underworld
- Chiron - Integration, Healing
