Spiritual Life Lessons: The Nodes of the Moon in Astrology

Fear is associated with South Node issues. The South Node position is very often a point of great insecurity. We very much want what is represented by the South Node position, whether that is order in our lives (South Node in Virgo/6th house) or satisfaction in partnerships (South Node in Libra/7th house).

However, the only way we can feel successful in these areas is through working on the qualities of the opposite sign (North Node position). We may resist doing this quite fervently, especially in the first 30 years of our lives, partly because we cannot see that letting go of some of our obsessions, and working on the polarity, will bring satisfaction to the South Node areas.

Thus, the North Node represents a point of challenge and growth. One feels somewhat awkward and uncertain in the areas represented by the North Node (its sign and house). The North Node can also be considered a point of inflow. We need help with our North Node issues, and we often meet people who will help us confront these issues.

Look to the North Node by sign and house as an area of our lives and personalities that we may neglect or avoid, possibly due to fear and resistance. The North Node can feel like the unknown to us. The house position of the North Node shows the context for these challenges, and the sign position reveals the qualities we need to develop.

North Node in Aries and/or in the First House

With North Node in Aries, our South Node is in Libra. With North Node in the first house, our South Node is in the seventh house.

Co-dependency, indecisiveness, and a tendency for problems in one-to-one relationships are some of the issues this position suggests.

With this position, we need to learn to love ourselves, to trust our instincts, to lead without fear. We tend to fall back on co-dependent relationships due to a fear of independence and of standing alone. We are indecisive and don’t trust our instincts. We fear expressing our independent wishes and asserting ourselves because we prefer the comfort of being considered “good” people.

Learning to act on our impulses, which implies a certain amount of self-confidence, is one of the lessons of this position. Learning that we can in fact live alone, which is a big fear of this position, will bring us to a point where we can offer ourselves to others in one-to-one partnership in a more balanced, healthy manner. Striving for internal peace, rather than focusing on achieving peace and balance in relationships, will improve our relationships and bring us happiness and satisfaction.

North Node in Taurus and/or in the Second House

With North Node in Taurus, our South Node is in Scorpio. With North Node in the second house, our South Node is in the eighth house.

A tendency to define our own worth and values in terms of our significant others, to be wrapped up in the needs of others at the expense of our own needs, and to attract confusing and intense life situations at the expense of comfort and peace are some of the issues this position suggests.

With this position, we need to discover our own values, to depend on ourselves and to establish our self-worth through our own efforts, and to enjoy life’s more serene moments without the unconscious need to create crises. We may invest too much time and energy into supporting others at the expense of our own comfort and needs. We cannot develop our self-worth through others alone—it needs to come from within.

Learning to define our goals based on our own values, and then to work toward achieving them in a patient manner, will help us achieve more happiness and inner balance.

North Node in Gemini and/or in the Third House

With North Node in Gemini, our South Node is in Sagittarius. With North Node in the third house, our South Node is in the ninth house.

A tendency to hold beliefs and opinions without gathering the facts, to being self-righteous and running roughshod over others’ feelings, to rushing through life and possessing excess nervous energy, and to lack tact in our relationships with others are some of the issues this position suggests.

With this position, we easily crack under imagined pressures, and we are too often in a hurry for fear that our freedom will be curtailed if we stop long enough to gather facts and consider the details of everyday life. We need to learn to listen to others so that we discover the value of true communication and exchange, and to see both sides of a situation instead of throwing out dogma at others. We want to have meaningful and intelligent exchanges with others, and we want to teach others as well.

But in order for us to succeed with these things, we need to learn that true learning and exchanges can only come when we listen to others. Learning to slow down, to be sensitive to social graces and networks, and to sensitize ourselves to others’ needs and communications without fear of being tied down, will release us from some of our nervous tension and help us achieve more happiness and inner balance.

North Node in Cancer and/or in the Fourth House

With North Node in Cancer, our South Node is in Capricorn. With North Node in the fourth house, our South Node is in the tenth house.

A tendency to feel the need to be in control, to take responsibilities too seriously, and to be rigid and fearful of being dependent on others are some of the issues this position suggests.

With this position, we need to let go of our tendency to over-manage our lives and others’ lives, to relax our standards of perfection and achievement, and to avoid falling victim to living through the eyes of society instead of valuing our own personal (as opposed to professional/status) achievements. Being dependent on others is a fear, but only when we release some of our need to be in control will we achieve our goals in our professional lives. We need to work on allowing ourselves to be vulnerable, exposing some of our insecurities and personal needs without fear, and making time for our home and family life.

By working on our inner foundation and our “base”, success will ricochet back to our public and professional lives. By allowing ourselves to follow our personal instincts, rather than be driven by our ambitions, we can achieve greater happiness, balance, and fulfillment in all areas of life.

North Node in Leo and/or in the Fifth House

With North Node in Leo, our South Node is in Aquarius. With North Node in the fifth house, our South Node is in the eleventh house.

A tendency to rely on others who may let us down, to come across as impersonal or distant in our dealings with others, to be fearful of being the center of attention and standing out as an individual, to fear taking risks, and to fall back on peers and community at the expense of our own individuality are some of the issues this position suggests.

With this position, we need to avoid falling into the easy trap of worrying about what others think about us. Instead, we need to strike out in our own individual and creative path without fear. We need to make a conscious effort to deal with others in a more personal, involved, and loving manner, rather than falling back on reason and intellect which detaches us from our feelings. We can easily alienate others when we over-emphasize equality to the point that we won’t acknowledge individuals’ uniqueness.

We can too easily lose touch with our own heart by rationalizing our feelings, and become overly involved with other people’s problems at the expense of our inner needs for attention. Learning to take personal risks, which requires a certain amount of self-confidence, will help us to achieve inner balance and happiness.

North Node in Virgo and/or in the Sixth House

With North Node in Virgo, our South Node is in Pisces. With North Node in the sixth house, our South Node is in the twelfth house.

A tendency to avoid dealing with the details and practicalities of everyday life, to lead a rather haphazard and unorganized existence, to avoid formulating clear goals, and to put too much faith in a grand plan while neglecting practical concerns are some of the issues this position suggests.

With this position, we need to work on developing some healthy and practical routines and schedules. Otherwise, we may be victim of vague worries and anxieties. Winging life is fine to an extent, but without clear goals and some orderliness, we can easily feel like we are not in control of our lives. With this position, we have great compassion for others.

Taken too far, however, we risk getting used. Our goal should be to establish limits for others and ourselves, to develop a more focused mind and orderliness that will empower us with confidence in ourselves and our lives, to develop systems that will help us to be more productive, and to pay attention to deadlines, details, and rules that will enrich our lives. By structuring our lives, we will be able to come closer to achieving our dreams.

North Node in Libra and/or in the Seventh House

With North Node in Libra, our South Node is in Aries. With North Node in the seventh house, our South Node is in the first house.

A tendency to rely on the self so much as to alienate important others in our lives, to be excessively competitive to the point of a me-first attitude, to take things personally, and to be impatient, rash, and impulsive at the expense of personal happiness are some of the issues this position suggests.

With this position, we need to work on sensitizing ourselves to the needs of others, to learn tact and cooperation, to put ourselves in another’s shoes, and to let go of an overwhelming self-consciousness that is blocking our desire to win. We are often afraid of the demands that a partner might put on us, and we don’t naturally look for feedback, preferring to act on the moment—on our own hunches and impulses. But for however hard we push ourselves, our plans will be blocked until we stop to consider the other side.

We tend to go it alone, often passing up opportunities for growth because we are too focused on our own personal survival. Our impulses and instincts are overloaded, lacking in perspective, and acting upon them will often bring us strife—that is, until we learn to look at the other side, perhaps through the eyes of another. Through partnership, and through cooperation with others, we will attain the inner balance necessary for us to achieve our goals.

North Node in Scorpio and/or in the Eighth House

With North Node in Scorpio, our South Node is in Taurus. With North Node in the eighth house, our South Node is in the second house.

A tendency to be overly self-reliant and set in our ways, to cling to our possessions (material and otherwise) and habits, to be too fearful of crisis and overly focused on security, and to attempt to achieve success through sheer will rather than listening to our sixth sense are some of the issues this position suggests.

With this position, we need to loosen the grasp we have on the things and people around us and open ourselves up to our soul’s need for transformation, change, and regeneration. We may experience difficulties in partnerships because we tend to be blind to others’ values and worth, expecting them to share the same values as us. We, in fact, not only need a partner, we need to learn the value of true partnership and intimacy (sharing) in order to gain the security we so crave! But, first we need to move away from our instincts to support ourselves, and towards sharing with significant others. We may fear taking chances and we tend to resist change as well as input from others. We may find ourselves imprisoned by the world of the five senses, and need to learn to fearlessly confront the possibility of crisis and change in our lives.

Moving out of the seemingly solid and stable material world can seem intimidating. But clinging to things and people that are either outdated, limiting, or counter to our growth will steer us in the wrong direction. Releasing ourselves from our attachment to doing things our own way will help us find inner balance and satisfaction.

North Node in Sagittarius and/or in the Ninth House

With North Node in Sagittarius, our South Node is in Gemini. With North Node in the ninth house, our South Node is in the third house.

A tendency to be overwhelmed by information overload, to be mentally over-stimulated to the point of not being able to make effective decisions, to be bound by logic and swamped in details at the expense of our intuition, and to miss the “big picture” are some of the issues this position suggests.

With this position, it can be difficult to commit ourselves to any one thing. We need to learn to trust our inner guide—our intuition—in order to uncover more meaning to our lives. Our decisions tend to lead us astray, as we rely too heavily on logic and miss out on the exciting adventures generated from the thrill and satisfaction of following a hunch or a vision. We need to allow ourselves to believe in something that doesn’t necessarily make sense, but that frees us from mental anxiety and stress.

When we don’t commit ourselves to something, we run the risk of appearing superficial or flighty to others. Worst of all, the passion of true discovery eludes us, and we cannot feel whole or satisfied. When we don’t have the faith to know who we are and what we believe, even without knowing, we will never come across as sincere or truthful. We cannot inspire others to have faith in us when we do not have faith in ourselves. When we act bravely and impulsively, working on intuition and faith, we free ourselves from the inner turmoil of doubt and too much logic, and find an inner balance that enriches our lives and our souls.

North Node in Capricorn and/or in the Tenth House

With North Node in Capricorn, our South Node is in Cancer. With North Node in the tenth house, our South Node is in the fourth house.

A tendency to be overly attached to our childhood and past, to be dependent on others and avoid accepting responsibility for our lives, to fear rejection to an extreme thereby missing opportunities, and to be overly focused on emotional problems are some of the issues this position suggests.

With this position, we need to take charge of our lives and accept responsibility for our actions. We may too easily blame our past or focus on our insecurities and emotional difficulties instead of moving forward and learning to depend on ourselves. We want to feel secure more than anything, but security can only come once we let go of our dependencies and carve out a life that reflects a true feeling of responsibility to ourselves as well as to others. We are more aware of our emotions than most people, but in order to grow, we must learn to strike a balance between sensitivity and responsibility. We cannot use our sensitivity as a crutch, although we may spend the first half of our life trying to do so!

Recognition will come, at some point in our journey, that clinging to the comforts of childhood will in fact hold us back from achieving a comfortable future! By defining solid goals and a mature direction in our lives, as well as letting go of some of our over-attachment to our childhood, we will be able to achieve the financial and emotional security that we so crave.

North Node in Aquarius and/or in the Eleventh House

With North Node in Aquarius, our South Node is in Leo. With North Node in the eleventh house, our South Node is in the fifth house.

A tendency to become overly attached to the drama of romance and personal relationships, to be willful and overly focused on getting what we want, and to resist being “one of the crowd” in an effort to stand out as unique and special, are some of the issues this position suggests.

With this position, we need to let go of our fears in relationships by offering freedom to our partners instead of expecting our partners to act as we want them to act, to accept that we are all equal and that we can still be special if we belong to a community, to move towards greater impartiality, and to cultivate sensitivity to the needs of others.

By letting go of the strong desire of getting what we want in the here and now, satisfaction will come more easily as we find that we get what we need. Our personal relationships and romances will suffer when we take things too personally, and expect others to follow a certain script that we have unconsciously written for them. Learning to let go of the need for drama and attention, and moving towards a more objective approach to our lives, as well as cultivating true friendships, will help us to achieve a greater sense of balance. Our relationships with others—as well as our relationship with ourselves—will benefit.

North Node in Pisces and/or in the Twelfth House

With North Node in Pisces, our South Node is in Virgo. With North Node in the twelfth house, our South Node is in the sixth house.

A tendency to worry unremittingly, to be plagued by vague (and sometimes not so vague) feelings of guilt about under-performing, to lack faith and trust in a larger more spiritual plan, and to over-analyze ourselves and others are some of the issues this position suggests.

With this position, we need to put some faith in spiritual powers or the “big picture”, to let go of some of our fears that we are not doing enough, to love ourselves and others with more compassion and understanding, and to be humble, feeling safe in the knowledge that we (and others) are not perfect. We need to trust and develop our imagination, as well as our capacity for compassion. Learning to let go of some of our obsessions with rules, details, and fears of not doing things perfectly will help us to achieve a greater sense of balance and to ease our fear of failure and guilty feelings.

Ruler of the North and South Nodes

For further insight into the lessons of the Nodes of the Moon, look to the ruling planet of each
Node’s sign. For example, to shed further light onto our South Node tendencies, look to the planet that rules the sign of our South Node, and determine its sign. This sign position will suggest how we tend to act out our South Node tendencies. Similarly, the sign of the ruler of our North Node will show us how we might go about learning the lessons inherent in our North Node.

An example: If my South Node is in Libra, the ruling planet of Libra is Venus. My Venus is in Leo. Because the South Node is in Libra, I may have a tendency to fall back on partnerships and to fear standing alone, thus getting myself tangled up in co-dependent, imbalanced relationships. How do I do this? In a Leonine way! This adds an element of pride to the whole picture. I may hold on to my relationships with pleasure, priding myself on my ability to be loyal and stick with a partner; nevertheless, my relationships suffer from my inner imbalance unless I learn the lessons of my North Node in Aries.

If my North Node is in Aries, the ruling planet of Aries is Mars, and my Mars is in Sagittarius. Because my North Node is in Aries, I need to learn to develop my ability to stand alone, to act on impulse, and to feel good about myself whether I am in a partnership or not. The Sagittarius flavor suggests how I might do that. Perhaps I might need to travel away from my homestead in order to learn that I can stand on my own; perhaps I need to broaden my perspective in relationships by broadening my personal/physical horizons; perhaps I need to get away somehow, be adventurous, in order to learn to love myself and to develop more confidence in myself. I need to tap into my more bold, outgoing, adventurous, and intuitive personality (Sagittarius) in order to define myself and build my confidence (Aries).

The North and South Nodes in Relationship Astrology (Synastry)

The Nodes of the Moon tend to be very significant in synastry. Strong Nodal ties between people are potent and dynamic. The individuals are drawn to each other. In the natal chart, the Nodal axis suggests powerful lessons an individual needs to learn in this lifetime, and when A’s Nodal axis falls on personal planets or points in B’s chart, the magnetism is intense indeed. Perhaps B will play a large role in A’s life, and either represent, or “force” A to live out, some of the issues inherent in the condition of the Nodal axis. (See some important notes about the Nodes in relationship astrology here).

Note: The North and South Nodes of the Moon are opposite each other. Therefore, if you know your North Node is in Aries, your South Node is in Libra. If your North Node is in Libra, your South Node is in Aries. These signs are opposite:

1. Aries-Libra
2. Taurus-Scorpio
3. Gemini-Sagittarius
4. Cancer-Capricorn
5. Leo-Aquarius
6. Virgo-Pisces

References and Suggested Further Reading:

Astrology for the Soul [paid link]

Cafe Astrology Notes: This is an invaluable work, both for those new to Astrology and advanced students of the subject. The positions of the Nodes of the Moon by sign are interpreted in detail. The approach is both spiritual and practical. Jan Spiller offers advice for how to best work with the individual issues we face as a result of the placement of the highly sensitive nodal axis of the Moon.

Each chapter is dedicated to extensive interpretations of the position of the Moon’s North Node through each zodiac sign, and is broken down into sections: “Overview” offers specific attributes to develop, tendencies to leave behind, and the basic desires of the group; “Personality” describes the general traits and issues peculiar to the position; “Needs” reveals the basic needs of the individual along with practical suggestions for how to go about satisfying them; “Relationships” reveals some patterns of relating to significant others; “Goals” offers the strengths and weaknesses of each position’s tendency to seek what they want; and “Healing Theme Song” presents lyrics to the author’s songs designed to help heal the lessons for each group.

The author often writes of past lives, but keep in mind that the book is useful to those who don’t subscribe to past life theories. “Astrology for the Soul” is beautifully written and offers valuable insights into the lessons and issues that face each position (by sign) of the North Node. The chapters can be read just as easily using the house placement of the North Node–if your North Node is in the first house, for example, the North Node in Aries chapter will apply. Highly Recommended

Karmic Astrology: The Moon’s Nodes and Reincarnation (Karmic Astrology) [paid link]

Cafe Astrology Notes: Although written almost 30 years ago, this book contains valuable information about the Nodes of the Moon by sign and house!

New Moon Astrology: Using New Moon Power Days [paid link]

Cafe Astrology Note:

New Moon Astrology by Jan Spiller, although dedicated mostly to the power of the New Moon in self-development efforts, contains insightful information about the Nodes of the Moon.

The first portion of the book is devoted to providing practical instructions for creating and verbalizing wishes in relation to the days of the New Moon in each sign of the zodiac. The New Moon periods are considered to be power periods in the astrological cycle, with the signs defining the areas of life and our personalities that we can focus our wishes for self-development on. The section on the Nodes of the Moon offers practical solutions for releasing past karma based on our positions of the Moon’s Nodes by sign and house. Specific wishes and affirmations are included for these positions. Although very adequate in terms of interpretations of the Nodes of the Moon, Jan Spiller’s Astrology for the Soul (at left) covers these points in greater depth.