What are the Nodes of the Moon? When astrologers refer to the "the Nodes," they are generally referring to the North and South Nodes of the Moon. The Nodes of the Moon are not planetary bodies; they are points formed by the Moon's orbit around the Earth intersecting with the Earth's path around the Sun. In following the path of the Nodes of the Moon, and thus rebalancing our emotional bodies, we are going a long way toward easing internal stress and reclaiming confidence in our individual beings.

The Moon In astrology, the Moon rules our feelings, our moods, dependency, insecurity, the feeling of belonging - it rules our emotional bodies, self-image or the way we instinctively see ourselves. Considered by Jan Spiller to be the most important planet in the chart from a karmic/past life perspective, it underlies the rest of the personality structure.

North Node For each of us, the North Node is located in a sign and in a house. This can be obtained from an astrologer or a computerized birth chart. For each of us, our deepest core issues are shown in the sign and house of the positions of the North Node at the time of our birth.

The Astrology Chart The astrology chart itself is actually a schematic: a graph that shows people's "inner writing." The wiring in each of us is different. It's not "good" or "bad," it's just wired the way it's wired. Your birth chart provides a picture of the inner wiring you were born with, but what you do with that wiring is up to you. When you can objectively see the patterns of your own behavior, you can make adjustments for more efficient results and better performance. By having a clear picture of your inner wiring, you can become aware of the built-in "glitches," and you can choose not to continue behaviors that aren't working for you.

Position of the North Node in Your Chart In examining the position of your North Node, you are looking at the basic lesson underlying this entire lifetime. Therefore, the changes may not happen all at once. Keep in mind that as you take steps in a new direction, you're going against habits that have become deeply ingrained over many incarnations. That's why you need to keep remembering to do things in a new way and keep moving toward resolution of the past life imbalances you've inherited.

The sign in which the North Node falls denotes the psychological shift that needs to occur within the personality. The house containing the North Node shows the experiences that allow the person to access this new psychological awareness. The house position also indicates the arena in which the life lessons of the North Node are learned. For example, if you North Node is in Cancer in the 11th House, you are learning to get in touch with and communicate your feelings (Cancer) through cultivating the energy of friendships and learning to "go with the flow" (11th House): if your North Node is in Aries in the 4th House, through getting in touch with your gut instincts (4th House) you can discover and communicate who you are (Aries).

Duplicate Sign/House Position If the sign of your North Node is in the same sign as the house containing your North Node (for example, North Node in Gemini located in the 3rd House, which is also Gemini; or North Node in Pisces in the 12th House, which is also Pisces), it simply means double the intensity of the same life lesson.

Opposing Sign/House Position If your North Node is in a house opposing the sign of your North Node, it will be necessary for you to carefully and continuously check with yourself to find the right blending of behavior. Remember that generally, the house indicates where to learn the lessons of the sign. The house is like a shell -- the environment you need to support the content of the sign. For example, if your North Node is in Aries in the 7th House, you are learning to develop a new sense of self-identity (North Node in Aries) through becoming aware of the identity of others (North Node in the 7th House). Through working cooperatively with other people and supporting them in reaching their goals, you will discover your own true identity. However, when you turn that around and focus on yourself, you lose your identity in trying to please others and be the nice person they expect you to be. In this case, the key to self-identity would actually lie in helping others in their search for identity.

The South Node The South Node position in the birth chart depicts an aspect in our character that has been over emphasized in past lives, and thus tends to take over the personality in this lifetime and throw us off balance. When we are acting without awareness, we tend to "act out" the South Node position in response to our environment because we have been accustomed to that approach working to our advantage. However, in this lifetime, our experiences show us that approaching a situation from the stance shown by the position of the South Node in our chart is not longer working.

Excerpted from Astrology for the Soul by Jan Spiller

Learn more about the Astrology Houses in a natal chart here.

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