Nodes and Change
The North Node/South Node opposition is leaving Libra and entering Virgo. The nodes, don’t forget, move “retrograde” to the planets, due to the precession of the Equinox because of the slight wobble of the earth on its axis. The nodes are called Rahu (north) and Ketu (south) from Indian myths about the world’s creation. Lord Vishnu was distributing “amitra” giving it to the gods (Devas) to give them immortality. As fate would have it, a serpent-like dragon slipped in and drank some amitra as well. Lord Vishnu quickly chopped it in two, but now being immortal, both haves lived on – the North Node being the head, the South Node being the tail. Twice a year the nodes devour the sun in a solar eclipse, thus avenging their being cut in twain. The reason is that the nodes are where the orbit of the moon crosses the orbit of the sun – when the new moon is in 10 degrees of the conjunction it is an eclipse. Twice a year.
Western astrology looks at the natal nodes as the North Node being the goals or direction one should aspire to and the South Node as something to consider habits and other actions that need to be thought through very carefully.
There is an interesting concept in reincarnation theory that the North Node is the direction your fate brings as a destiny clue, while the South Node is considered past life situations that need more mental “digesting” and transformational work. The easy way to remember it is that the head of the dragon (North Node) is a head and mouth – thinking and seeking new experiences. The end of the dragon is the intestine and anus, thus symbolizing the need to digest and work through these past life karma points.
The adventure in having the shift of the nodes from Libra/Aries (cardinal cross with Jupiter and Uranus) to the Virgo/Pisces, which, for me is the introduction of more analysis and vision into a world sorely in need of some of this. The solar eclipses will be on that axis will inject this energy into the earths magnetic field. Hopefully it will give the mundane world some flexibility and mutable moves towards a world of positive change.
People should check their charts to see if one of the nodes makes hard aspects to natal planets. Use a 3-degree orb in this. One can expect to feel the energy of these aspects in some way giving guidance as to what to look for in the future and things that you need to let go of. Conjunctions are the strongest aspect in terms of a definite effect. If it is a conjunction of the North Node, look for new messages to come, if it is the South Node it means time to reflect on issues that keep coming up. The planet involved and the sign and house will help in divining the meaning of the transit.