As I type, the Moon’s Nodes are hovering exactly on the cusp of Scorpio and Taurus and in just a few hours will move back into Libra and Aries. All of the planets have Nodes, which simply means the point where the orbit of the heavenly body intersects with the ecliptic. The ecliptic is the apparent path of the Sun through the heavens from our geocentric viewpoint, that is, from where we stand on Earth. I kind of love that reaching out to astrology to connect us more deeply with the cosmos also roots us more deeply onto the earth.
Anyway. The Nodes of the Moon are the Nodes astrologers work with most often, as they symbolically bring together the path of the moon and the path of the sun, arguably the two most important celestial bodies in the astrological chart. so symbolically, they bring together our inner, emotional self (the astrological moon) and our more conscious outer self (the astrological sun). The Moon’s nodes in our natal chart show something about our soul’s evolution, our deep journey into becoming during this lifetime. The South Node shows where we are coming from, our inner resources, or maybe a comfort zone. The North Node shows where we are going, where we long to reach. So lots of rich, juicy symbolism to play with if we’re on a spiritual path of any kind.
Changing Signs
The Nodes change signs every 18 months or so. Since the beginning of 2022, the South Node has been in Scorpio and the North Node in Taurus. I’ve written elsewhere about this dynamic (that second link takes you to my piece on the most recent lunar eclipse in Scorpio – eclipses always happen close to the Nodal Axis). It speaks to attachment, holding on, release, and catharsis. To how we manage our resources, to what is enough. All suitably pertinent.
So what about this shift? The South Node moves into Libra, the sign of relationship and collaboration. The North Node into Aries, the sign of the individual, the leader. A journey from self to other and back to self. Aries and Taurus are the areas of the zodiac where we are establishing ourselves as individuals. Libra and Scorpio are where we are exploring what it means to be an individual (or at least to perceive ourselves as individual) in relationship with others. And as pagans, we know that we are in relationship with everything, not just other human people. Although that can be a good place to start. Collective dynamics around reciprocity, around give and take in relationships. Scorpio and Taurus are concerned with power in relationships. Libra and Aries with how we define ourselves in relationships and indeed whether we give ourselves away.
This is spiritual practice embedded in daily life. The Moon’s Nodes in Libra and Aries ask us to bring our conscious awareness to all of our relationships. With other humans, with deity, with the bee on the flower and the flower as well. And with ourselves. Are we in right relationship? Is there genuine reciprocity? Can we stand in our power as individuals (which so often comes with a side order of capitalist imposed entitlement) and maintain that reciprocity?
Not small questions. Good job we have 18 months or so to work on them.
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