19 posts tagged “nodes”

So, I got to meet a local celebrity from my hometown the other day. It was great fun- he's known for having the blingiest house at Christmas you have ever seen, and I got to tour the house. Huzzah!

So as I'm reading his website later, he happened to mention his birthday (the day before mine! Wow, I know a lot of April 23rd birthdays), AND the place of birth and time!

Yeah, I had to look.

He's a double Taurus (shopping, shopping), with a Sag moon (like me, hah), and URANUS RISING! That just cracked me up big time. He's in a very hierarchical profession/religion, but has the big ol' Sign of the Weirdo right front and center. With a north node in Leo (flashy!) in the fourth house...yes, he has a flashy house. (Interestingly enough, Chiron is conjunct the NN. I wonder what that means to him to do a flashy house with that aspect.) He's also a Venus Saturn person...a Catholic deacon sworn to celibacy.

Amusingly enough, my mother told him the next day that I'd seen we had nearby birthdays and he was all, "Taurus! Stubborn, likes to shop..." Believe me, if you've seen his house, you KNOW that. He must be really fun to go shopping with. Huh, I should meet the man more often. :)

"One of the hints the chart gives us to look at is the aspects to the Nodes—especially if you have squares to the Nodes. Many people have this aspect, which is called: the skipped step. To understand it you need to let your imagination roam around the meaning of the planet that is squared. Again, what sign is it in? What house? There is something in the nature of this placement that is telling you what you need to do as part of your process of getting to the North Node. You need to pick up the unfinished business here—there is something about what that skipped step is about that remains as a complex or as a forgotten way of thinking that needs to be addressed and brought into your life now. You can understand that skipped step as being a karmic “bad habit” from a former life, or simply a blind spot in your psyche.
Blind spot? The skipped step is often what we don’t want to look at or deal with—it’s the missing piece of the puzzle, the dropped stitch, the piece that needs the most priority in your life now, and often receives the least.
For example: today I did a reading for a woman who had so many skills and abilities, yet she was feeling quite stuck for a number of reasons. We touched on what those issues were about, but I was left with the feeling that if she would take care of her body/health, then the rest would fall into place rather easily. She needed to address the square to her Nodes, which pointed to the 6th house of health. And, at this point in her life I felt there was a certain urgency to it.
Jeffrey Green and Steven Forrest were the first I know of to call this aspect the skipped step. The blockages and distortions that are symbolized by the planet and house that is square to the Nodes is a critical piece to consider when looking at a chart. Yet nothing is ever truly skipped or lost—it’s just put away till another time, or done unconsciously. But for those who want more direct answers to life direction and soul purpose questions, these aspects are a wealth of information. Ironically, as easy as they are to see, they’re never easy to understand."

brought to you by Hillary.

Notice that her Sun is in the sign Scorpio. Notice that the Moon’s south node is also in Scorpio. Remember, when you see the Sun near one of the Moon’s nodes, that means there’s an eclipse or two in the vicinity. The impression I get from reading her natal chart is that this is not the person she was when she was born. She has, in her life, gone through a series of metamorphs that have changed her on an essential level from one shift to the next — but at the same time, she is able to maintain the image of someone who is consistently always herself.

The frightening thing is you never know who is behind that facade — and I gather that she doesn’t know either. The Pisces Moon is the most compelling astrological archetype I can think of for not being sure who one is. Indeed, it changes so often, and so unpredictably, that it would be hard to keep track of; but, if there are strong aspects, it’s possible to learn. But Hillary’s Moon makes only one aspect: to Juno. Her husband. Billy boy. And though Hillary is allegedly a kind of feminist icon (not!), let me say this somewhat politically incorrect thing: she would be nobody without him. He is the mission, the purpose, the idea. She is already clinging to the edge of reality, even with him there. But there is no question that she needs him to define her purpose and give her a solid reference point in the universe.

She has the image of stability, of stasis, but in truth she is the Human Earthquake.

Mainly because I can't stand to read any more doom n' gloom on the astrology sites either.

So, found some other stuff to mention.

Even though I am sick of the political stuff too, I did think the synastry of the McCains was interesting.

Because of their 18-year age difference, they both have the North Node in Capricorn, South Node in Cancer. The synastry aspects to the lunar nodes show a deep connection, with her Venus-Jupiter in Gemini forming an out-of-sign conjunction with his South Node in Cancer. This aspect may show how her wealth allows them to live comfortably with several homes around the country. Her Mars conjoins his North Node in Capricorn, providing active support for his need to serve his country and its traditions.

Chiron is another active element in their synastry, with her Venus conjunct his Chiron in Gemini and his Moon conjunct her Chiron in Capricorn. The question here is whether these two sympathetic personal planets have provided a comfort level allowing for the healing of old wounds. Chiron often shows us where we feel most insecure, and John has a square between natal Chiron and Venus, reflecting doubts about being loveable. Cindy’s Chiron is closely trine her Sun, suggesting that she experienced positive reinforcement of her self-esteem growing up, thus making it likely she has been able to help John sort through his issues in this area.

They both have Juno in Leo, with Cindy’s Pluto in Leo closely conjoining them. Their idea of an ideal marriage and household is thus very similar, and this particular aspect has no doubt stood them in good stead with all the entertaining in support of John’s political career over the years. With Pluto adding his two cents, discussions about jealously and possessive behaviors had to have played a role behind the scenes.

I always find it interesting when there are node connections, especially since in this case it's mutual and they both have a connection to the nodes of the other.

A synastry question, post-relationship: "Considering that Venus, Mars and the Moon are involved in our conjunctions, as well as the signs Libra and Scorpio, all related to relationships, I wonder about the nature of the connection between Dan and I. What happens to the connections in the charts now that we are no longer in a relationship? Also, how is it possible for us to have such strong astrological connections but for us to not have sustained a relationship? I don’t think we will get back together but it is a remote possibility. I cannot put to rest that we have these astrological connections and yet we don’t have a connection through being in relationship."

I've always wondered about that too.

Speaking to the first side of this discussion — a conventional theory on chart comparison — when you’re looking for solid synastry, you want contact between the Sun, the Moon and the angles if possible. By angles, I mean the ascendant and/or the descendant. These are the three things we tend to feel the most, and which — for good or ill — suggest that we have karma to explore, create or resolve with the person. As a fourth possible thing to search, the lunar nodes can indicate a significant spiritual connection. And that, basically, is what you’re looking for.

Conjunctions count for the most. Carl Jung, who was an astrologer as well as a psychiatrist, cast the chart of every client he worked with. He discovered the phenomenon of Sun/Moon/ascendant in the charts of married people. Your Sun conjunct someone’s Moon (even using a fairly wide orb) speaks of a connection that could develop. Someone’s Sun conjunct the other person’s ascendant or descendant would be viable as well, and reveal some points of harmony between the two people, since again, we really feel that Sun, Moon and rising sign. But you have to watch for the exceptions as much as you do the rules.

Usually, I find synastry to be better at figuring out why a relationship didn’t work out than predicting whether one will. Generally what happens is that there will be a lot of connections that look good, but then for example there may be a harsh connection between someone’s Mars and the other person’s Moon. This might trigger the other person, giving an image of them feeling insecure or unstable, or something like that.

As with any chart review, you’re going to find things that seem harmonious and argue for a productive experience, and things that are not so harmonious and argue for a more challenging connection. You need to weigh and balance the factors — and reality check in the relationship.

But here is the thing. We who are curious about relationships need to reinvent them. We need to make room for the karma piece, which needs a safe forum to work out. We need to make room for the monogamous piece, that offers total devotion. We need to embrace the slut who says yes because that’s what she wants. And we need to embrace that virginal whore — the masturbator and selflover, whether she be the one abandoned or the one indulging existence.

I'm sick of political stuff lately, but this one actually interested me:

"Sarah Palin's North Node is in Cancer; her South Node is in Capricorn. Even if her birth time in inaccurate, these remain true. Because astrologers recognize that the North Node is the direction the Soul longs to go towards in this life, and the South Node represents what it longs to leave behind (or its default mode that it wishes to outgrow) then there is a potential crisis or serious challenge here.

A Capricorn South Node implies that this Soul is familiar with positions of power in public places. Earlier in this life, or in other lives, she's been immersed in issues around money, power, reputation, and stressing the goal or end-point, rather than the means to the end. Politics and ruthless ambition has been the norm. Now, the suggested direction of her destiny, if she went to an astrologer, would have been that she move away from these Capricorn South Node tendencies, to move in the direction of her North Node destiny--which points to all things Cancerian. This would put an emphasis on empathy, process, and nurturing, rather than goal directed behaviors such as helping to "win a war." Motherhood or caring for others with special needs would be perfect. Sacrificing one's personal life for politics and running a country is not the goal of a North Node Cancer, such as Sarah Palin. She may have lots of public ease as a revolutionary reactionary this time around, since she's done it before, but there's a hint here that the more she sacrifices her feeling nature, and the feelings and nurturance of her family, the less likely the Universe will be in supporting her in the long run. This doesn't mean that she couldn't win the VP position; she should be very good at all the political behavior involved, but if astrology has truth, then the family and personal karma created could be tragic"

My question on nodes and synastry made it to Real Astrologers today. Woot! (I really need to do a writeup now that I have full astro-data for my mom...)

"awhile back I waded through a bunch of family birth dates to look for reversed nodes patterns. The most reversed nodes were between mother and child for some reason."

O RLY?!?! (Yes, I thought that.)

"Reversed nodes are not easy to live with, because the nodes represent a strong theme in our lives and in the case of reversed nodes, very simply put, you are going in opposite directions. Most often the child moved far away from the mother as soon as possible because of the irritation factor."

Makes sense. I have moved, but Not Far Enough, as many people point out. Moving farther away isn't really an option though (or at least, I can't afford a farther move). And really, for me it's the communication factor that drives me nuts more than the in-person, and the communication factor won't be negated by moving. Which is to say, she wants CONSTANT communication between us, and that's where I have the problem. I can deal with visiting fine, but the communication demands, no.

"With a planet or planets conjunct a node, they act to amplify the nodal energy. Even Venus, who has a reputation for being pleasant, can come off as cloying. Jan Spiller, in her book Cosmic Love, suggests the South Node person may feel a sense of indebtedness to the Venus person, who is inclined to be overly permissive in this instance. The Venus/North Node conjunction is about helping each other with self-worth issues."

Yes, I feel VERY INDEBTED to her. I'm her mother and her child and her spouse at this point in time, and all three mean that I have to take care of her. I'm shitty at it, but I can't abandon her.

"In the case of the North Node/Venus conjunction, finding a balance between being supportive and nurturing oneself may be easier to sort out, because we are usually more detached when it comes to the North Node. However, the South Node/Venus conjunction may take more tact to handle. If it were me, I’d opt for distance. Then, I’m a Libra and not fond of confrontation!
My mother’s North Node was in Libra conjunct my Moon/Neptune. In the end, I had to move out of town for several years to help separate my emotional baggage from hers. We were always close, but it was my choice to keep a measure of distance between us. Otherwise, I ended up feeling overwhelmed. Sometimes it’s what we need to do to preserve our sanity with nodal connections . . . maintain some distance."

*sigh* Yeah.

"The prevailing theory over the past decade or so is that the South Node represents the issues you resolved in a past life or, alternatively, what you brought into this incarnation with you, while the North Node represents your challenges in this lifetime and the lessons you need to learn. Astrologers have become increasingly dissatisfied with this explanation and are coming up with alternatives.
Michael Lutin, who has done extensive work on the nodes, believes they represent behavioral patterns programmed at an early age and what you need to do to break the cycle. I know that many of you weren't impressed with his book, Sunshines, but it blew me away. I picked it up again the other day and reread what he wrote about my South Node. He was right on the money — which is my key issue, with South Node in Taurus on the IC.
Every attempt I've made in my adult life to find security via a full-time job with benefits has failed miserably, to the point that I've gotten a complex about it. But what I've realized, finally, is that it's not going to work, and it's never going to work, because that is not what is going to fulfill me. Or, we might say, it's not my destiny.
A quick check of the charts of some friends and clients tells me that I may be onto something here. A friend of mine (you know who you are, sweetie) complained to me recently that her life has been a never-ending series of doing things for others and that she has had no time or energy to pursue her own passion. Her South Node is in Virgo in the seventh house. It seems that we are all having a South Node crisis. We are being dragged down into patterns that we've repeated over and over that have never served us and never will.
What is keeping us from going in that direction we need to go? In my case, fear is the only explanation. Fear is a primal reaction — a first-chakra response, within the domain of Pluto and Mars, whose two moons are Phobos and Deimos (Fear and Panic). And it seems there is only one antidote for fear, and that is being thrown into the situation that one is most afraid of.
So here we all are, forced to endure what we fear will kill us.
The question, of course, is how do we break this cycle? Michael Lutin's recommendation is essentially "just do it." I don't believe this is possible without an intermediary step.

We can start by integrating our own internal polarization. The key, I believe, is not to repress or abandon your South-Node tendencies — which in any case would not be possible — but to integrate them with your North Node destiny. Some things seem mutually exclusive until you see the bigger picture."

Hmmm, not a bad idea.

I am having node issues (so to speak) of late myself. Well, I'm not exactly doing a LOT to change it right now (say, if I was forcing myself at gunpoint to date online, that would count), but I'm having kind of a sea change where my heart's desires are coming back...and I don't like them or want to act on them. It really stinks.

Part 2 from Aquarius Papers.

Aquarius Papers.

Tikunes.