The nodes of the moon
The nodes of the moon, or lunar nodes are mathematical points that are formed when the sun and moon's orbits meet. Since they meet in two places, we have two meeting points called nodes, the north node and the south node.
The nodes are always 180 degrees opposite each other and form an axis and therefore become the north node and the south node. So if the north node is in Pisces, the south node is in Virgo. If the north node is in Leo, the south node is in Aquarius.
In Vedic astrology, the nodes symbolize the head of a dragon, Rahu, and the tail, Ketu. They can be seen as signposts that show us the direction where the north node points to the future and the south node to the past.
The nodes are called fate points in traditional astrology because they are associated with fateful events and synchronicities that push us towards our highest potential. They therefore provide insight into the development and life path of our soul.
North Node - Rahu
The North Node is about our highest development and the path we should take for our highest spiritual development. It is our personal pole star and a path we have not walked before but that calls us. It can feel challenging and foreign because it is a completely new and unknown path that we have no experience of.
South Node - Ketu
The South Node is about what we bring with us from our past i.e. where we come from, what we have done and what experiences and memories we have with us. By integrating old patterns and lessons we have the best starting point for moving towards our soul's higher development. The South Node is a path that feels familiar and comfortable because it is what we already know. People, situations and relationships connected to the South Node feel like home.
The sign that the nodes fall in the personal horoscope is how the energy is expressed while the house placement is where in life it plays out.
At astro-seek.com you can see where your personal nodes fall in your birth chart.
When the nodes are in the same place as when we were born, we undergo a so-called nodal return, or nodal return, a powerful time for our highest development and life path. A nodal return occurs approximately every 18.5 years and lasts for approximately 18.5 months and often involves a time of great changes and opportunities and it can be experienced as receiving a lot of help on the way by the right situations, people and relationships coming your way. It is a time to pay attention to synchronicities, dreams and new visions that are taking shape. The lunar nodes are also strongly associated with important relationships and significant shifts often occur within relationships as well. It takes about 18 1/2 years for the nodes to go a full circle.
9 months after a nodal return, we have a reverse nodal return when the lunar nodes are opposite your birth positions (the south node meets the north node) which is instead a period of regression and reevaluation of the past, previous gifts and lessons.
