The Moon's Nodes: your North and South Node
The North and South Nodes are the two points where the Moon's path crosses the Sun's. In astrology the South Node shows the gifts you were born with, and the North Node shows the direction your life is growing towards.
The full deep dive
What the Nodes are
The Moon’s orbit is tilted slightly compared with the path the Sun appears to take through the sky. The two places where these paths cross are the lunar Nodes: the North Node, where the Moon crosses heading north, and the South Node, exactly opposite. Eclipses happen only when the Sun and Moon are near the Nodes.
The Nodes move backwards through the zodiac, taking about 18½ years to go all the way round and about 18 months in each sign.
What they mean
- South Node: what comes naturally. Old habits, talents and comfort zones. Easy to fall back on, but not where growth lies.
- North Node: where you are heading. Unfamiliar at first, but deeply rewarding when you lean into it.
For example, a South Node in Virgo and North Node in Pisces might describe someone who is naturally careful and practical, learning to trust, let go and follow their intuition.
Nodal returns
Every 18½ years or so the Nodes return to where they were at your birth, at roughly ages 18-19, 37 and 56. Many people find these are years when life points them firmly in a new direction.
Sources and perspectives
- Robert Hand, Planets in Transit