Plan Your Future With the North and South Nodes in Astrology
Introducing the North and South Nodes (a.k.a. the Lunar Nodes) — key astrological points that illuminate your soul’s journey. The North Node points to the future (your fate and the growth you’re meant to embrace), while the South Node reflects your past (highlighting patterns, habits, and traits you’re leaving behind). These enigmatic placements offer deep insights into both your hidden strengths and your biggest challenges. Intrigued? Of course you are. Keep reading to unlock the mysteries of the North and South Nodes and discover how they shape your path.
What are the North and South Nodes?
It’s worth noting that the Lunar Nodes are not physical objects like planets and asteroids; they’re coordinates, like Black Moon Lilith. The North and South Nodes are geographic points, calculated based on the orbits and locations of actual celestial bodies. To fully understand these placements, let’s quickly review — take a deep breath — some light astronomy.
The moon spins around the Earth like a dreidel, with a slight wobble, where one side tilts up where the other tilts down at an approximately five-degree angle. And, due to the lunar orbit’s slant, the moon crosses paths with Earth’s orbit around the sun at both its highest (North Node) and lowest (South Node) points — which means, yes, from our perspective on Earth, eclipses occur when the sun and moon intersect the Lunar Nodes. Makes sense, right? Right!
Now, another thing to know is that it takes the moon 18 years (and 11 days and eight hours, to be exact) to complete a full “nodal orbit” — i.e., a full cycle of its own wobbling, which is different from its 28-day orbit of Earth. To visualize this, recall a dreidel, with one side tilted up and one side tilted down: The “top” and “bottom” of these two points — the North and South Node — make a full rotation approximately every 18 years, which means the Nodes stay in the same zodiac sign for approximately 1.5 years before switching zodiac signs.
What do the North and South Nodes symbolize?
Collectively, the Lunar Nodes symbolize fate, destiny, path, and purpose, but they illuminate even more. Because the North and South Nodes are mirror images at exactly 180 degrees on the map of the sky, they’ll always occupy opposite zodiac signs and astrological Houses. For instance, if your South Node is in Libra, the North Node will be in Aries, and themes in your life will relate to collaboration (Libra) and independence (Aries) — which means you’re most likely working on overcoming your natural people-pleasing tendencies right this second to advocate for what you really want. In this sense, these two placements are always two sides of the same coin.
Your South Node represents the lessons, wisdom, and baggage you were already born with. Many astrologers believe that your South Node reflects your past life: Who you were, what you learned, and where your soul left off. We’re often “experts” at our South Node — it exposes themes that are familiar, accessible, and easily achievable. In many ways, the South Node signifies our spiritual comfort zone.
Your North Node symbolizes where you’re going in this lifetime. It reveals the energy you need to harness in order to fulfill your soul’s mission. The North Node offers insight into the passions, talents, and growth you need to access in order to reach your fullest potential. It’s important to keep in mind, however, that these qualities are often far from innate: The North Node is what we strive to bring into our lives — it’s what we must learn in order to live the life our soul aspires to experience.
Where are the North and South Nodes right now?
The Nodes moved onto the Aries-Libra axis (with the North Node in Aries and the South Node in Libra) on July 17, 2023. For the past 18 months, the focus has been on themes of independence and partnership, individuality and collaboration, and self-determination and diplomatic compromise. The last time the Nodes were on this axis was from 2013 through 2016, when the North Node was in Libra and the South Node was in Aries. Think back to that time — what themes or challenges around independence, partnership, and balance surfaced for you? There could be echoes of those same themes coming up now as the Nodes revisit this axis from a different direction.
But you should also know that, soon, this chapter will be coming to a close. On January 11, 2025, the Nodes will shift onto the Pisces-Virgo axis (with the North Node in Pisces and the South Node in Virgo). The narrative will then center on themes of spirituality, healing, and surrendering control versus the practicalities of work, health, and daily routines. If you’re curious about how these themes showed up in your life previously, consider what major events were unfolding between 2015 through 2017. While the Nodes were in opposite signs back then (North Node in Virgo and South Node in Pisces), you may begin to see how themes of idealism, spirituality, and service evolved into more grounded, tangible actions and routines — and how they may do so again in this upcoming cycle. Dun, dun, dun.
And what do the North and South Nodes mean for me?
Everyone has the Lunar Nodes in their complete astrological profile, otherwise known as the birth (or natal) chart. Search for the two symbols on your chart that look like horseshoes — that’s them.
Because the Nodes take 18 years to make that full “lunar orbit,” it takes 18 years for the Nodes to return to the spot they were in the sky at the exact moment and location you were born. Accordingly, these points on our birth charts get activated in a major way every, you guessed it, 18 years. We experience major breakthroughs relating to fate, destiny, and life purpose at the ages of 18, 36, 54, and so on and so forth. And, because the Nodes are always in opposite signs, the halfway marks are also notable. The ages 9, 27, 45, 63, and so on also serve powerful “checkpoints,” where we’re invited to take a closer look at how the themes of our Nodes are manifesting in our IRL lives.
Et voilà! Your own personal (and free!) crystal ball. Sort of.
Once you’ve figured out your natal-chart placements, find them in the below list of keywords associated with each of the zodiac configurations to start deciphering your future (and your past and your present):