THE MOON'S NODES IN A BIRTH CHART
The
nodal axis relating the plane of the Moon's orbit to that of the Earth has been
symbolized as a Dragon. The north node was called Dragon's head; the south node,
Dragon's tail. The reason for such a symbolism had presumably to do with the
fact that eclipses occur when New Moons and Full Moons occur near the lunar
nodes. The celestial Dragon was thought to swallow the eclipsed body. There
are, however deeper meanings to the allegory, meanings referring to the
undulating
motion of life-energies, particularly the of late much publicized Kundalini
power, but also to the relative function of the two nodes. The north node, I
repeat, is the point of intake; the south node, the point of release
or evacuation. In animal organisms the biological functions can be shown to
operate alongside of an alimentary tube; food is absorbed at one end, waste
products
This
is the process called "metabolism." If food is not properly
metabolized - and symbolically this would refer to the passage of the Moon
What
apparently has not been realized is that the region including the south end of
this process in animal organisms is also that in which the release of seed takes
place. Such a release is also, in a sense, spontaneously instinctive and nearly
automatic: the sperm and ovum are periodically ejected from the male and
female organisms and often this release of seed cause many problems and is
related to a great deal of self-undoing; but not necessarily so. The release of
seed-material may never produce procreative results; unfecundated ova are
periodically rejected by the female organism, and the menstruation process may
cause discomfort or even severe cramps. One could even say that the sexual
orgasm is a release of accumulated and unusable nervous energy; but according to
all occult and esoteric traditions, this energy can be "sublimated"
and used to build a "spiritual body" - or it may be re-channeled into
mental and creative (instead of procreative) developments.
The
French composer, Saint-Saens, was fond of saying: "I compose just like an
apple tree produces apples." The true creative artist releases almost
automatically art products which his psycho-mental organism produces
spontaneously and of which, in a sense, he has to get rid. He acts in relation
to his culture, or to a special group
From
the preceding it should be clear that the nodes' meaning can be applied at all
levels of a human life. The north node refers to whatever builds
the personality, bringing to it new material. This material should not only be
absorbed, but metabolized - and this refers to reading books and absorbing
new ideas as well as to the intake of anything which can become assimilated by
the consciousness of the individual person. The south node refers to any
material whatsoever (physical, emotional-psychic, mental) which the organism
no longer needs, whether it be that the substance cannot be used and is in a
decaying or poisonous condition, or that it is the positive
The
absolutely basic fact which no astrologer should ever forget is that the nodes
are the two ends of an axis; one end cannot be understood without the other.
Marc Jones has spoken of the nodal line as the "axis of fate." It
refers to two basic approaches to existence, both of which should be included in
the harmonious life of man. Yet the position of the north node in a natal house
and zodiacal sign essentially indicates where the positive focus of conscious
existence should be established, i.e., where the "will" should
find
However,
because the south node should not be thought of always or entirely as a negative
factor, the house and sign in which it is located are not at all necessarily
fields of "self-undoing"; or else one has to realize that what is
meant most significantly by "sacrifice" represent, in a sense an
"undoing" of the individual person. At the south node one does not build
personality; one may expand it, releasing its contents in full
dedication to a community and an ideal. There are many ways of speaking of
sacrifice, some quite meaningless, even actually egocentric or masochistic. But
the true meaning of sacrifice is "making sacred"; and this implies a
complete dedication of one's thoughts and actions to what one may call either
God or mankind - or to a specific group, culture or ideal. This means a
surrender of the ego-will.
In
the deepest sense of the term, "destiny" may be accomplished
symbolically where the south node is placed in one's birth-chart. Something
greater than oneself may be fulfilled there - one's basic function in society or
in the universe. And such a fulfillment may indeed mean relatively at least,
paying little attention to the building and harmonious development of one's
individual personality. "Individuality" and "destiny" can
indeed be considered, at least in many instances, as polar opposites, if by
destiny is meant one's
The
position of the north node in a particular zodiacal sign will show which basic
type or mode of life-energy can be most fruitfully used in building one's
personality - what kind of "food" at any level is most conducive to
personal growth
The
position of the south node in a zodiacal sign above all warns you of the danger
inherent in using indiscriminately and automatically (or under the pressure of
an unconscious complex) the negative implication
of the sign.
In
President Franklin D. Roosevelt's chart the nodal situation is reversed, with
the north node in Sagittarius and presumably close to the natal meridian.
President Kennedy had a Capricorn north node, but also not far from the meridian
and in his third House. Their south nodes near the Mid Heaven may be seen as an
indication of "sacrifice" to a public destiny. In both cases the Moon
had also south latitude.
It
seems to me, however, that the position of the lunar nodes - and especially of
the planetary nodes - in the Houses is usually more significant than their
positions in the zodiacal signs. It may be because the Houses are to be
considered definitely in terms of axes (i.e., AscendantDescendant,
Zenith-Nadir) even more so than the signs. It may be mainly because the Houses
represent basic fields of experiences, and that it is in terms of
concrete life-experiences that the operation of the north-south nodes polarity
is most recognizable.
The
House in which the Moon's north node is located at birth usually
represents the type of
The
House in which the south node is placed refers to a type of experience
which one can easily take for granted; that is, one tends to allow the
The
following is an attempt to indicate briefly the general trend associated in most
instances with the position of the nodal axis in the natal Houses. I t should be
clear that these are only general indications and that the factors in a personal
life which the Moon's node may reveal are most of the time not obvious - for the
same reason that a man displaying blatant aggressiveness may do so in order to
compensate for a deep-seated sense of inferiority, the typical case being that
of Benito Mussolini.
Moon's
north node in the First House:
The
important thing for the individual is to learn from experiences in which he
takes a personal stand. This may lead in some cases to a tendency to
showmanship, but also to originality. As the result of such an approach to
circumstances,
Moon's
north node in the Second House:
The
Second House is not only the realm of "money and possessions" but it
refers to inherited tendencies, physical abilities and mental faculties - the
first possessions of the incarnating self. The basic issue for the individual is
how to manage what he owns, i.e., the proper use of his powers. If he does so
successfully he will receive good rewards from partnerships (south node in
eighth House). Yet he may bank too much on interpersonal or group relationships,
and find these deceiving. He should stress his own tradition and background,
rather than trust others too implicitly. Example: General, and especially
President, Dwight D. Eisenhower. Also apparently Mary Baker Eddy, founder of
Christian Science (eighth House south node?).
Moon's
north node in the Third House:
The
strength of the personal development of a solid foundation
Moon's
north node in the Fourth House:
The
building of a deep foundation for the personal life is the essential task,
unless a strong drive for a public and professional life results from a
compulsion of destiny. We see such a drive operating in the case of Richard
Wagner, whose personality was neither too pleasant or harmonious, yet whose
great creative gifts used as a foundation the ancestral images and myths of
his culture. He drew everything and everyone to him as "food," which
he then released as great music and dramatic concepts. The Hindu mystic,
Ramakrishna, had this same north node position, with an also extremely full
first House.
Moon's
north node in the Fifth House:
The
need for self-expression and creative emotional intensity - or for a progeny
to project oneself into - is basic as a means to develop one's personality. If
constructively satisfied it should lead to a social-cultural fruition, to
friends and an easy participation in group-activity. But the south node in the
eleventh House may indicate a trend toward mere dreams or escapism in utopian
ideals. The dream should be integrated with an effectual work in terms of
education, creative art-works or various forms of leadership. Personal
frustration in emotional self-expression could produce unwholesome reactions in
the eleventh House field, particularly with regards to friendships and social
interplay. As example, I might give the intensely creative French poet, Victor
Hugo, who also espoused a social-political Cause in his opposition to the Third
Empire. He also lived an intensely emotional life.
Moon's
north node in the Sixth House:
Hard
work, the mastery of technique, the experiences related to personal crises or
illness, and perhaps devotion to an embodied spiritual Teacher should bring
great rewards, if the will and endurance are adequate. Compulsive introspection
and too much passivity to the influence of social-religious institutions or
collective moods may be a line of least resistance (twelfth House south node).
Yet the pull toward an inner life of meditation, or a fateful involvement in
social Causes may produce great results if the "Soul"
Moon's
north node in the Seventh House:
This
House refers to those experiences which a person obtains through close
relationships with other persons - relationships which, theoretically at
least, carry the seed-potentiality of participation in a community, or in some
kind of larger whole to which the related individuals feel they belong. The
House does not merely deal with close contacts between two isolated individuals,
even if the relationship were to be permanent What makes the relationship a
seventh House matter is the fact that it occurs within, and in function of a
particular society and culture to which the relationship will bring a certain
kind
Moon's
north node in the Eighth House:
In
this House, the partners discover what is available to them in giving concrete
substance to the partnership and how they have to manage their affairs and
individual possessions. This is the House of business, as all business is based
on transactions; but it refers also to personal experiences which result from
the interactions between the partners - and this may mean the experience of
surrendering one's dear ego to the larger unit. It is also the House of
occultism and ceremonial magic, in the sense that these areas of experience deal
with the results of group activity and of relationship to invisible entities. A
second House south node may lead to financial difficulties or scandals, but also
theoretically to great wealth in the case of individuals able to use relatively
hidden forces. The well-known occultist, Cheiro,
who
became famous by his studies of the hands of kings and aristocrats, and by his
various predictions, had the north node in his natal eighth House. Albert
Einstein's north node was also there in early Aquarius. His formulas certainly
dealt with hidden forces.
Moon's
north node in the Ninth House:
Men
with the north node in this House should be driven to expand, whether physical
through travel or foreign adventures, or mentally and spiritually. They may tend
to absorb and assimilate what is beyond man's normal reach. This can mean
imperialism - and as examples, we have Hitler and the international banker J. P.
Morgan, the elder. The leader of the Chinese revolution, Sun Yat Sen, Mahatma
Gandhi, who did so much to liberate India through a spirituallyoriented
crusade, and General Marshall ( of the Marshall Plan after World War II) are
other examples. The south node in the third House may refer to the negative
effect of the great adventures to the close environment, but also to a
remarkable capacity for planning strategy.
Moon's
north node in the Tenth House:
This
position may be found in the charts of powerful or ambitious men who gained and
sustained social and political power through great exertion. We can give as
examples Marshall Tito of Yugoslavia, and in the cultural world, Arnold
Schoenberg who gained fame after many years of struggle. The balance between a
public and a
Moon's
north node in the Elevent House:
Astrological
tradition speaks of this House as that of hopes and wishes, and of friends; but
it deals more basically with the result of the public life and professional
experiences. If the latter are normally successful they may lead to satisfying
friendships and the fulfillments of hopes; but they may also drive a man to want
to change or at least improve "the system." It may mean hard
north-node work, but also Providential help if the time for change has come.
This nodal position is characteristically found in Pope John XXIII's chart,
with the Sun at the cusp of the
Moon's
north node in the Twelfth House:
While
the sixth House refers especially to personal crises of readjustment or
reorientation, the twelfth House indicates a type of experience
A
special importance should be attributed to situations in which the nodal axis is
identical in longitude with either the natal horizon or the meridian, and
especially the former. Then the basic structure of the individual selfhood is
affected by the nodes. The situation is different from the one in which the Moon
would be found just rising or culminating at the Mid-Heaven. The lunar influence
in the first case is more profound and more instinctive, because what is
symbolically acting upon the person is the lunar orbit instead of the
Moon as a planetary body.
When
we consider the Moon, or in general any planet, as a celestial body in constant
motion, we are dealing with a particular type of functional activity in only
one of its many modes of expression; but the orbit of the Moon refers to the
whole gamut of lunar characteristics, to the essential "lunarity" of
the Moon factor. When we consider the relationship between the lunar orbit and
the
The
same situation exists with reference to the nodes of the planets. If, for
instance, the nodal axis of Uranus coincides with the natal horizon of a
person, this person's life will be more deeply affected by the characteristic
quality of Uranus
When
astrologers claim that the planet Uranus
should logically be rising in the U.S. national chart (Gemini 8° Ascendant),
they forget, among many other things, that the chart with Sagittarius 13° has
the Uranus line of nodes practically identical with its horizon. Uranus' south
node is at the Ascendant and it is the compulsion to act in the world as
a transforming agent (and what is more, a self-righteously Sagittarian agent)
which characterizes the deepest aspect of the "American" prototype. In
that
What
has just been said of the Uranus nodes applies to the nodal axes of other
planets; but it IS more relevant in the cases of the more remote planets,
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto; for the planets close to the Earth
show
These
"distortions" are very real, of course, from the existential point of
view; they occupy the attention, and fill the bank accounts of psychiatrists,
educators, and medical men. They refer to the "outer man" living in
society under great pressures of which he may not even be aware and to the
"ego" which controls normally the relationship of the individual to
his society. But a time should come in man's evolution when he is able to
identify himself not merely with conditions at one particular locality on the
surface of the Earth-globe, but with the essential character and destiny
of Man - a character and destiny symbolized by the entire orbit of the
Earth.
This
is what is really or "hiddenly" implied in statements to the effect
that man is "the whole zodiac" because the zodiac IS the orbit of the
Earth - and thus the sum-total of the possible modes of relationship of his
organism to the source of all life, the Sun. Man as the zodiac relates himself
to the planets of the solar system