- Eclipses Help Us Renew Our Lives -

The Moon's Nodes are an important but somewhat misunderstood factor in Astrology. Generally speaking, the North Node shows us our “line of greatest evolutionary development” and the South Node “our line of least resistance.” Of course they offer much more than that. As a result of recent requests, today we take a new look at the Moon's Nodes, what they mean, and how they work.

It’s been four years since we last explored this subject, and I’ve updated the series where needed. So what are the Moon’s Nodes, why are they important, and how do they work in the signs, houses and in transits?

The Nodes of the Moon have their own cyclic process, and play an important part in the timing on Eclipses as well as how we grow and what we let go of. As I’ll explain downstream, when a New or Full Moon conjuncts the Nodes, we have Solar and Lunar Eclipses. Eclipses are “cosmic recyclers,” removing what we no longer need and creating voids which we can fill in the future according to our chosen line of growth and development.

Some believe the Nodes operate like the planets, but this is not the case. The planets are the parts of our personality we use to shape our expression. The Nodes show how we are pushed and pulled magnetically away from some areas and into other areas as personal lines of growth and ways to demonstrate that growth (natal nodes) or as general tendencies in certain life areas (transiting nodes). I’ll explain more about this in future parts of this series.

Through transiting conjunctions to our natal nodes we initiate lines of growth and development through the qualities of the transiting planet, or use a planetary energy to “show what we know.” The Sun illuminates, the Moon gives form. Mercury gets “the news,” while Venus helps us grow and release through interactive experiences and Mars quickens the growth or release through impulses which spur us to act.

When planets conjunct the North Node, we initiate some form of our “line of greatest development” and when they conjunct the South Node we initiate some form of falling back on “our line of least resistance.” The North Node helps us grow and develop while the South Node allows us to practice economy of energy, “showing what we know” while understanding there’s nothing else to learn from that situation.

When the transiting Nodes conjunct our planets, we are shown growth and release energies that help us know how and when to build, and when to demonstrate what we've already learned to our world. We can see when we're "inhaling" certain energies, and the long term growth patterns associated with those energies. We also see when we're "exhaling" energies, and how to release or "do" those energies appropriately.

According to traditional lore, in terms of transiting planets making aspects to the transiting Moon's Nodes, they are said to be primarily active only when the Moon makes an aspect to either of them. However, I have found that they work on their own level as an independent "tendency" toward growth and release, movement into new patterns and out of old patterns.

Since the Lunar Nodes are crucial in creating Eclipses, that's another major Nodal influence apart from their transits to our planets, or transiting planets making aspects to the transiting Nodes. I'll discuss how transits to our Nodes work in a future article.

As I mentioned earlier, an eclipse only happens when there is a New or Full Moon conjunct the Moon's Nodal axis. In other words, if the Sun and/or the Moon conjunct one of the Moon's Nodes at a Lunation, it forms an Eclipse.

When there is a New Moon conjunct either the North or South Node, it is a Solar Eclipse. When there is a Full Moon conjunct the Nodes, it's called a Lunar Eclipse. You can find an explanation of the influence of the Nodes in all my articles explaining any eclipse.

Since several Solar eclipses from years past are still major players in all our lives, you may want to check out some of the eclipse articles I’ve linked below. Each of these shut down parts of our lives related to the houses in which they fell, and parts of our responses related to planets they conjuncted. Many Solar eclipses of the past 4 years are still actively shutting down things, so please take a look at what’s left with an understanding that we ALL have been letting go in these specific areas, and will for some time to come.

Over the next week we'll continue our exploration of the influence of the North Node and South Node of the Moon, how they work in general and in our charts. This can help us understand why certain paths of growth are so tough, but so rewarding over the long haul, and why there are times when all we can do is let go and "show what we know."

If you want my take on how much is fate and how much is free will when it comes to eclipse effects, please check out The Solar and Lunar Eclipse - Is Any Eclipse Destined to Have Bad Effects?

Past Solar Eclipses

These were all active for 2 to 5 years.

For more about the November 2011 Sagittarius Solar Eclipse with links to the 2011 Gemini Solar Eclipse, please check out The Solar Eclipse at 3 Sagittarius November 24-25, 2011 Pt. 3 - Signs, Sabian Symbols, and What It All Means. (You can follow the internal links in this article to the previous articles about this specific Eclipse.)

For more about the May 2012 Gemini Annular Solar Eclipse, here’s The Solar Eclipse at 1 Gemini May 20-21 2012 Pt. 3 (You can follow the internal links in this article to the previous articles about this specific Eclipse.)

For more about the 2012 Scorpio Total Solar Eclipse, here’s The Total Solar Eclipse at 22 Scorpio Nov 13-14, 2012 Pt. 3 - Signs, Sabian Symbols, and What It All Means. (You can follow the internal links in this article to the previous articles about this specific Eclipse.)

For more about the 2013 Taurus Solar Eclipse, here’s The May 2013 Solar Eclipse in Taurus Pt. 3 – How Will This Lunation Affect Us? (As with the previous links, follow the internal links in this one to the previous articles about this Eclipse)

For more about the 2013 Scorpio Solar Eclipse, here’s A Hybrid Solar Eclipse New Moon in Scorpio Pt. 2 – What’s Happening in November 2013 as well as 2014-2015-2016. (link to pt. 1 at the bottom of that article. Pt. 3 has the Sabian Symbols.)

For more about the 2014 Taurus Solar Eclipse, here's The New Moon Solar Eclipse in Taurus Pt. 2 - What’s Happening in May 2014 (Part 3 elaborates on the Sabian Symbols and other factors.)

For more about the 2014 Scorpio Solar Eclipse, here's The October 2014 Solar Eclipse in Scorpio Pt. 3 – Signs, Sabian Symbols, and What It all Means (Links to other articles on the Eclipse at the bottom of this post.).

For more about the March 2015 Total Solar Eclipse at 30 Pisces, here’s The Total Solar Eclipse at 30 Pisces Pt. 3 (You can follow the internal links in this article to the previous articles about this specific Eclipse.)

For more about the September 2015 Partial Solar Eclipse at 21 Virgo, here’s The Partial Solar Eclipse at 21 Virgo Pt. 3 (though there are no links to previous articles in that Eclipse series, you can find them in the articles posted in the week before this link).

This just ended.

For more about the March 2016 Total Solar Eclipse at 19 Pisces, here’s The Total Solar Eclipse at 19 Pisces Pt. 2 (though there are no links to any other articles in that series, you can find them just before and just after this one.)

These are still active at this time.

The next two are active through mid-2022

For more about the September 2016 Annular Solar Eclipse at 10 Virgo, here’s The Annular Solar Eclipse at 10 Virgo Pt. 2 (though there are links to previous articles in that series, you will have to go to part 3 to find the Sabian symbols, Jones pattern, aspects and more.)

For more about the February 2017 Annular Solar Eclipse at 9 Pisces, here’s The Annular Solar Eclipse on February 26, 2017 at 9 Pisces Pt. 2 - What’s Happening in February-March 2017 (and through 2022!) (You’ll have to go to parts 1 and 3 to find out the Sabian Symbols, aspects, Jones pattern, and all the other details about its qualities).

This one has brought America to its knees! This Eclipse penumbral phase was 5 hours and 18 minutes, showing those effects are in play for 5 years and 3.5 months. The umbral phase, which is the most intense part, lasted 3 hours and 14 minutes, showing that would be in play for 3 years and 3 months. As the Eclipse fell on August 21, the most intense part of the Eclipse would last from then through (surprise!) November 2020! It’s safe to say America has been “eclipsed” between August 2017 and November 2020. The after effects will last through November 2022, the next national election.

For more about the August 2017 Total Solar Eclipse at 29 Leo, here’s The Total Solar Eclipse of August 2017 at 29 Leo Pt. 2 - What’s Happening in August-September 2017 (and through 2022!) (You’ll have to go to parts 1 and 3 to find out the Sabian Symbols, aspects, Jones pattern, and all the other details about its qualities).

This is active through December 2021

For more about the February 2018 Partial Solar Eclipse at 28 Aquarius, here’s The Partial Solar Eclipse of February 2018 at 28 Aquarius Pt. 2 - What’s Happening in February-March 2018 (and through 2022!) (You’ll have to go to parts 1 and 3 to find out the Sabian Symbols, aspects, Jones pattern, and all the other details about its qualities).

This was active through December 2020

For more about the July 2018 Partial Solar Eclipse at 21 Cancer, here’s The Partial Solar Eclipse of July 2018 at 21 Cancer Pt. 2 - What’s Happening in July-August 2018 (and through 2020!) (Again, go to parts 1 and 3 to find out the Sabian Symbols, aspects, Jones pattern, and all the other details about its qualities).

This is active through February 2022

For more about the August 2018 Partial Solar Eclipse at 19 Leo, here’s The Partial Solar Eclipse of August 2018 at 19 Leo Pt. 2 - What’s Happening in August-September 2018 (and through February 2022!) (Parts 1 and 3 have Sabian Symbols, aspects, Jones pattern, and all the other details about its qualities).

For more about the January 2019 Partial Solar Eclipse at 16 Capricorn, here’s The Partial Solar Eclipse of January 2019 at 16 Capricorn Pt. 2 - What’s Happening in January 2019 (and into 2023!) (Parts 1 and 3 have Sabian Symbols, aspects, Jones pattern, and all the other details about its qualities).

For more about the July 2019 Total Solar Eclipse at 11 Cancer, here’s The Total Solar Eclipse of July 2019 at 11 Cancer Pt. 2 - What’s Happening in July 2019 (and through Spring 2024!) (Parts 1 and 3 have Sabian Symbols, aspects, Jones pattern, and all the other details about its qualities).

For more about the December 2019 Annular Solar Eclipse at 5 Capricorn, here’s The Annular Solar Eclipse of December 2019 at 5 Capricorn Pt. 2 - What’s Happening in January 2020 (and through 2025!) (Parts 1 and 3 have Sabian Symbols, aspects, Jones pattern, and all the other details about its qualities).

For more about the July 2020 Annular Solar Eclipse at 1 Cancer, here’s The Solstice New Moon Solar Eclipse of June 2020 at 1 Cancer Pt. 2 - What’s Happening in June-July (and through 2025!) (Parts 1 and 3 have Sabian Symbols, aspects, Jones pattern, and all the other details about its qualities).

For more about the December 2020 Total Solar Eclipse at 24 Sagittarius, here's The December 2020 New Moon Total Solar Eclipse at 24 Sagittarius Pt. 3 - Signs, Sabian Symbols, and What It All Means (Links to other articles in the series at the bottom of this one)

You can find out more about the June 2021 Solar Eclipse in Gemini by going to the archives for early June, where there are four major articles on all you could want to know.

See you soon with more about the Moon’s Nodes, how they work, and why they’re important.

Reprinted on crystalwind.ca with written permission from Robert Wilkinson. Copying this article to other blogs is strictly prohibited. It is copyright protected. 

© Copyright 2021 Robert Wilkinson

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