The Moon’s Nodes: Post-Eclipse Reflections
Dear Friends
As we emerge from what has undoubtedly been a very powerful eclipse season, many of us I’m sure find ourselves with much to reflect upon. You might be realising, like me, that you are having to address certain blind spots, deeply ingrained habits and behaviours that have gone unchecked, and which impact both our relationships, and our authentic self-expression. This is what eclipses do, they tend to bring to the surface unconscious urges and drives which have not experienced the light of consciousness for a while, and can be uncomfortable to face. But face them we must, and as the intensity of the eclipse season mellows a little now with the waning moon, we have an opportunity to reflect and consider what has been revealed.
August’s eclipse season has been accompanied by a shift of the moon’s north and south nodes onto the Aquarius/Leo axis, which occurred decisively (both true and mean node) mid-way between the solar eclipse on the 12th and lunar eclipse on 28th August.
The Moon’s Nodes as The Path of the Dragon
The moon’s nodes are directly associated with eclipses, as they point to the place in the zodiac where the eclipses will occur. They are not planetary bodies, but have long been imagined as powerful animate forces that ‘grab hold’ of a person’s soul and directly impact human behaviour. Since ancient times, and especially in the Vedic tradition, they have been venerated as the head and tail of a great celestial dragon. In India, they hold their own position within the planetary pantheon, with temples erected in their honour. Rahu (the north node / dragon’s head) calls forth a headstrong ambition to direct the course of the incarnating soul toward its conscious realisation, while Ketu, the dragon’s tail draws us back to the the well-trodden path of the past, enticing us to lean into familiar patterns that have both served and hindered the soul’s evolution in former lives. Another way of seeing it, is to think of the south node as your familiar spiritual base from which you can grow, and the north node as the unknown terrain to which your soul is calling you for the sake of balance and healing. There are profound gifts in the south node, but these can only be realised in this life if we have the courage and humility to reach toward the north node - otherwise the south node themes can turn toxic and have a detrimental effect upon our karmic and evolutionary journey.
The Shift of the Nodal Axis to Aquarius-Leo
The moon’s nodes have an 18.6 year return cycle, and for the last 18 months or so, the they have been traversing (in their usual retrograde fashion) through the signs of Pisces (north node) and Virgo (south node). This period has been characterised by the collective need to let go of perfectionism and control and to bring through more compassion, surrendering to a deeper experience of faith and trust. With the nodes now having shifted to Aquarius (north node) and Leo (south node), we are being directly toward greater collaboration, innovation and consideration of community, while releasing the deeply ingrained instinct for centralised control and egoic dominance arising from the need to impose one’s personal power over one another and upon the world. We may be observe this theme at a collective level over the coming 18 months, while also noticing how it touches us individually. Are these your own personal nodal positions for example? Or are you experiencing a nodal reversal (transiting north node in the sign of your personal north node). Or are these nodes making a significant aspect (e.g. square or trine) to your personal nodal positions? This will determine how challenging it might be to integrate the lessons of this nodal transition.
All the best
John
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