Modes of the Nodes: De-Mystifying the North and South Nodes
Hey folx. I'm back with my take on the nodes of the moon, which seem to be trending as of late.
First, I want to tell you that I'm really bored of hearing "go towards your north node."
WTF does this even mean? And also, implicit in this statement is that the south node is to be left behind, dragged to the proverbial trash bin. Both in the sky and in our charts, the lunar nodes are equally advantageous. I will also say that there are maaaaaaaany takes on them. Find the one (or the many) that you like.
One of the major pleasures of astrology is that it teaches us many ways to engage with time. Lunar time is different from solar time is different from Mercury time -- on and on. The correspondence? TIME IS A CIRCLE and so goes round and round. No real beginning. No real end.
Arthur Schopenhauer was paraphrasing many of our forebears when he said, "After your death, you will be what you were before you were born." So what does this have to do with the nodes of the moon?
Everything.
It has everything to do with the nodes of the moon because these nodes teach us about expansion and contraction, lightness and dark (they're the points in the sky where eclipses happen), and circularity. My favorite way to consider the nodes is via the Oroboros -- the serpent eating its tail. It's an ancient symbol. It's alchemical. It's another reminder that time is tricky and linear progress is a cruel joke.
In Vedic astrology, the serpent's mouth is known as Rahu (the north node) and the tail is Ketu (the south node). What does the mouth of the serpent do? The mouth of anything? It hungers, it eats, it imbibes. The tail just kind of....is. We need the mouth. We need the tail. Round and round. Rahu expands Ketu contract. The north node is visibility, hungering, earthly achievement, and taking-in. The tail is a resting point, large darkness.
It's alchemy.
It's the ongoingness of proliferation and diminution, our earthly requirements for all kinds of light.
And remember, these are the nodes of the MOON. So, they're lunar. They're about this thing called LIFE ON EARTH! It's always refashioning itself, waxing and waning and feeding and resting.
As I write this, the nodes of the moon have just entered a new axis. This means that the eclipses will be happening at the Gemini-Sagittarius alliance. These two signs are about modes of knowledge. Gemini zooms in and gets the deets, while Sagittarius zooms out and does the big picture calculations.
The eclipses will move back and forth between Gemini and Sag, getting this axis in our charts lit. So, look to what houses are ruled by these two signs and mark these dates in your G-cal.
JUNE 5 LUNAR ECLIPSE IN SAGITTARIUS
JUNE 21 SOLAR ECLIPSE IN CANCER
JULY 5 LUNAR ECLIPSE IN CAPRICORN
NOVEMBER 30 LUNAR ECLIPSE IN GEMINI
Dec 14 SOLAR ECLIPSE IN SAGITTARIUS
QUESTIONS FOR THE NODAL AXIS:
How do you define knowledge?
What does it mean to ascend? To descend?
When do you feel like the mouth of the snake? The tail?
Find me here and take a workshop or book an astrology reading here.
Emmalea Russo is a writer, astrologer, and creative. Her writing on astrology, culture, art, and literature appears in Cosmopolitan, Poetry Foundation, The Thirlby, Los Angeles Review of Books, Fanzine, BOMB Magazine, and elsewhere and her published books are G (2018) and Wave Archive (2019). She has been a writer-in-residence at 18th Street Arts Center (LA) and Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (NY). Emmalea writes and podcasts on astrology and culture at The Avant-Galaxy. In her practice, she combines ancient and modern astrology, tarot, and creative praxis, helping her clients connect with their stars for a more cosmically nuanced life experience. She uses astrology as a language, art, and tool for connection.
In this bi-monthly column, Emmalea will tackle real-life situations from an astro perspective. Think: A punk-rock Dear Prudence, with a natal chart for good measure.