The Moon's Nodes

The Moon's Nodes are points where the moon’s orbit around the Earth crosses the Earth’s orbit around the Sun. The points are calculated and lie directly across from each other. When these two points are connected, the Moon Node Axis crosses the entire chart. It runs backwards, from Aries into Pisces, then into Aquarius, etc. The Moon Node Axis can travel through the horoscope in 18.5 years, which leaves 1.5 years in each sign. The people our own age have their Moon Nodes in the same sign as we do, but not necessarily in the same house. The rising Moon Node is referred to as the northern Moon Node or Dragon’s Head. The falling Moon Node is called the southern Moon Node or Dragon’s Tail. In Indian Astrology they are called Rahu and Ketu. The meaning of the Moon Node Axis is tied closely to Karmic Astrology and is easier to understand in this context. It begins with a premonition that we are not on planet Earth for the first time, but that we have brought experiences from previous lives with us. In a horoscope the principle of reincarnation is described by the Moon Node Axis, whereby the falling Moon Node shows where the soul is coming from while the rising Moon Node describes where it is going to and our goals in this life. The Axis is the path we walk in this life. It can also be seen as a horoscope compressed into one line, which is expounded on by the remaining factors. The rising Moon Node contains the sum of all the experiences from our past lives. This is why it seems more familiar to us than its complement. It represents all our favorite habits, which we can’t manage to free ourselves from but which hamper our development, in other words our personal 'way of least resistance'. It is our duty to overcome our inner obstacles and pave the way for new experiences which go in a completely different direction, as we see on the opposing sign. We should endeavor to free ourselves from the chains of habit and look forward to unexplored harbors. The houses containing the Moon's Nodes tell us which areas we should further develop and where we are caught by transmitted behavior patterns. One of the most interesting ways to see the personal horoscope is to look at how far we have come and then image what may lie in store for us.