This book is the first comprehensive guide to the Moon's nodes--probably themost misunderstood points in astrology. The nodes are not planets, but thepoints on your birth chart where the orbit of the Moon around the Earth crossesthe ecliptic. The nodes are the key to understanding your spiritual purpose forthis lifetime. The South Node reveals the lessons, talents, and abilities youmastered in past lives, while the North Node shows you how to best use yourpast-life skills for spiritual growth, happiness, and success in this life.

The Complete Node Book presents a new and empowering perspective on thenodes. It defines and analyzes the specific lessons and challenges presented byeach of the 144 possible placements of the nodes. Both sign and house placementof the nodes are considered for extraordinarily insightful and accurateinterpretations.

For beginning astrologers, this guidebook provides easy-to-find personalinterpretations and a free birth chart offer. For advanced astrologers, it willserve as the definitive reference manual on the Moon's nodes.

Excerpt: The Complete Node Book: Understanding Your Life's Purpose. All rites reserved:

1 Introducing the Moon's Nodes

The Moon's nodes are probably the most misunderstood points in astrology.
Although few astrologers would dispute their importance in the chart, equallyfew astrologers could offer a modern, supportive interpretation of the nodes,what they represent, and why. Traditional astrology takes a rather consistentview of the nodes. The North Node (Caput Draconis, which means the"Dragon's Head") was given a similar quality to the traditionalinterpretations of Venus and Jupiter, and was associated with all of the goodthings that we could possibly experience in our lifetime, including success,advancement, increase, and personal fulfillment. The South Node (Cauda Draconis,which means the "Dragon's Tail") was of the same nature as Mars andSaturn, and
was associated with huge heaping amounts of what one would expect to come out ofthe tail end of a dragon. The traditional interpretations of the Moon's nodespretty much boil down to "North Node good; South Node bad."
As modern astrology moved away from the extremely fatalistic and often verynegative traditional style of interpreting the planets, the nodes too received afacelift of sorts to make working with them more empowering. The North Nodebecame the processes and experiences that we must strive for in order to workwith our karma and to grow in this lifetime. And the South Node got promotedfrom evil incarnate to the point in the chart where we're most likely to takethe easy way out and to rely on habit. The South Node is also related to thekarma that we're working off in this lifetime. In other words, "North Nodegood; South Node bad."
One of the difficulties in coming up with a truly comprehensive understanding ofwhat the nodes represent in the natal chart is that the Moon's nodes are theonly points in the chart that do not have an associated Western mythology. Theassociations of the dragon with the Moon's nodes comes from Hindu mythology, andwhile working with this myth is a great help in understanding the nodes as theyare used in Eastern astrology, the Hindu myth doesn't help us come up with aWestern, humanistic understanding of the nodes.
If we want to understand the energy of one of the zodiac signs, for example, wecan simply break it down into its component parts. Is it cardinal, fixed, ormutable? Is it earth, air, fire, or water? When we combine our understandings ofthe elements and the modalities, we can easily come up with an accurateunderstanding of the energy of each of the signs. In a similar vein, byexamining the things that we can observe about the Moon's nodes and interpretingthem individually, we can come up with a much more structured, comprehensive,and, above all, supportive approach to interpreting the Moon's nodes.
Let's review what we know about the nodes so far. The nodes are
mathematical points that represent where the orbit of the Moon around the Earthcrosses the ecliptic (which is the apparent path of the Sun around the Earth).The North Node is the point where the Moon's orbit rises above the ecliptic, andthe South Node is the point where the Moon's orbit falls below the ecliptic. TheNorth Node and the South Node are always exactly opposite each other in thechart.
This information about the nodes may not appear to be as helpful to interpretingthem as the elements and modalities are to interpreting the signs; however, justthis simple physical description of the Moon's nodes can help us gain a morecomplete understanding of what they represent in astrology.

The Nodes Are Mathematical Points

They Are Not Physical Bodies

The nodes are mathematical points; they are not physical bodies. What this meansis that the nodes do not emanate light. The nodes can receive aspects from theplanets, but they cannot directly influence how a physical body expressesitself.
This also means that the nodes do not filter the energy of the signs.With thenodes, as with the angles, we have a pure expression of the energy and symbolismof the signs. Our experience of the energy of Aries, for example, is verydifferent when we are experiencing Venus in Aries than when we are experiencingMars in Aries. The personalities of the planets color the expression of thesigns that they visit. The nodes, however, do not change how the signs areexpressed or experienced.
The Nodes Are Related to the Moon,
the Sun, and the Ecliptic
The nodes are most closely related to the symbolism and processes of the Moonbecause they represent points on the Moon's orbit around the Earth. But thenodes are also related to the Sun because of their relationship to the ecliptic.In other words, the nodes are the points where aspects of the lunar and solarprinciples connect.
Let's look at the Moon first, and get a feel for what the Moon brings to thisprocess. The Moon reflects the light of the Sun; it is passive, receptive, andfeminine. The Moon responds, and produces emotions and feelings. The Moon is thecontainer of our experience, providing form and location for the Sun'sexpression. The Moon relates to our conditioning, habits, vices, and learnedresponses; in other words, the Moon is our memory. The Moon is not just ourmemory of this lifetime; it is our soul's memory, and it is what our soul wantsus to remember from other lifetimes. The Moon is our unconscious and oursubconscious.
The Sun, on the other hand, is our conscious, active life force. The Sun is ourwill, our power, and our sense of purpose. The Sun is the heart of ourexistence; it is the motivation for our life this time around. The Sun is how weare seen, how we shine, and how we express and project ourselves. The Sun is howwe want to be a hero in our life; it is how we want to become an individual.
The ecliptic, the apparent orbit of the Sun around the Earth, describes the paththat our journey will follow in this lifetime.When we look at a natal chart,what we're actually looking at is a two-dimensional representation of thepositions of the planets as viewed from the Earth, flattened to the plane of theecliptic. In other words, in a chart, the ecliptic is the chart wheelitself.When we look at the positions of the planets along the ecliptic, we arelooking at where along our journey we encounter these energies. The position ofthe Sun at birth shows the point where we chose to begin our quest forself-expression and self-realization in this lifetime. The ecliptic, the chartwheel, represents the actual course that we will follow.
Viewed in this way, the nodes represent the places in the chart where our past,our soul memories (the Moon), intersect with our current conscious experiencesand our current cycle of lessons and growth. The South Node is the point wherewe are able to dip below the ecliptic into our past and access our memories fromprevious journeys. The North Node is the point where our past lessons intersectwith our present journey, the point where we emerge from the past and move intonew territory. It is the point where our past lessons come up into the light ofconscious awareness and enable us to look at this piece of our past in anentirely new way.
Since the South Node relates to our past soul lessons, and the North Noderelates to our current soul lessons, the traditional association of the SouthNode to our past and our karma, and the North Node to our future, or dharma,makes sense.
The Nodes Are Always in Perfect Opposition
Next, let's look at the opposition aspect. Planets are said to be in opposition
when they occupy points across the wheel from each other, at an angle of 180degrees. Traditionally, oppositions were considered "hard" or"challenging" aspects, but fortunately this opinion has been largelyupdated.
When I look at oppositions, the keywords I start with are balance andperspective. (Others also use compromise, but I find that limiting. To me,compromise means that each person has to give up something that they want inorder to get something that they want. Balance just means that there isagreement and harmony.) The thing about oppositions is that both planets really"want" the same thing; they just approach it from different ends ofthe spectrum. If we can get each planet to see things from the other's point ofview, then we can find that middle ground where they can work together and bothget what they want. This process is made easier by the fact that, being directlyacross from each other, the two planets can "see" each other easilyand are able to gain greater perspective on the big picture.

Putting It Together

So, the key to the nodal axis is to get the South Node and the North Node towork with each other, right? Not quite. The nodes are not planets; they aremathematical points in the chart. This doesn't make them any less important thana physical body; it just makes them a bit different to work with. The planets,remember, represent physical urges (for want of a better word) and drives thatwe all have.We can either choose to work with our Mars, for example, or toignore it. Either way, we're going to be very aware of its presence in ourchart.When Mars is activated by transit, or when transiting Mars triggersactivity in our chart, we feel it. If we choose to become aware of it and ownit, we can learn to use the energy in the most constructive way possible. If wedon't, we're still going to experience it.
The nodes, on the other hand, have to do with the spiritual or soul lessons thatwe can encounter in this lifetime. The nodes are where the path of our souldevelopment intersects with the path of our physical experiences. Since we'represently incarnated on the physical plane, that is where our focus naturallylies. If we don't choose to work with the nodes and their lessons on a consciouslevel, we are probably not going to be very aware of how they manifest.
In order to really work with and experience the nodes, we have to becomeconsciously aware of our spirituality, of our soul connection and our connectionto the universe.We have to accept that we came here with a lesson that we choseto work on in this lifetime, and we have to be ready to ask what that lessonmight be. Are we learning it now? Of course. But the soul path lesson is farmore subtle than a Mars transit.
The nodal axis is not our spiritual path in this lifetime.What it is, or rather,what it can be, is a spiritual compass, pointing us in the right direction. Thenodes show us where our spiritual path and our soul lessons intersect with ourphysical path, and they are the points where we can most easily align with ourspiritual path.
So with the nodes, it's not just about perspective and balance, it's aboutlearning how to consciously work with and integrate the lessons, gifts, andexperiences indicated by the North and South Nodes. The nodes can tell us whatwe have to work with, and show us what direction to go in to experience ourlessons and to look for our true path in this lifetime.

The South Node

The South Node sheds light on our past. By its location in the chart, the SouthNode represents the types of experiences and memories that our soul wants us tohave in this lifetime to help us on our developmental path. If our soul has goneto all of the trouble of bringing up these experiences, shouldn't we payattention? And would a soul filled with love and light intentionally send usback into the material realm with only excess baggage? Of course not.
The South Node represents gifts to us from past lives. The lessons, skills,talents, and abilities that we struggled so many years to develop and master arestill available to us through the South Node. The South Node is our soul'sreport card. It tells us what subjects we have passed: the South Node says,"Congratulations, you have passed Gemini Level I." For"incompletes" and less impressive marks, look to Saturn for furtherinstruction and retesting, not to the South Node.
Just because we can now look at the South Node in a more positive light doesn'tmean that the traditional warnings about the South Node being a "trap"don't have merit. Every planet and point in the chart has a highest potentialand a potential trap. With the South Node, the trap is to mistake summervacation for graduation.We may be able to take a break, but we're still inschool. So long as we are incarnated on the Earth, we are here to learn.
Even though the South Node represents lessons and skills that we have learned,used, and often mastered in the past, it also is an indication that we stillhave more to learn about them in this lifetime.We may have learned the skillstoo well and limited our growth in other areas.We may have misused theinformation in the past, learning the letter of the lesson but not the spirit.Or it may merely be time to learn how to use the skills in a different way, toexpand our mastery. In any event, for higher education, we look to the NorthNode.

The North Node

The South Node is not alone in being long overdue for a revised interpretation.
True, the trap of the South Node is a tendency to stick with what is familiar,which can mean that we miss opportunities for growth and repeat old patterns.Also true, the way to avoid the trap of the South Node is to work with the NorthNode, which is why the North Node got such a great reputation. But the NorthNode also has a trap: the tendency to want to turn our back on the past in thesingleminded pursuit of growth and new experiences.
The temptation of the North Node is to forget where we've been, and to focusonly on where we are headed. The North Node, after all, brings success,happiness, abundance, luck, and freedom from the patterns and habits of thepast. The North Node is the spiritual equivalent of the trip to the Bahamas thatwe've always wanted to take. And just like that trip to the Bahamas, the trap ofthe North Node makes us feel that much as we want it, we probably can't affordit. The North Node can seem to say, "You can get to the Bahamas, but youhave to leave your nice, comfortable boat and swim there on your own. Oh, and bythe way, there are probably sharks in the water." The trap of the NorthNode is just as dangerous as that of the South Node.We buy into the idea that wehave to sever our ties to the past and create a new future.
We dive into the water to swim out to the Bahamas, get part of the way there,and either get too tired or too scared of the sharks in the waters, and hurryback to the comfort and familiarity of our boat, the S. S. South Node. And ifwe've really bought into the trap, we may feel like a spiritual failure on topof it all.
Obviously, this is not an interpretation that is very supportive. My intentionis not to bash the North Node, only to point out that the traditionalinterpretation of the nodes encourages us to stay away from the South Node toreap the rewards of the North Node, and that is just not what it is all about.The true process of the North Node is not about turning our back on the past.The North Node is about taking stock of the past, honoring it, working with it,building on it, and learning how to use it in a new way.
For example, the North Node Sagittarius/South Node Gemini axis doesn't tell usthat we're done with Gemini and now have to learn Sagittarius. Instead, it tellsus that we are now going to learn how to use our Gemini experiences in aSagittarian way. It tells us that part of our path, part of our lesson in thislifetime, is to recognize that there is a point of balance between Gemini andSagittarius, and finding it will be a key to our spiritual growth anddevelopment. By working with both the North Node and the South Node, we get totake the boat to the Bahamas instead of having to swim there.

Interpreting the Nodes

Before we can begin to integrate and interpret the nodal axis, there is one morefactor to consider: the houses. The single most important thing to rememberabout the houses is that the houses are NOT the same things as the signs. Everybook on the Moon's nodes that I have come across makes the same assumption andclaim that, for example, the North Node in Aries is the same thing as the NorthNode in the 1st house. This is simply not the case. Remember that the signs arethe roles the actors play and the costumes they wear, while the houses are thescenery, the locations, and the places where the actors go to play out theirroles. The signs represent the underlying motivations and the evolutionarylessons that we must learn. The houses represent the areas of life where we aremost likely to encounter these lessons. The signs, then, are the"What" and the houses are the "Where." The house placementof the nodes does not in any way change the fundamental lessons and gifts of thenodal axis; it simply shows where in our life we need to look to find thelessons and gifts.
The houses, too, have their lessons, and like the lessons of the sign axis, thehouse axis teaches the importance of balance and perspective. The opposinghouses, like the opposing signs, represent areas of life that we must learn tointegrate and harmonize. Just as we may tend to get a little too comfortablewith the gifts of the South Node, we may also tend to focus more on the area ofour life represented by the house of the South Node. We may also occasionallyfocus too much on the North Node or spend too much time involved in the affairsof the North Node's house, and forget to draw on the support and resources ofour South Node. Because the houses represent the
places where we will naturally encounter the nodes, if we want to work with ournodes, we can simply devote time to activities that relate to the houses inquestion, and then we will naturally encounter our nodes.
When interpreting the nodal axis, the first and most important factor toconsider is the sign axis of the nodes.What do the two signs have in common? Allopposing signs share some common theme; they simply approach it from differentperspectives. Next, we look at the sign placement of the South Node and theNorth Node within this axis.What are the gifts that the South Node offers? Whatare the best and most wonderful expressions of the sign of the South Node? Howcan working with the North Node balance and enhance these gifts? By exploringthese questions, we can discover some of the lessons of the specific nodal axis.Now, we can take this understanding and look at the house placement of the nodesto learn more about where in our life we will be able to experience andencounter these lessons.
Finally, let's try to put things into perspective. Remember that the nodes arenot physical bodies, and because they are not physical bodies, they operate on afar more subtle level than the planets do. Unlike the planets, the nodes do notplay a very big part in the development of an individual's personality. Thenodes, however, are the key to understanding more about what our spiritualpurpose is in this lifetime.
Sometimes the nodes are closely connected with the planets in a chart, and theconnection between the individual's physical life and his or her spiritual pathis obvious. Sometimes the nodes seem to exist on their own, separate from therest of the action in the chart.Whichever way the nodes appear to be linked withthe other elements in the chart, the nodes can help us step back and see beyondthe limitations of our time on Earth, and once again glimpse the bigger pictureof the evolutionary journey of our soul.