What are the Nodes of the Moon and How Does their Path Affect Us?
July 2nd
3:22 pm EST
Total Solar Eclipse at 10° of Cancer
July 16th
5:31 pm EST
Partial Lunar Eclipse at 24° of Capricorn
The orbit of the Moon around the Earth intersects the ecliptic at two different points. These are the points where the path of the Moon meets the path of the Sun (the ecliptic). That’s where eclipses happen! These two points are referred to as the ascending and descending nodes of the Moon. In astrology we refer to the ascending as the north node and the descending as the south. Traditionally, the nodes are associated with Draco the dragon whose form curls around the ecliptic. The dragon’s head is at the north node and the tail is at the south.
These nodes shift from one astrological axis to the next roughly every couple of years as they travel retrograde through the signs. In January we had the final eclipse on the axis of Leo and Aquarius, concluding the nodal journey through those signs this time around.
Until June 2020 the north node will be in the sign of Cancer. This puts the south node in Capricorn until that time as well. According to where those signs live in your own natal chart you will experience the events initiated by nodal activity in different areas of your life. There are some collective influences worth discussing. To learn more about how this nodal period will affect you personally, book a consultation to find out.
What does the north node signify?
The north node, or ascending node, represents the birth cycle. It is the point at which solar eclipses happen. New energy floods into this space supporting new beginnings and rising tides. It’s possible this burst of energy can lead to being in over one’s head with all the fresh activity in a given area. In Vedic and evolutionary astrology, we look at the north node to understand what we’re moving into in our soul story.
Currently the north node is in Cancer, introducing a surge of new life in the realm of nurturing, caring for each other, for home and family. Moon-ruled Cancer keeps track of the past, remembering those who came before us, their stories and lives. Making sure to stock up on foods, tools, resources, Cancer provides for itself and loved ones devotedly. This care includes empathy, creating space for the emotional and spiritual experience of being an earthling. The north node facilitates a replenishing of this approach, just when so many of us on Earth need a space to grieve and celebrate, find some nourishment and connection with our ancestors.
No long orbiting outer planets share the sign of Cancer with the north node this year. July is Cancer season, however, and Mercury, Venus and the Sun will all be traipsing through, adding their unique flavors to this growth point. New ways of thinking, speaking, relating and being ourselves with Cancerian care will be woven into July’s story.
July 2nd Total Solar Eclipse in Cancer
On July 2nd, the Sun and Moon will share the tenth degree of Cancer. The new Moon moves between the Earth and the Sun, asserting its influence and potency. Every new moon gives us a chance to plant seeds for the lunation to come. In this case there is added significance to planting seeds thanks to the North Node.
What parts of your life are craving nourishment? What stores of resources need replenishment? Who among your ancestors has something to offer you that’s yet unexplored? What stories need to be heard and need to be told? Try bringing consciousness to these questions and inviting the power of July’s new Moon to infuse the answers.
What does the south node signify?
The south node, or descending node, represents the death cycle. It is the point where lunar eclipses occur. Characterized by endings, it’s all about letting go and moving toward the spiritual. According to evolutionary astrology and Vedic astrology, we can learn about past lives from looking at the south node in a natal chart.
In the sky now, the south node is in Capricorn, inviting us to let go of the way we have been approaching the structures of reality, systems of authority, the status quo. Capricorn operates within the established hierarchies of institutions, of organizations that provide paths to mastery and achievement. Governments, prisons systems, hospitals, schools are all examples of locations of Capricornian order. The south node invites some form of death in these spheres that would ultimately lead to a new approach.
It just so happens that as the south node makes its way backwards through the degrees of Capricorn’s constellation both Saturn and Pluto are also traversing the same sign. This gravity of this combination cannot be underestimated. Pluto as the great transformer, lord of death and rebirth and power dynamics and Saturn as the ruler of Capricorn, sharing significations having to do with authority and slow processes including that of death and decline, both reinforce and layer over the south node’s influence.
July 16th Partial Lunar Eclipse in Capricorn
An eclipse of the moon gives us an accelerated version of all the phases of the moon. It can be experienced as an energetic reset. What kind of reset we get is determined by where the eclipse takes place along the zodiac and what other planets may be involved. It’s good to keep in mind that the significations of eclipses can unfold over several months following the event itself.
When the moon is partially eclipsed at 24° of Capricorn it will be conjunct retrograde Pluto within three degrees. Saturn is also nearby and is the ruling planet of the eclipse itself. Hidden aspects of power structures, power dynamics and systems needing renovation will be brought to light such that adjustments can be made for greater balance.
This cluster of Saturn, Pluto and the South Node are active in our skies for approximately three years with varying intensity. As they come closer together this intensity ramps up and the experience of restructuring, transforming and letting go is exaggerated. While Saturn can lead to mastery and Pluto to rebirth they first present obstacles and the death cycle to strengthen us and clear the way for what’s to come. This can be painful, ugly, melancholic and challenging. The invitation here is to show up for what is in a mature way and allow what’s not serving us to fall away as needed.
Venus in Cancer will be opposing Saturn in Capricorn at this time, adding to the juice of what’s happening along this axis. Since Saturn rules the Moon here, Venus’ opposition to Saturn adds to the difficulty generated by this eclipse. Obstacles to and limits on harmonious relating and beauty-making may surface.
With Mercury retrograde simultaneously there may be some confusion around what to do with whatever the eclipse reveals. Allow for the material stirred up to marinate as long as it needs to before springing into action. Mercury retrogrades back into Cancer on July 20th and won’t ingress back into Leo until mid August. This emphasizes reflection on Cancer’s side of these eclipses, allowing for some internal time with the questions raised on July 2nd.
2019 Summertime Eclipse Season for You Personally
It’s worth looking into your chart to see what’s happening around 10° and 24° of Capricorn, Libra, Aries and Cancer. Those corners of your chart will be activated either by conjunction, square or opposition by this eclipse season. If you have prominent water or earth signs in your chart, there will be flow coming through those signs from the activity in Cancer and Capricorn.
If you’d like to get a sense for the specific influences of this eclipse season and the longer arc of the nodes’ journey through these two signs, sign up for a consultation here.