Lunar Nodes Keys To Emotions and Life Experience

Diane Ronngren Copyright 2012 ETC Publishing

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ETC Publishing www.etcpublishing.com

ISBN 978 -1-930038-55-4

Cover design and graphics by Gary Dunham Dedication

To my mother, Norma, who gave me life, taught me the values inherent in my South Node in Libra and inspired me to pursue the possibilities of my North Node in Aries.

To Family, who have always encouraged my life journey. Table of Contents Introduction...... 7 Chapter 1 - Symbols of Destiny...... 9 Chapter 2 - Node Basics...... 20 Chapter 3 - Lunar Nodes, Signs and Houses...... 26 Aries North Node / Libra South Node...... 26 1st House North Node / 7th House South Node Taurus North Node / Scorpio South Node...... 29 2nd House North Node / 8th House South Node Gemini North Node / Sagittarius South Node...... 33 3rd House North Node / 9th House South Node Cancer North Node / Capricorn South Node...... 36 4th House North Node / 10th House South Node Leo North Node / Aquarius South Node...... 39 5th House North Node / 11th House South Node Virgo North Node / Pisces South Node...... 42 6th House North Node / 12th House South Node Libra North Node / Aries South Node...... 45 7th House North Node / 1st House South Node Scorpio North Node / Taurus South Node...... 49 8th House North Node / 2nd House South Node Sagittarius North Node / Gemini South Node...... 52 9th House North Node / 3rd House South Node Capricorn North Node / Cancer South Node...... 56 10th House North Node / 4th House South Node Aquarius North Node / Leo South Node...... 60 11th House North Node / 5th House South Node Pisces North Node / Virgo South Node...... 64 12th House North Node / 6th House South Node Chapter 4 - Keys to Emotions...... 69 The Moon and the Nodes...... 86 Chapter 5 - Moon / Node Aspects...... 89 Conjunction/Opposition...... 89 Semisextile/Inconjunct...... 90 Semisquare/Sesquiquadrate...... 94 Sextile/Trine...... 99 The Square...... 101 Chapter 6 - The Emotional Energy Field...... 103 Delineating Aspects to the Nodes...... 105 Conjunction / Opposition (7 degrees of orb)...... 107 Semisextile / Inconjunct (4-5 degrees of orb)...... 108 Semisquare / Sesquiquadrate (3-5 degrees of orb)...... 109 Sextile / Trine (6-7 degrees of orb)...... 110 The Square (7 degrees of orb)...... 111 Other Aspects (1-2 degrees of orb)...... 112 Chapter 7 - Synthesis and Synergy, Aspects in Action ...... 113 Sun Aspects ...... 113 Mercury Aspects...... 117 Venus Aspects...... 121 Mars Aspects...... 125 Jupiter Aspects ...... 129 Saturn Aspects...... 135 Uranus Aspects...... 140 Neptune Aspects...... 143 Pluto Aspects...... 147 Ascendant / Node Aspects ...... 153 MC/IC / Node Aspects...... 153 Aspects to the Nodes from Fixed Stars, ...... 157 Asteroids and Other Sensitive Points...... 157 Chapter 8 - Transiting Lunar Nodes (a.k.a. “Astrological PacMan”)...... 158 Transiting Node Cycle ...... 162 House Transits...... 165 Transiting Node to Natal Planets and ...... 177 Planetary Transits to Natal Nodes...... 177 Miscellaneous...... 181 Chapter 9 - Keys to Life Experience...... 186 Transiting Lunar Nodes Delineation:...... 190 Arnold Schwarzenegger...... 190 Appendix...... 204 Lunar Nodes Ephemeris...... 207 Bibliography, ...... 216 About Diane Ronngren...... 220 Introduction

I have learned the Art of Astrology and how to read the planets, houses and signs by studying people and the language they use to share their thoughts and their personal history with me. I applied myself to the study of the Science of Astrology aided by the best teachers, books and materials available to those of us who are determined to understand our discipline. I have observed how transits, progressions, directions and many various techniques reflect the process of living. Friends, family, my students and clients have generously provided me with a wealth of learning opportunities as I pursued my own journey. I have asked questions and listened to the answers people gave me, always curious to learn about the stories of their lives, to understand or to share a part of their experiences. Sometimes when I think about the intricate patterns created by the movement of the heavenly bodies in our Zodiac and how these designs are reflected in our lives here on earth, it feels like we are all part of a huge orchestra and dance company. I love to think about the symbolism of each astrological indicator and the interplay between them as I wonder how their energy will be translated in our lives. I have particularly enjoyed exploring the way each of us interprets the messages we receive as we journey through our lives, how we define our individual “reality” based on our perception of the experiences we have. Using Astrology to delineate perception, feelings and process requires that we approach chart reading with great reverence for the individual soul and life purpose. We need to understand that our own perception of reality is a result of our personal internal dialogue, the emotional overtones and undertones that have formed the basis of our world view. We need to recognize that the language we use and rely on to convey our thoughts 8 and feelings is ours alone; every other soul has their own way of thinking, feeling and processing reality. We may think we are communicating in the same language as the other person but we are not. The astrological tools are there, we simply need to adjust our way of thinking as we delineate, and be willing to use some different techniques than those we choose when we identify personality traits or describe the way a person can be expected to take action or to respond to the opportunities, challenges, people and surprises they encounter. I have studied the slow, transiting footprints of the Lunar Nodes, seeking to understand the process they represent, the personal growth they initiate and the life changing experiences they leave in their wake on their inexorable journey through a life. I have explored the impact of their natal positions on the nuances of life experience. The work has fascinated me for nearly 30 years. As we explore the Lunar Nodes in this book, we will consider the relationship between process, perception, awareness, feelings, beliefs and “happenings” or events. Be willing to take time for introspection, to discover or observe your own internal reality as you explore this book! Think about the emotional context of your life; examine various formative experiences that have had an impact on your individual development and psyche. Consider how the choices you have made are based on your personal judgment and life experience. Now it is up to you, my fellow Astrologer, to delve into your own concepts and experiences, to increase your skill in creating your own reality and to grow in awareness of your relationship to your world. Enjoy the journey! Diane Ronngren Chapter 1 Symbols of Destiny Ever wondered why people do the things they do, or make the choices they make? One of the most fascinating aspects of the study of astrology (indeed any study of human behavior) is to imagine all of the possibilities inherent in a life. I suppose it is very similar to attempting to decode someone’s DNA, identify their potential and project the multitude of possibilities they can create or experience during their personal journey of discovery! Every day people meet the challenges of living, make their choices and pursue their objectives based on their own perception of the reality that surrounds them. Many individual choices are based on information so intrinsically wired into the subconscious that a person probably couldn’t explain the reasons for them, even if they tried. It is so much more challenging for someone else to observe an outcome and try to understand the choices that were made, explain the motivation, and describe the emotional impact of the process and actions involved in the entire experience. Your natal chart, with its particular arrangement of planets, luminaries and sensitive points, is an astrological snapshot of what motivates you. It reveals the mode of action or avoidance you will most comfortably adopt as you meet your opportunities and challenges in life. Your Sun’s sign, its house placement and the aspects it forms with the other indicators in your chart suggests the direction, even focus, of your life purpose and goals. Within its specific context, your Sun offers insight into and information about what motivates you. It indicates what you ultimately want to be in life, and how you would like to be seen by the people in your world. And it exemplifies how you might like to see yourself as a creative and positive force. Chapter 1 10 Your Moon, its natal house, sign and the aspects it makes to the other significators in the chart and your North and South Nodes (signs, house locations, aspects to your Moon and other chart significators) give an indication of the way you feel about yourself and your life in general. These three significators offer insight into the complexity of your internal dialogue. They offer an external view of your personal feeling thermometer. This thermometer displays your level of satisfaction with life, measured against the basic parameters of your emotional needs. Love, desire, want, need and/or hate, avoid, discomfort and discord—these words illustrate the “heads and tails” of the specific Venus “coin” in your chart. They give a quick, immediate sense of the expression of your personal Venus and its function. Astrologically, your Venus provides information both about what you sense you may lack and what you expect will gratify your need for social and financial success. Gratification on all levels is the domain of Venus! Your Mars identifies how you are likely to act or react in any given situation during the course of your life. In general, your Mars indicates your potential for doing things, taking action. Your Mars can also tell the story of how and why you do the things you do. Your natal Mercury and Jupiter direct, among other things, your thought processes and mode of expression. Studying their interaction with one another and with the other planets in your chart and noting their house location yields information about what excites you, interests you or awakens your curiosity about other people and life in general. Mercury and Jupiter help define your issues, belief systems and concepts. Your Jupiter and Mercury suggest the logical thought process behind the reasons you do the things you do, as well as how you process information on an intellectual level. They also indicate the type of communication skills and intellectual modalities you possess or respond to. Your Mercury and Jupiter characterize the people you seek out to help you explore your life; they indicate the way you communicate your personal needs, thoughts and ideals to others. Symbols of Destiny 11 Your Saturn defines the boundaries and structure you need to feel secure in your world. Your Saturn identifies the restrictions you live with, even the physical, personal or external limitations you may be subject to. It also indicates where you feel least comfortable as well as how you seek relief from the constraints of your reality! Your Saturn designates the areas of life where you are least likely to experience contentment or ease, the areas of life that cause you to question whether you will ever succeed in your efforts to achieve personal satisfaction. In general, Uranus interjects the element of surprise or shock wherever it is found in an astrological chart. Your personal Uranus will indicate the area(s) of life that you most want to change from the way they were when you were growing up. Indeed, the older you become, the more aware you are of the need for change. Over time you grow more willing (and able) to take the initiative in these areas, to make changes in regard to your lifestyle, your personal expectations and your relationships. Any aspect of familial or societal structure you perceive inhibited your potential for personal growth, any that limited the opportunities made available to you as a child or as a young adult becomes a focus as you strive to change things for the better! Your Neptune offers a shimmering, constantly flickering image of possible future outcomes for every wish, desire, dream or vision you may have for yourself and others. It both hides and reveals the dream or vision you have for your life, as well as the hope you may have for the success of your efforts. By sign, house and the aspects it makes to other significators in your chart, Neptune indicates where you welcome release from the challenges you face dealing with your personal reality. You may never know or realize that your Neptune provides the ultimate foundation, however nebulous, upon which you base your perception of the world and your place in it. Pluto’s placement in your chart indicates the temptations, tribulations and trauma you are capable of meeting head-on, willing or otherwise, in order to handle and survive the challenges Chapter 1 12 of your life. Your Pluto will offer clues to the internal process of personal growth as your spirit strives to rise to a higher level of consciousness. It will indicate the manner in which you take responsibility for your life and the level of willpower you will exercise in your determination to direct your own experience. Your Ascendant reveals the way you are perceived by others, the expectations they may have on your behalf. And your Descendant shows you the form of “mirror” you will find as you examine your “self” in the course of interacting with the world around you. Your Midheaven or MC indicates your goals but it also reveals what you believe others will perceive when you put your best foot forward. It represents your position in the community and the significance of your contribution to the world. Your Midheaven indicates the type of respect and recognition you expect from the people around you, as well as what you need to hear about yourself from others in order to feel that you have accomplished your individual goals and lived up to their expectations. Your IC, the 4th house cusp of your natal chart, establishes the basis for the beliefs you have about yourself and your ability to achieve goals. It also helps to describe your childhood, your family and the fundamental basis of your life, the background from which you come. Your Part of Fortune is the point in your natal chart that indicates how you usually define success and good fortune. Chiron offers a history of your difficulties and personal challenges as well as information on how you have attempted to deal with them. Your Chiron can show how you share your life lessons with others, in an attempt to help them overcome the types of barriers to success you may have encountered on your journey. Other points in your chart provide additional information about the many aspects of your personality, your behavior, your interactions with others and your experience of life. For instance, your East Point provides a window to how you perceive yourself Symbols of Destiny 13 as a person, living life in a body—like and unlike the way others may “see” you. Your Vertex offers clues about the life arenas where you interact with and receive support from others you encounter in the course of daily living. It further reveals what you need from others in order to maintain balance in personal relationships. Depending on its house and sign, your Vertex reveals the type of people with whom (or circumstances where) you can most easily be yourself, or where your gifts and abilities are most appreciated by others. Midpoints demonstrate how the energies of two planets combine to manifest nuances of expression or experience. From an astrological perspective, the way your planets, luminaries and points connect via aspect in your chart indicates how the various facets of your personality support or challenge each other. This personal energy complex forms the basis, a consolidated force, that meets the world every day via the myriad of possibilities introduced into your life as a result of interaction with other people (and their charts). Your chart indicates your potential response to the rhythms of life orchestrated by the transiting bodies of the Zodiac. Only the Moon and the Lunar Nodes offer a glimpse into the soul of a person, a possibility to gain insight into the internal experience and emotional growth of a lifetime. The three together provide a tool for understanding how personal identity is established, how (and perhaps why) people make the judgments they do about themselves and others, and the levels of emotional satisfaction or dissatisfaction they have experienced, are experiencing or hope and expect to experience. In an individual chart, only the planets and points that specifically aspect the Moon or Lunar Nodes have direct access to creating a basis for internal dialogue, feelings and personal truths. Planets or points without an aspect to the Moon or the Lunar Nodes need help and facilitation from those that have one. Consequently, their impact on the emotions may be more subtle, take a little longer Chapter 1 14 to identify or to cause change. The resulting level of awareness is less predictable. Everyone experiences their own personal zodiac based on the complex energy system that makes up individual natal charts. Let’s take an example. I have natal Venus in Virgo in the second house. My entire experience of Venus is very different from one that another person would have of their Venus in any of the other signs or houses. When a transiting planet aspects my natal Venus, the experiential message that reaches me is translated and transmitted to me in the language of Venus in Virgo in the second house—because that is the language I will comprehend. Let’s say, for instance, that I have a friend with their Venus at the same degree as my own, but in another sign (or house) than mine. And let’s say that we both experience a “hit” to our Venus from the same transiting planet. This is where it becomes easy to recognize that my friend and I speak different Venus languages. We each translate the information we receive from the transiting planet in a way that makes sense to us individually (based on the house location and sign of our natal Venus, and of the aspects Venus makes to the other planets and points in our charts). When we talk about what transpired for each of us at the time of the transit hit to our Venus, our descriptions of our individual experiences are going to be so totally different that someone else listening to us might never guess that we both are responding to a message we have received via natal Venus! My friend learns from the Venusian language of her experience, I from mine. Each of us learns about life in our own way, via the language of our own personal zodiac. It is not easy to keep in mind that there are differences in the way each of us experiences life. It is also a constant challenge to attempt to communicate what we know to someone else. Each of us has built our own personal comprehension and communication data base. Our personal data base is accessed via our emotions; it is constantly being created and updated as the result of our interactions, internal dialogue and the wisdom we gain from living life. Symbols of Destiny 15 Knowing that we will only ever speak with total fluency in our own personal language (based on our understanding of life and our current perception of “reality”), allows us to recognize the complications we all face when we try to understand another. Making an effort to understand one another, being willing to translate our personal language back and forth, is one of the most difficult challenges we face relative to other people. With this in mind, we will continue discussing the topic of this book, Lunar Nodes. For a moment, picture your natal chart. Focus on your Moon. Think about the Moon’s sign, and the house where it is located as well as the aspects formed between your Moon and the other planets and points in your natal chart. There are many ways of delineating a Natal Moon. One is: “The energy that nurtures and supports personal growth and a provides us with a feeling of confidence that we can survive and thrive in life.” Another is: “The Moon represents a subconscious influence in our lives ... ” Still another suggests that the Moon reflects the feeling or intuitive process within the individual (not to be confused with the subconscious, in that feelings are a part of the conscious personality). Many say that our Moon represents our physical mother, our physical body or the physical world we inhabit. The Moon also represents how we feel about the world, how we respond to the experiences we encounter psychologically, emotionally or intuitively. The Moon reflects our relationship or emotional response to the people and things we love (or hate), the neighborhood we call ours, the very home we live in and the people who are in our lives on a daily basis. Whatever your understanding of the significance of the Moon in your own natal chart, try to think of this Moon as if she were an open, receptive and accommodating child—eager to connect with the world around, and willing to love and accept what is offered to her. If we can lift the Moon out of being simply a glyph in a chart, and imagine she is a character affecting and effecting our lives, it may be easier to identify the part she plays. So from here on, we will often refer to the Moon as if she were a separate entity, Chapter 1 16 someone playing a very significant role in our life; a co-author with whom we share the responsibility for creating the storyline and outcome of our experiences. Now, think about the North Node in your natal chart. Picture the sign, house and aspects it makes to the other planets and points. Exactly opposite your North Node is your South Node. Think about its sign, house location and the aspects it makes to the other planets and points (in addition to its opposition to the North Node.) Continue imagining your Moon as the accommodating child described above. Visualize this child reaching out into her world using both left and right hands in order to grasp, to embrace reality and experience, to connect with her world and all of the wondrous opportunities, things and people she can reach. Finally, know that the arms and hands the Moon child extends out into her personal Universe are represented by the North and South Nodes. All reality, experience and connection your Moon seeks will be first encountered, touched, explored and assimilated by the “fingers”, “hands” and “arms” represented by your Nodes. The messages your Moon receives on an emotional level are carried to her by the Nodes in much the same way as the more physical messages from your hands and fingers are derived when you touch, feel or hold an object you want to examine more closely. Now you have a preview of the way a process of internal experience is set up. Our natal Moon gives an indication of the type of feeling nature we are developing. Our individual Moon is a receptor of all our feeling (emotional) experience. The Lunar Nodes of our Moon are like arms and hands that reach out into our personal Moon’s universe to touch, explore and embrace (or reject and avoid) reality. When human hands and arms touch or embrace something, the sensors in our fingers, palms and skin relay impressions to our brains. The information is cataloged and filed for future reference. Symbols of Destiny 17 For example, when a child touches the stovetop where dinner is being prepared and is burned, the child learns not to touch the stovetop. When the child gently touches the fluffy body of a kitten, they learn that little creatures can be soft and sensuous to the touch. Or, when the child touches the same kitten roughly and is scratched or bitten, they learn that they can expect to be hurt if they reach out to touch in a violent way. In a similar fashion, Lunar Nodes “touch” experience and relay sensations back to our Moon, where the information is stored. Once in storage, these feelings become the wealth of our Moon— her own sense of worth, her individual treasure (because all experience is of special value to the Moon). Our Moon guards these treasures, and over the years, will pluck them out to consider, re-evaluate and re-live. She reminds herself of each one, taking time to dust it off, organize it in her collection, count, evaluate, or merely appreciate. Each and every experience in your life is stored and treasured by your Moon. Like human hands, with their individually identifiable fingerprints, their own sense of touch, grasp and sensation, natal Lunar Nodes are intrinsically unchanging. The placement of our personal Lunar Nodes (house, sign, rulership and aspect) is fixed in our natal charts, indicating the manner in which we bring experience to our Moon. Let’s take an example: Gemini Moon individuals tend to acquire feelings through communicating with others, sharing information. As a result of their interactions with others, they learn to feel comfortable (or not so comfortable) in a variety of situations and with different people. Natives with a Gemini Moon often possess a curious, questioning and active quality of youthfulness. It is as if they need to experience many projects and people, explore options and possibilities. A Gemini Moon individual is likely to be curious about the world they live in and ask lots of questions as he or she observes what is going on around them. Chapter 1 18 If a Gemini Moon individual has their Lunar Nodes in Pisces and Virgo, their Moon will be provided with lots of life lessons to help her learn the value of lis-tening, applying what she knows about life to what she has learned from communicating with others. All the while, this Gemini Moon is discovering the importance of empathy as she organizes and takes care of others. Expressing a deep understanding, caring about the circumstances of others becomes one of this individual’s main means of achieving emotional fulfillment. If the Gemini Moon person has Scorpio/Taurus Lunar Nodes,their Moon will be provided with opportunities to learn the benefits of quietly observing, then posing in-depth questions. Based on this Gemini Moon’s need for security and comfort, she learns the value of continually assessing what she sees and hears, then formulating theories about her own and others’ value and worthiness. This type of analytical skill may lead the individual to study psy- chology, marketing or any of a variety of human behavior techniques and to establish themselves in a business where they can earn an income as a result of their communicative skills. Or, they may find other practical and useful ways to benefit from their ability to manipulate others with words and concepts. In either example, the Gemini Moon is learning to enhance her unique function, using alternative tools in the process. Each of us has our own configuration between our Natal Moon and our Lunar Nodes. And we each express, process, respond Symbols of Destiny 19 to and expect different results from our life experience. In fact, we each perceive even the same experience differently! Should we find two people with the Moon in the same sign, at the same degree and minute (and even when two people are twins), their experience of their personal reality will be completely singular. Personal choices, individual opportunities, interactions with others—many factors color perception, knowledge and personal awareness of the internal, emotional experience of living. Chapter 2 Node Basics In astronomical terms, the simplest way to describe the Lunar Nodes is: The Moon’s Nodes are the points where the plane of the Moon’s circuit around Earth intersects the plane of the Sun’s circle, or ecliptic. From Earth, it appears that both the Sun and the Moon circle around us. However, as we all know, Earth moves around the Sun, while the Moon does, indeed, circle the Earth. The Moon’s circuit around Earth is nearly the same as the Sun’s apparent circuit around us—but not quite. The two circles are a little over 5 degrees inclined, oblique to each other. (See diagram above.) “Ecliptic” is the word we use to describe the path of Earth’s orbit around the Sun. As the Moon circles around Earth approximately once a month, it actually crosses (or intersects) the circle of the Earth around the Sun twice. One part of the Moon’s journey is spent traveling North of the Earth/Sun circle. The point where the Moon intersects the Earth/Sun pathway on this part of the journey is called the North Node. About 14 days later, the Moon enters South celestial latitude, crossing the Earth/Sun pathway once again. This point of the Moon’s intersection of the ecliptic is called the South Node. Node Basics 21 You can find the daily position and zodiac symbol of the North Node in an ephemeris, listed either as Mean or True Node. The usual “movement” of the Moon’s Nodes is backwards through the signs. The rate of this movement is an average of 3 minutes per day, or 19 degrees and 20 minutes per year. Eclipses take place at, or within 15 degrees of, the astronomical position of the Lunar Nodes, when the Sun, Moon and Earth are in line with one another and the Lunar Nodes. The house position, sign, degree and minute of the North Node in your natal chart shows the location of the North Node at the time of your birth. The South Node is calculated by finding the point in the Zodiac exactly opposite, by degree and minute, the astrological sign and house of the North Node in your natal chart. Since all bodies transiting around our Sun move in their own elliptic pathway, each of the individual planets and all other bodies circling the Sun have Nodes. When we use the word “Node” in this book, we are referring to the Moon’s North and South Nodes. The notation about Node placement in an ephemeris refers to the North Node of Earth’s Moon. The South Node is the zodiacal point exactly opposite the North Node in the Zodiac at a specific time. For instance, if the North Node in your natal chart is stated to be: 2843, this was the location of your North Node in the Zodiac at the time you were born (stated either as either Mean or True Node). Your South Node is 28 43, the Zodiac point exactly opposite your North Node. If your North Node is in the second house of your natal chart, the South Node is in the eighth house. When I talk about a “Node” in this book, I will often mean the entire nodal axis: North and South Nodes, across the chart, including their signs and house positions. When we discuss the meaning of a Node in a natal chart, the way to think about or describe the expression of the energy of the Nodal axis is partly determined by the astrological signs involved, and partly by the houses it inhabits. By considering both signs (North and South Nodes) and the two houses of their Chapter 2 22 placement, we can determine a great deal about how this energy will be experienced. If an individual’s birth time is unavailable (or suspected to be incorrect), we can discover a great deal about how someone feels about their life by delineating the signs of their natal Lunar Nodes. And often, if we listen carefully to someone talking about their experiences, we can “hear” both the house placement of their Natal Nodes and the type of feelings the transiting Nodes are amplifying as they move through the individual’s natal chart. (This may even help with the rectification of a chart for an individual where the birth time is unknown or uncertain.) Generally speaking, the South Node defines circumstances, situations, “a sense of being”, a level of experience or awareness— physical, psychological, emotional, intellectual—that feels the most “comfortable”, even “safe”. The placement of the South Node offers insight into the circumstances of a person’s childhood environment, the home, family of origin and types of experiences they had growing up, the belief structure, learned habits/ behaviors, culture, religion, customs and expectations they were taught to accept. The South Node placement, by sign and house, gives an indication of the expectations they have about life. An individual’s South Node offers insight into what they believe about and expect of themselves as a result of their personal endeavors. It also describes the basis of how they form and manage their personal relationships. Depending on the aspects between other astrological indicators and the South Node, it is possible to deduce whether an individual has grown up in a healthy, encouraging environment, or one which continually presented challenges to their survival or growth. We can draw some conclusions about the types of experiences they encountered before they were even conscious a learning process was going on in their psyche. The South Node will reveal the subliminal (perhaps even unconscious) messages the individual has absorbed from their childhood environment. Node Basics 23 People with many challenging aspects to their natal South Node often live lives that others would consider difficult. They have been faced with impossible demands and unfortunate circumstances, over and over again. Some of these individuals evolve and learn to deal with the more difficult aspects of their circumstances, as they acquire life skills and an understanding of how to do so from experience. They survive and thrive in spite of the lessons they learned growing up. People with many “easy” aspects to their natal South Node seem to have been blessed with comfortable and supported lives (at least that is how it looks to less fortunate others). They have received encouragement when they needed it; helpful oppor-tunities have come their way. Generally speaking, these individuals expect their lives to continue in the same way. Every one of their subliminal and unconscious responses support confidence in their own abilities and their own conclusions about living. One of the most difficult skills we acquire as astrologers is the ability to acknowledge that some individuals seem to seek out or fall into undesirable or difficult circumstances over and over again in the course of their lives (whether or not their choices make sense to us). The answer to this conundrum is often provided through a study of the South Node and its aspects in their natal chart. It is easier for any one of us to repeat a learned behavior or handle a situation in a way that is familiar to us, rather than try to achieve an alternative outcome by testing something different— something outside our personal comfort zone. We have all surely known someone who has decided to stay in an unsatisfactory job or relationship, simply because it felt safe and familiar to them. When we do what we do, the way we always do it, or when we respond to an experience or another person without thinking about it, we are reacting based on previously assimilated data provided by our South Node, then stored in our “emotional memory banks” by our Moon. Chapter 2 24 We demonstrate our willingness to enter the realm of the North Node when we seek out the opportunities life has to offer, when we consider the challenges we might face if we make a certain choice, and yet still choose the path of personal growth over the path of least resistance. Most of us very much dislike confronting people, forces or circumstances that challenge us. We do not like forcing ourselves into an uncomfortable situation or trying something different than what we are accustomed to! We dislike making choices when we are uncertain about the outcome. We prefer not to create change in our lives unless we are certain we will derive greater benefit as a result of the effort. We would prefer that life be safe and predictable, easy and rewarding. We would like to feel in control of all of the situations we encounter. We want to personally choose the venues, people and opportunities we will experience. The sudden, unexpected, scary things that happen on the road of life are there to push us to grow and evolve as individuals. These experiences are a part of the “gift” of the North Node. Within the framework of this book, there is no way to completely and accurately offer an individually comprehensive picture of how you experience your natal Moon and Lunar Nodes. However, there are a number of factors that suggest how the Lunar Nodes are likely to influence your life experience. In the following chapter you will find basic delineations of each of the Lunar Nodes and the type of life experiences they offer their Moon from the 144 possible combinations (astrological sign and natal house placement). You may find it helpful to refer to the Diagram on pages 222–223 as you continue. Exercise: As you read the following delineations, think about your Nodes, their signs and the houses where they are situated. Consider whether the delineation of the sign or that of the house location is more descriptive of your personal experience. This will be helpful to you as we continue. (It can be enlightening to study the Lunar Nodes of family members or others you know well.) It is difficult to describe all of the possible inflections, accents or dialects individual Nodes may Node Basics 25 have acquired, based on personal life experience. However, as you read, think about how you (and others you know) act, communicate and express yourselves emotionally. Allow for “linguistic” complications as we continue. A Lunar Node cycle is 18½ years. You will find more information about these cycles in Chapter 8. For now, as you read the segments below, think about your life before and after 18–19 years of age. Think about how you respond on an emotional level now in a variety of situations, as compared to before 18 years of age. Also, think about some of the significant life experiences you have assimilated to this point. How have you incorporated your life’s lessons and created your current reality? How do you feel about your life right now? See if you can isolate some of your thoughts, habits and behaviors and divide them into the I should …, I ought to …, Other people expect me to …, It’s comfortable to … and I don’t have to think about … variety, and the I want to …, It would be fun to …, What if I could …? and I am really proud of my ability to … variety. This will help you to grasp the influence of your South and North Nodes on your emotional and life experience to this point. Chapter 3 Lunar Nodes, Signs and Houses Aries North Node / Libra South Node 1st House North Node / 7th House South Node The North Node in Aries or the st1 house presents a challenge to be unique, someone who does things your own way (when you decide to do them), without consideration for anyone else or any circumstances which might stop you from doing so! You want to think your own thoughts, meet your own challenges without the assistance of any other. You feel special, unusual or exceptional in some aspect of your life. You don’t like restrictions of any kind or to be given a reason why you cannot do something when you have set your mind on a specific goal. You want to be first, best and out ahead of the others—a winner in every sense of the word. You don’t really care what others think about your ideas or your plans, you are determined to prove that you are right! (And if others cannot appreciate your efforts or suggestions, well, that’s their problem!) Having this Node indicates that you have an enormous amount of emotional energy, and confidence that “My way, or the highway!” is the best method of dealing with the world. Yet, with the South Node in Libra or the 7th house, you feel you should always ask for permission before starting out to pursue a goal or a project that will involve others. You may also think it necessary to poll the opinions and impressions of other important individuals in your life before trying to do something on your own. You have learned to accept all kinds of input from a variety of people and to gather information from many sources, as you quantify or calculate risks involved in a potential choice. You Lunar Nodes, Signs and Houses 27 constantly feel the need to consider all sides of an issue before taking a position. You want the approval and encouragement of your family and friends before you head out in one direction or another in pursuit of your dreams. You tend to be very considerate and focused on other’s wishes and desires, to make sure they are going to be all right with your decisions and choices, before launching into a venture of your own. Following a Libra/7th house mode of behavior and interaction is very tempting. You feel safe and secure when others support your decisions. After all, if they do support you, you will definitely have someone or something to fall back on, should you fail in your attempts to achieve the heights you imagine. You want to believe that if things don’t work out, someone will be there to share responsibility with you. Even so, your Aries/1st house Node energy challenges you to think, “I need to do this myself, in my own way—and if there’s a problem, I will find a solution!” or “They will all benefit if I succeed in this. I know I can do it my way, on my own, then all of us will benefit!” People born with the Aries/Libra, 1st house/7th house Node axis tend to conform and/or behave in a way that meets the expectations of the people they love. They know what is expected of them by each member of their family (as well as by their friends and other significant people who make up their personal circle). They follow the norms of the society they live in, because they know the importance of following “the rules”. They willingly, even eagerly support the endeavors and efforts of others. If you have the Aries/Libra, 1st house/7th house Node, you feel that you are meant to accomplish something very unique in your life, but you don’t necessarily know exactly what that may be. You are clear about your goals; even if you don’t know whether you can succeed with them at this time, you know that success is possible. Because you would dearly love to feel accepted and appreciated by others, you hide many of your wildest dreams and emotions from them, asking yourself what would happen if you were to reveal your true self, your real emotions and feelings. Might those you Chapter 3 28 care about be shocked, distance themselves from you, be critical and judgemental of your choices? You want to get out into the world and meet your own challenges, but you also want to be safe and accepted in the world you have always known. You yearn for independence, but at the same time you want to bring others with you into the adventures you envision. You want to meet your individual challenges, but you also want to be safe and accepted, to be there for everyone who is important to you. The strength of the Aries/Libra, st1 house/7th house imprint is your ability to find others with whom to relate. With minimal effort you find friends to hang out with or groups of like-minded others (even gangs, if that is socially acceptable in your environment). You feel good working or playing with a team of like-minded others and with your close friends. You feel the occasional urge to take the lead, but most of the time it feels safer to be one among like others. This Node is a particularly challenging one, because so much of who you are and who you become depends upon where you grew up—the kind of Libra/7th house relationships you learned about as a child. If the family has a problem with addiction, you may find your home among other abusers. (After all, you know how to handle the situation!) Another challenging Libra/7th house South Node manifestation might be designated: “The Battle Zone”. Everybody around you seems to be ready to argue at the drop of a hat and someone is always trying to win the argument and someone else always has to be the loser. Children with this nodal axis learn a great deal about justice, fairness, exploring and defending all sides of an issue or argument. They absorb the precepts of politics along with the tools of verbal (or non-verbal) warfare. They grow up feeling that all sides of every issue must be presented for consideration. They feel comfortable in any type of “battle” situation, yet uncomfortable with confrontation itself. Lunar Nodes, Signs and Houses 29 The adult Aries (or st1 house) North Node individual enters any and all relationships ready to defend themselves, to fight for what they feel is important. At the same time, they are ready, willing and able to lead others and take responsibility for them if necessary. They are also quite prepared to explore alternative ideas and suggestions, and join in activities and projects proposed by others. They seek to relate through action. If you have this Node you will face many challenges because you feel “different” from others in some way, while feeling that you should be like them! You are quite capable of forming your own opinions and goals and defending them when necessary. You find it difficult to understand why others are not willing to stand up for what they believe in. You believe that action is necessary in almost every situation. You don’t want to lose your friends, or to be excluded from groups of others, to be different than the norm. Your internal conflict revolves around the constant desire to lead or show the way, to stand up and say “I AM”, and the need to say, “WE ARE!” Taurus North Node / Scorpio South Node 2nd House North Node / 8th House South Node Having the Taurus North Node or 2nd house North Node indicates that you truly, both physically and emotionally, need to be wanted, loved, cherished, cared about—just because you are a wonderful human being! You long to have others respect and support you, you need to hear that they appreciate your gifts and talents. You want to be admired and rewarded for your efforts (and you do enjoy making an effort). There is a great deal more pleasure in a process that leads to a satisfying result, than in merely being given a reward you have not earned. (Though every reward is a very nice thing indeed, and you would never turn one down!) You are prepared to make an effort simply because rewards feel so worthwhile to you. Receiving rewards of all kinds reflects your strength, tenacity and determination—qualities we all know are invaluable. Chapter 3 30 Many times in this day and age, money is the measure used to show the world how much we are appreciated. You know you need to make (or have) your own money because that proves that you are of value in the world. You need to be able to demonstrate to the world that you have excellent taste, that the things you select or choose to have in your life are worthy, worthwhile and valuable, because in your view, this makes you worthy, worthwhile and valuable. You especially need to experience comfort and security on a daily, purely mundane level. The Scorpio or th8 house South Node has taught you that things can be given to you (or taken from you), perhaps for no other reason than that the giver felt like giving (or taking) something. Sometimes the giving and taking takes place based on another’s intent to manipulate or control you. For example, your parent might say, “I’ll give you your grandmother’s jewelry now, rather than make you wait until after I die …” (and the rest of the sentence, the part they don’t say out loud is: “... because then I know you will feel grateful and obliged to visit me and spend time with me …”) This South Node has probably taught you not to trust everything you hear. It has probably taught you that it is safer, on an emotional level, to let others take charge of important matters, to do things the way they want them done. It has probably taught you to accept whatever someone offers you (whether you want it or not), rather than ask for what you want or need. A very common feeling is that you somehow are/were not good enough or worthy enough, that you don’t know how to make choices and do things right, so others are obliged to do things and make choices for you. You may also believe that you haven’t earned the right to want more than what has been given to you, or that you should be thankful for whatever little you do receive. As children, people with the North Node in Taurus or in the 2nd house are happy playing with anything in the home. They are extremely creative, and enjoy participating in any activity that involves the other people. They love sitting on a lap, being hugged, held, and cared for. You probably still place a lot of importance Lunar Nodes, Signs and Houses 31 on being touched and loved, even now as an adult. You need to feel that you are part of someone else’s reality because it makes you feel more a part of your own. Sometimes Taurus/2nd house North Node people are given things when they are small just because they are cute or pretty or “nice” (whatever that means). But many times they are given things to keep them quiet or out of the way. You may not have particularly wanted to be given playthings when you were very little (you probably wanted to play with something someone else used or valued) but you surely learned to accept the things that were given to you and even play with them (carefully, let’s not damage them)! Eventually people with this nodal axis learn that love is expressed by giving and receiving “stuff”. So, sometimes they want more and more stuff (to prove to themselves that others love them). How safe you feel in your relationships, your work or life in general, may be in direct proportion to how much you are given or complimented by others. After all, if you have many things, well, that must mean you are a good person, and you are going to be safe! Many Taurus/ 2nd house North Node people have seldom been encouraged to make an effort, to compete or test their abilities against others. They learn to accept whatever is given to them, and in that lesson, they truly come to understand the meaning of the word “bribe”. It may be entirely natural for them to accept that there are “strings attached” to everything they care about. They know (without knowing how they know) that to receive something from another is to enter into a covenant with the other to provide the other with whatever they need in return. As a child and a young person you may not have received much encouragement for doing things on your own. You have probably learned to do these things because others want you or need you to do them. You may have been told, “Don’t make so much noise! Be quiet, and I will give you a sweet.” Or, “If you behave after school, Daddy will take you out for a ride when he gets home.” As a Taurus/Scorpio or 2/8 house Node child, you heard promises Chapter 3 32 about something wonderful that would happen in the future. On many occasions, that something never happened and you learned not to ask why, not to create a fuss. Delayed gratification is a concept with which you are all too familiar! You are likely to have been rewarded for being quiet and undemanding. And you have probably learned it is easier to let others make the choices and decisions about your life, than to expect too much of yourself. You may also have learned to accept what someone else wants for you, rather than to ask for the things you may want for yourself. The Taurus or 2nd house North Node often indicates that a person has the innate talent necessary to successfully pursue a creative or artistic career path. However, even when the natural talent is recognized, many parents discourage their children from following an artistic path, encouraging them instead to do something practical with their lives. Parents do this in part to protect their children from whatever they imagine might befall them if they were to seek fame, and partly because it would require a lot of effort on their part to provide the necessary training. So, often parents suggest another path, perhaps one they would have liked for themselves or which they feel will offer their child a regular income and a stable life. Your challenge, with the North Node in this placement, is to get what you want because you want it, to do the things you want to do, simply because you want to do them—not because someone else has said: “This is a good thing for you to have.” or “This is a good thing for you to do.” The Scorpio orth 8 house placement of the South Node carries a psychological undertone that expresses itself in the realms of money, sex, self worth and life/death/survival issues. Depending on your early environment and relationships, one or more of these issues will be the basis for every important choice you make. If you have this Node, you have learned to wait for good things to happen, for people and opportunities to come your way. You are accepting, “sweet”, cautious; never demanding, loud or combative. Your challenge, with the North Node in Taurus or in the 2nd house, Lunar Nodes, Signs and Houses 33 is to get what you want from your life because YOU want it, not because another person expects or wants something from you. You need to feel proud of your own accomplishments, indeed your own being, and reward yourself by giving yourself permission to say: “I WANT” and “I HAVE .” Think of the words in the song, “God bless the child that’s got his own …” as you contemplate this message. Gemini North Node / Sagittarius South Node 3rd House North Node / 9th House South Node Curiosity is the identifying quality of this Node. With a North Node in Gemini, you feel the compulsion to learn something about everything and everyone you meet. You need to participate in all kinds of activities that involve the people in your immediate environment. The things that interest others in your family or neighborhood, at school, church or social events are things that interest you, too. You enjoy a sense of belonging when you talk about the things that interest other people in your life; more, you learn how to include yourself in the activities and lives of the people all around you. You try hard to speak the language of these people, both linguistically, and in the choice of topic. The South Node in Sagittarius provides ample opportunity to advance your intellectual prowess. It is likely you encountered people of a different ethnic, religious or linguistic backgrounds to yourself and your immediate family at quite a young age. And you have probably been strongly encouraged to adhere to, listen to and think about what the people in your life, home, culture and immediate neighborhood believe is important. Your daily life is defined by the thoughts and consequent behavior of the people all around in your immediate environment. (Or you may have been encouraged to watch television, and in this way spend hours absorbing the thoughts and behaviors of others.) You are naturally curious. You think about possibilities, weigh alternatives, and project future outcome trying to assess the chances of success or failure in connection with every action. Chapter 3 34 Parents and teachers see that you are smart, and encourage you to study. You learn that assimilating information, in and of itself, is a goal. It is much less likely you are encouraged to adapt or integrate what you already know into the practical process of your life and your pursuits. Intellectual curiosity/superiority is encouraged in one form or another. People around you encourage you to learn something, and when you do, you discover that there is even more to know. You learn, above all, that you will never know enough. You learn that thinking about future possibilities is more important than dealing with now. You like to “teach” or look after others, and when you are given an opportunity to share what you know with others, you feel good. However, you take on a lot of responsibility for both the information itself and for those you have shared it with. You want to be sure they use the information well. This teaches you the connection between information and action. Children with their South Node in Sagittarius or in the 9th house, grow up surrounded by people expressing their beliefs—religious, political, social—usually without considering alternative opinions. Sometimes people with this South Node grow up in communities where most of their neighbors belong to a different religious, cultural or ethnic background than they do. They may go to schools where many of their classmates speak a different language. They are learning the importance of language to communication. With your Gemini/3rd house North Node, you want to be included in a group of like-minded others, but you may often find yourself on the outside looking in (or on the inside looking out). When this happens, you will seek other people who seem willing to include you or listen to what you have to say. Intellectual exchange creates an emotional bond, and your gift to those you love is your conversation and willingness to listen to them! You have a basic, emotional need to acquire information from many verifiable sources, and share it with others as immediately as possible, simultaneously imparting your own opinion! As with all Nodal axes, it becomes much easier for people with Lunar Nodes, Signs and Houses 35 the Gemini/Sagittarius or 3rd house/9th house Node positions to express the South Node, to behave in the way that is expected of them: to study, to read, to listen and express yourself only when someone asks. At least one family member has encouraged you to believe that the opinion of the people around you is more important than data, news, facts or the concepts you believe in. And, at least one family member focuses on details, science or mathematics and data—ignoring opinions, other people’s feelings, beliefs or intuition entirely. Most of the time you would like to tell people your impressions, your likes and dislikes, your thoughts—rather than to simply share information and facts. Yet you are perfectly capable of sharing information on many levels. Sometimes you can forget to clearly impart what you know without coloring the information based on your personal perceptions and belief system; but, for the most part, you try to be impartial and non-judgmental (or at least to keep your judgements to yourself.) A Gemini North Node, Sagittarius South Node individual is likely to collect all manner of information on any and every topic that interests them. But in the process of imparting or conversing with others about the information, their opinions take precedence. They may forget to analyze and attribute the information or to present it in exactly the way it was originally stated. All new information is processed through a belief system and thoughts subsequently expressed are based on the perceived reality. People with this nodal axis may have learned that it is safer to absorb knowledge than it is to actually relate with others and allow themselves to be vulnerable to their feelings. The Sagittarius energy of the South Node often expresses itself as a never-ending urge to learn new things. Indeed, it feels safe to be involved in a learning process; it’s a kind of “comfort zone”. Sometimes this need is satisfied by traveling to other countries, or relocating to an area where you need to learn the language or the customs in order to fit into society, to find your niche. It is challenging to try to meet the expectations of others! You Chapter 3 36 may choose to constantly be listening and learning new and various topics instead of using, sharing, expressing, verbalizing or teaching others what you already know. Yet this Node combination compels people to exchange and share, become involved in interactive communication with many people; giving and receiving and searching together for answers. While there is always an individual “need to know”, to absorb, to acquire more information (and opinions), one of the main goals of people with this Node is to become an indiscriminate, unending source of information, knowledge and wisdom they impart totally without personal prejudice. Ideally you become the “messenger” or the “information center” others seek out, come to talk to in order to find out what is happening in the world around them. You help them become clear about their own thoughts through the process of intellectual or conversational exchange. Ultimately, the purpose of this nodal axis is to teach you to say with complete confidence: “I THINK AND COMMUNICATE.” Cancer North Node / Capricorn South Node 4th House North Node / 10th House South Node From a very young age an individual with the North Node in Cancer or in the 4th house wants to create and manage a home. The 4th house itself represents many things to us: our roots, our family of origin, our fundamental physical and emotional foundation in life, nurturing, Mother, ancestors, etc. “Who am I in my ‘tribe’ on this planet?” is the question people with the Cancer/ 4th house North Node ask themselves on a regular basis. The Capricorn or 10th house energy of the South Node represents the urge to earn recognition in the world outside the home. You need to feel that your actions and choices command respect and increase your status among others. You need to know that others take the time to notice, recognize and acknowledge what you do and how you do it and you need them to make a fair and honest Lunar Nodes, Signs and Houses 37 judgment that you and your work are important to whomever you support with your efforts. You value the good opinion of others and will do what is necessary to earn it. The dichotomy here is that very often an individual who is unsure of whether or not they are loved and appreciated in the area of life which really matters to them (i.e., their family), is likely to learn that the easiest way to receive recognition from their tribe is to bring home a paycheck and thus “buy” their position in the clan. The challenge for people with this nodal axis is to learn that they are as important for the time, loyalty and love they offer, as for the financial stability they provide for those with whom they share their lives. (Sometimes the challenge of this lesson leads them to avoid making a choice to share their lives with others on an intimate level, or to build the family they so dearly desire.) Many of us are familiar with the concept of Yin and Yang, the balance of masculine and feminine energy necessary for successful living. People with this particular Node need to find a way to express this balance on a daily basis. It is their purpose in life! Many people with this axis spend the greater part of their lives learning the value of the feminine energy expressed by this pair of Nodes. They often incorporate the lesson into their careers in order to spend even more time working to understand it. They become the person whom others at work seek out when they need to talk about their frustrations and dissatisfaction in the work environment (or the one who brings cookies to the office on Fridays). Questions many North Node in Cancer or in the 4th house people ponder might be: What do I think about women in general? How do I relate with my Mother, my wife, my daughter, my female co- workers or with people who share my heritage/roots? Where do I fit in, in the heirarchy of my contemporaries? What am I contributing to my own offspring and to the next generation? It is a lot easier to avoid the intensely emotional issues of this Node by adhering to the “workaholic, Type A personality” behavioral patterns you were taught in your family of origin. It is a lot easier to Chapter 3 38 live life in the competitive arena, creating a career for yourself and gaining recognition in the world from strangers. It is very likely the choice of the “right” career was of paramount importance to you (or to your family members) when you were younger. You were expected to focus your energy so that you could build the financial stability necessary to support yourself. You were expected to define your place in the family and in the world by your choice of work. Because of these expectations, you were most probably on track towards a respectable career by the time you were in your early 20’s. And working hard to build a good future may still be the main goal, the focus of most of your endeavors! Maintaining a comfort zone in the playground of your South Node is very safe. The rewards are clear. “If I do well in my career the reward is money, position, a better, more expensive home, recognition for community service …” whatever the case may be. By comparison with the income and apparent benefits from a career, it is very difficult to judge the results of giving, nurturing, loving, creating a home that is safe and filled with happiness. While you know these things are the only things that really matter to you, it is also hard to be subjective about your goals for your personal life and the possible outcome of your efforts to create intimacy and happiness. It is a major challenge to believe that if you “go with the flow” you will actually arrive somewhere important for your soul, while not having proof of this in advance! You know it is impossible to control others, especially the people you really care about on a personal level. This awareness makes your choice so much more difficult. Many times the way people express the energy of this North Node is to pursue one of the nurturing/protecting professions, i.e. healthcare, hotel management, social services, policework, military, etc. This helps them to learn the importance and value of caring for others, taking care of or providing services to many members of a specific corporate or community “family”. Another way people express their sense of purpose is by developing a strong interest in the environment, health care in general, anthropology, history, sociology and other earth and animal sciences—all Lunar Nodes, Signs and Houses 39 directed to understanding and improving life on Earth for the benefit of all. The true purpose of this Node is to establish a “self” within the family of mankind, a conscious feeling of security and confidence, knowing who you are, and why you are here. The Capricorn/10th house South Node invites you to earn and be given the respect of others. Your purpose is to find self respect and to recognize your own gifts and abilities, those that bring you the love and affection of the people who are important to you. The questions to ask yourself if you have the North Node in Cancer or in the 4th house are: What makes me worthy of love? What is really important in my life? How can I contribute something positive to humanity? The ultimate purpose of this Node is to be able to acknowledge to yourself, if to no one else: “I FEEL NEEDED, I AM NECESSARY”—to feel significant in your own eyes and to be loved just for being you! Leo North Node / Aquarius South Node 5th House North Node / 11th House South Node If we were to give a voice to the Leo or 5th house North Node, it would jump up on a stage and sing: “I need to be a STAR! I deserve to be recognized as someone who is very special. I want to be loved and admired. I want to love passionately. And I expect to make a difference, to create something that leaves my mark on creation!” The struggle for those of you who have the Leo/5th house North Node is created by the tiny voice (your Aquarius/ 11th house South Node) whispering in the background, changing the words of your song to: “Who do you think you are? What makes you different (or better) than anyone else? There are lots of people out there; what makes you think you are so special?” Chances are you grew up in a home where people were very conscious of their social context, of those less fortunate than yourselves, of those who were handicapped or unable to rise to a position they deserved in society because of a social or physical Chapter 3 40 handicap. Or, there may have been other members of the family who needed attention and care to the extent that you and your needs were sidelined, not seen as being very important. You may have been seen as perfectly able to take care of yourself. Or, your family of origin may have incorporated the ideal that all of their children be treated equally, and so if there were other children who didn’t share your gifts or interests, you may have been encouraged to share theirs instead of developing your own. It is very possible that your family of origin was unable, for financial or other reasons, to help you attain the highest possible expression of your gifts and talents. In any case, you have had a lot of experience in avoiding the heights of self-expression in exchange for maintaining a “status quo” that was (and possibly still is) in compliance with the needs of the family unit as a whole. The struggle of your soul is to accept that tragedy, sadness and war exist in reality, that those who have more should take responsibility for those less fortunate—while at the same time recognizing that it’s OK to feel that you deserve more because you are special! You know that ecological disaster is right around the corner and that everyone needs to be careful with our natural resources. Trees are being cut down, forests destroyed due to commercial demands; baby seals are being clubbed to death and animals are being poisoned by the feed given to them. You are aware that women, children, handicapped, ethnic/racial/political groups are being discriminated against or ignored. All of these problems exist in the world. Yet, part of you says: “I want to have fun, to play, laugh, explore, travel, have a party in my life! I want to enjoy fame, recognition and wealth for myself!” You keep trying to suppress these and similar thoughts. It may be comforting to know that there is an incredible amount of guilt and shame in the heart of every Leo North Node/Aquarius South Node, 5th house/11th house Node individual! And there is a deep, hidden, secret feeling that they may be selfish (not the best people they could be) because the thought comes to them on occasion that they deserve “special” treatment. They experience guilt when they don’t have time to participate in Lunar Nodes, Signs and Houses 41 groups, community or philanthropic activities. The feeling is even stronger when they seek their own aggrandizement. Yet, the ultimate goal of someone who has their North Node in Leo or in the 5th house is to express the creative, warm, exuberant individuality they possess—the golden, special qualities they were born with! You can bestow warmth and joy on everyone around you when you feel proud of yourself, confident and filled with the certainty that you have a special gift to share with the world. You need to acknowledge that you deserve to be appreciated, praised, recognized as someone exceptional. You have the right to enjoy yourself, to explore the advantages of leadership in any area you choose. To welcome and acknowledge your right to enjoy life is part of the challenge you face. Many times the way someone with this Node deals with the force of the energy is to actively seek fame and fortune. They promise themselves that when they achieve success, they will share their bounty with the needy, give generously to charities, or become philanthropists (of course, receiving great appreciation and recognition for their contribution!). Sometimes they, as children, imagine that they will become famous because they will be the one to discover a cure for cancer or some other dread disease. Or they will become a great and magnanimous leader for their country. They imagine the great things they will do when they grow up, actions that will bring them recognition and acknowledgment from the whole world for their endeavors (because they are making things better for all mankind). As children, people with this Node can often be recognized by their desire to be an artist, musicion, actor, radio or TV talk show host. They have a very special talent or gift, one that is recognized by the family while they are quite young. But equally often the gift is one that goes unnoticed or is not encouraged or developed. Sometimes the family of origin does not have the financial means to make the commitment required to nurture it. The child may hear, “If we do this for you, we would have to do the same for all Chapter 3 42 the kids, and we just don’t have the time/money/space (or whatever would be necessary).” If this is your Node, you have learned the importance of each individual in the community. You may often struggle to find time to be creative. It may be hard for you to feel happy and proud of your successes in life, because you know you are capable of so much more. You probably actively encourage others to follow their dreams, to enjoy their individuality (to “be all they can be”). You participate in any way you can helping others achieve their goals, and you encourage their success in life. You are optimistic, capable, friendly, outgoing, and generous with those you love. Your purpose is to develop the courage to recognize your own significance, your loyalty, the strength of your emotions; then finally to acknowledge with gladness and joy in your heart: “I LOVE” who I am; “I AM PROUD” of my unique qualities and I recognize that each of us is someone special. Virgo North Node / Pisces South Node 6th House North Node / 12th House South Node Providing service is the key focus of individuals born with this Node, along with the desire to create regular routines for living, to be organized and to be sensitive to the needs of others. One of the main challenges is to overcome shyness and a feeling of “I don’t measure up.” Or, “I haven’t done it well enough, yet!” For one reason or another, parents and even other members of the extended family do not seem to pay much attention to children with this nodal axis. Their feelings are ignored, their opinions are discounted. Their needs are the last to be considered. So children born with the North Node in Virgo or the 6th house, and South Node in Pisces or in the 12th house learn to hope, to pray, and to wish for things, all the while quietly waiting for someone (perhaps a “fariy godmother”) to discover them and reward them for being good children. Somehow those of you who have this Node have learned that asking for things for yourself is not likely to bring results, and you Lunar Nodes, Signs and Houses 43 have come to believe that somehow you will be able to “earn” the right to have the love and support you need if you do “the right thing” (whatever that is). And even though you may have spent quite a bit of time doing things for others in the hopes that you will be rewarded (or noticed) for your efforts and only received minimal attention, you continue to strive to please in the hopes of reciprocal attention or affection from those you serve. The lesson you have learned from your South Node is to interact with others through offering them your services and your support, asking little in return. Giving becomes the “gift” you share with the people in your life. Sometimes children with the South Node in Pisces face a physical challenge. They may have allergies, asthma, special dietary requirements, difficulty sleeping or concentrating. This may lead the families of these children to seek medical help, or overprotect the child. Sometimes the child comes into a family where other family members suffer from physical disabilities or illness, and the child never experiences the joy of childhood, but instead becomes a little caregiver or nurse to the others who are ill. Sometimes a member of the family of origin suffers from psychological/emotional problems or addiction issues, and the child learns to quietly withdraw, to avoid asking others for atten- tion to his or her needs and wants. They learn that adult family members are not approachable. These lessons teach them to take care of themselves as best they can. They learn to accept what is offered, to be thankful for whatever comes their way, rather than ask for things they may want or need. The gift the Pisces South Node (or the th12 house Node) gives you is the gift of dreams—dreams which may feel as significant as “real” experiences. Dreams give your life meaning. Sensitive to the spirit world and to the needs of others, you may spend quite a bit of time praying, imagining a better world. At some point you think to yourself, “If I could just get things organized, life would be better for everyone!” You hear a critical voice inside your head, suggesting you try new and better ways of living your Chapter 3 44 life. You don’t want the life you see your family living! Perhaps if you study hard ... ? You believe that an education and a job of your own is the way to a better life for yourself in the future. You are likely to leave your childhood home as early as you can, to test life on your own terms! You willingly offer advice, support and encouragement to those who seem to be helping themselves to a better life, and if that isn’t enough, well, you can serve them some tea, cook supper, clean up, organize their work space, a closet, or their schedule. In the process you learn the value of being organized, of being certain of what is scheduled to happen. You focus on the project at hand, put a great deal of energy into completing it so that you are prepared to commence with the next one. You search for absolutes. And in the process you evaluate, consider, weigh and judge your own actions and choices, worrying about whether you might have done something, said something, that could have brought about a better outcome. You want to be sure that you never make the same mistake twice. You constantly keep watch over yourself, your actions and your choices, to be certain you are making the best ones possible. And, in the hope of helping others to avoid any mistakes you have made, you willingly (and often) offer advice—whether or not it is appreciated, accepted, acknowledged. Though you never truly lose your imaginative, spiritual and hopeful approach to life, you welcome the challenge of becoming a reliable and responsible adult, seldom asking others for their help, advice or emotional support. As a result of your constant assessment of (and ability to adapt to) the people and the world around you, you have learned how important it is to focus on your physical well-being. (After all, if something happened to you, how could you help the others who need you?) You learn the importance of managing your own health, diet and other requirements intrinsic to physical wellbeing. You pay attention to a seemingly unending list of tasks, reminding yourself constantly of how much remains to be done. Guilt is Lunar Nodes, Signs and Houses 45 the price you pay for not doing enough! In fact, rather than deal with your mind’s ability to impose nagging thoughts about what you could or should be doing, you avoid sitting still (you may even find it difficult to sleep) for any length of time. You would much rather get busy now and put your hands to work, testing alternative ways of achieving quicker results or a cleaner, more organized environment! Having spent much of your childhood and youth in dysfunctional family and social situations, your ability to come up with problem-solving techniques is quite remarkable. You understand the importance of the “little things”, and notice all the details— taking any (and every) action you believe will improve outcome. You easily recognize when others need help or assistance, and you know how to offer help the help and support that will best benefit these others. You are likely to become a very giving, kind and caring person and never even realize that you are doing anything out of the ordinary for the others who benefit from your presence in their lives. In fact, you would feel guilty if you didn’t make your skills available to others! Your motto has become: “I CARE” about anything and everything. Libra North Node / Aries South Node 7th House North Node / 1st House South Node The North Node in Libra or in the th7 house presents the challenge to seek acceptance. You know how to start (and complete) projects and activities on your own, and you are fully able to confidently assert your own independence. But you know you need other people in order to achieve your goals. You need others to encourage you, to include you in mutual endeavors. Only then can you feel that you have contributed your best, that you have accomplished something important. You want to share in the joy of success that comes from your contribution. You want to be included in relationships of all kinds, yet you want your voice to be heard above the others. You are capable of leadership and know that to fulfill your role, you need the acceptance and appreciation of others. You want people to listen to and accept your suggestions, Chapter 3 46 to recognize you as someone who possesses valuable individual/ personal strengths and skills. With the South Node in Aries or in the 1st house, life has taught you how challenging it can be to try to carve a space for self in relationships. Sometimes children with this Node have parents who are very loving and supportive of one another and each other’s goals; but they seem to have little time for their children or other members of the extended family. Sometimes the parents are very active in the community, take part in many social events. Sometimes one or the other parent is someone others call upon when they need advice and leadership. You have observed, first hand, what it is like to be involved with other people in any number of activities. You know about the individual level of commitment required to be an active part of the community. And you have also experienced how little time or attention you receive from busy or self-involved parents due to their own constant search for the right social contacts. In addition to observing how important relationships were to the people in your life, you also, most likely at some point in early childhood, experienced the separation of your parents or a loss of contact with other significant people in your life. Perhaps family members or good friends moved away, or you moved from one neighborhood to another, from one city to another one or more times. More than once in your life you have known rejection or been separated from close friends, a comfortable social or cultural environment. perhaps you also experienced a loss of possessions or treasures you valued greatly. Your childhood and young adult interactions likely include one or more instance where you were made to feel the outsider among your peers. You have experienced being unloved, unimportant. As a result you may have learned that it is safest, from an emotional standpoint, to be by yourself and find pleasure in solitary activities. You have learned to stand on your own two feet, to make decisions that will benefit yourself and others—with or without input! It is very possible that you Lunar Nodes, Signs and Houses 47 grew up in a home where conflict or disagreements were part of the daily routine. You have learned to defend yourself or to withdraw and take care of your own needs. In spite of a variety of emotionally challenging experiences in the past, you believe in your heart of hearts that there is someone out there for you, a soul mate to share your dreams and interests, to love you as you know you deserve to be loved. You want to be part of a couple, so that you and your partner can meet life’s challenges together; by example you can lead the way for others or support a cause that both of you feel is important. With the North Node in Libra or in the 7th house, you also want close friends, to be welcome among others with similar ideas and goals. You are learning to create and to seek harmony, to access your innate talent to bring calm and understanding to troubled others, to soothe distressed and anxious souls, to build a peaceful and safe world for all to share. Yet you feel stress at the prospect of intimacy and commitment; you find many reasons to avoid being identified as half of a couple or a member of any specific group. You have learned the importance of making the “right” choices and the “right” commitments. And, concerned about making the right choice or a commitment to a person or a goal, you feel conflicted as you assess the alternatives. Your past experiences of changes in family status, losing of context/continuity in relation to people you care about generated the feeling that it is better not to need others. It becomes difficult to choose a side in any issue, to make choices in general, to commit to mutual activities or personal relationships. It is easier to accept the choices and decisions of others or to simply avoid other people and withdraw. They physical result of your stress may manifest as pain (in the back) or other symptoms, such as migraine, headache, etc. The gift and strength of the Libra/Aries, 7/1 house Node is your ability to find people who want to include you in their circle. You are presented with many opportunities to learn or practice diplomacy, the art of being able to agree and disagree, yet continue in a relationship. You develop the logic to see the pros and cons of Chapter 3 48 any argument. You have the ability to project possible outcome in any situation, and you have a sense of which party in any conflict holds the stronger or weaker position. Children with this Node learn a great deal about justice, fairness, presenting a “side”, standing up for themselves, expressing a conflicting opinion and being willing to fight for what they believe in (or avoiding conflict wherever possible). They grow up cautious about being in any relationship, and hence value and appreciate people they have connected with in a way perhaps no one else can. They are often headstrong and determined, but always polite and politic. Your challenge is to admit to yourself that you need the approval of others as you pursue the opportunities life offers you. While you need to be considerate of the needs and wants of others, you need their support on your journey in life. You need to accept opinions and input (especially from others who will be mutually affected by an outcome) even though you have a sense that you can quite easily figure out what, when and how things can be most effectively carried out without them. Situations present a challenge when you realize that others may not be as able as you are, yet even so, they seem unwilling to participate in a shared activity unless their needs are also met. You must find a way to deal with the resulting dilemma! And the best way is to acknowledge the necessity of spending time negotiating—resolving conflicts and allocating resources—when you would simply rather do things your own way! You appreciate all things of beauty, love the arts and music, fine foods, fine wine, beautiful people. And you especially appreciate the harmony of people’s spirits focused on a mutual aspiration. You know there is power in these things, but you are impatient and eager to express your own ideas and have them be heard. The lessons you learn from your life teach you that the most beautiful words in your language include: “I balance, I beautify, I discriminate” and “I RELATE”. Lunar Nodes, Signs and Houses 49 Scorpio North Node / Taurus South Node 8th House North Node / 2nd House South Node Having the Scorpio North Node or 8th house North Node indicates that you absolutely (psychologically and emotionally) need to be respected, treated with honesty and integrity by the people in your life and in all situations where you interact with others. You need to feel special, to be recognized for the clever and intelligent way you think, and you need to be given space and privacy to develop your considerable skills in any area that interests you. You are very creative, very intuitive and very clever about discovering and uncovering how things work. And while it may often have irritated the people in your immediate environment when you were a child, curiosity is what has helped you to become the observant and insightful person you are today! You want to be admired and rewarded for your efforts, and you enjoy making an effort! You do not want to simply be given something, you want to have earned it. You even want to earn the right to be accepted into a group of like-minded others or welcomed as someone with something special to offer. No matter how adept, agile or strong you may be physically, it is your emotional tenacity and determination that drive you towards success in your own right. The Taurus South Node or nd2 house South Node has taught you patience. You learned to wait for a promise to be fulfilled. And in many instances you have been promised a great deal, only to discover that the promises are simply that—words spoken with no intent of fulfillment. You have certainly learned to accept things (and the treatment) others offer you. You know that asking for something is not likely to lead to your receiving it! It is much more probable that you will be given things someone else doesn’t want. Sometimes your parents and others wanted certain opportunities (and possessions) when they were your age, so they decide you should be given these things, whether you want them or not! You have analyzed and considered all the in’s and out’s of giving and receiving, and reached your own conclusions about the real Chapter 3 50 meaning of the gifts and opportunities made available to you. In the process you also learn that people respond to your giving them gifts, attention and respect. You learn how to intimate what you would like to receive from them. You learn never to make a direct request when you need or want something. You may, on occasion, have received “stuff” as a reward for being quiet, not making demands or for keeping a secret. So you learn that silence and obedience (even love) can be bought. You seek to discover the mechanism that drives other people’s needs, so you can trigger it or offer it, if and when necessary. As children, people with the North Node in Scorpio (or in the 8th house) are happy, affectionate and outgoing. They seek physical closeness, love to sit near a parent or other adults. They observe everything that goes on around them, and are learning from the behavior they see. They like to be involved in the daily activities going on in the home, and participate in the various tasks they see others performing. They quickly adapt to any emotional environment, and are very sensitive to the feelings and needs of the people they love. And they love intensely and intently, seeking ways to give something to others that will ensure that others continue to care for and about them. But if love and affection are not the emotional currency offered in the native’s environment, any “coin” becomes acceptable. The child learns how to wait for what they need while accepting what is offered—even if it is pain, difficulty and lack. In fact, the dark side of the South Node in Taurus or in the 2nd house is experiencing the lack of basic necessities for a time early in life. This often triggers a determination in the North Node in Scorpio (or North Node in the 8th house) child to never experience this feeling again! They look forward to becoming an adult and taking charge of their own life, being able to provide what they need for themselves and those they love. As a result of the difficult times and experiences of childhood, they have learned the art of manipulation and withholding. And they use the same (or very similar) techniques as the ones demonstrated by those who were powerful role models to them. Lunar Nodes, Signs and Houses 51 The challenge for people who have their North Node in Scorpio or in the 8th house is to overcome the urge to do whatever it takes to get what they need from others, and to learn the benefit and pleasure of pursuing one’s own purpose and desires. Young Scorpio or 8th house North Node people are seldom taught the skills necessary for achieving success, yet each individual is filled with ambition and determination; the need to achieve their goals. You have learned to approach people and situations with a smile, cautiously, tentatively. You “test the waters” carefully before committing yourself to the process involved in achieving a goal or establishing a relationship. Your childhood has likely taught you that you must earn the right to be loved, to be respected and to be included. Or, you have learned it is best to accept whatever others have to offer you, whether or not they have considered your needs. You don’t necessarily trust others to care about your needs, so you have a hard time asking for anything. You have probably been rewarded for doing things for yourself, or for your outwardly accommodating behavior. You need to learn to demand, require and project the strength of your will and determination. You need never settle for less than you want in life. Your 8 th house North Node carries a psychological undertone that expresses itself in the realms of money, sex, life/death/survival issues and deeply emotional personal struggles. At least one of these will be at the core of many of your life choices. The reward you derive from challenging your inner voice and automatic thought patterns is emotional strength and great personal fortitude. People with their North Node in Scorpio or in the 8th house need to deal honestly and fairly with others, expecting no less in return! Unexpressed needs/wants lead to complications, guilt and regret in personal relationships. The longer you carry these burdens, the less energy you have for achieving personal fulfillment. Know that you have the right to ask for what you want and to receive it! You Chapter 3 52 need to have property, possessions and wealth—more than these, you need to be respected, appreciated and loved. The gift of this North Node is inner strength, fortitude. You can handle anything that results from your efforts. You know the right way to deal with any person, any circumstance you may encounter in the pursuit of your goals. You have the innate ability to single- mindedly pursue long-term goals no matter what difficulties you may encounter (and you will indeed face many challenges). You have learned there is a cost for every achieve-ment, a price tag associated with the things you want in life. Your challenge is to realize that others may be as willing to pay a price for what they want as you are! And you need to trust that some people will seek to be included in your life simply because they value you as a person (and not just for what you can do for them). Ultimately you learn to trust your inner voice. You find that having the confidence to say “I REALIZE, I AM AWARE” is the most valuable of all of your gifts. All satisfaction in life is dependent on your ability to trust your own inner wisdom and certainty, to make conscious choices based on what you know for sure, not what you fear. Sagittarius North Node / Gemini South Node 9th House North Node / 3rd House South Node Curiosity and the ability to learn anything quickly and easily are the identifying characteristics of people with the North Node in Sagittarius or in the 9th house. You feel that you will never be able to find the answers to all of the questions you have; there just isn’t enough time! Each topic you study, each one you master leads to the next one—and, of course, this next one will provide the answers you need (at least until you find new questions that lead you to the next level). You are exposed to a variety of cultures, subject matter, languages, perhaps even countries in the process of accumulating the knowledge you find so valuable. You evaluate each new thought, forming an idea. Then you feel the need to share it, right now! Lunar Nodes, Signs and Houses 53 If this is your nodal axis, thousands of bits of information, memories as well as thoughts, flit through your mind at the speed of light; broad concepts challenge these flickering ideas for your attention and concentration. Not a moment passes but you are thinking about something you want to understand more completely today, right now or in the immediate future (if not sooner)! You become adept at looking up, locating all manner of data, learning to use information sources found in libraries or on computers. And if these are not enough or provide exactly what you need to know, you willingly seek out people, experts, to answer the questions you have. Sometimes people born with this Node tell me that they can be walking down the aisle of a bookstore or library, and a certain book cover will draw their attention. They pick up the book and open it, only to find precisely some bit of information they needed to answer a question. Or, reading the text, they find exactly the insight needed to help solve a puzzle that has been worrying them! Sometimes they turn on the television at exactly the right moment and find themselves watching a program that provides needed perspective. Their lives are filled with opportunities to learn, to solve problems and to answer the big questions they ponder. If your North Node is in Sagittarius or in the 9th house, it is second nature for you to see a “big picture”, rather than allow yourself to get bogged down in too many details. But with the South Node in Gemini or in the 3rd house, the circumstances that prevail on the mundane level, suggest that you can become completely overwhelmed by minutiae. People around you enjoy discussing: “What’s for dinner?” and, “Did you see that Tom got a new lawnmower?” and, “Betty’s Mom hung new curtains in her kitchen …” Uninteresting and seemingly unimportant topics of conversation, discussions about people who don’t interest or make any difference to you, details about things you easily forget, names you will not remember; these and more are the sounds that surround you. Yet you are happy to feel part of a community, of your extended family—to be involved in their lives and the things Chapter 3 54 that interest them. You feel at ease when your mundane world is filled with people and a variety of activities. You may be encouraged to practice a sport, a musical instrument or participate in group activities. This usually requires repetitive activity or provides social interactions that make no real emotional impact. Your inquisitive and imaginative mind feels bored. If you are expected to participate in mundane activities where your own intellectual and personal abilities have no impact, you feel frustrated! You deal with the unavoidable boredom of repetition by exercising your imagination; this helps distract you from the monotony. You develop a lot of practical skills but don’t necessarily appreciate them because your soul is striving to attain philosophical and esoteric understanding. You want to know the reasons for everything. And it seems no one has enough answers to give you, or is willing to take the time to explain life to you in a clear and logical way. (Any other type of explanation seldom satisfies your inner “need to know”.) It seems eveyone has opinions, instead of answers. So you seek your answers in books or by listening to the conversations of others. You find many “teachers” for the lessons you learn from living life. You want to concentrate on evaluating the myriad possibilities of the Universe—only to be distracted by the never-ending chatter, compelled to focus on the minutie that comprises reality. When you were young, you were introduced to formal religions and cultural groups. Most likely you were also ecouraged to participate in activities at church, school or other age-appropriate organizations where your independent thinking (or daydreaming) resulted in less than pleasant consequences. Quite probably you were provided with a library card at an early age, but not allowed or given a chance to select and read books that interested you. You were encouraged to read, but were constantly interrupted to take part in other activities when you curled up to concentrate on a book. You may have been encouraged to look up to role models or authority figures in your community, while being discouraged from speaking up to them or asking the questions Lunar Nodes, Signs and Houses 55 that burned inside your inquisitive mind. You may not have been encouraged to express your own opinions out loud (at least, not without being asked). A lot of effort went into teaching you to “fit in”, to avoid making waves, to accept your place as one among many. In spite of all of this, you feel that you are separate/special, that there are exciting ideas to explore and questions to answer, to reveal truths only you will be able to discover, only you will be able to comprehend, and only you will recognize as important! And you know that once you discover the answers to your questions, you will want to talk about them with like-minded others, to exchange ideas, concepts, and the vision of new and exciting possibilities. The challenge of this North Node is to break free from the constant pressure of the mundane activities of life, to take time to seek answers to many questions. You need this time to consider the questions of others, to share your thoughts on the subject and to explore the process whereby you arrive at your conclusions. You need to feel free express your opinions. You are confused by your conflicting desires to learn and ask questions on the one hand, to teach and offer answers on the other. There is so much to learn, so many questions. And one with the North Node in Sagittarius or in the 9th house is determined to travel to the ends of the earth if necessary, to find as many answers as they possibly can. Fortunately life itself makes sure they find themselves in situations where they are surrounded by opportunities to do just that. Some travel in search of experience, some study customs, religion, languages, culture, history. Their brilliant minds stretch the parameters of consciousness, fact and truth, possibility. Their observations, ideas and answers are needed. With or without the support and enthusiasm of others, it is important for you to take part in the practical everyday aspects of living with others. If your North Node is in the sign of Sagittarius (or it is in the 9th house) you may not really care about the mundane constraints of life in general, but this Node Chapter 3 56 will push you to constantly question the why and wherefore of every circumstance, every experience. It brings up new questions as soon as answers to the old ones have been found. Without an understanding of the practical process of living, many of your questions would go unanswered, and you would not feel compelled to share vital information those who need it. When you are really honest with yourself, you acknowledge that you enjoy pushing yourself and everyone else to engage in stimulating mental gymnastics. You feel a strong desire to share information, willingly teaching (or preaching) to others. You are happy to answer people’s questions with an opinion or with information. Your gift is one of discovery, fact finding, conceptualizing, then offering your vision to others to share. Ultimately, with your North Node in Sagittarius or in the 9th house, your greatest gift to yourself will be to acknowledge: “I UNDERSTAND”, and to be at peace with your process. Capricorn North Node / Cancer South Node 10th House North Node / 4th House South Node Many of us are familiar with the concept of “Yin and Yang”, the balance of masculine and feminine energy necessary for successful living. People with this Node have the particular responsibility of learning and expressing this balance in the context of their society and culture, and, of course, in their personal lives. Figuratively speaking, it is their purpose in life to build on the past as they create structure for the future. Therefore many people with this nodal axis spend the greater part of their lives learning the value of the “masculine” mode of life expression. In most cultures this would be demonstrated by the pursuit of a more authoritative/ dominant, career/status/leadership role in life. From an emotional perspective, we tend to incorporate various aspects of both the South and North Node lessons into our personal relationships as well, in order to spend even more time working on them. Questions many with this Node may deal with are: What are the roles played by men/women in positions of Lunar Nodes, Signs and Houses 57 authority in general?, How do I relate with my Father and Mother, my partner, my children? or, Do I interact appropriately with my co-workers, the people who share my ambitions, and those who are subordinate to my leadership? and, What do I have to do to earn respect for my contribution to society, or to the people in my personal life? When your North Node is in Capricorn or in the 10th house, even as a very young child, you needed to feel that you gained respect, admiration and recognition for your efforts. The 10th house represents many things: career, status in the community, the respect one deserves for their actions, abilities and contributions, acknowledgment of one’s position in the world in general. Your childhood observations of the world around you and of how people interacted with one another, offered an opportunity to gain a good understanding of the difference between respect and disrespect. When you were a child the respect you received may simply have been demonstrated to you by having the adults spend time with you, listening, teaching or encouraging you. However, even more than respect, children with this Node need boundaries, explanations, honesty and disciplined, structured parenting. Part of the lesson this Node teaches is showing respect for others by adhering to the strict moral code upon which family and community life are based. Only when a solid societal foundation exists is the child able to determine their role in the family and in their clan. If they know their place in their personal circle, they can begin to strive towards becoming successful within the structure of their family and, ultimately, within the community. Children quite naturally comprehend the importance of imitating the morals of the people around them, particular those demonstrated by parents and others whose authority they encounter on a regular basis. They interact at the level of honesty and truthfulness they see in role models who represent leadership. At a very young age they incorporate the skills, mores and relational attitudes that will help them define their future Chapter 3 58 success. Modeling what they have observed of the way adults interact with one another, they seek the approval of their elders as they attempt to determine their place in the family or in the community. While the lessons we learn as children determine many of the important life choices for all of us, those learned early in life seem to have a greater impact on the psyche of individuals with their North Node in Capricorn or in the 10th house, than for people who have their Node in any other sign. The Cancerian/4th house South Node energy of this axis represents the urge to be loved, nurtured, accepted, and to have your emotional needs met by members of your immediate family. You need to feel accepted and loved for just being one of them. You need their encouragement, and if you receive it, you become bonded and loyal to the needs of the members of your primary family unit and, by extension the social network. With this particular nodal axis, one of the main challenges you faced early in life was to be expected to “know your place” and stay in it! You may have felt powerless. This is how you absorbed the lesson of “status” and you carry it within you to this day. Perhaps you are the younger child or an only child in a family in which other members were very busy with their own lives. Maybe you are a female in a household that hoped for boys (or vice versa). Perhaps your family members are successful in their careers, socially active, financially well-to-do or brilliant/outstanding in their own way. No matter the specific circum-stances, you may at times have felt excluded, left behind, less than important to the people who were all important to you. You may have recognized that your need for attention and validation was meant nothing or was bothersome to others, or, you may have realized that your personal needs or wishes were secondary to the whims of other family members. You may have heard the dreaded, “Children should be seen and not heard” message many times as you strove to prove worthy of their interest. A few children with their North Node in Capricorn (or in the 10th house) may have had the exact opposite experience. If you are one Lunar Nodes, Signs and Houses 59 of these children, your needs were primary to those around you; you were given many opportunities, and a great deal of attention. Either way, you learned to seek validation, recognition, attention and praise as you grew into maturity. Many people with the South Node in Cancer or in the 4th house become very good at taking on a “mothering role”. Even as a child you may have learned how to cook, clean up, to care for yourself physically and emotionally. You may have spent time with family members who were, for some reason, judged less important within the hierarchy of the family unit. Or, you may have turned inward, finding solitary pleasure in activities that did not require the participation or attention of anyone else. People born with this Node often seek a competitive outlet for their energy, entering sports or intellectual contests where they hope to gain the recognition of authority figures outside the family unit. Yet the approbation of their family—especially from the members of the family unit they perceive as powerful (usually the same sex parent or an elder sibling)—is what they really seek. They are likely to compare themselves and their ability or success to that of others, always seeking to “measure up”. Often the needs of the Mother or Matriarch figures in the family of origin are a primary concern of the other members of the family. So people who have the North Node Capricorn or 10th house North Node learn to put aside their own needs for fulfillment, as they satisfy the needs of this individual. They learn that weakness or neediness is rewarded with attention (i.e. love), while strength or ability is demanded and expected, but seldom appreciated or recompensed. Your dilemma is to understand that love can be the reward for a responsibility accepted and carried out well, and acceptance and appreciation can be given one who is gentle, patient and caring. The outcome of a successful pursuit of the goals of this North Node is that you feel confident in the performance of your duties, your role in your family and in society. Chapter 3 60 You feel comfortable handling authority and responsibility. You are aware that your actions and deeds proclaim: “I STRIVE, I SUCCEED.” Your efforts give structure to and protect future generations and are based on a solid foundation of past experience and hard work. You seek to give form to possibility, to bridge the generations as you take your place in your family, community, the world. You know the purpose of your life’s work has been to understand the value of self-respect, to give the gift of your support and strength to those who need you, to your children and those who will follow in your footsteps. Aquarius North Node / Leo South Node 11th House North Node / 5th House South Node This is possibly the most difficult North Node to give a voice. People born with the North Node in Aquarius or in the 11th house seek a way to be “different” from their family of origin, the culture in which they grow up, the philosophical and societal impressions they received in their youth. If you look at your own experience, you probably think very differently about yourself and your personal life/world from the majority of your contemporaries (in spite of the fact that many of your contemporaries are likely to have the same Node!). The purpose of your journey is to find a cause, a raison d’être, to support this cause (intellectual belief or personal choice) wholeheartedly. Throughout your life you will search for least one other (or preferably a group of others) involved in a similar pursuit of this (or a related) cause, while accepting that it is unlikely you will find another/others who support this cause for any of the same reasons you do! With your South Node in Leo or in the 5th house, chances are that you grew up in a home where you excelled at something your siblings did not. You differentiated yourself from your siblings in both the most mundane and the more esoteric pursuits. Perhaps your siblings were brilliant in school—well, then you would find school less than stimulating. Or, if your siblings were not inclined Lunar Nodes, Signs and Houses 61 to take their studies seriously, well, you probably excelled in your own! Your interests, hobbies and general view of the life you lived under the same roof with your siblings and parents is likely very different than theirs. For most of your life you have felt poles apart intellectually, separate from others, different from other people in your “community” and the life provided for you by your parents. You want more for yourself, more for the people you love, or the friends with whom you surround yourself. Perhaps you grew up knowing you were special in some way. Perhaps you had a splendid talent that set you apart. Or, you were the family clown, the child destined to be a comedian. (In any case, you have developed a particular sense of humor!) You might have been the well-behaved or reliable child, but that doesn’t mean that your mind wasn’t filled with thoughts of the disobedience you could easily imagine yourself perpetrating. Perhaps you were talented, played musical instruments. Maybe you were the child genius, playing happily for hours with your chemistry set or studiously devoted to mathematics and physical sciences or other intellectual pursuits while other members of your family gathered around the television watching sports or the latest sitcom. Perhaps you were the first one in your family to build a friendship with someone of a different religious, cultural, ethnic or social background. Or, you were the only one in your neighborhood curious about how others lived their lives across town (or on the other side of the world). More than likely you have an interest in astrophysics, philosophy, ancient history and religions, the process of war and peace—but found yourself surrounded by people more interested in the outcome of Sunday’s football game, their immediate personal satisfaction or mundane pursuits and every-day godliness. Or, perhaps you were the child seeking a religious or spiritual direction while the rest of the family espoused agnosticism. It is likely that your parents were very focused on the importance of being gainfully employed, being utterly dependable, reliable and responsible. You observed them practicing all of the skills Chapter 3 62 necessary for maintaining a comfortable, predictable life. While they worked, you were encouraged to play, have fun, explore, to devote your attention to anything that stimulated your imagination. Your ability to amuse yourself was rewarded. Your parents, in their desire to give you the chance of a life better than their own, probably at least once (and at a very important time in your life) told you, “You can be anything you want to be!” Most likely your parents also left many decisions up to you. You developed the ability to get along with others. You have an easygoing, friendly and companionable knack for saying and doing the right thing. You learned flexibility, to behave as was expected of you—all the while thinking your own thoughts, maintaining your own internal dialogue and your independence. This has formed one of the main modalities in your emotional make-up. What you needed was a definite, determined, strict and demanding environment you could rebel against in order to find your way! On the other hand, if you did have the benefit of growing up in such a strict environment, you have likely learned to rebel against authorities, the status quo, anything that seems to suggest limitations to possibility. Ultimately, each individual born with the North Node in Aquarius or an 11th house North Node learns to rebel against any thought, process or customary behavior that is perceived to be something others expect of them. (Sometimes the desire to rebel is so great that they find a reason to do so even if they, themselves, have come up with the original parameters that begin to feel constricting!) This need for “rebellion” is a major aspect of their personality. The struggle of your soul is to learn that it’s OK to feel and be “different” in some way. It feels vital to you to care deeply about someone or some cause. Philanthropy, the environment, a cause, social awareness, programs that support those less fortunate— these are the kinds of things that truly grab you emotionally. You really care that people somewhere in the world are experiencing tragedy, sadness and war. You know that ecological disaster is right around the corner, that mankind needs to be careful Lunar Nodes, Signs and Houses 63 with Earth’s resources; trees are being taken down, forests are destroyed due to commercial demands; the oceans and the groundwater are becoming polluted; animals are being treated inhumanely (whether these are wild or domestic animals, farm, industrial or laboratory animals). You are aware that women, children, handicapped, ethnic/racial/religious/political groups are being discriminated against or ignored. What can you do to right the wrongs? What can you do to make a difference? When is it appropriate to join forces and when is it more honest to maintain your independence from others and other groups? You seek out groups of people who stake their reputation or their position outside the norm. You want to be one of the people participating in a revolutionary project, to experience the excite- ment of seeing the results of mutual efforts change the way society works. Perhaps you become politically active. Perhaps you become a missionary or a reformer, or a proponent of some new and unusual approach to solving a common problem you perceive in your society. Or, perhaps you seek your own definition of a “Golden Age” in the details of past civilizations or in the futuristic realms of science and Science Fiction. In any case, the excitement of discovery, change, testing and exploring new concepts, fills your heart with joy. Under the right circumstances, you are perfectly capable of commiting to the relationships, projects and causes you feel are important; you simply free yourself of any attachment the outcome, relax and enjoy the process. But it is not unusual to feel, from time to time, that you are powerless to alter the course of events in your relationships, the community or the world, even when you wish you could. When you have tried your best without success, you find satisfaction maintaining a position on the “outside”. In this type of situation, you simply regard the people or groups you previously supported as no longer worthy of your thoughts and efforts—you have no interest in their future or their opinions. Chapter 3 64 Honesty is important, you feel completely satisfied keeping your thoughts and ideals pure, refusing to be a part of any group or activity that doesn’t meet with your approval (completely undisturbed if others describe you a loner). Ultimately an independent spirit, you need to be able to say “I REACH” for the stars, for the answers, for an impossible dream, for the perfect future, for joy or for anything my heart desires! Pisces North Node / Virgo South Node 12th House North Node / 6th House South Node Gentle, sensitive, sweet, loving, sympathetic, impressionable, secretive, silent, uncomplaining, dreamy, artistic, aesthetic, spiritual—these are all words that express the possibilities inherent in the North Node in Pisces, or the North Node in the 12th house. However, with your South Node in Virgo or in the 6th house, finding and allocating the time necessary to honor these feelings (to meditate, to ponder your emotional and spiritual life) presents the challenge! Your childhood was likely filled with practical and regular activities (or emergencies and “drama” that require everyone’s attention) involving the people in your family of origin. Life lessons you have learned to value are ones they thought were important: practical application of energy to serving the needs of others, acceptance of whatever happened or didn’t happen. You have had lots of opportunities to respond to the expectations and demands of others. You learned to remain on the sidelines, not attracting attention to yourself or your needs. You learned it was best to be organized, neat, to respond to all requests with a willing spirit. It was important that you do what was expected of you in every instance (or goodness knows, something dreadful might happen!). You learned to fear the judgement of others, their ability to make you feel less than able, incapable of living up to expectations or of doing things right. Even now, you may still feel guilty for not having done enough for them! You have learned to look over your Lunar Nodes, Signs and Houses 65 shoulder, waiting for “the other shoe to drop” when something good happens in your life. Somehow you just know you haven’t earned the right to be happy, successful or lucky. Most certainly you have observed (and felt empathy for) other people’s difficulties, their addictions to work, relationships, food, religion, alcohol, prescription drugs (possibly illegal drugs or other dangerous substances), exercise, diet, sex, in fact, any aspect of the human experience that can become a compulsion. You are familiar with helping others deal with their medical needs (for mental or physical health maintenance, disability and aging). And you have listened to others speak of the need to change their lives in some regard, without seeing them take any steps to do so. You try to escape this mundane, never-ending cycle of dissatisfaction by reading, watching the television, going to movies or listening to music—anything that allows you to experience your spirit’s ability to rise above the limitations of your physical reality—only to be brought crashing back down to earth by the power of something stronger than gravity, i.e. your family (or the people with whom you have surrounded yourself)! You spend many years working in professions that encourage the continued practice of your learned behaviors. You may have entered the healthcare or service-provider industries, seeking to serve, heal and encourage others by working for the institutions and corporations that provide services to the public. But no matter how successfully you may fulfill the expectations of others and how much you ignore the pull of your spirit towards the esoteric realms, you will never feel you have done enough to make a difference. How you wish you could escape the pull of the mundane! How you wish you could stay in the realm of spirit, free and unburdened by the requirements of dealing with the never-ending mundane realities of this earthly plane. In the best of families, children with this nodal axis are given tools to combine emotional and practical realities. Perhaps they are given the opportunity to study music and they discover Chapter 3 66 satisfaction in the regular application of energy and practice. They learn to create rich sounds, powerful music capable of carrying spirit into the realms of artistry and creativity in a burst of elevating harmony—and they find some way to share this gift with the rest of us. Or, they may be given lessons in ballet or dance, an opportunity for their bodies to learn to fly as if free of earth’s gravity, their physical energy expressing and imitating the rhythms of life and joy. Sometimes people with their North Node in Pisces or in the 12th house receive the kind of education that stimulates linguistic skill. They learn that poetry or literature can lift the spirit of humankind, through language they are lead to an understanding of the concepts of God, kindness, love. They appreciate their gift, sharing ideas, beliefs and imagination. Sometimes they are encouraged to design perfect environments, or create beauty with a paint brush. Occasionally children with the South Node in Virgo or in the 6th house will be taught to use and develop their intuition. Their visions and dreams will be affirmed, their hopes and wishes will be validated, their ability to love and cherish all living things will be respected and rewarded by living in a harmonious Universe, sharing love with all beings. However, it is much more than likely that as a child with this Node, you felt the magnificence of your internal reality, came to share it with your parents, saying: “I had this dream or this vision” or, “I have this wonderful playmate ...” (whom no one else can see); and your parents responded, “That’s nice dear, now go do your homework!” So you learned not to talk about your important personal realities—ones so real to you, but so difficult to share with others. You learned to do your homework, or clean up your room, or go and do something on your own (don’t bother the grown-ups). You have an enormous wealth of spiritual wisdom to share, if someone were only to ask, but it is hard for you to offer these gifts to others. You have learned that it is so much easier to offer your Lunar Nodes, Signs and Houses 67 South Node gifts: service, attention to detail, and your willingness to make others feel comfortable and safe in the mundane ways they can acknowledge and appreciate. Perhaps you have found a way to combine your gifts, working within the structure of a large philanthropic or service-oriented institution, a church, a large hospital, a mental institution, a charity or social services provider in your community. At least then you can participate in the healing of the spirits and souls of those who need you! Too often, people who have a Pisces or 12th house North Node see the dark side of human relations, particularly the type of negative energy exchange that can happen between their own significant role models and the rest of the world, or between themselves and the people they most need to care about them. These lessons teach that the “glass is half empty”, that there will never be enough (time, money, love) for them, that they can expect little or nothing from those they love. They may have learned that the only way they can achieve acceptance (or be tolerated) is if they give up everything they need, want, or dream of to serve the needs of others. Many come to the conclusion that they must earn the right to be accepted by following certain rules, by accommodating themselves to the people and situations they encounter. They stay focused on the drudgery of living. Ultimately, this causes them to seek escape in any way they can from the harshness of their reality! They come to fear living, to fear dying, to fear separation (and loss), to fear lonliness on one hand and closeness or intimacy on the other. They fear their own dreams, both the possible and the impossible. When you have your North Node in Pisces (or your North Node in the 12th house), the task/journey of your soul is to find a way to create your own personal paradise on Earth. You need to establish a place of peace where mind, body and spirit connect in the pursuit of happiness and joy. Each step you take along your way teaches you to acknowledge your intuition, trust your intent and listen to your heart. Chapter 3 68 Your journey will brings lessons to help you learn to care about those who come into your life without offering any judgement (and without taking on responsibility for them). As you recognize that every person has their good, bad, ugly and beautiful parts, you discover this is true of yourself as well! Finally, you accept only harmony and tolerance, success, joy, pride—every feeling—never fearing that these won’t always be a part of your life. You allow yourself to trust yourself, to trust that you can take care of your own needs. The success of your process ensures you will never again become the victim of any person or situation. Then you can heal and nurture the other souls you touch in the course of your life by sharing your understanding of the path that brought you peace. You understand the words: “I FEAR” but can also honestly say from the heart “I HAVE FAITH”, knowing that you will never cause fear as a result of your own personal choices and decisions. The prayer of your spirit, your dreams, your wishes and the reality of the life you live become one. Chapter 4 Keys to Emotions

The first step in interpreting the emotional aspects of a person’s life experience involves examining the sign and house placement of their Moon and her Nodes in the natal chart. Let us take an example. Picture a chart with the Moon in Leo in the 9th house, and Nodes in Aries/Libra in the 5/11 house axis. Think about all you know about the Moon in Leo. Then think about what you know about a 9th house Moon. When you are clear about these Moon factors, look at the South Node of the Moon in the 11th house. Someone with the South Node in Libra has been provided with many lessons about inter-acting harmoniously with other people. They have learned to share, to be polite, to be sociable, to be outgoing in a friendly and communicative manner. With the South Node in the 11th house, the person probably has a pleasing and charming way of offering suggestions or negotiating for the support they need from others. Most likely, one of their parents has encouraged them to study, to read, to express themselves well linguistically and to use logic. One of their parents (or some other important role model in their lives) has likely been active in various groups and organizations, or otherwise very willing to support the goals of others. As a result of their observations and experience, the 11th house South Node in Libra person has learned many necessary negotiating skills. Keys to Emotions 70 They know how to gain and offer support, and how to share responsibilities as all actively pursue a mutual goal. A person with the North Node in Aries, especially in the 5th house of the chart, tends to be creative and expressive; they are driven in pursuit of their goals, determined and quite impatient. This Aries North Node, combined with the Leo Moon in the 9th house, indicates a strong, perhaps fiery and individualistic mode of expression. The individual with this Moon/North Node is likely to strive to achieve recognition. They want to be a leader, to test themselves and new ideas, concepts or ways of thinking (9th house Moon) in a variety of situations. Overall, they are creative and idealistic about seeking ways to improve both their own circumstances, and that of the society in which they live. Somehow they feel their personal calling is to change something in the world for the better. They want to leave their mark, to do something important with their lives. This person knows how to please and charm others (Leo Moon, North Node in the 5th house, South Node in the 11th house). On an internal, emotional level, they know they are meant to lead. However, they often encounter challenges to their authority and difficulties in assuming a leadership role because they know the importance of mutual effort and believe that others do as well. So they wait for others to indicate whether they should lead or allow the others to take charge. They feel torn between the desire to take control and the need to cooperate or to incorporate the suggestions of others with their own. They feel uncertain about assuming their natural leadership role, especially when others seem unwilling to support them! They need to use their considerable verbal skills and their ability to negotiate as they forge ahead with their vision; to ignore the immediate challenges they face and to expect a better tomorrow. Whatever their final choice about action, involvement or leadership, they are learning that even in the best of relationships and circumstances, everyone needs to have and to follow their own dream and be willing to lead the way for others. Chapter 4 71 Once the dynamics presented by the Moon and the Nodes in a natal chart have been explored based on the astrological signs and house placements of all three, calculate the orb between these significators. If they are in orb (by at least 5-7 degrees), the aspect generates a lot of energy. People whose Moon and Nodes aspect one another will strongly experience the internal issues and emotional needs represented by the three significators. On an emotional level, their energy is focused on resolving any issues the combination presents. If the Moon and Nodes are not in orb, individual emotional needs still play a major role in a person’s subconscious or internal dialogue. These individuals may, however, find it much more difficult to manifest an outward expression of their feelings. In the above example, if the Leo Moon and the Aries North Node/ Libra South Node are not in orb, the person may feel a stronger need to agree with others than one might assume from the analysis of the Aries North Node alone, in order to be included in the social, political or familial circle. They might feel less willing to take on a leadership role. They may avoid expressing many of their personal, discordant views. They may seek to surround themselves with friends who fulfill their needs or who speak up on their behalf. Or, they may actively support the activities and ideas of others. They probably enjoy reading biographies of people who have done what they, themselves, wish or dream of doing. They may join groups that are actively involved in the types of activities or pursuits that excite them. They probably “have a dream”, one they tell themselves they will focus on “later” or after they retire. They are likely to explore their emotions by observing, participating, supporting and joining others in pursuit of the good feelings it gives them to be part of the process. Keys to Emotions 72 Let’s look at my friend, Carol’s chart.

Carol has her Moon in Gemini in the 10th house, conjunct her Midheaven. Her North Node is in Virgo in the 12th house closely conjunct Pluto and opposite Mercury, Chiron and her South Node, all in the sign of Pisces in the 6th house. Natal Mercury in Pisces in the 6th house is the Ruler of her Moon, Midheaven and North Node and forms a Grand Trine with her 10th house Mars and her 2nd house Neptune. Neptune in the 2nd house (part of the same Grand Trine with Mercury and Mars) rules her South Node. Let’s start by asking ourselves what we know about the Moon in Gemini, just in general. Well, people with the Moon in Gemini often need to spend time with other people, sharing and exchanging information and their thoughts–communicating. They often provide a good source of information on a variety of Chapter 4 73 topics. They may not like to sit still for too long. They probably like to multitask (they seldom do just one thing at a time)! Carol likes to read a book or magazine while watching the television, even when other people are in the room with her. She simultaneously shares her impressions of what she is watching, comments about what she thinks about people she knows (who remind her of the people she sees on her screen) and how they have responded to or would react to a similar type of situation to the one being shown on the television. She will interject comments about the author of the book or the article she is currently reading. If I am visiting, she will all the while ask my opinion in order to involve me in the conversation. Every once in a while she will dart out to the kitchen to bring out some treat for us to share, making sure that I have fresh coffee or tea. She will jump up and let out the dog and talk about her neighbors and their pets, then interrupt herself and that train of thought to explore an event that happened to her at work in the past week, and ask for any impressions I might have about the topics she introduces into our conversation. Having known her for some time, I am comfortable with her seeming continuous movement and the conversations revolving around her inner circle at work and home, her impressions about the way these others live their lives, her family and personal circle of friends, her career and the motivations of her colleagues and her boss, her potential for making her way in her chosen career and managing her personal finances in general. When we spend time together, she attempts to share her insights about her world and the people in it. This is how she expresses her good feelings of friendship towards me. I understand that she feels right at home verbally (and physically) jumping from topic to topic, from task to task, happily sharing her thoughts while making sure I have something good to eat and drink. Others, with less access to her on such a personal level, might perceive her differently than I do (Moon in the 10th house, conjunct the MC, and ruling the 11th house.) For example, Carol’s neighbors know her as someone always willing to organize a bake Keys to Emotions 74 sale or other fund-raising efforts. They can rely on her to drive the children to a soccer practice on the weekend, keep track of all of them and get them home again (with all of their equipment intact). They might see her as a good person to ask about local school programs or teachers, or perhaps about the best house painter, gardener, baby-sitter or maid service. They happily spend time chatting with her when they see her, and think well of her. Her employers recognize and appreciate her as the Administrator who will make sure that all of the information they need is at their fingertips when they need it. They can rely on her to complete tasks in time for presentations, and to have assembled all of the necessary background information in a folder, making sure they have it with them when they are going to need it. They know she can arrange their travel plans, answer most of their letters and inquiries efficiently (and remind them of birthdays, anniversaries and doctor’s appointments), as well as handle customers with ease! She is an utterly reliable “right hand” person to have around— and, she never asks for a raise or a promotion! Her colleagues (several of whom I also know) acknowledge and appreciate that she is right there to help them complete a project if they can’t do it themselves (and she will pick up a card for all to sign when one of them is celebrating a special event or birthday). Carol, on the other hand, always feels that she hasn’t done enough, hasn’t worked hard enough or offered enough time and energy to the people in her life. She often tells me how much she would like to do, and shares thoughts about the insignificance of her contributions in life! She feels that she needs to work harder, do more, take better care of others (especially the members of her own family: her children, her partner and her parents). She also feels that she should be able to spend more time mentoring and encouraging her co-workers, and supporting the goals of her employers. And she constantly feels a deep yearning to devote more time to her spiritual work. All the while she keeps so busy with the mundane aspects of daily life that this remains mostly a dream for the future, shared only with close friends who care about her. Chapter 4 75

Exercise: Take time here to study the aspects between the Moon and the Nodes in Carol’s Chart (Moon quintile North Node, Moon 105 degrees the South Node). Think about the perceptions the different people in her life have about her. Then examine your own chart and that of a couple of people you know well. Think about how other people view you, and how you view them. Think about the various ways others may see you, based upon the type of relationship you have with them: family members (parents, siblings, extended family), partner, lover, co-workers, employees, friends, neighbors, etc. Then think about how you feel about these people and your life in general from an internal perspective. Now, consider if the way you feel is reflected in the way others interact with you (or not), and whether pursuing your internal goals is part of your temporal reality. See if you can delineate the charts of a couple of other people in a similar manner. As you study Lunar Nodes, seek a definition of how emotions color your perception of your overall reality. Translate the impact of the Lunar Nodes on your life, your personal experience and perspective as you proceed. By remembering the emotional experiences you have had and practicing focused awareness on your own emotional reality, you will discover personal truths. Throughout your life, your feelings fluctuate back and forth along the continuum between the learned behaviors and safe emotional patterns of the South Node and the self-expressive, inquisitive and challenging energy of the North Node. Your internal emotional dialogue never entirely allows you to become “stuck” or completely comfortable in either position. It pushes you to find equilibrium. You seek to balance the energies of both North and South Nodes, to achieve an acceptable level of emotional fulfillment, garnering the best that both ends of the spectrum have to offer you spiritually. Now, consider your Moon (sign and house location), and visualize the Moon as if it were a plate. Envision the North Node as if it were a fork, and the South Node as if it were a spoon. You are going to use these utensils to pick up choice bits from the “buffet” of life experience offered to you. Keys to Emotions 76 The plate, while it has it’s own beauty, style and form, cannot choose what is placed upon it to be sampled. Yet, know that the plate will be filled with choices, just as your life has been (and will always be) filled with the variety of experiences you have sampled, are sampling and are going to sample. Whether something delicious has been or is placed on your personal emotional plate of experience, or something tasteless, bland, spicy, hot, cold, distasteful or raw, no matter! Complete data, a memory of each sample is retained in the emotional memory bank of your Moon. Your Moon stores this information, preserving it forever. With each new experience your Moon will respond to the initial sample of every new choice and circumstance based on what it has has felt, perceived, approved of or disliked in similar/related situations in the past. Each Moon has a selective memory related to how it understands reality. Yours responds based on your perception of the millions of bits of emotional input your Moon has been served so far from the buffet of your life experience. Every memory can (and will) be easily accessed by your Moon at both a conscious and a subliminal level every time a situation arises triggering a need to create emotional context. Your subconscious attempts to provide an appropriate response. Your Moon offers instantaneous access to her memory bank (your emotional “data base”), a collection of personal feelings, constantly being accessed for the sake of comparison (and updating) as you encounter new experiences, people, feelings, events, challenges and opportunities. Now once again, imagine your Moon as your personal plate and the North and South Nodes as arms and hands (holding a fork and a spoon) extended to reach out into the buffet of life. Think about your South Node as if it were a spoon. When you were a very small person, first learning to accept food offered to you with a utensil, chances are you were fed with a spoon. (Anything and everything is easy to pick up with a spoon, especially when it is in the more liquid, easy-to-swallow state usually offered to small children learning to test foods.) Chapter 4 77 In the same way you were introduced to and fed foods as a baby (with a spoon and whether you liked them or not), chances are your caregivers fed you the social/behavioral lessons they thought you needed in order to grow and be safe and strong in the world they knew. In the same way, many of the learnings your South Node has spoon-fed your Moon were introduced to you by your caregivers. Because you at one time needed your caregivers in order to survive, you learned to trust, accept (to readily incorporate) the emotions, feelings and responses you were being taught. And for each and every day you survived, your Moon welcomed the information it was receiving and judged it good and necessary for your purpose. Your Moon has “programmed” this emotional sustenance deep within your psyche. As children grow a little older, they are given a fork to eat with. In fact, small children see the opportunity of holding a fork as one that demonstrates to them that they now can sit at the table with the grown-ups! The excitement most children feel when they first are entrusted with the responsibility of holding their own fork is quite remarkable to watch. They often crow with excitement, show everyone around them that they, too, have a fork. They approach the process of pronging their food, being able to select pieces to place in their mouth, as an incredibly wonderful thing. No more mashed, mixed and blended foods! Now they can choose whether they want to put something in their mouth, push it around the plate, push it off the plate and onto the table or the floor. They have achieved mastery over their lives! (At least in the matter of what does and doesn’t go into their little mouths.) The symbolism of the fork is one I assign to the North Node in your chart. The North Node is the tool, if you will, that you will use to prong (or point to) your own destiny, to make your own choices. You will use it as the means of bringing selected experiences to your Moon for her to assimilate and add to your personal memory bank of feelings and emotions. As you gain practice in using this utensil in your life, you are able to select the types of people, feelings, events, challenges and Keys to Emotions 78 opportunities you would like to experience. Of course, now that these options, metaphorically, come in chunks as opposed to mashed-up-and-easy-to-swallow, your Moon may feel cautious about testing and tasting them. They are unfamiliar, and not part of the diet she (your Moon) knows as one that will keep you safe, surviving the hazards of life. Your Moon is a little more tentative when she sees one of these choices on her plate, and examines the offering very carefully to see if it corresponds to something she has sampled in the past. If it meets your Moon’s criteria, she will taste the offering. If she survives the experience, she will more readily accept like offerings in the future. It takes time and patience to incorporate new feelings, new emotions, new experiences into your life. But your North Node is so excited about the prospect of using its fork to pick up and explore possibilities that it continually challenges your Moon to test and try out the offerings it brings back to the plate of experience. One of the things we discover as children is that while there are certain types of things we like to eat, or might want to eat, we are only offered what our caregivers have to give us at any given meal. So our choice is either to eat from that which is provided or reject the offering and feel hungry. Similarly, from an astrological perspective, our life choices are also somewhat limited, based on the houses where our North and South Nodes are placed. Our Moon is dependent on the placement of its Nodes for sampling the emotional experiences of a lifetime. My Gemini-Moon friend’s need for emotional comfort, joy and satisfaction will be pulled mainly from the 12th and 6th house placements of her Natal Nodes, as will her experiences of discomfort, frustration, anger and sadness. If she were to compare her emotional reality with any other Gemini Moon person’s, the two will never be exactly the same. Both may feel comfortable communicating and interacting with other people, but the people, information and surroundings that form the basis for their individual comfort zones will be very different. Chapter 4 79

Exercise: Think about how someone with a Gemini Moon (similarly in the 10th house and conjunct the MC as my friend Carol’s is in the example above) might achieve emotional satisfaction if their Nodes were in the 2nd and 8th houses, for instance. They might feel much more comfortable talking about the antiques they have collected, the investments they are thinking of making or the importance of their accounting skills to their employers. Or, if the Nodes were in the 5th and 11th houses, they might enjoy playing with and talking about their children or feel pride in their volunteer work with environmental organizations. We encounter quite a bit of complexity as we delineate each Moon with her individual Node complex (sign, house, aspect or no aspect with the Moon). Yet each individual combination of Moon and Nodes offers insight into the emotional diet of the person to whom they belong. Let’s, for example, compare a couple of people with Libra Moons, but with different aspects from the Moon to their Nodes. I have known both of them for many years, and over time have had many opportunities to hear both of them talk about the past, the present and their thoughts about the future. Both “Deborah” and “Janice” have many of the Libra Moon qualities in common. They are friendly and outgoing. They love to take part in activities that enrich and delight all involved. They know how important it is to enjoy harmony in every aspect of their lives. They dislike disagreements or loud, unpleasant verbal exchanges of any kind. And they avoid confrontation, seeking instead compromise and agreement. They willingly adapt when others offer suggestions and opportunities that benefit everyone, and are always looking for ways to enhance the good relations they have, whether with family members, co-workers, or people who are part of their social circle. They seem to maintain a kind of mental “scale” on which they weigh interactions and exchanges with others, always seeking equitability in their social, business and personal relationships. In addition to these important interpersonal attributes, they enjoy music and the arts. They both respond to and enjoy beautiful things. I believe these are all qualities of their Libra Moons. Keys to Emotions 80 Deborah (see her chart on the next page) is a very bright, extremely well-educated woman who has risen to the top of her profession. Everyone who interacts with her comments on her friendly, outgoing personality and appreciates her optimistic and take charge manner. She is the ultimate hostess, a friend one can rely on to listen and to offer help and support when times are hard or when one is facing personal challenges. And she is a business person you know will be absolutely honest and reliable in every situation. On occasion, over the years, she has talked with me about her childhood, or referred to some experience that she had as a teenager or young woman. With her North Node in Leo in the 12th house, one of her main lessons on an emotional level is connected

to her father. Both of her parents were older when she was born, and she was their only child. They had not thought they would Chapter 4 81 ever have children, so they were not sure how to fit her into their busy lives. They decided to treat her like a little adult and included her in the activities they were involved in, mostly their business and their charitable work in the community. Then sadness struck the family. When she was quite young, her father became very ill, was confined to the home. Her mother needed to take responsibility for the business in order to support the family financially. It became necessary for Deborah to take on many additional duties within the home. She returned home directly after school to take care of her father as long as he lived, to do household chores and prepare the evening meal—in addition to completing her homework and practicing her violin. After her father passed away, she continued to carry many household responsibilities in order to help her mother. Deborah loved her father dearly, and her greatest desire was for him to be proud of her. They would talk, when he was able, about all manner of things, from the mundane, to highly intellectual ideas and concepts. His dream for her was to achieve advanced degrees at University in math and sciences, and eventually to become a scientist or a professor. Her mother worked hard, and was “admirably loyal to her husband” (never remarried after his death) and respected within the community. But Deborah also perceived her as self-contained, critical and demanding, unable to express affection or offer tenderness. With her South Node in the 6th house and in Aquarius, Deborah learned that it was easier to follow the rules and strive to support the needs of others rather than to ask for anything, or make any demands of her own. She learned to think about future possibilities, rather than focus too much on now. She experienced the sadness and physical weakness of her father, and empathized with him, seeking only to make his life better through helping him however she could. She was encouraged to keep busy, and find satisfaction in solitary activities, played quietly against the backdrop of sadness in her immediate environment. Performing household chores, doing her homework and other assigned tasks Keys to Emotions 82 without question or supervision, reading, playing or listening to music, these became ways to ease the pain in her heart. With the North Node in Leo and in the 12th house, she felt proud to be of service to others when they needed her; she tried hard to provide them with competent support. She liked being relied upon as if she were an adult in the family. She strove to achieve success in school first, and in her career later in life, judging herself harshly whenever any mistakes occurred. She still strives for perfection, because on an emotional level she has learned to expect to be appreciated for her efforts—if they are good enough. And she knows how to make an effort! She pays extraordinary attention to details and remembers each step she took on the road to achieving recognition. Her mind is quick and her hands are capable. She works hard, and constantly seeks to become even better at her chosen task—because then all feels “right” (balanced and harmonious) in her world. She finds great beauty in the organized, logical and reliable realities she creates. “Janice” (see her chart on the next page) is a very active and outgoing woman with a talent for coming up with solutions to any problem she (or anyone else) encounters. She is a take-charge type of person, and rushes to help anyone who shows the slightest sign of being uncertain or unsure of themselves or of what is going on. She offers her opinions and her ideas willingly. Should she have a quiet moment, she delights in listening to music, reading or taking long walks on her own. She has a passion for organization, and keeps an extremely tidy home, nothing out of place, and a place for everything! When Janice was born, her father was in the military service. One of things she tells me about her childhood is that the family was always on the move. Just as she began to create and build friendships, to become accustomed to the teachers and schools she attended, the family moved to another location because of her father’s work. She dearly loved her mother, but remembers her mostly as a person who was constantly busy with the process of packing or unpacking and organizing the home. Her mother Chapter 4 83 was also very focused on learning her way around the new communities the family moved to. Mom felt it was important to become involved in a variety of activities with other families, quickly establishing friendships, creating a support network for herself and the children.

Janice had two siblings, one who suffered with a severe handicap that required a lot of medical attention. Her father, whom she admired a great deal, was often away from home for long periods of time. She had a chance to communicate with him only by letter or when he was able to call home. To ease the sense of loss she felt each time the family moved, she learned to love to study. Her teachers often reported that she was an excellent student, at the top of her class, but her concentration on her studies was constantly interrupted by her mother, needing help with her siblings for a variety of reasons. It was difficult for Janice to develop or build Keys to Emotions 84 friendships of her own, in part because she needed to come home immediately after school to help her mother. As Janice grew up, she experienced even greater demands on her time, as her mother relied on her help and support. And yet she also felt she needed to devote a lot of energy to her studies if she was going to be able to qualify for the scholarship she needed in order to go on to college. Although it was an uncommon goal for a female at the time, she dreamed of becoming a pharmacist or a biochemist, and hoped that such a career would give her the possibility of a stable, interesting and full life. However, she came to believe that the easiest way for her to accomplish her goals would be to join the military in some capacity. She could receive career training (along with some income). This would allow her to become self-sufficient much more quickly. And, after all, the lifestyle and environment were ones to which she was accustomed—even though it didn’t feel like it was her calling (South Node semisquare Moon in the 12th house, Moon rules the 9th house. See Chapter 5, 6 and 7 for more about aspects). She entered the military and received excellent training in a variety of skills she didn’t really care about, but she was really good at whatever she attempted and excelled at her work. In her heart she felt inclined towards more peaceful and creative activities, or perhaps private enterprise of some kind, but she would shove those thoughts to one side, busy taking responsibility for her obligations. She has always felt very strongly about being independent, and seldom opens up to others to reveal any vulnerability at all. She never asks for help or support, and she seldom talks about the things she might want for herself or envision for her life (North Node sesquiquadrate Moon). She loves classical music and is an extremely artistic person with a lot of curiosity about many things. She has lots of questions, but for most of her life she has been required to take orders and follow protocol—no questions asked! On several occasions during the years she served in the military, she thought about completing a tour of duty, and leaving to pursue a career in the private sector. She also devoted a lot of thought to the possibility Chapter 4 85 of finding a partner and starting a family. But each time it came down to making a decision and accepting change, she was offered an opportunity for career advancement. Each time her military work and lifestyle, moving from job to job, location to location, was, in her mind, “the sure thing” and so she signed on for several more years of service than she originally planned. Each and every time she extended her service, she worried about not having really created a “home” for herself in the world (North Node trine Uranus, South Node sextile Uranus; Uranus, ruler of her 4th house). She still deals with the question of whether she will be able to fit into a career outside of the military establishment, and avoids dealing with the possibility by taking only temporary assignments. Now Janice doesn’t really know if she wants to settle down. She knows the reason for her unwillingness to commit to a relationship originally was that she grew up knowing how hard (and sometimes lonely) it could be for the spouse and family members of someone in the military service. Now, she is just not sure if she has anything to offer. Also, she is not really sure about where she might settle down, or what she wants to do or can do with her skills and her talents. Janice constantly strives to attain harmony in all of her relationships (which satisfies her Libra Moon) by following the directions she is given at work, taking suggestions and responding with a smile to all requests. She does this by adjusting her personal needs to the environment, people and circumstances that surround her. She has learned cooperation. She has excellent communi-cation skills, a dependable demeanor (Virgo South Node in the 10th house, semi-square her Moon in the 12th) and the ability to empathize with others who have emotional/physical problems of their own (North Node in Pisces in the 4th house). She constantly rides her own personal emotional roller coaster, as she attempts to achieve balance in her life, and satisfy the yearnings of her Libra Moon. All the while, she makes friends Keys to Emotions 86 easily and adjusts to the requirements of her various jobs quickly and efficiently (South Node in Virgo in the 10th house). She offers her gift of practical, logical and reliable support to everyone in her life, hoping this will bring her acknowledgment (which she often equates with love). Her challenge is to find balance and harmony in her life by identifying her own personal dreams (4th house North Node sesquiquadrate the Moon in the 12th house), and fulfilling them. The Moon and the Nodes Aspects between the Moon and her Nodes greatly impact the way the Moon receives and perceives the experiences and life lessons she is brought. Most of the time, when the North Node forms an aspect to the Moon, the South Node will as well. (Exceptions will depend on the number of degrees of orb you allow, for example, with an aspect such as a quintile or bi-quintile, formed between one end of the Nodal axis and the Moon.) But, even when there is no aspect between the Moon and her Nodes, she is still dependent on them for the experiences that will offer emotional input. Whatever aspects or lack thereof connect the Moon with her Nodes, both the North and South Nodes provide their information to the Moon simultaneously. The Moon then tests both sides of an experience and stores the memory. Her feelings and responses are tinged by the quality of the connection through which she has received her impressions. In future, when similar or related experiences are brought to her attention, she can refer back to her memory bank of feelings for the sake of comparison. The Moon will access these feelings, make the judgements and choices she needs to keep herself safe and comfortable. Exercise: You will find delineations of Moon/Node aspects in Chapter 5. Locate your own Moon and Nodes, and calculate the aspect formed between both ends of your Node and your Moon. Allow 5-7 degrees for Chapter 4 87 most aspects. (The tighter the orb, the more quickly information/data is passed between your Nodes and your Moon.) If you do not have an aspect between your Moon and Nodes, think about the signs of your North and South Node and how they relate to your Moon sign. Then think about the houses where your North and South Nodes are situated and the house that is home to your Moon, and how these house energies relate to one another. Check any aspects between your Nodes and other planets and points in your Natal chart. See if you have an aspect between your Nodes and a planet that also aspects your Moon. When you have ascertained the natal aspects (or lack thereof) between your Nodes and your Moon, you will have identified the way you most easily acquire and assimilate emotional experience. These are the first three steps to delineating emotions as you read an astrological chart: First, describe the Natal Moon in it’s house and sign. This will provide an overall perspective of the parameters for individual emotional experience. As you describe the Natal Moon, you are creating a conceptual and identifiable synthesis, one that is very familiar to you (if it is a description of your own Moon sign) or for another (if you are reading another person’s Moon sign). A delineation of the Natal Moon describes an emotional reality you recognize and feel comfortable with. As you delineate your own Moon, explore how you experience your internal reality. Use a vocabulary that feels right to you. Consider the feelings, motivations, experiences and mode of interaction you are willing to offer or share with other people, from a variety of perspectives. Second, delineate the South Node as if it were a second Natal Moon in your chart. If you find this exercise difficult, imagine how you would describe someone else’s Natal Moon to them if it were in the sign and house of the South Node in your chart. How would you delineate that “Natal Moon” for them? A delineation of the South Node in this manner can provide very intimate and revealing glimpses into childhood experiences, Keys to Emotions 88 family of origin, and type of nurturing you received when you were quite young. It can detail other comfort factors and describe the types of people who played a important role in forming your emotional being. Reading the South Node in this manner also offers insight into the kinds of messages you have received about what you were (or were not) allowed to do, think, be. Be very observant of your feelings as you proceed with your analysis. You are touching on emotions and feelings you have unconsciously incorporated as your personal, internal reality. Explore what you learned at a very basic, primitive, nonverbal level, i.e. the habits, guilt, regret, and expectations you were taught to accept/tolerate. Most importantly, the circumstances revealed by the South Node will have helped define who you are today. Many of the choices you have made, and how you feel about yourself in the quiet of your internal dialogue or when you are all alone in the silent moments of your own inner judgement can be explored, examined, even analyzed and understood as you examine the South Node in the natal chart. Third, delineate the North Node as if it were the “real” Natal Moon in the chart. If your Moon were in the sign and house of your North Node, how would you describe the texture of satisfaction, accomplishment, success, emotional gratification and joy you might feel? When you speak of, contemplate or delineate the pleasurable, spiritually enriching and ideal emotional state that could be indicated by a Moon in the sign of your North Node, you are communicating with your own Spirit, your very Soul. You give yourself a sense of the purpose for your life, the dream you have been seeking to fulfill, your personal “Holy Grail”. When you think of the North Node in this manner, you are touched/healed at the true core of your being. You are reminding yourself of the hopes and wishes you carry deep in your heart. Chapter 5 Moon / Node Aspects The quality of our emotional experience is deeply dependent on the aspects between the Nodes and the Moon, and on the aspects of the planets in the natal chart to the North and South Nodes of the Moon. We will explore aspects between the Nodes and the Moon in this chapter, and between the Natal planets and the North and South Nodes in Chapters 6 and 7. Conjunction/Opposition When two zodiacal significators are conjunct one another, I see them as “holding hands”, each one offering their qualities and wisdom to the other to share equally when they face an experience. They are inextricably linked to one another, so the expression of one is tied to the other. Consequently, I see the conjunction in general as a proactive combination involving significators focused on achieving a mutually agreeable outcome. If your North Node is conjunct your Moon, you actively pursue challenges and new ways of testing your potential. Life is exciting, filled with opportunities for discovery and learning. New and challenging emotional experiences and opportunities are identified by the North Node, happily and enthusiastically presented to your Moon, who willingly accepts and stores them. When the North Node is conjunct the Moon, the lessons and learnings of the South Node feel less significant, except those concerns that cause tension or dissatisfaction in general. The tension, dissatisfaction or disempowerment you feel on occasion are perceived as reasons to abandon or actively reject emotional lessons learned in the past. Moon / Node Aspects 90 With a North Node conjunct Moon configuration it is highly likely you have found a very different way of living your life (and feeling about the important things) than the one demonstrated by significant childhood role models. The lessons and response patterns you have assimilated to this point, either exemplified by members of your family of origin, observed in the environment or learned from experiences you had as you grew to maturity, seem less important or valid to your future success than the ones you are learning now. When the South Node is conjunct the Moon, quite a different picture is presented of the feelings that provide you with a sense of comfort and emotional well-being. In this case, the lessons you learned from the people and situations of childhood are both cherished and highly valued. New experiences, challenges, tests and opportunities are compared to and checked against the wisdom of both the Moon and the South Node before you accept or act on them, to see if they meet the established criteria for safety and comfort. This configuration (a conjunction between the Moon and South Node) indicates that it is very difficult for you to attempt to explore new possibilities. In fact, when new situations arise, caution is your natural, intuitive response mechanism. Only in extreme situations where no previous criteria exists, can something new be incorporated. You meet every new situation prudently, with watchful attentiveness for any indications of danger. New situations and people make you feel tense, prepared to back off or remove yourself from the experience or the person, if you perceive a challenge to your fundamental beliefs and feelings. Semisextile/Inconjunct The inconjunct aspect between the Moon and either her North or South Node indicates continual, sporadic stress between two ways of comprehending reality, two ideals, two modes of behavior, two vastly different perceptions of the same personal experience. Since the stress of the aspect is not constant, it is difficult for Chapter 5 91 the Moon to become accustomed to it. The discomfort created by uncertainty and the inability to project a likely result of any emotional energy expenditure makes it necessary for the Moon to develop a watchful and ready attitude. Since it would be more comfortable for the Moon to find a way to maintain equilibrium, the frustration of being unable to project when, how or from which direction some irritating, life-changing experience might come is highly challenging. The Moon learns to perpetually be prepared for her world to be turned upside-down! An inconjunct between the North or South Node and the Moon represents the need to continually be on guard, to be cautious, watchful, aware, as something is likely to happen that will require an immediate response, an action to shift and change direction in order to avoid severe pain. Usually the something that occurs involves a choice between conflicting variables (the attempt to choose between the lesser of two evils). Neither perceived alternative choice can nor will lead to real resolution of the perceived problem or issue. Ultimately the Moon feels compelled by circumstances beyond her control to accept one alternative— most likely the one perceived to cause as little friction or difficulty as possible. However, at the moment of choice, it is impossible to judge which of her choices will lead to a better or worse outcome. Each choice leads to new conflict, frustration, new pressure to avoid, new options to pursue. In the meantime, the semisextile causes continuous minor discomfort—like constant static—irritating, but not sufficiently so to distract the Moon’s observant awareness of ongoing developments that could lead to a possible situation requiring a shift in direction, or a minor adjustment. This makes it the more tolerable aspect for the Moon to deal with! At least, over time, it is possible to accept the presence of static, to become almost comfortable with a continuous, familiar distraction. The Semisextile/Inconjunct, Node/Moon aspect combination presents the Moon with constant emotional dilemmas. These distract her from concentrating on the resolution of issues or on Moon / Node Aspects 92 creating a comfort zone for emotional ease and contentment, two of her otherwise most important tasks! When your North Node is semisextile your Moon, it is actually easier for you to find yourself immersed in the course of your life, than it is to proactively pursue new experiences. You feel forced to deal with and remain immersed in current emotional entanglements and situations. You are fully aware that your present circumstances exist because of your past choices. However, continuing to deal with the results of your former choices feels like the path of least resistance. On the one hand, you are constantly aware that you now wish there had been a different outcome. On the other hand, persisting seems the easier option (at least right now) than any alternative. When you think about the relationships, experiences, examples from the lives of the people you know, and you compare your own choices and the series of experiences that brought you to where you are today, you know you would like to avoid more of the same in the future. But you are continually presented with issues and circumstances that need to be dealt with, arising out of these past happenings and bonds. This, of course, causes a lot of familial, social, societal and emotional stress for you (the inconjunct between Moon and South Node), because at a deep level you feel loyalty, love for those around you and pride in what you have accomplished. You probably also feel affection for (or at least a kind of comforting familiarity with) the people and situations that formed the current discordant environment and circumstances. You continually experience internal conflict because of your desire to help, support and “fix” the people you care about, while also seeking to please them and adhere to the role you have been assigned. However, no matter how much you try to be accepted and fit into the framework that exists, or how much you try to change the way you feel about your role in this ongoing life drama, you feel it is necessary to play the role assigned to you, or act the part of a persona you know is not the real you. You have dreams Chapter 5 93 of creating a better life for yourself, but somehow these dreams seem impossible to achieve, as you continue to struggle with the challenges you currently face. When the North Node is inconjunct the Moon, the South Node semi-sextile provides similar experiences to the above. You feel the stress and strain of living with the results of your past choices, of relating with others who, while dear, still do not recognize the real you or offer the encouragement you need to feel comfortable (and safe) about changing and improving your life. Yet you are unable to focus on these issues because you can never be sure when chance (the North Node) will bring an impossible choice into the mix (in this case, some entirely new and unexpected twist of fate). The guardedness, the constant pressure of having to make unwelcome choices, never quite knowing what might be the result of the choices you make now, tests your courage and your resiliance. It’s hard to challenge the lessons of the past when you don’t know what tomorrow may bring! Meanwhile, the semi-sextile between the South Node and the Moon indicates that while there are disfunctional issues with the family or environment of origin, you are much more likely to believe it is impossible to change these circumstances without changing yourself and confronting others you love. Even though the situation doesn’t feel good on an emotional level, it seems like a better idea to let things be, remain static within the current situation and refrain from challenging the people you care about and their expectations of you. After all, these circumstances (and people) have surrounded you since you were a child, and you are doing OK, managing as best you can! You are constantly presented with new, never-before encountered situations, challenges, people and/or experiences with no guide book to tell you how to make the choices you need to make. You think about the lives of the people you know for purposes of comparison, and you realize that their experiences clearly demonstrate what not to do! You do not want to create the same environment and circumstances for yourself that seem to satisfy Moon / Node Aspects 94 these others. This dynamic causes a lot of familial, social and societal stress for you because you do feel loyalty, love and pride in what they (and you) have accomplished. Once again, it is easier to maintain the status quo, and continue dissatisfied as you are. You feel familiar with the types of emotional conflict that caused you to make the choices you did in the past, the ones that have brought you to the point where you are today. Fully aware that you have made some poor choices in the past, you acknowledge you do not want to make similar ones again. You vacillate between pride in yourself and your accomplishments (the results of difficult past choices), and dread, embarrassment, guilt or sorrow for what could have been. This dichotomy rises to your consciousness each time you face the never-ending buffet of current and future possibilities. You feel constant pressure to make the right choices at every turn. The one thing you do know for sure is that the future simply has to be better than the past. So it is just as well to hurry forward, hoping that some of the choices you make, the challenges you face, will lead to fulfillment. Semisquare/Sesquiquadrate When I am asked to describe the semisquare aspect, I will often say that it is like having a mosquito bite between your shoulder blades. You can’t reach around to scratch it yourself, and need to find someone else to do the job for you. Or, you need to find something you can lean against, move your entire body, focusing the itching sensation that seems to take over every nerve in your being for a time. As the mosquito bite is scratched, it itches all the more! Now, sometimes the “bite” doesn’t itch at all and you can even forget about it for a period of time. But at certain times you can think of nothing other than the need to scratch the itch that is driving you to distraction. A semisquare is an extremely irritating “itch” that needs scratching—just not constantly. However, when the specific issue or conflict (indicated in this case by the signs/houses the Moon and Nodes occupy in the chart) is activated, the semisquare Chapter 5 95 requires your absolute attention, all your effort to seek resolution and relief. Some astrologers do not include the sesquiquadrate among the major aspects they use when examining a chart. But when an individual has one, it is a life-experience-determining aspect, one that will not and cannot be ignored. Planets or significators joined in the 135-degree aspect are the basis for the most challenging and frustrating experiences an individual will ever encounter. When this aspect occurs between the Moon and one of her Nodes, the emotional fallout is intense. The effects of the sesquiquadrate can be felt (or experienced) in every aspect of life, though especially in the areas indicated by the houses that provide the fundamental emotional arena for the expression of the energy of the Moon and her Node. This aspect can be delineated as a kind of “square + semisquare”. Perhaps the following depiction will help you envision the potential of this aspect. The 135-degree aspect is comprised of a 90-degree part and a 45-degree part. I tell my students to consider what it might be like to have an irritated, intensely itchy area between the shoulders that constantly demands to be scratched, or it will force the focus of their entire being by interfering with every other thought or action that may occur to them. At the same time, know that to continue trying to alleviate the itch by scratching will only lead to infection and more serious problems; also, this particular itch is not responsive to any known medication. Unlike the semisquare on its own (which can be ignored, like the mosquito bite, from time to time), the sesquiquadrate has the strength and tenacity of a square as an intrinsic part of its make-up! So, no matter the manner an attempt is made to assuage the itch in one part of the area involved, complete satisfaction or relief is never possible. Sometimes I suggest that the easiest way to visually identify a sesquiquadrate in a chart is to locate a point trine one or another of the planets in the chart, and add 15 degrees. Then look to see if a planet is situated at this point. (Allow a 3-degree orb.) Visualizing the aspect in this way reminds them that the “ease” of a trine is Moon / Node Aspects 96 also part of the aspect. Another way to envisage the quality of the sesquiquadrate is to imagine an irritating, unendingly frustrating, yet easily, readily and constantly occurring “square”. The “square” part (the 90-degree portion of this aspect) requires the expenditure of energy in activity on an almost constant basis. Resulting inner tension causes dynamic resistance between parts of the personality. While a square itself can be used constructively or destructively, the sesquiquadrate—due to the activating, aggravating, unceasing pressure of the additional 45 degrees— seeks release, right now! An individual can seldom overcome the urge to take action (any action at all) to relieve the current stress, even if such action leads to more and worse pressure or tension. I describe the compulsion to take any action at all, as similar to the urge to jump voluntarily “out of the frying pan and into the fire”—because you just cannot believe the fire would be worse than the frying pan, until you are in it. Then you wish with all of your being to be back in the frying pan, without ever considering that it might be possible to leap onto a different kind of surface altogether and escape both fire and frypan. (Of course, if you have this aspect, you would probably decide, figuratively, of course, to do just that, and end up in a conveniently open freezer with a door that slams shut behind you as you land on a block of ice!) On occasion I have observed that even as much as 5 degrees’ orb brings the energy of this aspect (semi-square/sesquiquadrate) to the awareness of a person who has it between their Nodes and the Moon. (I am also inclined to give it this orb between planets in general, but the closer the orb and the tighter the aspect, the stronger and more constant the effect.) This particular aspect seems to offer no possible recourse or escape from its effect. However, people who have them seem to be intensely ambitious, highly motivated, extraordinarily loyal, exuberantly passionate, deeply sincere, determinedly focused, profoundly idealistic, excessively compulsive, compulsively detail-oriented (add a strong adverb to almost any adjective, and Chapter 5 97 you will describe a possible expression or feeling associated with this aspect.) Whether you have the sesquiquadrate to your Moon from the South Node or the North Node, you will never feel satisfied or relieved, comfortable or even remotely at ease with any situation on an emotional level. This is not to say you cannot seem or appear to be at ease, or that you do not feel confident and able to handle whatever comes your way. You may even, from time to time, feel a burst of excitement, exuberant optimism and good feelings, passion and intensity. But this is a transient experience, soon replaced by the need to do something, take some action or become involved in some process that involves a lot of stress, discomfort, dissatisfaction and frustration. However, because the other end of this aspect between the Nodes and your Moon is a semi-square, you feel pressured to move on, thinking you will come back and resolve current issues at a later time. The level of guilt or stress is constant, no matter how you try to find release from the pressure of the combination. When your North Node semisquares your Moon, you constantly feel that an opportunity for self expression and goal fulfillment is almost at hand. All you have to do is take one step in the right direction, and all of your wishes, dreams and hopes will be fulfilled. Of course, before you can take that step, you need to deal with the immediate emergency that just presented itself in the form of an old friend, some family issue, a physical problem or a situation you cannot avoid. You focus your entire attention on this relic of your past choices and immerse yourself totally, thinking now you will finally resolve the issue. And you lose sight of the new goal you had hoped to achieve. There is some comfort in knowing how the current drama will play—you have, after all, danced this dance many times in the past. Yet, you have never succeeded in breaking some of the negative patterns that were established long ago, and you really (for the most part) accept them as inescapable. Also, each time you immerse yourself in this particular issue, the outcome is Moon / Node Aspects 98 somewhat different than the time before, and you believe that this time you may achieve resolution! However, your efforts never succeed in totally clearing up the problem. You continue to hope that at some point you will find the key to the puzzle and be able to resolve it, completely, once and for all, entirely to everyone’s satisfaction. In the meantime, you have missed the opportunity to try something new, move in a new direction, test the possibilities that seemed so rich when they were offered or made available to you. Now that opportunity is gone. But, wait! If you just put out a little more effort, maybe you can reconnect with the opportunity (or the person) once again. Or find something, some option, some prospect even better than the one that just slipped out of your grasp! Ah, there it is! But, ooops, now we need to deal with this reminder of an emotional situation we didn’t completely resolve in the past … When your South Node semisquares your Moon, you constantly feel irritated by the circumstances of your past. Something or someone needs you, wants your attention or distracts you from your forward progress towards the goals and opportunities you see opening up in front of you. You have extraordinary abilities, an extremely flexible and imaginative approach to creating a future for yourself. Opportunities present themselves, but for some reason you don’t quite meet the requirements that would ensure an easy process. You need to acquire new skills, get more training, go back to school, find additional information, accommodate new situations and circumstances in order to be or feel at home in this new world. As you make every effort to fit in, to succeed, you are pulled back into the comfortable emotional response patterns of your past— your beliefs about yourself and your former choices. However briefly you allow yourself to be distracted, it is just long enough to disturb the flow you were part of to that point. Your distraction has caused you to miss an important step forward, and now you must make up for lost time! You feel that you are at the edge of Chapter 5 99 a major breakthrough and you push yourself to the limit to take the final leap towards success, the opportunity-rich vista you see spread before you. Then you learn that some small requirement remains to be met, and you know that there is no way you can meet it by the deadline … Sextile/Trine A trine between the Moon and the North or South Node indicates an steady, easy flow of expression and emotion between the two. Moon and Node interact harmoniously with one another. What the one needs, the other provides without question. They support each other in an emotionally interdependent “partnership” that either leads to personal growth, or that protects from and inhibits the possibility of it. The emotional, unquestioned, unchallenged status quo becomes utterly comfortable and familiar. Both the trine and the sextile are easy aspects between two significators. However, the sextile is not quite as “easy” as the trine. The sextile between the Moon and her South or North Node will indicate an area where the Moon feels less immediacy, less of an inclination to accept new experiences, a weaker desire to learn lessons and grow. When the South Node sextiles the Moon (North Node trine Moon), you are encouraged to learn the mythology of your family and your background. You are exposed to many and various opportunities to continue along the path followed by members of your “tribe”. Your needs are met (as long as you express them) and every effort is made to ensure that your gifts are encouraged. However, you have a personal desire to succeed in some way that differentiates itself from the accepted norm within your immediate circle or environment. You feel excited about the ideas and visions you have for your life. Opportunities simply appear, doors open, obstacles are cleared out of your way, and you are drawn, seemingly without effort, towards your goals. You may feel that you occasionally disappoint the people who care about you, or that your choices may cause them frustration or sadness, but at the same time you are proud Moon / Node Aspects 100 of your choices, your growth and success and you know that it ultimately will make them happy and proud to see you do well. When the North Node sextiles the Moon (South Node trine Moon), everyone expects you to be happy with the way things are. Choices and decisions are made on your behalf—choices that affect you and which everyone (including you) assumes are for the best. Parents, siblings, schoolmates, friends, lovers, life partners, co-workers simply assume that you are totally happy with whatever makes them happy—and in large part, you are. You find it almost impossible to make demands or conflicting suggestions. You love and are dependent upon the people who fill your world, and they on you. You want the best for them and believe they want the same for you. And you hate discord or disharmony of any kind. Unless there is a crying need for change, you would rather leave these others (and yourself) in an established comfort zone than try and interrupt the current flow of life. However, when the course of life becomes too predictable or too overwhelmingly ordinary, your North Node beckons with its promise of satisfaction based on effort and process. If you find yourself unable to express your own talents and gifts in some area that is important to you, you seek constructive outlets for your as yet undeveloped abilities. In the process of personal discovery, you define your own emotional strength and discover growing personal satisfaction. As you move to possess the power of your North Node, taking the tools you need in hand, you discover your personal path. You find you can follow it easily and effectively. Doors open on possibilities you have only imagined, all you had to do was “knock”! People support your growth, opportunities present themselves. You find that in as much as you are willing to make an effort to discover what suits your needs, the world you dare to expect offers every satisfaction. All you ever needed to do was to find the courage to effect change. Chapter 5 101 The Square Squares are challenging aspects, and often indicate irritation or aggravation. They require the expenditure of lots of energy in the process of creating results. When you have this aspect between your Moon and her North and South Nodes, you will never be satisfied until the results of any interaction, action or choice is the one you expect! When the North and South Node square your Moon, they create an emotional T-Square configuration in your chart. Sometimes this configuration indicates real roadblocks to self-expression, i.e. frustration, irritation, annoyance, disappointment, discouragement, dissatisfaction. Occasionally, sporadically, the configuration manifests simply as a lack of physical energy. Squares present choices. Choices are always difficult, because it is hard to know as you are making them, whether or not you are making the correct one! So, when you have this configuration between your Moon and Nodes, you must sometimes test several alternative feelings before you identify the “right” one. Even when you feel that you have resolved an issue or a problem, you won’t know (for sure) whether you wouldn’t have been just as satisfied with the result of an alternative solution. When the North and South Nodes square the Moon, you find that you often feel frustrated with past choices and with the way you have handled your options. Family, community, partner, career—from time to time you feel as if there was no real choice about any of these. It may feel as if, somehow, your life has been thrust upon you due to circumstances beyond your control. You feel dissatisfied with the course of events that have brought you to your present situation. As you consider your current circumstances (your dissatisfaction or discomfort with everyone and everything), you know that you need to make changes. You must make some hard choices NOW, or everything will simply continue to feel the same, which is unacceptable! Moon / Node Aspects 102 So you consider your options, contemplate all possibilities as you think about the life you want. You feel overwhelmed and uncertain where to start. Your Moon constantly reminds you of you discontent, and while you can occasionally find satisfaction with some aspects of the whole, other parts feel irritatingly constricted and challenging. When the feelings of constraint become too strong, you seek release in activity. Actually, any activity that distracts or distances you from some of your issues (or struggles) will do! Physical or mental activity, however, doesn’t quite release you from the emotional traps that inhibit your progress. After all, you have felt trapped—as if your life force has been inhibited—all these years. You yearn to be free, to start again, to start over, to make different choices. Yet you feel entangled in the life you have created, or that has been created for you. You are discouraged, frustrated. You experience regret, sadness, dissatisfaction. These feelings inhibit you from taking the action you know you need to take to be happy. On the other hand, you are optimistic. You have faith that however challenging your life may seem (or the situation may feel) at the moment, you will be able to do something about it. You know you can overcome any difficulty and achieve personal satisfaction by controlling your feelings! You know that you can provide yourself with comfortable and sustaining circumstances, people and places where you feel safe, where your needs are met. So you reconsider your options, and start acting on your desires and feelings, making the changes you feel are necessary. (No matter that you might feel differently tomorrow, right now it feels so good to be doing something, anything to change your life!) With all of the skill acquired from life experience and, with your brave and determined spirit rising to meet the challenge, you prefer to be charge of any process you initiate. You will deal with whatever comes your way, one day at a time! Chapter 6 The Emotional Energy Field Depending on the aspects between other astrological indicators in the natal chart and the South Node, we can assess whether an individual has grown up in a healthy, encouraging environment, or one which continually presented challenges to their survival or growth. We can draw some conclusions about the quality of emotion experienced before they were even conscious that a learning process was going on. The South Node will reveal the subliminal (perhaps even unconscious) messages the individual has absorbed from the people and the environment of their infancy and early childhood. As mentioned previously, people with many difficult aspects to the South Node in their charts often encounter painful situations and make life choices that many an outside observer would consider difficult. They seem to go through more than their share of hard times. Sometimes an outsider’s overall impression is that these people face seemingly impossible challenges and unfortunate circumstances over and over again. A careful observer might deduce that these individuals thrive in circumstances others would find overwhelming. Yet, as a result of having handled a variety of seemingly impossible or painful situations, these individuals instinctively respond to life’s challenges with aplomb. It is not merely a matter of survival to them. Sometimes it would appear that they even thrive as a result of the challenges they faced growing up. Of course, it is not uncommon to find wounded people with many tough aspects to their South Node. Some individuals seem to be unwilling or unable to rise above their circumstances or to make choices that could improve their lives. Chapter 6 104 To an outsider looking in on the life of someone with fewer or easier aspects to their South Node, it may seem that they lead a relatively comfortable life, supported by circumstances and the people around them. They have received encouragement, opportunities have come their way. People with few or easy aspects to their South Node expect their lives to continue the way they always have. Their subliminal and unconscious emotional process supports confidence in their own abilities. They have formed positive conclusions about life. (Of course, their view is all relative to the original environment.) This individual has most likely been encouraged to accept the boundaries of their world—to survive, grow, work and make their contribution to the whole while remaining within the comfort zone that is provided for them—whatever the comfort zone might be! It is easier for any one of us to behave or handle a situation in a way that is familiar to us, rather than try to achieve an alternative outcome by choosing a life direction that will move us outside of our personal comfort zone. When we make life choices or respond to our external circumstances (or other people) without thinking about it, we are reacting based on information derived from the realm of our South Node. It is a natural desire to conform, to accept the status quo—to “go with the flow”. It is comfortable to maintain the type of behavioral and response patterns we have learned. After all, they feel safe and sure to us! Most of the time our natural inclination is to avoid situations (or people) that challenge us to step outside our comfort zone. We don’t like pushing ourselves to do more than we have to! We like the familiar and do not want to try something different. Quite simply, we don’t like making choices when we are uncertain about the outcome. We would rather not change anything in our lives— unless we can be certain that we will derive benefit as a result of our effort. We would prefer that life be safe and predictable, easy and rewarding. We would like to feel in control of all of the situations we encounter. We want to personally choose the venues, people, quality of life and opportunities we will experience. The Emotional Energy Field 105 The sudden, unexpected, scary things that happen on the road of life are there to push us to grow and evolve as individuals. These experiences are part of the gift of the North Node. While the South Node provides much insight into the dynamics of the family of origin and the kinds of messages we received as children, it is the instinct of our soul to move towards the choices and opportunities indicated by our North Node. The North Node indicates our personal challenge, our destiny, our purpose for being in this life. The pull of the South Node is towards safety and conformity. The pull of society, our families, in fact everything we learn as children and young people suggests that in order to survive, we must conform with familial attitudes and customary, traditional behavior. However, each of us needs to establish our own definition of safety. Our lives and our future depend on our abililty to survive! As a rule, our parents don’t encourage independence because they want to keep us safe. Safety was stressed to them as they learned their own life patterns—and most parents will, in turn, share what they know about life with their children. The North Node indicates our individual or personal challenge. The North Node indicates those specific things each of us feels we must do (or accomplish) in order to distinguish ourselves within our family of origin, the culture or society into which we were born. Entering the realm of the North Node offers challenges and opportunities for personal growth. The world is ever changing. The choices of one generation may provide useful examples for the next, but new and different attitudes and realities can only be discovered, tested and experienced by an individual who is willing to explore the possibilities indicated by their North Node. Delineating Aspects to the Nodes When I look at a natal chart, I imagine that I am looking at a list of ingredients that can be combined to create all of the dietary fare an individual will taste in their lifetime. The same ingredients may be combined to create the most delightful of delicacies, or Chapter 6 106 the most tasteless of culinary disasters. It all depends on how the individual selects and combines the ingredients. It is impossible to ascertain, simply by looking at the list of ingredients, whether the recipes created will be nutritious and support growth, or whether they will cause indigestion. It is also difficult to know whether an individual is a skilled chef, creating items that are baked or refrigerated for the correct amount of time, consumed while still fresh, or if they have walked away from their culinary experiments, allowing them to disintegrate and lose their nutritional integrity due to the forces of the environment. From this perspective, it is quite possible to imagine that two people, starting with even the same list of ingredients, may prepare very different culinary experiments to taste and test. Exercise: As you read about the aspects between the planets and the Nodes, you will become familiar with some of the ways they synergize to support personal realities or personal growth. While you read the paragraphs below, think about your own life in segments: before and after 18-19 years of age, from 18 to 36-37 years of age and from 37 years of age until now. Think about how you have assimilated your personal experiences and incorporated the lessons you have learned so far on your life’s journey into the way you feel about yourself and your current reality. As you explore the individual planetary and other significant aspects to the Nodes of the Moon, there are several factors to keep in mind. Think about the specific energy of the planet (or point) you are studying and the quality of the aspect it makes to the Nodes. Consider any interactions between the planet you are studying and other bodies or points in your chart. When a planet aspects your Node(s), every other aspect it makes in the chart will affect the process of your life and help form your emotional base, your spiritual, individual “reality”. It would be quite impossible to include a complete delineation of the planets and personal points in their individual signs and houses, and their aspects to the Nodes in each sign and house. So, as you consider a specific planet/Node or point/Node aspect, take a little time to think about how the aspect works, how its energy expresses itself in your chart (or in the charts of people The Emotional Energy Field 107 you know). Consider the houses and signs of individual planets and points in relation to the houses and signs of the Nodes for additional insight. It is likely that when an aspect exists between a planet and the South Node, an aspect is formed by that planet to the North Node as well. However, it is a good idea to consider each planetary aspect to the North Node and to the South Node separately, then together. Now, here is a reminder list of how to think about specific aspects as you delineate them: Conjunction / Opposition (7 degrees of orb) When two zodiacal significators are conjunct one another, I see them as “holding hands”—each one offering their qualities and experience to the other to share equally as they go along. They are inextricably linked to one another, so the fate (and experience) of one is tied to the other. Consequently I see the conjunction as a proactive combination involving significators seeking a mutually agreeable/acceptable outcome. The opposition aspect is formed between two zodiacal significators, each with their own agenda, determinedly pushing and promoting the value of their specific viewpoint to the other— all the while the other is totally focused on its own perception of what is important. It is as if two politicians are standing in front of the same crowd of voters, challenging each other while extolling their own message simultaneously. Because neither one of them can be heard clearly, and their message is not reaching the potential voters, they have to come to an understanding. A compromise is necessary. Perhaps they can arrange to debate one another, allowing each of their messages to be heard by all. They will have to sit down and negotiate the topics to be discussed, the time limits each one will be allowed, and the style and manner of the event, etc. If an agreement can be reached, both messages will be heard. Let’s say that as a result of both messages reaching the crowd, they each receive 50% of the vote. In order for one of them to sway public opinion and gain the right to represent the people, Chapter 6 108 one or the other is going to have to acknowledge that something the other has to offer is a good idea, and incorporate it into his own agenda. Only if that occurs will one of them be able to win an election. The willingness to negotiate and incorporate the ideas of another with one’s own in order to facilitate cooperation represents the best result of any situation where an opposition exists between two equally strong forces. This is an example of the way a successful opposition works. Semisextile / Inconjunct (4-5 degrees of orb) Theinconjunct aspect indicates continual, sporadic stress between two ideas, two ideals, two modes of behavior, two vastly different perceptions of the same personal experience. Since the stress of the aspect is not constant, it is difficult to become accustomed to it. The discomfort created by uncertainty and the inability to project a likely result of any energy expenditure makes it necessary to develop a watchful and ready attitude. Since it would be more comfortable to find a way of maintaining equilibrium, the frustration of being unable to project when, how or from which direction some irritating, life-changing experience might come is highly challenging. The two significators forming this aspect learn to perpetually be ready for the world to be turned upside-down! In the meantime, the semisextile causes continuous minor discomfort—like constant “static”—irritating but not sufficiently so as to cause you to be less observant of ongoing developments. Caution is necessary because whatever is going on will ultimately lead to a crisis or emergency, one that is likely to require a change of direction or focus. The semisextile is the more tolerable aspect of the pair to deal with! At least, over time, it is possible to become comfortable with a continuous, familiar distraction, and to come up with ways of adapting to change. The semisextile/inconjunct aspect combination presents constant emotional dilemmas. These distract one’s focus from concentrating on the resolution of issues or creating a comfort zone to allow for emotional ease and contentment. The Emotional Energy Field 109 Semisquare / Sesquiquadrate (3-5 degrees of orb) When I am asked to describe the semisquare, I will often say that it is like having a mosquito bite between the shoulder blades. A person can’t reach it to scratch it for themselves, and needs to find someone else to do the job. The intermittent search for release from the itching sensation temporarily takes over the entire consciousness. Then as the mosquito bite is scratched, it itches all the more! It is possible to ignore the itch or leave the bite alone sometimes, even to forget about it on occasion. But at certain times it is not possible to think of anything other than the need to scratch the itch that is driving one to distraction. A semisquare is an extremely irritating aspect—but not consistently. However, when the issue or conflict indicated (in the natal chart this would be shown by the signs or houses occupied by the planets and Nodes) is activated, the semisquare is a reminder to find help as one seeks emotional resolution of personal issues. If one has a sesquiquadrate, it is a life-experience-determining aspect, the energy of which will not and cannot be ignored. The planet(s) that form a sesquiquadrate with the Moon or the Nodes are the basis for the most challenging and frustrating experiences an individual will ever encounter in their lives. The 135-degree aspect is comprised of a 90-degree part and a 45-degree part. Consider what it might be like to have an irritated, itchy limb that constantly needs to be scratched, while at the same time knowing that to continue “scratching” will only lead to infection and more serious problems. Unlike the semisquare on its own (which can be ignored like a mosquito bite from time to time), the sesquiquadrate has the strength and tenacity of a square as part of its make-up. This “square” part (the 90-degree portion of this aspect) requires the expenditure of energy on an almost constant basis, increasing inner tension and struggle between parts of the personality. While a square itself can be used constructively or destructively, the sesquiquadrate, due to the activating, aggravating, unceasing pressure of the additional 45 degrees, seeks release, right now! Chapter 6 110 An individual can seldom overcome the urge to take action, any action, to relieve the current stress, even if that action may lead to more and worse pressure or tension. Sometimes I describe this as the urge to “jump voluntarily out of the frying pan and into the fire”. Figuratively, it’s simply impossible for someone with this aspect to believe the fire would be worse than the frying pan (until they are in it)! Then they simply wish to be back in the frying pan—without ever considering it possible to leap onto a different kind of surface and escape both fire and frypan. (Of course, if you have this aspect, you would probably decide to do just that, and end up in a freezer stuck to a block of ice!) I give this aspect as much as 5 degrees’ orb when a planet and the Node are involved. However, the tighter the orb, the stronger and more purvasive the impact of the aspect. (With the 5-degree orb, the aspect is not as constantly active.) Sextile / Trine (6-7 degrees of orb) A trine between a planet and the North or South Node indicates an ease in the transmission of information and experience. The two, planet and Node, cooperate like two people who share equal responsibility for their experience as well as a deep emotional bond with one another. What the one offers by way of emotional experience, the other accepts as reality without question. The easy flow of energy between the significators involved in the trine supports personal growth (or protects from it) much in the way an emotionally inter-dependent partnership works between two individuals. Whatever the choices either makes, both feel utterly safe, comfortable and familiar with one another. A sextile can also be considered an easy, supportive aspect between two significators. However, the lessons and experiences represented by the planet involved in the sextile are not as immediately transmitted or accepted by the Node as those of a trine. When a planet forms a sextile with the North or South The Emotional Energy Field 111 Node, this is an indication of an area of the person’s life where the energy of that planet is tested before being accepted or incorporated on an emotional level. This planetary energy may be ignored when either Node is busy responding to other outside influences (i.e., a more demanding aspect). A sextile indicates less of an inclination on an emotional level to accept new experiences or awareness, and more of an ability to avoid or ignore the growth opportunities being offered to the North Node. The Square (7 degrees of orb) Squares are challenging aspects and often indicate aggravation. They require the expenditure of lots of emotional energy as they bring the Nodes opportunities for awareness. When a square exists between a planet/point and the Nodes, the person with the aspect cannot feel emotionally satisfied until the result of the experience the planet brings is the one they are willing to accept! Since the square brings emotional experiences that are unlikely to be welcomed by the Nodes, this aspect can serve as a real roadblock to personal growth. The way people most often deal with the energy of the square from a planet to their Nodes is by expressing and feeling frustration, irritation, annoyance, disappointment, discouragement, dissatisfaction. And sometimes there is simply a lack of physical energy. Squares present choices, and choices are always difficult–because it is hard to know at the time we make a choice, whether or not we have made the right one. And, as we struggle to find resolution to the dilemma presented by the square, it is impossible to know whether or not we will be comfortable with the ultimate outcome! Squares sometimes require that we approach a challenge in several different ways before we are able to find resolution. However, even then (on an emotional level) we do not necessarily know that we wouldn’t have been just as satisfied with the result of an alternative we considered, one we did not pursue at the time! Chapter 6 112 Other Aspects (1-2 degrees of orb) Other aspects may be formed between planets and significant points in the chart to one or both of your Nodes. In that case, as you delineate the interaction between a specific zodiacal significator and the Node, consider whether the aspect formed is one considered beneficial, or one that is challenging. Sometimes the specific aspect formed between a planet or personal point in the chart and the Nodes is significant to the delineation of the connection, sometimes not. Any connection between natal significators and the Nodes indicates that an important emotional response mechanism was established during early childhood, enhanced or augmented based on the experiences and interactions that have since occurred. Chapter 7 Synthesis and Synergy, Aspects in Action Sun Aspects When the Sun makes an easy aspect to the Nodes, your individuality is affirmed by the people and circumstances you encounter. You focus a great deal of emotional energy and effort into exploring, understanding and maintaining your cultural and familial heritage, fulfilling the wishes and needs (or demands) of the people who are part of your life. It has always felt quite natural, even easy, for you to meet their expectations. From an early age you were encouraged to trust your own instincts and express yourself. Throughout life you will receive the support you need both from members of your family of origin and others you interact with in the course of living. However much you welcome the support of the people you know and are comfortable with the mores of the society you live in, you feel strongly attracted to places, people and ideals very different from the ones that make up your background. You easily make new friends and willingly become involved in opportunities to explore alternative social, ethnic, idealistic or spiritual realities. Some of these excite and interest you, and you incorporate them into your daily life as important personal choices. You have some difficulty understanding why or how others meet life’s challenges, yet you admire these others for their ability to succeed on their own, to set trends or explore options you would never have considered. Any aspect between the Sun and your Nodes brings lessons pertaining to the importance of individuality! You learn to value yourself and other individuals on the basis of personal accomplishment and willingness to make an effort. You appreciate Chapter 7 114 the essential drive of the spirit, the ability to strive and succeed. You admire those who have made something of themselves, especially when they have done so without the kind of support and opportunities that might have helped them on their way. You strive for success, for others’ acknowledgement of your special gifts and abilities and you seek personal satisfaction in all of your endeavors. Occasionally you feel tempted to try something radically different from what others expect of you. You are tempted to follow a different path than the one laid out for you by your family. You feel the excitement of setting your own goals. At times like this you find it easy to connect with and adapt to the people or circumstances you meet along the way. You are likely to seek out (and find) a mentor to help you achieve success. Ultimately you learn many valuable lessons about personal effort, asking for and accepting support from others, as well as the fine art of compromise. These skills help in your interactions with others on your way to personal awareness, success and fulfillment. When the Sun makes a challenging aspect with the Nodes, as a child you may have sometimes wondered if you weren’t “adopted”. There have been times you felt like an outsider or stranger in your own family or community. You knew you wanted to accomplish more, have more in your life than what others seemed to accept as perfectly satisfactory. You constantly sought out new people to teach you, mentor you or to be your role model, then cast these others in the roles of imaginary guardians or parents to see how it might feel to be a member of their family, their community. You wanted to know how it would feel to be someone else, have some other background or lifestyle—even if just for a little while! When an opportunity presented itself for you to move away from your family or your immediate social network, you jumped at the chance to try something new. You wanted excitement. Something about exploring the world outside your immediate boundaries stimulated you imagination. You wanted, and still want to, explore all this world has to offer! However, even if the proffered Synthesis and Synergy, Aspects in Action 115 opportunities are good ones, you will only pursue them until even better ones present themselves. If a choice you make seems like a good one at the time but proves not to be to your advantage, you will only stick with it until you can find a suitable alternative, one that leads to the next step of your journey. Independent, determined and focused, you long to find a place, a person, a situation or set of circumstances where you can relax and feel at home. You want to be part of a group of others and feel connected by a common pursuit, a common ideal. You yearn for acceptance. You want others to need you. In your search for a secure future and personal satisfaction, you will take on a leadership role when opportunity presents itself and if it helps create the kind of emotional environment you long for. In fact, you are quite a capable leader and accept that role gladly. You are generally optimistic and readily encourage others to seek their own way, to find independence and satisfaction in achieving their goals. You are learning the art of exploration, negotiation, of balancing your personal needs with those of others on the way to success and fulfillment. The stress of the conjunction of the Sun to the North or South Nodes or the square to both will bring you a plethora of emotional challenges, causing the development of self-awareness very early in life. Certainly by the age of nine you had a strongly defined understanding of what was expected of you and a sense of what you believed about yourself (as separate from what others told you). You understood the importance of having your own opinion about things, and a desire (even determination) to influence others to see your viewpoint. You accepted that your opinions and views differed from those held by other people, and, if you were lucky, you learned that compromise is a necessity. Before the age of eighteen, you knew you needed to acquiesce to the requests and requirements of others on occasion (when it was to your benefit). By then you had learned how to wait for what you want in life. You have learned how to set goals; you understand the process of achieving an important outcome, and how to deal with the fallout of your choices and actions where necessary. Chapter 7 116 The trine/sextile aspect of the Sun to the North or South Nodes indicates that it is easier for you to go with the flow, to expect whole-hearted support for your goals and wishes (trine South Node). Or, if you choose, you can with relative ease convince yourself and others that certain alternative goals or desires are worthwhile and valid (trine North Node). Sometimes you need to present a determined argument in favor of you doing what you want to do (sextile South Node) when it conflicts with what others expect. Or, you may need to meet and debate others’ considered arguments—especially when someone or something interests you or feels important to you. You have learned to accept and handle some challenges to your own ideas (sextile North Node). Generally, you find balance and harmony in your interactions with others. When you make a decision, it is more often than not accepted and supported by important others in your life. Most of the time you feel confident and capable of success. The semisextile/inconjunct or the semisquare/sesqui-quadrate indicates that you are very aware of the expectations others have of you. And you are quite cognizant of the fact that the vision you have for your own life differs vastly from these expectations. It is a constant struggle to meet, accept and satisfy the demands or needs others express. They want your total compliance, they want you to embrace their perception of the status quo, their arguments or their expectations. Yet you stubbornly strive to create the type of life you want for yourself! Arguments, disagreements, rules, punishment—none of these will dissuade you from doing what you intuitively know must be done to enjoy personal freedom. Your childhood and early years were emotionally challenging and you wondered how (and if) you would ever become independent of your constricting circum-stances! Later, you developed good negotiation skills and found ways to influence others to see your point of view. Sometimes you are able to satisfy the expectations of others, but when that is impossible, you have learned to accept feelings of guilt, loss or frustration as your companions and you go your separate ways. Synthesis and Synergy, Aspects in Action 117 Mercury Aspects Communication, multi-tasking, curiosity, hands-on ability, facility, friendship, shared activities: these are some of the words we might use to describe how Mercury can express itself in aspect to the Nodes. With any Mercury aspect to the South Node, you are surrounded by people who have a specific way of interacting with one another—they either talk a lot, or they communicate non- verbally. The focus of the relationships you saw all around you in your early life was communication, the exchange of information! As well, most of your people were very busy people, in constant motion with their stressful schedules and many interests. More than likely one or more of the important people in your early years, however briefly, were unable to do the things they wanted to do. All of these influences helped you learn that staying active, keeping busy, being able to talk intelligently on many topics is the safest and best way to live. With Mercury aspects to your South Node, movement and sound are prime motivators in your life! People in your life are curious about, gossip about, talk about everything going on around them. They are likely members of an extended family, active in the community or a career, focused on the neighborhood and the lives of the neighbors. They actively pursue an intellectual, philosophical, esoteric or scientific ideology. Or they follow sports, are interested in international affairs, do-it-yourself projects, cooking or pet care. From an early age you learned to play the game, to talk, read, think and include yourself in the things everyone around you cared about. You were encouraged to participate in the activities of those you met, to make friends (or not, if that was the general rule in your family). Your ideas and internal imagery have been strongly colored by the world you grew up in. Mercury aspects to the North Node cause you to seek new and different ways of using the information and interactive skills you acquire from the ongoing lessons of your daily life and from the people who are part of it. Depending on Mercury’s aspect to the Chapter 7 118 North Node, you feel the need, from time to time, to withdraw from the constant stress of external commotion. You have learned to concentrate and focus on your own activities, in spite of any disturbance going on around you. Able to multi-task even on emotional and psychological levels, you manage to look like you are particpating in all that is going on, even to be enjoying it! And all the while your busy mind is exploring entirely different ideas and possibilities! Your internal focus is on pursuing a personal itinerary of curious discovery. With a Mercury aspect to your Nodes, you feel that you are living life on multiple levels, always seeking an opportunity to escape the mundane. You want to try new things, to test yourself and see how you handle the unexpected. The stress of the Mercury conjunction to either North or South Nodes, or the square to both, indicates that you experienced a variety of emotional incidents that lead to self-awareness and self-expression very early in life. Certainly by the age of nine you had a strongly defined image of what was expected of you—whether or not you liked it. And you were very clear about whether or not you wanted more of the same for the rest of your life (chances are, you did not). You learned the importance of having an opinion and a desire, even determination, to express your own viewpoint at every opportunity. Now, you want to do what you want to do. You want to be heard, to have your opinions and activities acknowledged, even encouraged by others. If this doesn’t happen—well, you will always think what you want to think, express yourself the way you choose and do what you want to do in spite of it! You recognize and accept that you have your own ideas, thoughts, opinions and that these views may differ from those held by the people around you. You have learned that compromise is a good thing, but being able to convince someone else to agree with something you know to be true is even better! Before the age of eighteen, you had figured out that you needed to listen, observe or otherwise pay attention to what was going on around you—at least some of the time. You knew how to accommodate yourself Synthesis and Synergy, Aspects in Action 119 to the habits and behaviors of the people around you (especially when it was to your benefit). Most importantly, you learned how to talk your way out of (or into) anything you want in life. Now you feel capable of taking care of yourself, and know that you will find solutions to any problems you may encounter. You know how (and when) to escape from others, either by turning inward and tuning them out, or by physically getting out of their way when necessary. The trine/sextile aspect of Mercury to the North and South Nodes indicates that it has been relatively easy for you to go with the flow: to conform, to meet the expectations of the people around you or to accept and fit into the circumstances of your daily life. You accept, even welcome, the feed-back and expecta-tions of others. As a young person you liked and felt comfortable with the overall parameters constructed for your future by the people who were important to you. Experience has taught you that others care about your well-being, that they wholeheartedly support your goals and dreams (trine South Node) or that you can, with relative ease, convince them that the goals you set for yourself are worthwhile and valid (trine North Node). Though you most often find yourself in agreement with those you care about, you know how to express yourself when you want to influence opinions in your favor. You are particularly good at convincing others to support you when you want them to accept that you are going to do something very different from what they expect (sextile South Node). When necessary, you can quietly apply yourself to getting around any restrictive rules or arguments as you wait for others to accept your decisions and choices. From a very young age you recognized that you were not always going to be part of the original circle of people in your life, your family of origin and your childhood friends, not if you chose to pursue personally important goals and ideas (sextile North Node). Now, in your significant relationships, you gener-ally find balance or equilibrium easily and quickly restored as long as you are willing to take the time to express how important your Chapter 7 120 individual goals are to you. When you set your mind on any goal, your ideas and efforts are ultimately accepted and supported by important others in your life. For the most part you feel smart, confident and capable of success in life. The semisextile/inconjunct or the semisquare/sesqui-quadrate aspects to the Nodes indicate that you will be made very aware of the expectations others have of you, as well as the ideas and beliefs that are important to them. You are equally conscious of the fact that the way you think and approach situations or people in life in general is vastly different from the way others do, and from what they expect of you. Your individual wishes, actions and choices receive little acknowledgement or support, as they fall outside the established norms of your family, culture, of those who want to tell you how to live your life. The important people in your life expect your unquestioning acceptance of their authority. They express little interest in your ideas and offer even less support for your dreams, goals and needs. You experience a never-ending internal battle on an emotional level because you understand the requirements and demands of others, yet you know that their way of life will never quite suit you. They demand your unquestioning compliance, that you accept the status quo, but you are completely unwilling to do so. Conformity, total obedience, acceptance and acquiescence are not comfortable words in your emotional vocabulary. As a child and a young person, you may have been required to participate in the activities with which the people around you filled their lives, yet inwardly you imagined creating the life you wanted for yourself. Arguments, disagreements, rules, punishment, being ignored and excluded, none of these could dissuade you from thinking your own thoughts and doing what you felt necessary to achieve your goals. Your childhood and early years were probably quite challenging as you wondered how you would ever become independent of your circumstances and the people who seemed determined to Synthesis and Synergy, Aspects in Action 121 impress their patterns or lifestyle on you, to teach you to think and act the way they did. Later you developed good negotiation skills (or the ability to “disappear” when necessary for your own peace of mind). You developed courage and strength of purpose, confidence in your own ideals and beliefs. You have by now certainly discovered your personal “gift”, an almost magical ability to find the words, the argument you need in order to influence others to see your point of view, or join your cause. Sometimes you meet the expectations of others, but when that is impossible you accept the feelings of guilt, loss, a total lack of understanding or frustration as your family/group/companions and you go your own ways. Venus Aspects Love, desire, want, need—or hate, avoid, discomfort and discord: these words illustrate the “heads and tails” of the Venus coin, and give a quick, immediate sense of Venus and its function in our lives. Astrologically Venus (by house, sign and aspects) provides information both about what we feel we may lack, and what we will need to live satisfied and fulfilled lives. Satisfaction and gratification on all levels are the domain of Venus. As one of the important feeling planets in our charts, Venus’ connections to the North and South Nodes are of particular importance in providing the foundation for and building the treasury of emotions maintained by our Moon. In the process of dealing with the challenges and experiences attributable to the expression of the energy of all of other planets based on natal placement, aspects within our natal charts, progressions or transits, we still live our everyday lives, eat our meals, take jobs, start businesses, fall in love, buy homes, have sex, seek pleasure and benefit from our activities and our relation- ships. Our lives, our personal reality, our money, our sense of prosperity, our relationships, all of these are part of the realm of Venus. Think of the “heads and tails” imagery as you consider the aspects of Venus to your North and South Nodes. Many times we Chapter 7 122 learn to seek positive reinforcement in our lives based on a sense of lack or longing for the rewards Venus can represent. For example, one individual may have learned that they need love in order to thrive in life as a result of growing up in a loving and supportive environment. Someone else may learn the importance of feeling loved and valued because they grew up in an environment where they never experienced being special or cared for. One person may have acquired a taste for the good life as a result of growing up in a wealthy and stable home environment, one in which all of their needs and wants were met without question. Another may desire security, and strive to achieve status or financial abundance, because of a childhood filled with poverty and lack. Either way, Venus has taught the lessons necessary for personal development and growth. This is especially true if Venus aspects the North and South Nodes. You feel much valued, loved and wanted (or the exact opposite), depending on your Venus/ Node aspects and other Venus aspects in your chart. An easy Venus/South Node aspect often indicates early years where you were shown that your needs would be satisfied. You discovered that you could appeal to the kindness and attention of others when you wanted something. You saw others get what they wanted from life, and knew: “This is the way things should be.” And you found out that it was easier to get what you wanted with honey than with vinegar! Growing up in a supportive environment, you learned that it is natural to love your family members, feel welcome in your community; loyal to your ethnicity, your culture. You value the talents and gifts of those around you, and you appreciate yourself and the panorama of possibilities you imagine for yourself. Love, appreciation, harmony, luxury—these form the basis of many of the dreams you have for your life when Venus aspects the North Node. Even if you do not experience these things in your home of origin, you know they exist, and you want them in your own life. In fact, you have developed a charming and pleasant personality that enables you to open doors that might otherwise Synthesis and Synergy, Aspects in Action 123 be closed to you. As you mature you make every effort to live the life you want. You attract personal support and the committment you need from others as you find your way in life, and you reward those around you with a smile that could light up a room! Friendly encouragement is what you seek from others; you find it as you explore the opportunities that present themselves when you strive to attain personal satisfaction. From a very early age the stress of the conjunction of Venus with the North or South Nodes, or the square to both, will bring you a variety of emotional experiences that teach you to have expectations. Certainly by the age of nine you had a strongly defined image of what you wanted in your life, what you could expect from life in general and from other people in response to your needs. You understood the importance of having your own things, and developed the desire (even determination) to be loved and appreciated for yourself and your gifts. You learned to be charming. You learned to share the spotlight with others who were successful in their own right, those who had the good fortune, the friends or material things you wanted. You learned that compromise was required if you wanted to be accepted and included. Before the age of eighteen, you had learned how and when to acquiesce to the requests and requirements of others (at least when it was to your benefit); you also learned how to wait for what you want in life. Now you know how to set goals for yourself, you are skilled in the process of attracting benefit (whether in the form of attention or “stuff”), and how to make the best of opportunities that come your way, or of what others are willing to share with you. Venus trine the South Node indicates that it is easy for others to care about you, love you, and wholeheartedly support your goals and wishes. Venus trine the North Node suggests that you can with relative ease convince other people that the things you want (both possessions and opportunities) are worthwhile and valid. With Venus sextile the South Node, you have learned to get what you need/want in life, even when what others offer you you is Chapter 7 124 not exactly what you had in mind. With Venus sextile the North Node, you have the ability to influence others with considered arguments (for or against) if a specific something interests you or is important to you. You are willing to accept some challenges as you pursue your goals, if the rewards seem great enough. Generally, because you are fair-minded and willing to give as much as you receive, your goals, wants, needs are satisfied. But to realize the best results in life, you have to set your mind on a specific outcome, and ask others to help you achieve it! You feel confident and worthy of having your needs met. The semisextile/inconjunct or the semisquare/sesqui-quadrate aspects between Venus and the Nodes indicate that you will be very sensitive to (i.e., painfully aware of) the more difficult aspects of the Venus lessons. You will on many occasions have been made aware that the overall circumstances of your life and the needs and the longings of your heart are out of sync. Your dreams have always differed vastly from reality! Most likely your early years were filled with an almost daily emotional struggle, you would do whatever you could think of in an attempt to meet the expectations of others in an effort to please them. And at the same time, you puzzled, trying to figure out why it mattered to you what they thought, or what your role might be in their lives. You felt that you wanted/needed so much more than what was being provided for you on all levels, emotionally, spiritually, even physically! You experienced criticism, personal attacks, punishment, deprivation, lack, but none of these could dissuade you from believing you were capable (and worthy) of having a good life some day. Since your difficult early years you have wondered how you will manage to rise above (or escape, improve, change) your circumstances; you are committed to doing whatever it takes! Probably by this point you have developed an easy ability to hide your longings (your feelings) as necessary, from those who are unwilling to love and support you. Few will ever see any emotion you are unwilling to reveal. Synthesis and Synergy, Aspects in Action 125 You are always thoughtful and charm others with your graceful, outgoing personality and willingness to extend yourself to please. You are sensitive, even intuitive, when it comes to the emotions and hearts of others. You have learned to set your own goals and do whatever is necessary to achieve them. You will learn to withhold when giving would only cause you pain. Good negotiation skills and an abililty to judge what someone else might need are tools you find useful as you attract opportunity and connections on your way to the top. After all, don’t the ends justify the means if everyone gets what they want? Mars Aspects Some say the placement of Mars in the Natal chart helps us delineate “how one gives expression to energy and gratifies physical desires.” We might also say that Mars represents “a person’s characteristic mode of action as influenced by the desire principle.” My own favorite way of explaining Mars’ function in a chart begins with the saying: “Actions speak louder than words!” (After all, Mars is the planet of action in our charts.) The Moon, with her desire for comfort, familiarity, ease and acceptance would not necessarily choose Mars as her intimate companion. Not even the Moon’s Nodes are particularly reassured by or comfortable with the activity that comes their way when aspects exist between themselves and planet Mars in the birth chart! However, if your Mars aspects either the Nodes or the Moon, over time you have likely become accustomed to the stress and push of that energy; striving, needing to participate in activity and change. “If something needs to be done, let’s do it now; and we can do even more later if we have to!” Energetic, aggressive, often impatient, you have learned that there is never enough time to do all that you feel needs to be done. No amount of effort is too much, and, in fact, action itself seems to provide the get-up-and- go necessary to the high level of emotional energy you possess. You are likely to take the initiative whenever possible, and feel comfortable in a leadership role. You demonstrate courage, valor and impulsiveness. You are eager to encourage the rest of us to defend our position, try new things, test boundaries, search Chapter 7 126 for the unknown and explore our world in ways we might never think of otherwise. Anger is one of the common, driving emotions when Mars aspects either the Moon or the Nodes, and with an aspect from Mars to these significators in your chart, your anger is likely to express itself quickly, intensely, possibly in a loud, obvious or aggressive way. You are extremely passionate about the people and things that have come to mean a lot to you. You are likely to be very impatient, tenacious, passionate, protective of the people and things you love. (It would be no surprise if you also were competitive, controlling, demanding, and on occasion, self-critical.) With Mars in aspect to your South Node, chances are you have learned never to let your guard down. After all, anything can happen (and in your life it does, with regularity), so it’s a good idea to be prepared! You may have grown up in a family that moved often, or you have, in some other way, been forced to constantly accommodate to change in your immediate environment. One or the other of your parents may have had military or other careers involving enforcement or the use of weapons, or hobbies and volunteer activities that required lots of muscle and energy. You learned that having determination, being outspoken, acting aggressively and taking action immediately (thinking about the outcome later) were the best way to respond to any threat, whether physical, emotional, spiritual or psychological. And you probably experienced unexpected physical, cultural, ethnic and idealogical conflict in all of their many forms as you grew to become the person you are today. You are constantly aware, on guard, ready to deal with anything that comes your way! Any aspect from Mars to your North Node indicates you have learned that defense, offense, taking action in general are the best ways to deal with the vicissitudes of life. You will always be willing to take action to change and modify your current circumstances, rather than accept, tolerate or put up with the kind of life you saw those dear to you deal with as you were growing up! Seeking, exploring, taking a chance or embracing Synthesis and Synergy, Aspects in Action 127 a possibility—any activity that moves you either away from a difficult or unacceptable situation, or towards personal goals— may not feel like the most comfortable mode of action or response, but is preferable to the alternative! You strive to be more, do more, achieve more than others can begin to imagine. The stress of a Mars conjunction to the North or South Nodes, or the square to both, will bring you a variety of emotional experiences encouraging self awareness very early in life. Certainly by the age of nine you had a clearly defined under-standing of how you were supposed to behave, of what was expected of you, and what you believed yourself capable of accomplishing. As a result of decisions you made about your life at a young age, you have little patience with the opinions or rules of others, and are determined to do whatever you have to do to take charge of situations that are threatening or harmful to yourself or others you seek to protect. You have come to accept that your actions or your behavior may irritate those in charge, or those who hope to discipline you, but you have learned that any action you may take feels better than taking none at all! Before the age of eighteen, you knew that you are not easy to get along with. But you also knew that unless you respected someone and they respected you and your rights, you did not care whether or not you could get along with them! Now, if necessary, you will simply go your own way. You have learned the importance of independence, of self-sufficiency and of taking action whenever necessary. You have also learned that any action is better than waiting for someone else to do something. You have never liked waiting for permission to do something you want to try. And you have no fear of expressing your opinion; after all, even an argument is better than silence. Certainly you have learned that a moving target is not an easy one to hit, and you are willing to be that moving target if necessary. You can set goals when you decide that something is important to you and pursue them with great determination. You have little patience and less than little desire to prove your point to others if they seem unwilling Chapter 7 128 to believe in you or follow your example. If you cannot take the action you prefer, you will take any at all rather than stand still awaiting the pleasure of the Universe. The trine/sextile aspect between Mars and the North or South Nodes indicates that you firmly believe that independent or individual action is the best solution to every and all situations in life. You have learned that it is better to act first and think later (unless both can be done simultaneously). You have likely observed at least one very action-oriented parent gain success or win recognition and respect because of their activities. Even as a child, as soon as you were able to respond to your parents, focus your eyes and control your limbs (to “stand on your own two feet”), every step in your growth and skill level was encouraged and praised. You were taught that winning, at any cost, is important, worth the time and effort put into the activities required. You have learned to focus your energy, whether involved in physical or intellectual exercises, and are happy to participate as long as there is a measurable result. Outgoing, charismatic, with many leadership qualities and charming personality traits, it is now easy for you to find a following and encourage others to do your will—for good or ill. You feel that you can overcome any obstacle and are extremely confident of your ability. You expect success in life. When Mars forms a semisextile/inconjunct or the semisquare/ sesquiquadrate aspects to your Nodes, even as a child, were very aware of the expectations others had for you—cognizant of the fact that the way you wanted your life to be differed vastly from these expectations. You have learned to fight for what you believe in, for what you want. Every time you seek to take charge of a specific situation, you face an uphill battle to the end! While you were young, you experienced many various ways of “losing”. You become determined that even though you knew how to play a submissive role, it was preferable (in fact, a necessity on a very deep emotional level) to win! Synthesis and Synergy, Aspects in Action 129 Your childhood and early years were probably quite challenging as you wondered how you would ever become independent of your circumstances, able to do the things you wanted to do in your life. Even now, it may take you a little longer than people with other aspects between Mars and their Nodes to weigh plusses and minuses, to figure out whether an issue is worth fighting for. But once you have reached the conclusion that it is vital to your growth and your life in some way, you will face whatever battle and struggle necessary to succeed in your efforts to gain control of your own life and your destiny. Win or lose, the battle itself is worth fighting. With each battle, you acquire greater skill to help you win the next. Once engaged in conflict, you will WIN, you will consider no cost to great! You may face deep, wounding, emotional issues such as regret, sadness, frustration, guilt or intense anger toward others as a result of your (and their) actions, but you are willing to experience these as long as the final outcome satisfies your sense of personal achievement. You may or may not care about the opinions of others, but whatever these opinions are, you need to believe that your own are more important. To feel less than proud of yourself is unacceptable. It would mean that you had given up your power, become a victim of life and circumstances. You encounter many obstacles on your path, and in every instance you will find a way around them, whatever it takes, however long it takes. You are willing to take on the responsibility of leadership, and make an excellent leader. You know how to be patient, and you willingly encourage others in ways never shown to you. But you have little patience with the process unless the people who seek your protection and your guidance are willing to acquiesce to your demands, strive to meet your expectations and are as excited about the goals as you are. Jupiter Aspects Justice, the law, right and wrong, fair and unfair, the expression of intellect, culture, tradition, beliefs, quality, comparison, judgement—these important conceptual realities were introduced Chapter 7 130 to you at a very young age. Your family traditions, religious beliefs and ethnic or social background provided a comfortable network of people and the right environment to nurture your spirit. Every person and every experience (good or bad) seemed intended to provide you with the ultimate of whatever it had to offer. Whether or not you were encouraged to express yourself, you learned to speak up, study, weigh and assess the conditions that surrounded you as a child and young adult. You learned to argue (or at least think about arguing) as you explored the concepts, ideals or beliefs to which you were being introduced. Since the process began at a very young age, you grew up expecting, believing that you deserved to be rewarded for your ability to express the right ideas and thoughts clearly. So you continued to study, becoming increasingly knowledgeable as you grew into a young adult. You were often rewarded for your intellectual gifts and your ability to learn that which was being taught. You were offered both opportunities and encouragement, and you came to believe you deserved no less! This made it easy for you to understand the reasoning behind the future plans outlined for your life; you simply pursued the path laid out by the people who cared for you. Why should you change anything? You knew how to do things the right way, the accepted way. You believed life would always follow the same rules you had learned, that all you believed, all you knew was true, forever. You found support among all who were part of the world you knew. Any Jupiter aspect to the Nodes suggests that it is natural for you to be interested in justice, the law, the rewards (or the punishments) that can be earned as a result of pursuing a right or wrong choice. You have absorbed a picture of how life works by observing the world in which you grew up. Your opinions and insights were gained first through observation, then, as you grew into maturity, by meeting the challenges and accepting (or reject- ing) the opportunities or the temptations that came your way. It is likely that at some point in this process (usually between the ages of twelve and eighteen) you either moved to a new home Synthesis and Synergy, Aspects in Action 131 and connected with people who lived very differently from you, or you experienced some other life- or lifestyle-changing event. This gave you the opportunity to realize that the ideas and beliefs you had taken for granted might, in fact, need to be questioned—or, at least examined from another perspective. The experience opened up a whole new world to you, and you became curious about the customs and beliefs of others. This curiosity may have lead to you become a broad-minded and cosmopolitan spirit. Or, it may have lead to you becomming even more fixed in the beliefs you absorbed as a young person. Either way, the experience triggered awareness; you began to express your own views, your personal beliefs, with growing confidence. You were given an opportunity to study, learn and expand your internal perspective on life. Just as when you were a child and a young person, you constantly seek answers to seemingly impossible questions and are likely to be enormously curious about the world of ideas. The life-long search for “truth”, making an effort to imagine possibilities, remains part of your internal make-up. You seek information as avidly as a thirsty wanderer looks for water in a desert. You want to know why, where, how and when? You want to understand the reason for all things. You also want more from your life than you see others be willing to settle for. In fact, settling for any one thing is to be avoided at all costs! There is always more and more (of everything in the world) and you want it. You just need to find a way to find the answers you need, skill to carry out the right tasks, and opportunities to take advantage of. The stress of a Jupiter conjunction to the North or South Nodes, or the square to both, brought the child you were a variety of challenging emotional experiences very early in life. These fired your imagination and triggered your ambition to become “someone”. Certainly by the age of nine you had a strongly defined perception of what people in your world thought was important. You also had your own ideas about the world you lived in, the things you wanted to explore in the future. The two perceptions of the meaning and purpose of life did not always mesh well! Chapter 7 132 You knew what the people in your life thought your future held, and you also knew what you believed yourself capable of accomplishing. Your own vision was not likely acceptable to those who provided you with a home. You understood the meaning of having an opinion, and had strong ones of your own—especially about your direction and purpose—whether or not you were encouraged (or even allowed) to express them. You have always needed and wanted to influence others to see your viewpoint and accept your suggestions. You have tested your verbal skills, and learnd a great deal about the difference between a discourse, a debate and an argument. You have learned that even though you can prove a point, there is nothing you can do about it if others choose not to follow your reasoning. Now you recognize that your opinions and views differ from those held both by family members and other groups of people in the world. But you still optimistically believe you can change theirs and they will benefit from accepting yours. Before the age of eighteen, you knew you needed to acknowledge and conform to the expectations of others on occasion—if you wanted to achieve something you had set your mind/heart on doing. You knew there were times when you needed to work within a framework of compromise if you wanted to satisfy your own needs. You knew how to dream dreams and set goals. You learned the importance of focusing singlemindedly on a specific objective, at least for a limited amount of time. Now you know that the ideal circumstance would involve people with goals you respect, and would lead to benefit for a large group of people or to society as a whole. You have discovered that while it is nice to receive a generous monetary reward or personal recognition for your abilities, it is more important to you that the process of achievement satisfies you on an emotional level. The trine/sextile aspect of Jupiter to the North or South Nodes indicates that as a child it was easy for you to accept the rules, beliefs and customs of the people who were in your life. You took for granted others cared about you, that they wholeheartedly Synthesis and Synergy, Aspects in Action 133 supported your goals and wishes (trine either the North or South Node). If they, on some occasion, did not, you experienced that you could, with relative ease, convince them that the goals you set for yourself were worthwhile and valid (sextile either the North Node or South Node). You firmly believed in the significance and correctness of all you learned from your teachers and the many books you read. You set about achieving your goals, absolutely convinced that you were on the road to success. You were unlikely to experience strong or ongoing critical rejection of your choices and your actions. You felt little need to prove a point or argue in favor of doing what you wanted to do. You simply moved forward along your path, trusting that others would either applaud your efforts or at least eventually see their value. Now you are absolutely sure you are making the right choices in your life, and unless someone else can present a case for even greater benefit to be derived from alternative choices or action, you will continue as you started out. During the course of your life, you may occasionally have found a mentor or a guru whose words, actions or ideals you found interesting, even though they presented alternative perspectives to the ones you had embraced to that point. If you decided to join forces with others you admired or came to believe in, you sought and found leadership options within your new circle. You have always expected the people you care about to support your enthusiasm. When you do set your mind and heart on some new course, you usually find that those who care about you offer acceptance, encouragement for your new endeavors and their wholehearted support. You feel confident directing the course of your own destiny. Having Semisextile/inconjunct or semisquare/sesquiquadrate aspects between Jupiter and the Nodes indicates that you will be very aware of the differences between what people say they believe and how they act. Even as a child you observed this dichotomy in your family of origin, your extended family, your religious/ spiritual affiliation or your ethnic group. You realized that others had expectations of you, yet at the same time you were aware that the ideas and concepts beginning to form in your mind as a result Chapter 7 134 of your own experiences were vital to the future you envisaged for your own life. You knew how to keep secrets, to hold onto your dreams, hopes and goals in you heart as you lived a different reality, according to the rules that structured the lives of those around you. As a result, you have vastly different expectations of life than your contemporaries, and you consider variables that would surprise, even shock other people in your immediate family and culture. You struggle constantly, pulled between the demands others make for you to accept the status quo, and striving to build the life you want for yourself. Arguments, disagreements, rules, punishment, none of these will dissuade you from doing what you need to do. You need to feel free to think and judge the world as you see fit. You have learned to think on your feet, to segway from topic to topic, mundane to spiritual, to have your own thoughts all the while you express ideas that sound right to the people around you. You confidently consider several points of view simultaneously and see the value in each. Your childhood and early years were probably quite challenging as you wondered how you would ever rise above the circumstances and restrictions that were your birthright. Later you developed and honed whatever skills you needed to get along in life. As a result of your early experience, you were determined to acquire an education and gain acceptance in the community of your choice. By now, you have found ways to build the life you always believed you deserved. It has become important to you to influence and educate others to share your point of view. Success in your chosen field (perhaps wealth or position) has been the key to reaching a position of authority where this goal can be achieved! Sometimes you are able to find a group of like-minded others. That feels wonderful to you, and satisfies your basic instinct to exchange real conversation, to pursue a mutual goal! You feel this need in the depths of your soul; you will feel empty until you are able to establish your place in a world complete with emotional and intellectual riches. Your life may be filled Synthesis and Synergy, Aspects in Action 135 with competitive opportunities of various kinds (sports are a common manifestation of this energy on a physical level) and you are likely to excel when you least expect it. Though you may find comraderie in many areas of your life, the true emotional context you seek offers a much broader base: sharing, intimacy, acceptance, comfort and safety. You may always wish to satisfy the expectations of others in your family of origin, people you care about now, those who are on your team at work or play. But when that is impossible, you tolerate feelings of guilt, loss or frustration—all the while following your personal compass, doing the right thing, as you live your life the way you choose. Saturn Aspects Hard work, the need to be responsible, the ability to tolerate or survive lack and to accept and cope with (even thrive upon), limitations are often the reality we find among the “gifts” Saturn brings to an aspect with the Lunar Nodes. These are not the cozy, comfortable treasures the Moon seeks, and they are not the kind of learning experience the Lunar Nodes like to transmit to her! In fact, Saturn is one of the most difficult planets to have in aspect to one or more of the three significators. It indicates that life is not going to be easy. A Saturn/Node aspect indicates that you were required to take care of yourself even before you were able to do more than turn over or crawl around in your infant body! Strict expectations, discipline, and some kind of regulated schedule were inflicted upon you (or, in some instances, a complete lack of the above, resulting in you imposing rules on yourself). From infancy every aspect of your life has been subordinate to a set of rules, or contingent upon circumstance. Things likely did not get much easier as you grew older! You have experienced a lack of the soft and gentle, all-embracing, loving support each of us needs in order to thrive in the chilly and challenging environment Mother Earth can provide for her children. It is likely the stringent rules and schedules of your childhood were imposed by members of your immediate family or by the Chapter 7 136 caregivers provided for you. But long after childhood, life still has limitations. The restrictive framework of your life may be a result of financial, social, gender-specific, ethnic or religious expectations prevalent in your cultural or ideological community. It is quite likely that during times when you are subject to fewer external restrictions, you experience problems with your physical environment, or a health issue that requires rigorous and regulated treatment. Perhaps you needed to stay in hospital following your birth, dependent on the care of professionals instead of loving parents. Or, you manifested a physical problem that required repeated treatments in the impersonal and sterile rooms of such an institution. As an adult you may experience other types of mundane limitations; you may need to take care of your health by maintaining strict diet and exercise regimes, or you pursue a physically demanding career/lifestyle. Occasionally life is just hard because of the geopolitical circumstances that prevail in the part of the world you call home. Most planetary aspects form to both the North and South Nodes simultaneously, affecting how you experience your entire emotional and physical environment. However, since it is possible for people to accommodate themselves to almost any situation or circumstance, it is likely you have become “comfortable” with the restrictions, requirements, or whatever type of situation that exemplifies Saturn’s connection to your lunar, receptive, comfort- seeking significator(s). You have learned to obey, even respect the rules and the strictures you have been trained to accept. Even when you are no longer required to do so, you continue to incorporate many of them into your life along with your personal choices. Saturn’s lessons become comforting behavior patterns, and you likely never question that they somehow ensure your survival and future. You have learned to apply yourself to the tasks you are expected to accomplish. Since you often are successful in your endeavors, you receive acknowledgement, perhaps even recognition and praise Synthesis and Synergy, Aspects in Action 137 for your efforts (even though you always know, deep inside, that you could have tried harder, accomplished more and reached a higher level of proficiency). Saturn aspects to your South Node suggest that you are more than willing to explore and test the possibilities of the North Node. Even when faced with extraordinary disappointment, or when challenged to overcome extreme hardship time and again, Saturn offers two alternatives: accept, accommodate and live with the difficulty, or use the current lessons in some way as you build towards a better life. Encountering difficulties only increases your determination to achieve some level of personal satisfaction from the goals you pursue. Ultimately, it may not even be necessary to achieve the goal you initially set for yourself. You may feel gratified simply pursuing the possibility! You have achieved the ability to enjoy the process and discovered the pleasure of imagining that you might eventually succeed. It is very likely that you have learned to manage others, to teach, organize and provide a venue where others can emulate your efforts and pursue success. You willingly offer opportunities to deserving others as you figure out ways to work around the limitations that may have blocked your own efforts at one time. You are willing to try something over and over again, even when you doubt repetition can lead to success. Once you have found a suitable goal, you are constant, determined and hard-working, willing to wait as long as necessary to harvest the results of your efforts. You never reward someone else if they have not earned it, and you share your own rewards only very discriminatingly with others who have proved themselves worthy of your trust. While Saturn aspects to the South Node bring many lessons and teach an extraordinary level of personal responsibilitiy, Saturn aspects to the North Node suggest an even more challenging course. First of all, the individual with a Saturn aspect to the North Node has experienced childhood limitations on a deeply personal level. However, depending on the strength (tightness of orb, zodiac sign and house placement) and quality of the aspect Chapter 7 138 to the North Node by comparison to the one with the South Node (Saturn conjunct, semisextile, semisquare, sextile, square, trine, sesquiquadrate, inconjunct or opposition), parents or caregivers may not have been the ones who introduced or maintained the strict and demanding structure. Often people encounter several powerful adults who place restrictions and demands both on behavior and time. These others clearly outlined their expectations, listed the rules to obey. People born with the Saturn/ Node aspect were expected to meet these strict requirements without complaint. In any case, no matter which of the natal aspects between Saturn and your Nodes you may have, you have grown up with the unrelenting feeling that much is expected of you, that you should be thankful to anyone who offers you opportunities—whether or not the opportuntities are ones you would choose, were you given a choice. Perhaps you grew up around people much older than yourself who expected you to act their age rather than your own. It may have been difficult for you to find time to play and explore life the way many children do. You may have been (or felt) responsible for parents, grandparents or other family members, your friends, pets or other people in your immediate surroundings long before you were old enough to bear such a responsibility (or could really affect their circumstances through any effort of your own). You may even have been told that your God expected certain things of you, that only obedience to the religious and spiritual order was the way to salvation. Every aspect of Saturn to the Nodes indicates that you seek comfort and love, acceptance, inclusion. You yearn for emotional satisfaction. However, you always feel it necessary to offer up some sacrifice, something in exchange. Perhaps there are chores or extra work that can be done, perhaps you need to give up something (or a relationship) that is important to you, or maybe a financial contribution is required of you? You try to please in the hope you will receive something (love, recognition, appre-ciation) you need for your emotional survival. Synthesis and Synergy, Aspects in Action 139 Often, the more responsibility you take on (in the hopes of a reward in the future), the more your energy is drained, and the less likely it is that you will receive anything of what has been promised. You can become tired of the burden of trying to be/ do all that others seem to expect of you. You continually seek a “safe zone” where you will be free of others’ constant demands on your time, your love, your support, your effort and your energy. You are so busy trying to live up to the expectations of others that you have no time to explore other means of finding emotional harbor. So you seek out other people and situations that seem vastly different from the familiar ones you deal with on a regular basis, because the ones that are familiar and accessible do not offer the acceptance you need or the emotional comfort your hungry heart is searching for. Surrounded by new friends and circumstances, you eventually discover that you have settled for the identical, restrictive and repressive types of relationships or situations you made such an effort to escape! Ultimately, over time, you develop strong willpower, the determination to succeed no matter what or who might try and stop you. Rules and regulations are explored; useful ones are incorporated while others are rejected as too limiting. You develop an affinity for finding and offering support to those who are less advantaged, and you teach others how to make the most of the benefits and opportunities they may otherwise have missed. You understand that boundaries exist on every level of the human experience and work to find ways around those that limit you. You learn to evaluate which rules are valid and useful, and which ones are merely in place to bring benefit to some at a cost to others. You learn discernment, the value of hard work, responsibility and the ability to cope. You explore many aspects of adversity, lack, loss, deprivation and solitude. You see the importance of ethics, the structure of society and personal responsibility. You seldom make the same mistake twice, and seek ways to share your wisdom with others. Chapter 7 140 Uranus Aspects All Uranus aspects to the North and South Nodes bring a touch of the unpredictable to your life! Your home life and childhood was either extremely unusual, or it was so incredibly banal that you have arranged your life now in a very unusual fashion. Now, by “unusual”, I mean out of the ordinary in contrast to other members of your family of origin, to the lives of the families and social group that were part of your childhood environment, different from the lives you observed other members of your cultural/ethnic/religious group live. (Know also that what might be considered “unusual” or “extraordinary” to someone without this aspect, may seem entirely ordinary to you!) For instance, one of my acquaintances grew up in a nice, suburban, middle-class neighborhood typical of the 1950’s. His mother and father conformed to the accepted norms of the time: members of the PTA, father worked at a good job, mother was a homemaker, etc. As a child he was encouraged to parti- cipate in all of the usual activities. But, his family was the only Jewish family in that area; they were the only ones who didn’t celebrate Christmas or other Christian events. So, in a way, they were not part of the community and social life in the neighbor- hood. When he graduated from college, he spent a year on a kibbutz in Israel, and now he has chosen to live his life (and build his own family) in a very conservative Jewish community in the midst of the bustle of a large city. He actively participates in the religious and cultural life of his chosen neighborhood, taking great pride in his ethnicity. So, while his life now feels quite “ordinary” to him, in some sense, in the eyes of people he knew as a child, his choices have been very unusual, compared with those made by his childhood contemporaries. One of my clients with Uranus aspects to her Nodes grew up in a loving home in a small town in the Midwest. In fact, she and her family lived a lifestyle very similar to the one described above. But, in this case, she was the only child in her community adopted from Korea; her appearance clearly showed her unusual ethnicity Synthesis and Synergy, Aspects in Action 141 and circumstances of birth. After college she decided that she was destined for a career rather than the type of small town life her parents and many of her childhood friends were happy to maintain. She has chosen to pursue her career and build her own family in a large metropolitan area. She tells me that every morning on her way to work, she happily looks around at the faces of a population that represents every continent in the world! Another client grew up in foster care, never knowing from one month to the next whether or not he would be returned to his natural mother (if she were released from prison), or when he might be moved to yet another foster home to receive care. He experienced more than 20 homes between the ages of three to eighteen. Since he was emancipated he has made every effort to maintain a stable and grounded lifestyle. He has stayed with the company he works for more than fifteen years. He and his wife purchased a home when they were newly married and they still live in it, now with their two children. He tells me that he plans to see his children through college, retire from this company and remain in his house until the end of his life. Yet another client with Uranus aspecting her Nodes comes from just such a family as the former client is creating for his children. At eighteen, she signed up for military service and is now pursuing a satisfying career. She takes every chance to broaden her perspectives by seeking the challenge of serving overseas, striving to achieve success as a woman in the service. I have met people with Uranus aspecting their Nodes who have grown up in single parent families, been raised by grand-parents who served as their parental figures, lived in orphanages and foster homes, in homes where both parents were of the same sex and where neither parent was their natural parent. I have consulted with people who grew up in loving homes with both of their own parents, but where the parents had unusual occupations or working hours, moved often, maintained eclectic, even eccentric habits and beliefs; some other familial circum-stance was out of the “ordinary” (whatever that is!) Chapter 7 142 So, I simply suggest that when someone was born with Uranus in aspect to the North and South Nodes, some aspect of the home and family, cultural or social environment is “unusual”. If you have this aspect, we can expect that you have found some way of living your life now in a way that is “different” from the life you had before you were independent. With Uranus aspecting your Nodes, there may have been unusual circumstances surrounding your birth or childhood, or there may not have been. In either case, one thing is quite clear: you perceived something about the circumstances of your early environment as change-worthy. Although the people of your past may not always have appreciated your efforts to achieve independence, to break with tradition, to try alternative ways of living, to strive to manifest your own ideas and goals, this Uranus aspect indicates brilliance of some kind; you are outstanding in some way. Perhaps you have a special kind of “smarts”, a talent, ability or gift that no one else in your family possesses, something that makes you exceptional. Now that you are an adult, you have the power to make your own choices. And it is very likely, whether you have focused on a physical, emotional, psychological or cultural issue from childhood or your earlier years as something you would like to avoid or change as an adult, you WILL find a way to alter the course of your life! You will find a path that suits you, one very different from the one everyone expected. You will follow your own course, based on what you want to create in your life, as opposed to the one offered or readily made possible for you, based on your culture/ethnicity/ religion/neighborhood/family of origin. You have learned to be flexible, to make adjustments and to “expect the unexpected” (or at least deal with it when it happens). Your life will always be rich with opportunities for change, chances to handle surprises, to deal with unexpected situations, circum-stances and outcomes. Appreciate your unusual, special, extraordinary abilities and gifts, and use them to open new pathways to the future, for yourself, for your family and for anyone who needs to see a lightning burst in the midnight heavens in order to find their way through the storms of life. Synthesis and Synergy, Aspects in Action 143 Neptune Aspects There are a variety of ways Neptune aspects to the Lunar Nodes can be experienced. However, all encompass some element of emotional satisfaction. When Neptune makes this connection, expect to experience intense periods of personal spiritual growth. Your lessons will encourage a capacity for love, offer oppor- tunities to acquire inner strength and teach you some needed ability, enhancing your chances of survival. They will help you develop the skill set you need in order to deal with your personal reality. Here are some of the more common experiences people have when there is an aspect between Neptune and the Nodes in the natal chart: First: It very likely that one or both parents, siblings or other immediate members of the family of origin (even the individual, themselves) had (or still have) health or physical problems that, of necessity, become the focus of the family. Second: Either the loved ones or the individual themselves experience problems with addiction or compulsive behavior. The problems create uncertainty or discord in the environment (and ultimately in the individual’s own life). Third: Sometimes there is a professional connection to medicine/drug/vitamin production. Members of the family may be employed as chemists, geneticists, pharmacists, medical professionals or in other careers connected to the pharma-ceutical trade. (It is also possible to find family members who produce/buy/sell illegal substances for a living.) Fourth: Uncertainty or fear are familiar companions. Not only the individual but also the people who share their lives are subject to frightening and uncertain circumstances. (And, it doesn’t seem to matter how many fears are overcome, new ones arise and demand attention.) Fifth: The family of origin is part of an ethnic, cultural or religious minority in the community. Partly because of this circumstance, people with this aspect become very aware of the importance of their beliefs; religious and spiritual realities become a vital part of their life. Chapter 7 144 Sixth: The family of origin includes members who are artistic, musical, drawn to the performing arts or gifted with creative skills that enrich life in some way. It is possible that the individual’s talent(s) were recognized and encouraged from an early age, either because they were quite remarkable or because the specific gift was one the family expected to find. But it is equally possible that members of the immediate family were so focused on their own wants and needs (or talents) that they did not take the time to encourage the gifts of their children. Then it was left to someone else to recognize the special gifts of the child and encourage their development. Seventh: The child grew up very alone, isolated in relationship to their family of origin. In spite of having parents, siblings, an extended family, they experienced uncertainty. Emotional insecurity prevailed within the family unit. When it proved difficult to form an appropriate emotional bond with family members, the individual with the Neptune/Node aspects created them elsewhere. Friends felt like family, family members felt like strangers. Eighth: The parents may have behaved like “children” in adult bodies, so the child (or children in the family unit) were obliged to take on the adult role. In this case, the parents never appreciated their children other than in relationship to ( or as a reflection of) themselves. In any case, the child was emotionally starved for attention. Their individual genius may never have been particularly noticed or encouraged. Often the child was sufficiently provided for, physically at least. So the child learned that the physical was all that seemed to matter in the eyes of the world. As a result of their childhood experiences, it remains difficult for people with this background to bond and maintain long term relationships. Ninth: The family of origin was poor or struggling, and found it difficult to gain a foothold in the community. Tenth: Many with the Neptune/Node aspects grew up in areas where the geography, the political or social environment defined the way of life for the people who lived there, for good or ill. Eleventh: Important members in the family (both past and present) value Synthesis and Synergy, Aspects in Action 145 spirituality and/or psychic and intuitive abilities. Metaphysics and spirituality were openly discussed; everyone spoke well of other family members who practiced paranormal, psychic, religious and spiritual realities. Individual family member’s innate psychic or spiritual abilities were encouraged. Or, just the opposite! This aspect may also indicate that the family of origin discouraged any intuitive or spiritual thought or discussion, but the individual with the aspect found a way to use their gifts in spite of it. In either case, the individual can never ignore the power the gift represents. Twelfth: The individual was born into a family committed to conventional religion. Members of the family of origin were/are, depending on the family’s religious affiliation, priests, nuns, ministers, deacons, missionaries, etc. The family attends regular services and is active in the community as spiritual role models. Individuals with Neptune in aspect to their Nodes have experienced many or all of the above at one time or another in their early life, certainly by the time of the first major aspect of transiting Neptune to their natal Nodes. Having Neptune in aspect to your Nodes indicates that you will explore many levels of reality, many aspects of life either as an outsider looking in, or from the inside, looking out at a world where the thoughts you think, the dreams you dream, the visions you envision are not similarly prevailing influences in the lives of others. Your inner life, your spirit, your intuitive and spiritual inclinations manifest in dreams, in a personal understanding of the supernatural. You have an inexplicable comprehension of Universal laws, and an ability to live your life on many levels and to perceive “reality” in a way all your own. You sense somehow that you are more aware of the importance of spirituality than others. Over time, as a result of your spiritual inclinations, you evolve a depth of compassion and understanding, a tenderness and gentleness towards those who are somehow also different or outcast. You are likely at some point in your life to be interested in healing the wounds of those for whom you feel sympathy (and you care about many others). You encourage those who need hope, giving of your time and energy to causes Chapter 7 146 that provide support to others who live difficult or challenged lives. Because you know it is such a necessity, you seek to provide comfort, beauty and harmony for those you love. But if you are alone or other people in your life prove unwilling to accept what you offer, you find a grim satisfaction in denying yourself comfort, or you seek a means of escaping from the harshness of your reality—any way you can! Neptune aspects to the Nodes indicate that you will always seek beauty, harmony and comfort. Whether your life has been extremely difficult or whether you have been the observer or friend of others who have difficult lives, you feel that you under- stand the vicissitudes of fate. You observe and learn how others deal with their experiences. You are intuitive, creative and artistic, yet may have grown up in a home or in circumstances where these gifts were not held in high regard. So, as you pursue your own future, you seek outlets for your gifts, offering them whenever opportunity presents itself. You cherish a dream of being appreciated, discovered and recognized for the special qualities you possess. Ever a romantic, you expect to magically “ fall in love with your soul mate, and live happily ever after.” You wish the world were filled with wonder, love and under-standing, and when opportunity presents itself, you willingly, wonderfully fall head over heels, offering heart and soul to the person who has awakened the spirit of romance within you. You have a philanthropic nature and support the environment, the arts or other good causes within the community. You relate with emotion to people with handicaps of all kinds as well as to the helpless creatures of the world. You reject any belief in restric-tions or limits, especially the kind that prevent people from enjoying those things in life you enjoy. Everywhere you go, people approach you to share their stories and their experiences of life. You listen, and the boundaries between yourself and the other become sheer as gossamer. For a moment you and the other, even an unknown stranger, are as one, sharing an experience of this mystery called life. Synthesis and Synergy, Aspects in Action 147 After, it takes a little time for you to find your center, absorb the learnings from the experience, process, release; to forget and move on your own way again. This ability to absorb the energy and messages of other people, places and things is an intrinsic part of your emotional self. For your own sanity you are always seeking some kind of escape. Many times this escape is from the world of the humdrum, everyday-ness of life, relationships or other of reality’s individual lessons. You want more for yourself than what the people in your family of origin told you was possible. You visualize or dream of possibilities, finding many creative ways to manifest an alternative future to now. If you develop your intuition and use your innate gifts to build the pathway to your dreams, the future can be anything (and everything) you imagine! Since your chart and your life has been touched by the magic of Neptune’s “fairy wand”, you cannot become invisible in your world (however much you might occasionally wish to pass unnoticed). Magic surrounds you, opportunity finds you, so it is best to seek awareness and levels of inner joy in a reality you consciously create. The mirror, Neptune’s other powerful tool, will constantly be held up in front of you, to help you study the beauty of the lessons you are learning. Pluto Aspects Any Pluto aspect to the Moon, to the North and South Nodes, indicates that all feelings and emotions run deep in your heart, in your mind (consciously or unconsciously), psyche and soul. In fact, emotions are so important to you that you seek emotional context in every situation—good or bad, gentle or harsh, success or challenge, win or lose. When you feel challenged or threatened by other people or in unfamiliar situations, your intuition provides an instant response mechanism. You know what to say (or not say), what to do (or not do), how to act even in seeming impossible or extraordinary situations. Chapter 7 148 Sometimes your responses are based on a wisdom you didn’t even consciously know you had acquired. Many emotional lessons were absorbed, categorized and organized well by your personal, internal record-keeper (the Moon) when you were a very small individual (this would be in body only, as you have truly never been a “small” soul). And this storehouse of instinctive wisdom provides the basis for many of your decisions and choices. Brought up in an environment where you were able to observe how the power structure within your home and your immediate circle affected each member, you learned the importance of being sensitive to the slightest nuance in expression, tone of voice, or action (including body language suggesting an action). You are on guard at all times, ready to protect or defend yourself and your interests. Occasionally you may defend another to whom you have decided to offer your protection (and you will weigh the results of your efforts very carefully before continuing in this role). You are ever observant and cautious, seldom willing to move into action without careful thought and preparation. You tend to make guarded conversation until you know others well and have been able to assess strengths, weaknesses and other personal qualities. You are wary and selective of the people with whom you interact on a regular basis. Yet, when you have formed an opinion, or considered all possible outcomes of your potential interaction, you commit yourself intensely, completely. You then focus on success (whatever you perceive that to be), determined to attain your goals, whether these are represented by an activity or a relationship. Often people with Pluto in aspect to their Nodes grew up in families where power was a very apparent reality. Perhaps the family was rich, or one of the parents (or elders) held a position of influence in the social or political community. The person they looked up to the most was an absolute authority in some regard. They were deeply focused on a career or community activity; they made the decisions and others followed their lead or accepted their ascendancy in some way. The importance of power, wealth, Synthesis and Synergy, Aspects in Action 149 influence, strength, audacity, knowledge, skill was as tangible, as real as the table the family sat at for meals or the beds they slept in at night. When it was impossible to respect and admire people in the immediate family, those who have a Pluto aspect to their Nodes survived their childhoods most often by finding someone outside their immediate circle and daily environment to admire. It was likely that the powerful object of their interest and admiration was a personage of importance, a community leader, an authority figure outside the home (like a minister, a teacher or a coach). Sometimes, if they could not identify someone in their immediate environment as powerful, they idolized a famous person (a movie star, television personality or political figure) who had risen to their position from a similar background as the Pluto/Node native. If they could not find a person to admire, then a social or political group or organization, God or religious community, a financial institution or corporation (often one that they or their family was very dependent upon) became a role model of sorts. They imagined being a valued follower, member or an employee of the organization they admired. That would give them a respected position in the world! In any case, they sought a representation of power to align themselves with, a power that would lift them out of the reality they seemingly could not escape on their own. Security, safety (or the lack thereof) is still a major consideration. Sometimes the powerful energy of Pluto in aspect to your Nodes was expressed negatively by people in your life exercising violence or control, manipulation or exploitation, corruption or deceit. You learned the essence of each of these for good or ill as you grew to maturity in the environment of your childhood and youth. You absorbed the energy that surrounded you as you attempted to respond appropriately to the people who were part of your world. This is survival; you have acquired a necessary skill, one that will allow you to succeed, to thrive. Whatever your age at the time you learned the Pluto/Node lessons of your childhood and youth, you have always known that you could find a use for Chapter 7 150 every one of them. (You never forget any of these lessons, even if you might wish you could!) More than likely there are people in your family of origin who have faced difficulty or been victimized by society in one way or another. You have seen the result of being “power-less” in a variety of situations. Perhaps you, yourself, were the victim of bullies, an abusive parent, sibling or other family member. More than likely you have been exposed to inappropriate behavior by people you should have been able to trust. At least once in your early life you felt loss and lack or were victimized on a purely physical level, leading to psychological and emotional wounding. At least once you were unable to defend yourself when it really mattered, and, as a result, you feel shame or guilt for something you in reality should not nor cannot be held accountable for. In any case, this childhood experience of shame, lack, inability, power-less-ness, something inescapable for the child you were, has made a huge impact on you. Whatever happened to cause these feelings changed the course of your life. You cannot wipe out the image of the powerful source of your pain.You determined to never again be placed in that kind of position! You know your only recourse, the only way to keep safe is to defend yourself. You will do whatever it takes to become strong, to heal the painful feelings of the past (physically, psychologically, emotionally, spiritually), however long it takes (preferably sooner rather than later, but you know patience). Subconscious and unconscious responses and the intuitive skill required to accommodate to your world have become an innate part of your emotional being. You access the skills you have acquired as you form your own ideas, strategies, personal relationships, life goals. You constantly re-discover your personal sense of purpose as you seek and are drawn into situations that offer you access to powerful people or important objectives. You are unavoidably drawn into these situations; it is the particular “gift” of having Pluto aspects to your Nodes. Synthesis and Synergy, Aspects in Action 151 As you use the tools you acquired to protect and defend yourself or your position, you learn new ways to guard yourself and your reputation carefully. You cautiously question all seeming opportunities, testing your options to make sure you will be safe if you pursue them (or that an escape route is available if you need one). It is important to you that each choice you make leads to an improved lifestyle or enhanced position in the community or the organization you have chosen to support—or to more safety in your personal life. It is important that those you support represent your ideals and your goals, and that you receive some form of recognition and reciprocation for your efforts on their behalf. You can rise to extremely powerful positions and be well rewarded for your efforts. However, you often choose to play your role behind the scenes or behind a figurehead representing the entity you support. If you have any aspect from Pluto to your Nodes, your life is going to be extraordinary in some way. You have a memory like a steel trap, nothing escapes you (even were you to wish it so). Physically, you radiate a kind of personal presence that others “feel” when you enter a room. You appear to be at home in any environment. (You may truly feel that way inside, but even if you do not, no one would guess your true emotions.) Any place you go, people notice you, are drawn to you as to a magnet; it is impossible to remain uninvolved, inactive or in solitude for very long—even when you make an effort to do so. There is basically no facet of human experience or behavior you cannot understand (indeed, with certain of the aspects between Pluto and the Nodes, you have personally experienced most of them). As a result, you often become the confessor to others who need someone safe to turn to, someone with whom to discuss the tests they have faced or are facing in their lives. Issues of life and death, temptation, sin and redemption, secrets, truths about themselves people would never imagine sharing even with the most intimate of others, are given into your keeping. While evil of every kind, sin and temptation may lead you into very dark places of physical, mental, psychological, interpersonal, Chapter 7 152 violent, criminal, financial, sexual, emotional or psychic reality, the true test of your essence, your spirit, is to rise above these and learn the value of the treasures your North Node will bring to you over the course of your life. These treasures include your ability to understand the process of life on earth, the willingness to share your wisdom with others who are seeking to transform their lives in some way, and your ability to make an impact for good in the lives of many others you meet on your journey. In most cases, there is one thing and one thing only you demand of others (and secretly from the depths of your being, of yourself), one thing your Moon has learned to value, to treasure above all else. Perhaps it is loyalty, perhaps love, perhaps truth, perhaps trust, perhaps encouragement—always safety, whatever that means to you. You will do whatever it takes, pursue any quest, to ensure that this quality becomes and remains part of your life. In turn, when you love, when you trust, no matter what else you may have to give or may be willing to share, this is the true gift you offer the other, unquestioningly, completely, totally with all of your being. Betrayal is the greatest and most unforgiveable sin one can commit against an individual with Pluto in aspect to their Nodes. It will never be forgotten, never appeased. (In fact, very little of what happens in your life will be forgotten!) You walk a difficult path. Your life, your outlook and ambitions will change many times. You will find yourself in situations that test your mettle, draw on every skill you have ever acquired and force you to attempt feats that would be impossible for any other, only to find yourself curious, willing to pursue or attempt new and even more challenging (and rewarding) opportunities and goals. You walk at the edge of the shadow of death at least twice in your life, and you choose the course of your experience at whatever the cost, when the choice is necessary. A survivor, you have steel in your backbone, fire in your eyes, passion in your heart and commitment to the cause or purpose that makes your life worth living. Synthesis and Synergy, Aspects in Action 153 Ascendant / Node Aspects MC/IC / Node Aspects As you delineate the aspects between the Ascendant/Descendant and the North and South Nodes, it is very important to study the sign on the Ascendant, the circumstances of the planet that rules the Ascendant, and the other aspects to the Ascendant from the planets in the chart. After that, think about the Aries/Libra, st1 house/7th house perspective (relationships, perception of self and of others) in the context of the houses and signs that are home to the Nodes. If aspects are formed between your MC/IC and your Nodes, it is equally important to study these signs, the circumstances of the planets that rule these angles, and any other aspects from the planets in the chart to these personal points. Think about the Capricorn/Cancer, 10th house/4th house connotations (genetic and historical background, family and individual roots/status in the community and personal efforts represented by achievement) in the context of the houses and signs that are home to the Nodes. All four of these personal points represent the potential for feeling at home in your body and in your life here on Earth. They represent possibilities for emotional growth as a result of interacting with the people who are part of your life. They represent the family of origin, those important people who taught you to feel emotion. And, they represent the environment, interactions with significant others, the circumstances of your past and the hopes you hold for your future. They provide the structure, the framework on which you base your most important personal choices about where and with whom you will spend your life as you continue living your personal adventure. The personal points also represent the most significant physical realities you encounter. And they represent the heritage you mean to leave to the generations that will follow you, personal and emotional footprints that are intrinsically your own. When there is an aspect between the South Node and one of the angles of the chart, it becomes apparent how much you were Chapter 7 154 influenced by your family of origin, their opinion of you, and their comparison between you and other members of the family. Family expectations strongly influence your own choices, all the while the people in your life now take it very much for granted that you will meet their expectations without question. This is especially true if the people you grew up with had greater expectations of you than they had of themselves. Then you will feel obliged to live up to their expectations, follow their suggestions for your career, choose a partner they approve of, etc. However, it is also true if they had few expectations. In that case, you tend to believe you have limited potential, and reduce or curb your own ambitions accordingly. When an aspect is formed between your MC/IC or your Ascendant/Descendant and the Nodes, for the sake of your personal growth, you at least occasionally find it necessary to rebel, rejecting the expectations of others as you strive to become your own person and fulfill your own dreams. Sometimes you want something (or to relate with someone) very different from what (or who) seems readily available. You grew up feeling two different kinds of emotions. On one level you knew that you were different from the people around you; you wanted others to acknowledge you as your own person. At another level you wanted to conform and be accepted by important others as one of them. Either emotion resulted in you knowing on a deep, internal level, that you would have to separate from the people and the environment of your childhood, in order to create the type of life you wanted for yourself. (This is especially true if the angles of your chart form a Grand Cross with your Node.) More likely the case in the past rather than now, you sought out others who represented the type of person you would like to be, and did everything you ccould to be accepted by them. You wanted to become part of their close-knit group or the social network they represented or embraced. Your acceptance by these others may have been at the cost of close family ties, or security within your community, the ethnic, religious or social context of your childhood. Yet, even as you were accepted or Synthesis and Synergy, Aspects in Action 155 earned a welcome into the new “family” of your choice, you felt the constraints of belonging. So you tried once again to separate yourself from the familiar, to find a new direction, a new focus. Now you are more likely to focus on your career, or on how others interact with you, on your terms! Many times an aspect between the angles of the chart and the Nodes indicates some major conflict has occurred within the family of origin: that your parents were divorced, separated or otherwise unable to stay in the home together. It is quite possible that social, familial, cultural, environmental or geopolitical realities caused disruption in the normal course of your life when you were young. It was probably expected that you should take sides or declare your allegiance in order to earn your right to be included as a member of a larger “family” of people. You, on the other hand, may have had some difficulty making such a choice or judgement, as you always were been able to see at least two sides of any issues. This put you in a position of being unable to determine which side had better reasons than the other for the actions they were taking! Though you were taught or told to keep your opinions to yourself by people in authority, you have always been aware of them bubbling up inside. (They are hard to contain!) As you grew older, you found it increasingly difficult to conform to the expectations others may have had of you. Now you have little or no desire to accept or meet the requirements others have of you, yet you are quite able to please and accommodate others when you wish to do so. Now, if you cannot find an environment that welcomes you, your opinions and ideas, you will build your own, one where you establish the rules of relating and of success. Because of the aspects from the Ascendant/Descendant or MC/IC to your North Node, you are likely to have felt like the parent or the adult in you family of origin, at least in specific situations. It is likely that every decision made in your home revolved around either one very strong person’s will, or on external circumstances beyond any one person’s control. You learned that a consensus Chapter 7 156 of opinion was necessary before the family could do anything. At some point you decided that it was necessary for someone to be the leader, and that you were comfortable playing the role. In fact, you learned that leadership was required of you, if anything was to be the way you wished it to be! You have probably evolved an independent and determined personality, knowing that the best way to make sure you are safe in any situation is to take as many of the necessary steps on your own as possible, to make as many decisions, set as many goals, seek as many options possible to assure the best outcome. If you have the angles aspecting your Nodes, chances are others knew you as your mother’s daughter, your father’s son, the third child, John’s little (or big) sister, the one who is good at sports, the one with the talent in our family, the black sheep, the one that graduated at the head of her class, the reliable assistant in Sarah’s department, the cute one with the curves or the guy who knows what to do with computers. When people seldom refer to you by name, but use a nickname or descriptive phrase to identify you to each other, you grow up determined to carve out your own position in the family and in the world, to stand out as your own person and make a name for yourself! Often a child with an aspect between the Angles and the Nodes feels like they need to parent themselves and find their own way in the world. Sometimes they need to rebel against “society”, to attract attention any way they can, simply to be seen for the individual they know they are! Now that you are no longer a child, you know inside (even if you can’t always find a way to express it in the world) that you are special, that you are going to do something wonderful, that you are gifted, talented, smart, able. You feel that people around do not always see you clearly! You are independent, curious, perceptive and determined to do something to “make them sit up and take notice!” And you will. And you do. Synthesis and Synergy, Aspects in Action 157 Aspects to the Nodes from Fixed Stars, Asteroids and Other Sensitive Points Depending on the way the energy of these bodies and points express themselves in your chart, and the strength of the aspects formed between them and your Nodes (a tighter than 2-degree orb is best), you incorporate powerful feelings of a similar nature in your personality. This colors your personal and emotional choices, your personal environment, your belief system, and your sense of well-being and satisfaction with life.

Chapter 8 Transiting Lunar Nodes (a.k.a. “Astrological PacMan”) Our natal Moon gives an indication of the type of feeling nature we are developing during the course of our lifetime. Our individual Moon is a receptor of all our emotional experience. The Lunar Nodes of our Moon are like arms that reach out into our personal Moon’s universe to touch and embrace reality. When human hands and arms touch something, the sensors in our fingers relay knowledge to our brains, where the information is cataloged and filed for future reference. In a similar fashion, Lunar Nodes touch experience and relay the sensation back to our Moon, where the information is stored. Once in storage, these feelings become the wealth of our Moon, its own sense of worth and its treasure of special value. Our Moon guards these treasures and, over the years, will pluck out each memory from time to time, to remind herself of the emotions attached to it: to dust it off, add to a collection, count, evaluate, or merely appreciate. Like human hands with their own special fingerprints, touch, grasp, and sensation, natal Lunar Nodes are intrinsically unchanging. The placement of our personal Lunar Nodes (house, sign, rulership and aspect) is fixed in our natal charts, indicating how we become accustomed to bringing experience to our Moon. The “job” of supplying new experiences and information to our Moon is carried out by the transiting Lunar Nodes. The path they take through the heavens is mirrored in our lives based on the way in which these universal transits affect or impact our individual charts. Chapter 8 159 A cycle of the North Node around Earth (and around our individual charts) takes eighteen and a half years. Each cycle of the Nodes through our charts allows for every possible aspect to be formed between the transiting Nodes and our personal planets, points and North and South Node. During Node transits, we acquire personal information about who we are, what we can expect from our lives and from others, how we handle our experiences, what we think about or believe in, hope for or dream about. Transiting Nodes move slowly through each house of our natal chart, first establishing, then repeating a cycle of interaction with our personal planets, while simultaneously maintaining an ongoing dance with the planets moving in the Zodiac.

Generally we spend the time of the first cycle of the Nodes through our charts in the comfort zone of our South Node. We learn our basic life skills according to “the-way-things-are-supposed-to-be” lessons provided by the people and the environment into which we are born. We may make the occasional effort to stretch and explore the tantalizing energy of our North Node during this time, but usually we are learning and absorbing information about how to best fit into the world that is. During the first four to five years of life, as the transiting Nodes move through the zodiac to square their natal position in the chart, the child is being imprinted with the belief system that will provide a basis for all decisions he or she will make in his or her life. Whatever the parent teaches the child during those years, whatever societal pressures or behaviors are observed by the child, whatever repetitive habit patterns are encouraged during this time will form the basis for his or her future choices and life experience. Transiting Lunar Nodes 160 We can actually watch children being imprinted by their parents and the other important people during those years, and observe how they respond to the training they receive. Parents rarely encourage, and may even strongly discourage the expression of their small child’s North Node energy. The experience of being “parented” (and for that matter, of parenting) is a function of the South Node. The South Node in a chart provides much insight into the dynamics of the family of origin, the kind of messages they gave their children. Everyone’s spiritual instinct is to make life choices that align with the purpose indicated by their North Node. This is the reason we incarnate. Nevertheless, the pull of society is towards safety and conformity—ultimately, survival—and we all need to learn what “safety” is. Our parents don’t encourage us to explore the promise of our North Nodes because they want to keep us safe. Safety was stressed to them as they learned their own life patterns—and most parents will share what they know about life with their children in order to protect them from perceived danger. Between nine and ten years of age the transiting North Node forms a conjunction with our natal South Node and vice versa. This is a time when we begin to be more aware of the society and environment we live in. We start thinking that someday we are going to be adults. We may at this time have a general idea of what we want to be when we grow up; we begin to have a sense of what we are good at (or not so good at). We have learned many basic skills about conforming to the requirements of our family and interacting with other people—both within our own age group and with those older or younger than ourselves. We begin to have our own opinions, and try to find a way to express them in an effort to make an impact on the people around us. Starting in our teens and as we gain more autonomy in our lives, we begin to feel a pull towards expressing our own individuality; we start tentatively exploring the challenge of our North Node. We embark on our journey of separation, first taking small steps Chapter 8 161 to individuate from the structure and role models of childhood, our family of origin. We want to forge our own path. We make choices and take independent action based on what we feel is the special purpose and direction of our own life journey (even though many of us would not be able to define what that is yet). It is important for us to project our “self” onto our world. We take the first tentative steps towards our future, even though our choices are limited by external factors. We still need the support and nurturing of our parents and the other people intent on shaping our lives. While the first cycle of the Nodes through the chart provides lessons in accommodating to the world that existed at birth, the second cycle is devoted to the discovery of self. Many times the way we do this is by rebelling and doing exactly the opposite of what we have been taught is “right” or “expected”. We are testing the theories and accepted norms of our society, the people who have been important in forming our lives to this point. Sometimes I describe the first cycle as the time we “do what they say”. And I describe the second cycle as the time in our lives we find out “what I think and what I say”! During the years between 18/19 and 36, people often describe mixed feelings, sometimes an: “I’ve done this before, so I know how.”, sometimes, “Been there, done that!” or, “I already know what happens next.” or, “Based on what’s happened to me before, I’m going to make these choices or decisions now.” By the time the second cycle draws to an end, we are about 37 years old—and it is at this age we truly begin to live lives that express who we are. About the time of the beginning of our third Node cycle we begin to realize and value what is important to us as individuals. We examine our lives and decide what does or does not matter to us. What are we going to do with the rest of our lives? During this third cycle of the Nodes, we will certainly test everything we have learned about life. Now, the choices we make and the answers we find are of primary importance to us emotionally, to our mind and to our spirit. Transiting Lunar Nodes 162 Between 37 and 55 years of age, people make important choices and decisions based on prior experience, consciously weighing the pro’s and con’s of each one. Or, with maximum self-assurance, they set out on a new route, determined to find satisfaction and success on their own terms. During our third Node cycle we also focus on making our mark on the world. It is important to us to experience emotional satisfaction in our lives, and anything or anyone who is either unwilling to support our personal journey or offer significant emotional sustenance to us will be left behind. We feel that we have something to offer, something only we can share. We have a sense of purpose, a desire to achieve personal success by reaching our goals. We are no longer willing to limit our potential in order to satisfy anyone else’s requirements. We seek to express our spiritual and emotional needs in our own way. By the beginning of our fourth cycle, many of us will either have lost our parents, or have aging ones to take care of as we begin to assume the role of “elder” in our tribe. We have earned the right to now take our position in society, becoming the bedrock upon which future generations will be built. We want others to ask about our lives and experiences. Willingly we share with them the lessons we have learned. It is our time to take on leadership roles in our our families, in our community, in society. And we fulfill our obligations by willingly sharing our wisdom with others any way we can. Exercise: As you follow the progress of the transiting Nodes through your chart (or any chart), study your own personal/emotional growth process from several age perspectives. Transits of the Lunar Nodes impact a little differently with each cycle. Transiting Node Cycle I call it the “PacMan Effect”, the transit of the Lunar Nodes through an individual’s chart. The picture of this happy, energetic little PacMan-combo moving through the 360 degrees of the Chapter 8 163 Zodiac, swallowing up and digesting hundreds of emotional experiences during its 18½ year cycle fills me with a sort of wonder. I am amazed that a single significator can assimilate and coordinate such a variety of expression, giving meaning to the internal life and emotional growth of an individual. Now that you have the picture, let me fine-tune it. When a transiting Lunar Node (North or South) hits your personal significators, know that a “meal” is about to take place. Get ready to identify the issues represented by the planets in your chart. All manner of experiences are about to be “gobbled up” and become valuable additions to your life as a result of your planetary interaction with this transiting PacMan! The inci- dents and encounters you have as a result of each transiting Node contact to planets and significant points in your chart will be relayed back to your own Lunar Nodes and hence to your Moon to be examined for their emotional significance to your life. As well, each time the transiting Node moves from one house to another, from one sign to another, a different “table” is prepared for the hungry little PacMan. Accordingly, your internal barometer (the focus of your emotional attention) shifts to accept the fresh experiences that support the process of personal growth. As Node transits move inexorably through the chart, they indicate the process of major life issues. Each renewed contact to every specific planet and point in our charts brings opportunities to learn from our experience of life on an emotional, feeling level. Wherever you are in terms of your Astrological studies, it is possible to understand a great deal about the process of your life, simply by examining the transits of the Lunar Nodes. The North Node slowly transits the Zodiac and our natal charts, spending a little more than 1½ years in each astrological sign. Depending on the size of the houses in a natal chart, it can spend, on an average, the same amount of time in each house. Whenever I read a chart, I like to check my Ephemeris and see when the Lunar Nodes entered the specific houses of the charts I am studying, and when they can be expected to exit these houses. Then I know Transiting Lunar Nodes 164 the amount of quantifiable time that the transit of the Nodes will indicate “gobbling up” opportunities and experiences in these specific areas of life. Now, during the Node’s transit through each opposite pair of signs in an individual natal chart, aspects from these transiting Nodes will be formed to every significator in the entire chart. Since the South Node is transiting exactly opposite the North Node, it is easy to identify which areas of the chart are being targeted for “dinner” by both, simultaneously. This slow transit provides an opportunity to experience a multitude of emotional issues from the vantage point of the signs and houses the North and South Nodes are transiting as they form their aspects to our planets and other important significators. Exercise: To start, give aspects formed by the Transiting Nodes to the Natal chart’s significators at least a 2- to 3-degree orb on approach. And allow a 1- to 2-degree orb on separation. (If you work with any chart for a while, you will learn how many degrees of orb to allow.) As the transiting Lunar Nodes form any aspect to a personal planet or other significator, identify when an aspect occurred between planet/point and Node previously. Then identify the response/reaction to the emotional stimulus of a Node transit to this planet or point previously. (For example: A square from the North Node to this significator happened 4, almost 5 years ago; the opposition 9, almost 10 years ago; the conjunction 18½ years previously.) With this information as background, now it is possible to project or discern which treasures held by the Moon are about to be lifted out of storage for re-examination and re-evaluation. Later, when the transit is over, all pertinent data will be replaced in the Moon’s treasure chest (her memory bank of emotional experience) for continued safekeeping, refurbished and updated with the recently acquired new information. As the Lunar Nodes transit the signs and houses, forming different aspects to our significators from each, we may react to situations reminiscent of our former experience in new ways. Or, we may choose to react the same way we did to similar stimuli in the past. (Transiting Nodes entering different houses/signs Chapter 8 165 bring different perspectives for emotional response.) Over time, our perceptions can change. This is why, although we may currently be having similar types of experiences to ones we had in the past, they will never quite be/feel the same as their earlier counterparts. And, in a year and a half, or in three years, in nine to ten years (sometime down the road…) our current experience, these feelings, will be memories that have been enhanced by additional nuances of awareness. We will accept a “different” perceived reality than we know right now. Exercise: For the sake of simplicity, let’s focus on the transiting Node as it moves through the individual houses of the natal chart. Have a copy of your own chart in hand, and perhaps one other of someone you know well. Calculate the aspects that will form between the transiting Nodes and your own planets, angles and other significant points, from the houses where the Nodes are currently. Think about what these aspects might bring into your life experience, based on what you know about your past and the circumstances of your life right now. If you need additional insight into the way the transiting Node aspects can express their energy in your life, turn to the previous chapters that describe the way the Nodes express themselves in the specific houses and signs of the Zodiac. For greater insight into the essence of a specific transit, you can also apply the information from the chapters on the Node’s aspects with the Moon, or the Node’s aspects with the planets. Of course, the previous chapters explore natal Node aspects and their effect on our lives as a whole. But, by applying the information in the context of a time-limited transit of ever-changing temporary aspects formed between planet/point and the transiting Nodes, you will add nuance and color to your delineation of emotional and experiential reality. House Transits Let’s follow the Transiting Lunar Nodes on their journey through the Natal horoscope. (Remember, the Nodes move in a clockwise manner, while planets transit counter-clockwise through the chart.) As the Nodes travel through each house axis in our Transiting Lunar Nodes 166 horoscope, they highlight specific areas for our intense emotional focus. We will start our journey at the Ascendant. Keep in mind that from this position, the Nodes are about to enter the 12th and 6th houses. As the Lunar Nodes cross the Ascendant/Descendant line (our personal horizon), our spirits set out like pioneers, ready for a new journey. We feel focused and ready to take on a world of new experiences. We are mindful of everything that isn’t working in our lives, and we want, more than anything, to create a LIFE more to our liking! We feel confident of our ability to do so, sure of our strength. We stretch (figuratively), aware of future possibilities, knowing that we will take advantage of every opportunity to the fullest! The 12th and 6th Houses are, in fact, the most significant ones of the entire Node transit. As the Nodes travel through these two houses, we can most easily and readily assimilate the wisdom and experience they have acquired along their previous 18½ year journey through the Zodiac, and apply the lessons as we plan the next stage of our lives. The information accumulated during the entire cycle is assessed on both an emotional and practical basis during the 12th house/6th house transit. The dreams we have for our lives, the successes and the challenges of the past—all are processed, then stored in our memory banks. Our emotional archives, our personal level of awareness is updated and organized in preparation for the future as the Nodes transit here. As the North Node enters the 12th house, we pull ourselves together, feel our strength, strive for a sense of oneness/wholeness/ awareness on a spiritual level. Now is the time to consider and examine the validity of our goals, evaluate past successes and project the effort required to realize our potential. We sense that it is time to care about ourselves, our body, our mind, our spirit. During the transit of these houses, we are offered many opportunities to help and heal others, and/or to allow (or ask) others to help us. We become conscious of our own inner voice. We dream dreams, listen to our hearts, are aware and proud of being. Unless we allow the pull of the South Node transiting the Chapter 8 167 6th house to distract our energy into taking care of others too much of the time, we will enter the next arena of emotional experience as whole individuals, ready to meet whatever awaits us. As the North Node transits into and through the 11th house we feel a pull from the world outside, a need to be part of a community of others. We willingly communicate our individual wisdom, offering these others the chance to share the knowledge and spiritual fortitude we consolidated during the 12th house/6th house transit. Mentally, spiritually, physically, we intuitively know that we have something to contribute. We sense the excitement of the people around us, generously offering our gifts to the community and to the people who are important to us. We need to join with others, to actively participate in the creation of a “New World”—at the very least, a new world of ideas and goals! It is as if we are awakening all at once to the pulse of life going on all around us. We are excited about ourselves, our ambitions, our dreams, our reason for being here, our sense of spiritual purpose! We form unexpected friendships with new and unusual people. An exciting, almost shocking awareness of our milieu and the people in it infuses our being, fills us with curiosity. We feel love pulsing in our veins, we care about mankind, Mother Earth, the people we work with, our neighborhood, friends, strangers, all creatures great and small. With transiting South Node in the 5th house, a multitude of colorful impressions and exciting people meet us as we shift our focus from the practical responsibilities of the 6th house. We test our creative gifts, our talents, to see how they can be adjusted to provide a base for our new endeavors. Old friends are contacted to see if they still have a valid role in this new phase of our growth. We are distracted by a desire to play, to indulge in all the pleasure life has to offer, even as we are drawn into the intense involvements that signal our growth. As the North Node enters the 10th house and the South Node the 4th house, we become aware that we are responsible for our actions and the choices we make. We can either take charge of our lives, Transiting Lunar Nodes 168 or find responsibilities thrust upon us. Nothing is impossible, we can make things happen, both for ourselves and for those who are important to us! We must stand up for ourselves and we demand that others listen to us. We recognize that we are accountable for expressing ourselves and our talents, so we put an enormous amount of effort into gaining the respect of our peers. We become busy molding our future. The transiting North Node in the 10th house causes us to wonder: How do others see me?, What have I accomplished so far?, Am I being appreciated or recognized for my contributions?, How do the things I do and care about affect my family, my home, my personal goals? and, What kind of foundation am I attempting to build? Simultaneously, the South Node transiting through the 4th house brings all manner of emotional and experiential opportunities to interact with our family of origin. We are reminded of our place in the scheme of things, all of society’s rules, strictures, and expectations. We feel like others treat us like “children” and wonder when we will ever be accepted as “grown-ups” quite capable of living our own lives without the input of “the adults”. Others remind us of all of their expectations we haven’t met yet (we do this to ourselves as well). We feel responsible for those less able than ourselves, obliged to find solutions, provide support (emotional or financial) or security. We feel the pull of our heritage, our roots. Sometimes we face interpersonal issues in our place of employment. We want to feel needed, important. Many times the easiest way to deal with the feelings we are experiencing is to work harder, earn more, provide more and offer more of ourselves to prove how reliable we are. We expect a lot of ourselves, and it is important that others recognize and respect us for the effort we make to succeed. When the Lunar Nodes approach the 10/4 axis, just before entering the 9/3 axis, we identify one or more specific goals, one(s) that will carry us through the storms of the coming years. We want to improve our lives, change the way things are—especially the way we feel about our accomplishments to this point. We recognize that we have focused a great deal of energy on achieving Chapter 8 169 outward success. Now, with the Nodes entering the 9/3 axis, we begin to examine and evaluate what we have accomplished with a more philosophical eye. We are determined to incorporate the existing, intrinsic value of our accomplishments with our growing visionary and spiritual perspective. What is the meaning of life? We want to identify the underlying reasons for the choices we made during the transit of the Lunar Nodes through our 10/4 axis. We judge what level of success we have achieved, both in our personal interactions and in our career or public persona. As the Nodes actually move through the 9th and 3rd houses, we focus on analyzing our current and past efforts and form opinions about self. Where possible, we engage or discuss with others the goals we have been trying to achieve. If, through these conversations, we find we need to learn more in order to augment or consolidate our position, we find a teacher and a way to study. We seek the opinions of others; we ask for additional information from a variety of mentors/teachers. We look outside ourselves, analyzing how others approach and deal with their issues. We become curious about future possibilities, the ideas of others, community leaders, ideologists and public figures. With the help of the transiting 3rd house South Node, we absorb information from our contemporaries. Every topic is open to discussion as we shift focus from the intense pursuit of our own issues to those of the community. We may want to travel to other places. We are interested in strangers, people from different countries, cultures or religious backgrounds. We want to know what others think about all manner of things. We are likely to encounter situations where we need to protect or defend our rights. Perhaps we become involved in legal disputes. Maybe we become politically active. We may connect with older relatives, suddenly curious about where they come from, their philosophy of life and what they have learned from living. Or, we may fall in love with (even marry) someone from a different cultural or intellectual background than our own. As the transit continues, we may begin to teach others. We share what we have Transiting Lunar Nodes 170 learned from experience. By writing, publishing or speaking our thoughts out loud, we teach what we have learned. As the North Node approaches the 8th house and the South Node, the 2nd house of the chart, and during the 8th house/2nd house transit, we turn inward to concentrate on our personal reality. We assess and evaluate the emotional context of our lives, test ourselves and our loved ones. We examine the value of the support system/network we have established, preparing to eliminate anything/anyone that no longer serves our needs. We feel driven to accumulate wealth, establish a power base. We need security—on every level. We determine whether the people we know are trustworthy, dependable, worthy of our continued interest. If we need more in order to complete tasks we have begun, we set about acquiring it! We ponder the concept of truth as we incorporate the ideas we collected during the 9/3 transit of the Nodes. What/Who matters? What/Who would I be willing to sacrifice myself for? Whom can I trust? Suspicious and uncertain of how much we can rely on ourselves or on others, we take action only after weighing the possible outcome. We become cautious, wary of expressing or revealing our secret wishes, thoughts or feelings. Where previously we felt quite confident in our ability to survive and thrive as we met the challenges of living, we now are less trusting of ourselves, of others. We take nothing—especially the things people say—for granted. Our perceptions are heightened, we are intuitive, we pick up “vibrations”, rather than rely on our logic alone. We make harsh judgements, both about ourselves and others. We want intensity and intimacy in personal relationships; we want to experience a deep, emotional connection with others. It’s not enough just to talk about things, we look for a solid, worthwhile and measurable exchange. Often, during this transit, we are reminded of our intuitive or psychic abilities, perhaps we experience déjà vu or other occult phenomena. Issues of life (survival), death, and taxes become immediate. It is likely we face questions or issues from the past Chapter 8 171 that cause us to question our own worth as individuals, or our comparative monetary circumstances. We become more aware of the pleasure that can be found in the little things, realities we have not paid too much attention to for some years—the flowers that bloom, a dazzling blue sky, a silver Moon and stars glittering in a midnight sky, or a walk in the summer rain. We look deep within and seek to understand what makes us tick, to think about what would make us feel safe. As the Nodes approach the 7/1 axis and during their transit of these houses, our focus shifts to personal, one-on-one relationships. Suddenly we are aware of the people in our lives in a very immediate way. And, there are new people to meet! We extend ourselves to establish new relationships. We want to deepen all current bonds and establish new ones, build new networks with potentially significant others. We become willing to do things with and for others, and care about their welfare. With the transiting South Node in the 1st house, we recognize the importance of self in our efforts to achieve balance in our lives, and we by taking time for and care of ourselves on every level. We practice saying NO or YES, expressing our personal needs. In the process of learning a YES or NO lesson, we may find ourselves involved in disagreements, even legal entanglements. We become aware that in order to interact with others, both parties must be willing to negotiate, to give and take. The more closely the Lunar Nodes transit towards the 7/1 axis of the chart, the more intently we focus on the status of our personal relationships. We take a serious look at our co-workers, our friends and acquaintances, the clubs or groups we belong to (and how we feel about the other people in the group). Our significant other comes under a microscope as we, on the outside, seem to simply be going along as usual. We see ourselves in context with others, evaluating the roles we play. If we are not in a relationship, our entire focus may be on finding someone. If we are in one, we are seriously considering whether this relationship is right for us. If we find that any of our relationships are unbalanced, we will make every effort to steady it, but will leave it behind if necessary. We Transiting Lunar Nodes 172 are quite ready to move on to something better if we do not feel appreciated, or if our efforts to change the status quo are not met with success. Many people can either separate, change jobs, move or begin a meaningful relationship at this point. As the Lunar Nodes enter the 6th and 12th houses, our focus shifts once again. Now that we have the relationships we need going forward, we begin to establish new and improved routines and habits. Suddenly conscious of the indefatigable march of time and its effect on our bodies, we begin a personal quest to find the fountain of youth. We become very aware of our age, our appearance, our exercise and fitness habits, our diet and a multitude of issues pertaining to how we live our lives on a daily basis. We want to feel young and capable forever. Our jobs (or lack thereof) command our attention, our routines can take over our lives—and how we notice it! We are assailed from every direction by demands on our time and energy. Everyone offers their suggestions, or asks us for ours, and we return the favor by trying to do everything at once. And, in turn, we generously give others excellent advice (often called nagging) to help them on their way. Trying to be in several places at once, yet needing to find private time, we attempt to organize and sort out unnecessary duties and time-consuming activities. We want our lives to have definition, yet as soon as we attempt to outline the boundaries, we find ourselves faced with the question Why? as we struggle to get organized. It doesn’t help that the South Node in the 12th house is calling us to retreat into ourselves, to sleep, to dream, to avoid anything that might suggest the establishment of a routine. Old family patterns, old arguments, old criticisms constantly come to mind and distract us as we try to prove we can do it all. Even as we become involved in the busy rhythm of our lives and the constant demands on our time, we feel a desire to simply sit and enjoy the life we have already created. After all, we want to enjoy the familiar comforts of living even as we imagine and visualize the possibilities of the future! We must find a creative balance Chapter 8 173 between our inner and outer worlds, so that we can enjoy both the spiritual and the earthly journey. Next, with the transiting Lunar Nodes in the 5/11 axis, we begin to feel that our life has its own momentum and, indeed, is moving forward at lightning speed. There are so many things we want to do! We feel that life is our oyster, we can do anything and all things are possible! We smile at life, feeling as if we were the masters of our Universe. An almost childlike joy bubbles and hums within, urging us to reach out and grab onto the new possibilities. The wonder and excitement of living percolates through our entire system and joy of spirit can hardly wait to burst out (in any way we will allow!). Indeed, we begin to smile at our world and are gratified by the pleasure we share with others when we spend time with them. Certainly new and wonderful opportunities are just around the corner, exciting people suddenly appear on new horizons. It is quite possible that some new, exciting person is suddenly on one of those horizons, if our lives have been lonely. Our sense of fun has returned, or re-surfaced after all of the serious work we have concentrated on doing these past months and years. We want to make a mark on the world, to live the ultimate dream, to experience possibilities, perhaps give life to a child, or bring out the child within us. We want something/someone just for us, something/someone to love. We want to feel passionate. We recognize we have gifts to share with the loved others in our world. We feel a pull to share our feelings with others. We want to meet more people, to join groups who share our common interest. We care about society’s issues. We feel that we are going to, this time, discover the solutions to any and all problems that come to our attention. Politically active? Well, if the people are fun, and the cause is good—why not? We feel pulled between a wish to be “special”, and a wish to be a part of a group of special others. We want to be on a team, to play tennis or volleyball. More than anything we want to feel passionate about our lives, our purpose. As the North Node approaches the 4th house, and during the Nodes’ transit through the angular houses at the base and apex Transiting Lunar Nodes 174 of our charts, we focus on our personal journey through life, remembering lessons from our past. We are reminded that not only are we individuals, we are also members of a group of people we call “family.” We have a cultural heritage, family bonds, responsibilities, house payments, a job that requires our attention, a career to manage, a family that needs our attention (to be fed, if nothing else), and so forth. Reality hits. We examine and analyze our personal environment and the day-to-day life we have established. We understand that we are here to consolidate our own strength and to support those close to us, the people who mean something to us. We test and explore the reasons behind the rules, the expectations and regulations we have learned from our parents and the social group of our youth. (Or, if we have children, we focus on parenting them more consciously.) We focus on the roles we now play in our society. As the North Node transits the IC/MC, we will deal with at least one major issue relating to the way we have structured our own lifestyle. And, if we are not satisfied with the way our lives are going, we will focus on how we would like to structure our lives, or how we would prefer to live. The decisions we make now will follow us through the coming cycle, forming a basis for our lives during the next 18½ years. They will color our emotional and psychological growth experience through the coming years. When the Lunar Nodes enter the 3/9 axis, we are eager once again to connect with other people, to talk about our experiences of the past 4½ years, to find words to express how we feel/think about our progress. Yes, we are curious to hear what others have to say, but we are even more interested to find out what they have to say about us. So we share insights with one another. Some of us may write about our experiences, some of us teach, some of us go on a search for new material to study, and all of us spend time just indulging in lots of small talk. Sometimes it feels like the time of the Node transit through the 4th and 10th houses was so intense, that we now periodically simply need to sit and read a book or watch the television, listening to all of the gossip going on around us (or avoiding conversation in all its forms). In any case we soon feel like a brisk wind is blowing fresh air through our personal life Chapter 8 175 experiences! We feel able to analyze, qualify, quantify, justify. We find that we are glib, that the words we need to express ourselves on almost any subject are just waiting to be spoken. The South Node transiting through the 9th house at this time brings up any insecurities and uncertainty. Maybe we should have paid more attention to the lessons and teachers who have tried to help us? Maybe we need more information? Maybe we should study something, or go back to school? Our minds are curious now about many things. We want new input. We read. We watch television, listen to the radio, spend time on the computer. We become frustrated with the way things are in society. We disagree with the authority figures who expect us to behave in a certain way, or we become angry with political representatives, or with people who are too fond of their own opinions. So we seek like- minded others to affirm us, connecting outward once again into the world of our contemporaries. We make an effort to connect with younger (or older) people, determined to contribute to society, to show them how to improve their lives as we learn from them how they have improved theirs so we can all go forward together. We exchange ideas, listening to everyone’s problems and serving as sounding boards for one another as we familiarize ourselves with all manner of new thoughts. They may not be related to us by blood, but even so, they are our brothers and sisters, and we care about what is happening to them—both the neighbor who is on our doorstep or the one who is half a world away. As the Lunar Nodes move into the 2/8 axis, we concentrate on what we feel is lacking, what we need or want. We focus on keeping our stuff and our lives secure! We wonder whether we care what others think of us. We ask ourselves what we are worth to others, and what they may be willing to give us or do for us. We concentrate our attention on our personal system of values and test the absolutes we have established previously. We know we want more of everything important to us, more respect, more possessions, more friends, a nicer home, a better job, a more respectable title, a better lover, friendlier neighbors, a prettier face, Transiting Lunar Nodes 176 more time, etc. We are not as willing to give things away, neither material things nor our advice. We ask ourselves constantly if we are appreciated or if we are receiving value for our time and abilities as well as for our money! What am I worth? is the big question we hardly dare ask ourselves or others. We face the issues of our childhood, memories of when we “weren’t good enough” or “didn’t try hard enough”, and all of the other “enoughs”. We wonder if we deserve to take time and money to do the things we want to do or to simply relax and do nothing. We rediscover our appreciation of the fine arts, the beauty of nature, interior design, music, fashion and all of the things that are important to us. We think about the qualities, gifts, talents or abilities we admire in others and about how we would like to incorporate activities or people into our own life. At some point during this transit we become very clear about what is really important to us. Then, finally the Nodes enter thest 1 and 7th houses. (Remember that the Lunar Nodes move in a clockwise fashion through the Zodiac, so this is their “12th house”, the end of their cycle.) Their transit through these angular houses brings opportunities to remember the important times of the now-ending personal cycle. We flash on the important people and times, people and times that had an impact on our our personal growth over the past 18½ years. We are contemplative, evaluating the growth of SELF in relation to all of the emotional input and personal experience gleaned during the entire transiting Node cycle. In a way, we will spend quite a bit of time during this house transit imagining the future, thinking about the things we wished we had done (or not done, as the case may be). We examine our lives, our own process intently. Off and on we try out for the role of “Napoleon” in our own life drama. We ask ourselves, What do I like?, Which people do I want in my life?, What are they doing to enrich my experience?, Why am I putting up with this? and exclaim from time to time, No more of that! Chapter 8 177 The most important lesson of this transit is that we realize, affirm and acknowledge, I am an important person. Listen to me! Listen to what I have to say! I matter, and I contribute to us. Having spent the previous several years transforming our emotional selves and consolidating a position in our world, we now take time to care for ourselves (body, mind and spirit). Whether during quiet moments of contemplation, or in the midst of our daily grind, we find ourselves focusing on what life means to us, what the purpose and process of the journey might be. And we begin to imagine our future as we focus on the rest of our lives. Transiting Node to Natal Planets and Planetary Transits to Natal Nodes As the planets transit through the Zodiac and form aspects to the significators in our personal charts, “happenings” occur. For instance, a Saturn transit brings us practical lessons. We may be offered a promotion, a new job, get married, find a new home, or take on new responsibilities. These are all possible Saturn lessons. As Saturn brings our lessons, how we decide to feel about them is indicated by the location of our natal Lunar Nodes, and also, to a large extent, by aspects the transiting Lunar Nodes are currently making in our charts. Planetary activity goes on between our natal charts and the transiting energies in the Zodiac all the time. Transiting Sun shows how our ego is developing into the particular individual we may become. Mercury transits indicate how we express our thinking, how we will best deal with the mundane realities of life, communicating and connecting with a variety of information and other people. Venus transits trigger how we will deal with monetary issues, our sense of self-worth/value or interpersonal issues. Mars transits bring opportunities and challenges resulting in activity. These test our willingness to take action in pursuit of our goals. Jupiter transits offer opportunities to explore, to expand—our lives, our families, our beliefs, our understanding, etc. Transiting Saturn brings lessons of discipline and structure. Transiting Lunar Nodes 178 Uranus suddenly brings a little “spice” into our lives by providing a chance to meet the unexpected, whether an unusual idea, person, opportunity or a challenge. Neptune gives us an opportunity to dream, visualize possibilities and expand our awareness. Pluto slowly brings subconscious perceptions to the surface, causing us to deal with important issues in our lives, giving us the impetus to change, transform, re-create ourselves and our vision of the world. The Lunar Nodes, transiting through our charts, identify the area of life we are presently working on emotionally to integrate all of these various experiences and issues. Transiting planets bring experience. The Lunar Nodes, transiting in the opposite direction, “gobble up” the experiences, feed information to the Moon via the aspects they form with her directly, with natal Lunar Nodes, and via our personal emotional network of planets and other sensitive points in the chart. All of the transiting Node contacts provide a multitude of impressions. The impetus of the transits cause the Moon to test, accept, reject and process, to digest and assimilate life experience into the body of knowledge that makes up her (and your) idea of the world, the basis of what it means to be YOU. The Lunar Nodes move slowly, cycling around the natal chart every 18½ years. Each of us will have a variety of opportunities to grow into every experience. Let us say that you are experiencing a Mars transit through your 6th house, approaching your 7th house cusp. You lose your job when Mars squares your natal Saturn in the 10th house, and are forced to look for a new job. You find one quickly as Mars moves into your 7th house and begin working. You meet new people, handle new duties, establish a new routine for your days, travel new routes to and from work and create a budget based on your new salary. Now, let us say that at the time you are fired, the North Node of the Moon is transiting your 10th house, not yet in orb of Saturn (the South Node is transiting your 4th house). As transiting North Node in your 10th house approaches natal Saturn (the exact point sensitized by the earlier Mars square Saturn hit), you are most probably beginning to feel, after all, the job change has been for Chapter 8 179 the best. You now have a better job, offering growth and expansion in the area of your career, stimulating people to work with, more responsibility, and a good income. Simultaneously, transiting South Node in the 4th house (opposite Saturn) may be bringing you the feeling that, although you now have your career on track, possibly you don’t have as much time as you would like to spend with your family. You are putting more effort and time into the new job than you did with the old one. By the time the transiting Nodes pass out of orb of your Saturn, you have assimilated the whole experience. Your Moon has been busy processing all of the varied input she received via natal Saturn from both transiting North and South Nodes. Your Moon has now been provided with additional information about what can happen when you are fired, when you have to find a new job, and meet new challenges on a personal and career level. She has created a feeling, one she will store as carefully as she does all of the emotional treasures (memories) she keeps in her memory bank. Should you ever have a similar experience in the future, your Moon would retrieve this current experience, examine it, and expect to have good luck finding another job, simultaneously expecting that the new job might cause emotional conflict or stress in family relationships. Or, same transit, same chart, you are fired from your job and now need to find a new one. How will you react? You probably would not consciously have chosen to leave your job. The transit would normally increase your sense of responsibility to the company and your co-workers, and you most likely also have security issues relative to your personal financial responsibilities. Your response to the situation might be that you feel utterly miserable about the loss of stability and the necessity of having to find a new job. You can’t stop thinking that poverty is just around the corner and wondering, “How am I going to pay the bills?” Actually, when the Nodes transit the planets in your natal chart, or when planetary transits aspect your Nodes, YOU get to decide how to feel about any given “happening”! Transiting Lunar Nodes 180 By the time the first transiting Node aspects occur following an event, you will have assimilated many of the lessons connected to the experience (in the example above, the loss of your job), and you will have figured out how to deal with the situation from an emotional perspective. Your Moon will have compiled a sufficient amount of life experience information from the process itself, and stored a sufficient amount of emotional context, that should a similar situation occur in the future, you will have the tools to handle it. Where transiting Mars, in the above example, squared Saturn and brought the lesson/experience, the transiting Lunar Nodes facilitated the capacity to feel whatever was felt about what was going on. Depending on the timing of events and the transits of the Nodes in individual charts, some people may avoid feeling their response to an event for a time, but the Lunar Nodes will eventually transit to aspect the point in their chart where an experience was triggered, “gobble up” the dot, feed the information into the chart’s network, thence to the Moon. A feeling (opinion/ judgement/assessment) will be the result of the process. How or why we feel a certain way about a situation is indicated by current Node transits. In the examples above, a full process of experiences will ultimately lead to an understanding of the ramifications of the situation on an emotional level. We make a preliminary assessment of the results of our process as soon as the transiting North Node makes its first aspect to the same point the transiting planet did when the event occurred. (In the example above, the Transiting Node conjunction is formed with natal Saturn in the 10th house.) But, even then, we may not be entirely clear about our emotional response to the situation. We might have entirely different feelings about a whole experience when the transiting North Node separates from the aspect, or when it makes its next aspect to the point, a semi-sextile eighteen months later, or when it sextiles the sensitive point three years later! Our emotions evolve as the transiting Node brings us new information. Chapter 8 181 We can begin to feel the influence of a transit of the Lunar Nodes when they are as much as 3-4 degrees distant from a natal planet or angle. The energy of the Lunar Nodes may continue for up to 2 degrees as they separate from the transit. Then our attention begins to shift focus towards the next planet, angle, point, or house cusp aspect to be formed. Sometimes the influence of the transiting Lunar Nodes can be felt when they aspect a slow- moving, transiting planet—especially if that slow-moving planet is forming an aspect to the natal chart. North Node transits and aspects engender the I should (sometimes the I’d like to or I want to) feeling. South Node transits bring a familiar awareness, “This feels familiar, I know what to do.” Miscellaneous *** Mean Node or True Node? In my studies, I have calculated both Mean and True Node charts and transits. I find for some people, one or the other will more clearly illuminate their process of emotional growth and signal significant life experience. When I can ascertain a difference, I will continue using the Node that is more accurate for the individual. I always suggest that students of the Nodes check both Mean and True Nodes for their own and other’s charts as they start out, and compare at least 10-15 significant life experiences using both Nodes; to only then draw their own conclusions as to which method proves most useful. Transiting Nodes indicate process, and a process of growth may be ongoing over a period of weeks, months, even years at times. I recommend using an ephemeris to follow the transits of the Nodes. Transiting Nodes can trigger events. And they can be used to track life-changing process. (An observer who sees an event might think it happened all of a sudden, but any event is ultimately the culmination of a process started some time ago.) In the Appendix, you will find the At-A-Glance Node Ephemeris listing the True Node position on the 1st day of each month. This is a useful table, and can serve as an overview of the movement of the Lunar Nodes in transit. Transiting Lunar Nodes 182 The charts in the next chapter are chosen to illustrate another important consideration. When a True Node calculation shows the Natal North Node at 0 degrees, always calculate again, using the Mean Nodes. If the Mean Node is in late degrees of the “next” sign, use the Mean Node for the purposes of studying the chart. A Node at 0 Gemini, for instance, is both Gemini and Taurus in essence, while a Node at 29 Taurus and some minutes has purely a Taurus essence. When a Node’s method of calculation can make a difference to the astrologer’s delineation, I recommend using the highest degree Node. *** What do I want in my life?, What really matters?, Why am I here?, What does it all mean? These are the big questions. There are three times during the cycle of the transiting Nodes when the answer is clear. First, identify the last time the North Node was transiting your 1st house; remember what felt important to you then (yearnings, thoughts or feelings about what you wanted, or how you hoped your life would be). That was the year and a half you made plans, formed ideas, established the ground rules for creating the life you wanted for yourself. Second, think about the issues that presented themselves for your consideration as the transiting Lunar Nodes moved through the 30 degrees of the Zodiac prior to your most recent Node Return. Ask yourself a series of similar questions about your inner ideals/ thoughts/hopes during that time. Then ask yourself, “How have I gone about getting what I wanted since that time?” (You can study your progress as you evaluate the transits of the Nodes through the the houses they traversed to the present.) Third, identify when the transiting North Node was conjunct your Natal South Node and the transiting South Node conjunct your Natal North Node. At the time when the Nodes are “flipped”, a time of clarity occurs, and you know exactly what your purpose is! You know exactly what needs to be changed in order for you to feel fulfilled, pleased with the progress of your journey. Chapter 8 183 Many times, unfortunately, we find ways to ignore our feelings, to placate our fear of change by continuing along a comfortable, established path. We manage to ignore the impulses we feel. After all, thinking “How can I be sure?” and/or, “It will all work out OK in the end!” and/or, “Better to go with the flow..” are easier ways to manage our feelings. It takes great courage to admit the need for change struggling to be acknowledged. It takes even more to accept that some of our past choices may not have been in our own best interest, and that the action we must take now will certainly be risky. These are times when we can, if we allow ourselves to do so, observe ourselves clearly. We can make necessary shifts to align with our higher self, to create harmony in our lives, to lift our earthly journey to a spiritual level. *** To gain more insight into the effect of the transiting Nodes, refer to the previous chapters with their definitions of the Nodes in the various signs and houses, in aspect to the Moon and the planets. Though the earlier chapters delineate from the perspective of the natal chart, this can be modified to reflect the transit energy. Obviously any transit, potent while it is in effect, is time-limited. *** When delineating the transit of the Nodes through an axis in the horoscope (an angle, or any other two opposite houses), take into considereration first and foremost the houses involved. Think about the sign on the cusps through which the Nodes enter the axis, then consider the signs through which the Nodes transit as they move through these houses. Finally, think about the aspects that will be formed to the natal planets, natal Nodes, Moon and other significant points in the chart during this Node transit. (It is always interesting to calculate the order in which these points will receive the transiting Nodes’ message.) Another interesting exercise is to make an overview, a timeline (using an Ephemeris), as a kind of personal calendar. A good time to do this is as the Nodes approach a new house axis in the chart. *** In spite of any crisis or intense activity going on in someone’s life or psyche as the Nodes transit an axis of the chart, seemingly from the first moment the Nodes enter the new houses, people Transiting Lunar Nodes 184 feel a significant shift towards the new energy and a different focus. Most often the shift is heralded by some signi-ficant event or someone new entering their lives. This new experience gives an immediate awareness of the emotional/spiritual issues that will become the focal points for personal growth during the Nodes’ transit of the new houses. *** It is interesting to work with Nodes in Secondary Progressions, Solar Arc Directions or Tertiary Progressions. These can be quite illuminating when included in an overall examination of the the chart. If you use Progressions, keep in mind the motion of the progressed house cusps as well. The closer the Node comes to the cusp of the progressed houses it will enter, the more intensely people feel the energy of the lessons of the houses the Node is getting ready to leave. This is particularly noticeable in the case of natal house cusps, but also progressed/directed ones. Secondary Progressed significators indicate the way we are assimilating the life information we receive, according to our individual process. Since this assimilation is personal and often emotional in context, when transiting Lunar Nodes form aspects to Secondary Progressed significators (planets, sensitive points, angles and house cusps), we are going to gain needed under- standing of our individual growth pattern. Allow a single degree of orb on approach to a Secondary Progressed indicator, and half a degree of orb on separation. Solar Arc Directed aspects to natal significators signal exter-nal experience, the impact that people and circumstance have on our lives on a temporary (but currently ongoing) basis. They indicate when, where and how a collision with external experience will impact the patterns of our current reality. When Lunar Nodes form an aspect with one of these significators (planets, sensitive points, angles and house cusps), we can clearly see the potential/ opportunity for personal growth due to an emotionally challeng- ing experience facilitated by another person or event. Allow the transiting Nodes 1 degree of orb on approach to a Solar Arc Progressed indicator, and half a degree of orb on separation. Chapter 8 185 *** Consider any slow-moving planetary transits affecting significators in the personal chart (Natal, Secondary Progressed and Solar Arc Directed). Slower moving Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto transits to our personal charts are especially significant. Aspects from these transiting planets often indicate a lesson is about to be (or is already being) learned. If the Transiting Nodes simultaneously form a connection with these transiting slower-moving planets, the impact of the transit will be much more important to your life experience as a whole, because of the complexity of the lessons you are learning. The emotional basis created as a result of this transit combination will impact not only the current circumstances, but also future behavior and choices. *** Consider any Eclipse points (Lunar or Solar) that formed a conjunction, opposition or square to one of your personal significators in the past 6 even 12-month period. If one of your planets or significators was “eclipsed”, the aspect of your life indicated by that transit is likely already in the midst of a transformation. When the transiting Lunar Nodes approach this eclipsed point, the ongoing experience and process is likely to intensify, taking on an emotional/spiritual flavor. The choices you make as a result of this combination of factors, the activities you are engaged in, the people who are involved—all are likely to have a long-term impact on your life. *** Finally, check to see whether you have a planetary configuration in your chart or a stellium about to be “gobbled” as a result of an approaching or ongoing transit of the transiting Lunar Node “PacMan”. This suggests a series of life-changing experiences (challenges and opportunities) which are likely to cause a shift in current awareness, your personal environment and relationships. Allow 2 to 3 degrees of orb when the Nodes are on approach to the first aspect formed, and half as many on separation from the last planet/point of such a configuration. Chapter 9 Keys to Life Experience It’s interesting to ponder the meaning of the concept “life experience”. We spend so much time focused on purely mundane activities like cooking, eating, drinking, doing chores, shopping, sleeping—busy simply maintaining the habits and routines necessary to support our physical requirements. And we focus so much attention on our work, careers and relationships in order to ensure our personal survival. Yet, for all of the time we spend on the day-to-day activities and whatever our age, each of us can look back over the years we have spent on Earth and feel we have had a perfectly singular life experience. Certain times or memories will stand out as particularly significant—and they are, because they are the only memories of their kind in our personal experience. What makes certain series of experiences significant, memorable? What criteria can we identify or explore in our effort to determine when something important to the journey of the soul is going to occur in the life of an individual? Each of us has sharply defined images of our personal reality, of people, circumstances, choices we have made, times we identify as the turning points in our journey where we can clearly identify the difference between the way life was before the action/person/event became part of our life experience, and the way we feel afterwards. From an astrological perspective, we know several factors combine when such an experience occurs. At the very least a combination of progressions or directions and transits to the natal chart has simultaneously triggered a specific experience. Or, the impact of another person’s planetary autograph has made an emotional imprint as it contacts and connects with our own. The most Chapter 9 187 significant celestial and human impact is compounded when the Lunar Nodes are part of the equation. Each of us could make a personal list of the extraordinary experiences we have encountered in our lifetimes. For many of us the list would comprise numerous pages in a personal “life journal”. Still, not all of these recorded memories will have had the same level of impact on our psyche, our emotions, ourselves as embodied souls. We have created our unique story, our goals and the way we feel in our lives (and in our bodies) based on just a few of these events. Any reminder of these very significant life experiences instantly invokes feelings of awareness on all levels of our being. These are the truly significant moments of our lives, the ones that make us the individuals we are. These are the memories we invoke when our hearts and our spirits reach out to understand or learn from the past, or to love and to create magic in our lives now or for the future. We can expect to see examples of important life-changing events occur at the time the transiting Lunar Nodes travel to complete their full cycle in the Zodiac. (A completed cycle occurs when the transiting Lunar Nodes return to the exact degree and minute of their position in the natal chart. This is also known as a “Lunar Node Return,” or a “Node Return”.) All during the transit journey of the Nodes through your personal natal chart, as each aspect forms between the transiting Nodes and planets, house cusps, angles, or other significant points in the chart, opportunities for significant life experiences are indicated. The timeframe for the process is the equivalent of the number of days it will take for the Node to transit 3 degrees on approach to the significator, and 1½ degrees on separation. The process is much like what happens with the production of a movie, a documentary or a television show. First, as the Node enters the zone of orb, we are introduced to the script. Then we begin to think, act and interact with the people and situations Keys to Life Experience 188 that present themselves. We test and practice different modes of expression as we explore a variety of feelings and emotions. Finally, all of the parts of the experience are brought together and edited for content. The important scenes, words, and actions and interactions become part of the continuing drama of our lives. However, all of the “clips”, even those that are not at this time going to be actively incorporated into daily life, are filed and stored for future reference. The timing is a little longer, and the process more intense, during a Lunar Node Return. People usually begin to feel/sense the issues and opportunities several months in advance as the transiting Node approaches the Natal Lunar Node position to complete a full Zodiac cycle. For most of us, this Return will represent the culmination of a process we have consciously been working on in a particular area of our personal growth for at least three years, possibly much longer. Sometimes it is hard to pinpoint specific happenings in the process, to identify exactly when we become aware that our lives are going to be “different” as a result of the feelings we experience and the actions we take along the way. This is because we are living the process, not the conclusion of it. Then, around the time of the Lunar Node Return, everything falls into place, and we find ourselves pursuing a different course in one or more areas of our life! To others it may seem that we have suddenly changed direction, but we know we have been preparing for the new adventure for some time. It is often easier to observe the Node cycle’s culminating energy when we retroactively take a look at our own (or someone else’s) life process. Then we are able to more clearly see the life-changing progress that was going on; the series of experiences that indicate the type of life we (and they) are shaping. Technically, the Lunar Node Return’s learning process begins triggering unforgettable life-changing experiences from as early as 5-7 degrees on approach. Sometimes the process of growth Chapter 9 189 continues for just as many degrees again, as the transiting Node separates from the natal Node and continues on its next cycle. From an esoteric perspective, this Lunar Node Return timeframe is when, on an internal, spiritual level, we are reminded of the purpose of our life journey. We feel an urgency to follow our own inner guidance. We listen to the little voice inside and take steps to fulfill our own expectations of ourselves. This is often a time when we feel the pull of our destiny, and lay out new guidelines for our future. Exercise: The easiest way to study your process is to examine your own life, to track the significant life experiences that make you the special person you have become. (It is also a good idea to work with a few charts of people you know well to help you gain perspective.) In your own chart, you can study the process taking place on both an internal and external level as the celestial Node transits to the exact degree of the Natal Node. Observing and monitoring the process helps to clearly identify the choices, circumstances or people that will be a part of the future. Good questions to ask at the time of any Node transit to your chart (and especially a Node Return) are: How am I doing in my life? How do I feel about my career, my home, the life I have created, my family and personal relationships, my relationship with Spirit? Am I doing the best I can? Am I following my path?, and, Am I the best person I can be? What do I feel about myself and my choices at this point? and, What do I want in my future? The changes that take place in our minds and hearts always signify an important, intense self-awareness. With each transiting Lunar Node aspect, we grow in self-awareness and incorporate new life experiences. But something in ourselves and about the goals we have for our lives will be significantly different after each Lunar Node Return. We will have gone through a life-changing experience, and made some important life choice or life decision. Keys to Life Experience 190 Transiting Lunar Nodes Delineation: Arnold Schwarzenegger It is initially a little easier to study the process through someone else’s chart, so let us do so. Following are two charts, one of them that of the current Governor of the State of California, and the other, his wife Maria Shriver. You will find their natal charts on pages 206 and 207: Arnold Schwarzenegger is one of the most extraordinary men of our times. Born the younger son of a policeman and his wife in a tiny village in Austria, as a young boy he dreamed of finding opportunity, fame and fortune; he even wanted a beautiful princess of his own to wed one day. At a very young age he realized that he would have to leave the life he knew and the people he cared for behind him if he wanted to experience the reality of his dreams coming true. He read about other Europeans from similar backgrounds to his own finding success in America, so that was the place to go to make his fortune. He would need to find a way to get to the United States! He thought that one way he could make his dreams happen would be by changing his appearance, gaining strength and improving his image through bodybuilding. And he knew that movie stars seemed to make a lot of money; so he needed to become one of them as well! He knew that no one in his family or his small community would be able to help him achieve these goals, he alone would have to find a way. And he did it! His story is the epitome of immigrant adventurer, the “rags to riches” pursuit of the American dream come true. We are going to explore some of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s life experiences by tracking a few of the transits of the Lunar Nodes through his chart. We begin our study with the date, October 1, 1965. This was the day young Arnold Schwarzenegger joined the military as was required of healthy, young Austrian men at the time. For several years he had made every effort to build up his physique in the hopes of becoming a successful bodybuilder, in spite of receiving little support and less encouragement from Chapter 9 191

Mean Node

© Matrix Software 1977-2004 Keys to Life Experience 192

True Node True

© Matrix Software 1977-2004 Chapter 9 193 other members of his family. Few in his immediate circle that October day knew that he had previously sent in his application to participate in the Junior Mr. Europe Bodybuilding Competition, which was scheduled to take place just a month later. It turned out that he couldn’t get leave from military service to attend the contest. Determined to follow his dream, he went AWOL in order to travel to Stuttgart and compete in his first contest. His determination was rewarded, and he won the title. After the competition, Arnold returned to his post and, amazingly, was allowed to return to his obligations and complete his military service! Having taken his fate in his own hands, taken a chance with his superiors in the military (and been allowed to complete his service), gave him an enormous belief in his ability to pursue his life purpose—no matter what. This became a defining moment in his life, and set the course for his future success, fame and fortune. Using your Ephemeris or the At-A-Glance Node Ephemeris in the Appendix of this book, look up the October 1, 1965 date. You will see the North Node at 6 28. By November 1965, at the time he won the title, the Node had moved to 459. Arnold Schwarzenegger was experiencing his first Lunar Node Return. Later, in 1966, with the Lunar North Node transiting over his natal Node at 2902 and on into the late degrees of Taurus, he earned another bodybuilding title, Mr. Europe. He went on to win his first Mr. Universe title in 1967—a win that finally brought him the opportunity to come to the United States. These were really important steps on the road to reaching his goals, and fulfilling his dreams for his future. During the time of a Lunar Node Return (calculated from 5-7 degrees on approach, including the exact conjunction, and the 5-7 degrees of separation), we are particularly likely to be offered opportunities that will lead us along the path we are meant to follow in this life. Circumstances, people, choices— all come to us, and all we have to do is to reach out and accept the challenges, in order to receive the rewards intrinsic to our North Node. Keys to Life Experience 194 Now followed years of continuing success for young Mr. Schwarzenegger. He worked in the bodybuilding industry in Austria for several years and focused on winning more bodybuilding titles. Finally, opportunity in the guise of a new title (and with the help of contacts he made with influential sponsors over these years) led to his moving to the United States. This all happened as the transiting Node moved through his 10th house and crossed his Midheaven, then continued into his 9th house. He established himself in his new homeland, continuing his bodybuilding, while concentrating in earnest on exploring the world of business and studying the English language. He graduated from University with a Bachelor’s Degree in business, continuing to apply himself to achieving his goals. In 1977, with the transiting Node in Libra, trine his Gemini Mars and Uranus, and square his Ascendant, several exciting opportunities opened up for him. He received some really widespread media coverage. He posed for magazines, appeared in a movie about bodybuilding (Pumping Iron) as himself, and—very important—he met his future bride, Maria Shriver (transiting Lunar North Node conjunct her Mars). The transiting Node always brings significant life-changing opportunities as it moves through the angular houses of a chart. In 1982, with the North Node transiting through his 1st house to conjunct his Sun, Venus and Ascendant/Mercury conjunction, his film career took off. He was chosen to play the lead role in the production of Conan the Barbarian. He was becoming well known both within the film industry, and generally as a successful businessman and investor. On September 16, 1984, in the midst of Arnold’s second Lunar Node Return, the time had come for him to take the extremely emotionally fulfilling step of becoming a citizen of the United States. This step gave substance to the boyhood dream he determinedly pursued most of his life to this point. It was a major achievement for him, a culmination of many of his childhood goals. He was definitely on his way to becoming the embodiment Chapter 9 195 of the American Dream (and of his own dreams). After all, he first came to America with less than $20 in his pocket! He had remained focused on achieving his goals, begun to build his fortune, to become famous. He became a naturalized citizen during his second Lunar Node Return with the Transiting Mean Node at 29 Taurus 38 (True Node at 0 47), minutes away from the natal North Node position in his 11th house. During the same Lunar Node Return timeframe, slightly more than a month later on October 24th, he landed in the spotlight all over the country (and soon, the world) as his newest movie was well received by the public. Overnight, he realized overwhelming career success and impressive financial rewards for his role as a robot from the future in the first of a series of movies, The Terminator. We are going to leap ahead, to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s third Lunar Node Return. But before we do that, let’s take a closer look at his natal chart. One very important consideration, as we attempt to describe a life experience from an astrological perspective, is to try and understand the way an individual Moon might perceive reality. What kind of emotions or feelings might the Moon have about a particular experience? The transiting Lunar Nodes bring a plethora of possible life experiences to each Moon. Each of us chooses our opportunities from what we perceive being offered to us. We try to select the “right” kind of offerings for our Moon, ones that will provide her with the emotional sustenance she needs. The type of emotional sustenance each Moon needs in order to feel satisfied with her life is suggested both by her location in the natal chart and by the aspects she makes to her Nodes and the other planets/points in the chart. Arnold’s Moon is in the sign of Capricorn in the 6th house, Virgo’s natural house. This indicates that his Moon needs to feel respected, appreciated for her service to others. This Moon needs to feel that her routines and environment support physical, career and social success, all leading to recognition and acknowledgment, i.e., respect. Keys to Life Experience 196 Generally, people with a Capricorn Moon thrive as they strive to achieve success and attain a position of authority in the community in which they live, and/or a position of respect among the people who share their professional and personal goals. Arnold’s 6th house Moon placement indicates that comfort, pleasure and emotional satisfaction can be derived from physical activities and attention to diet and health. Obviously, these two factors alone have been satisfied by the overall life choices Arnold Schwarzenegger has made, particularly his successful pursuits in the bodybuilding arena! The 1st house of any chart suggests the active and dynamic underlying energy of the individual’s life force. Aries is the natural sign of the 1st house, and Mars its natural ruler. The innate expression of the house pertains to: “I” and “me”. With Cancer rising, Arnold’s Capricorn Moon in the 6th house becomes the Chart Ruler. It helps define the focus of his intense energy and determination to succeed in the world, to rise to the top of any profession he chooses, to seek success and recognition from others as he single-mindedly pursues his goals. Arnold’s Sun in Leo in the 1st house gives an indication of his extraordinary life force, and his desire to shine, to be the STAR in his life, to receive the recognition, even adulation of others. People who have met him describe him as someone who radiates energy, who is a natural leader, who is fun to be around, dynamic, charming, intelligent with a sense of humor, hard-working and determined, and most of all, focused. In these descriptions, we can identify his complex 1st house energy: Mercury on the Ascendant in Cancer (ruled by the Capricorn Moon), Venus in Cancer (ruled by the Capricorn Moon; Venus is the ruler of his North Node in Taurus) and the Sun in Leo (conjunct the 2nd house Saturn and Pluto). The Moon and Sun in his chart form an inconjunct aspect. This suggests that Arnold has had to make quite a few personal adjustments in his life as he chooses between what he must do to survive, and what he might like to do with his time and energy. Chapter 9 197 For instance, the Capricorn Moon might prefer to be completely involved in the pursuit of financial success and power (Saturn, ruler of the Moon, in the 2nd house, conjunct Pluto, both in Leo and both ruled by the Sun). The Moon might prefer that Arnold focus on pursuing the career path of a financier, investment banker, property magnate, corporate leader, etc. However, the Leo Sun in the 1st house needs to be recognized by all as a King in his own realm. Earning his “crowns”, the titles of Mr. Europe, Mr. World, Mr. Universe and becoming a movie star—these are certainly very pleasing to the Leo, 1st house Sun aspect of his personality. The Moon receives other, more emotionally based input via her North and South Nodes. In Arnold’s chart, the Nodes form the inconjunct/semisextile aspect with his Moon. The Taurus North Node indicates that on an emotional level, it is important that he be wanted, loved, cherished, cared about, just for being himself. He needs to be respected, to have others support him and to appreciate his gifts and talents. Many times in this day and age, money is the measure used to show the world how much we are appreciated. Even as a very young person, Arnold knew that he needed to make (and have) lots of his own money, because that would be the proof of his success. Also, with the North Node in Taurus, he needs to experience comfort and security on a daily, purely mundane level. The Taurus North Node/Scorpio South Node indicates that Arnold Schwarzenegger really, more than anything, wants to be admired and rewarded for his own efforts—and that he enjoys making an effort! After all, rewards of every kind reflect his strength, tenacity and determination! The inconjunct aspect between the Moon and her North Node in this chart, suggests continual, sporadic stress between two ways of perceiving or comprehending reality, two ideals, two modes of behavior, two vastly different perceptions of the same personal experience. The stress of this aspect is not constant, so it creates Keys to Life Experience 198 discomfort because the Moon is uncertain or unable to project a likely result from her efforts to create a comfortable lifestyle based on the physical expenditure of her energy. She constantly is aware that some irritating, life-changing experience might occur that turns her comfortable, mundane world upside-down. Arnold’s Moon is the focal point of two inconjunct aspects, one from the Sun and the other from the North Node. This is an extremely uncomfortable situation for her (the yod)! The chart shows no really comfortable aspect to the Moon, so her job in life is to make choices for happiness and satisfaction based on accepting an unending diet of physical demands, emotional stress and uncertainty, ambition, stressful goals attained as a result of determination and hard work. These feelings, emotions, experiences provide innumerable challenges to the Moon in Capricorn as she seeks a way to feel “comfortable” in her world. How does Arnold deal with the dichotomy of the struggle between his internal, emotional needs and the outward demands of a busy career and successful personal life? Well, he focuses on pursuing career opportunities that bring him recognition, fame and personal satisfaction for his physical, daily efforts. He builds his financial empire to ensure that he will be safe and comfortable no matter what career choices he makes. And he surrounds himself, selectively, with people who care about and for him. It is usually possible to observe the activities and happenings going on in a person’s life around the time of the closing semi- sextile of the Transiting Lunar Nodes to their Natal positions, and draw some conclusions about what type of life experience or life choices are about to occur during the Lunar Node Return. So, as we now look at Arnold Schwarzenegger’s third Node Return, let us examine the types of things going on in his life as the transiting Nodes moved closer to their third Return (the beginning of their fourth cycle in his chart.) We will look back as far as the time when the transiting Nodes were conjunct Arnold’s Leo Sun in the 1st house. At that time he Chapter 9 199 gave an interview to Talk magazine where he admited that he wanted to run for Governor of California. In that interview, he said, “Oh yeah, I think about it many times. . . . The possibility is there because I feel it inside.” In April, 2001, with the Nodes transiting his 12th house in the early degrees of the sign of Cancer, he met with Bush political advisers to discuss whether he should run for Governor of the State of California in 2002, and decided that he would not do so. Life goes on. Between February 4, and May 6, 2003, the Transiting Nodes entered the zone (5-7 degrees on approach) that activates Arnold Schwarzenegger’s own Natal Nodes. On February 4th, California’s Governor Gray Davis was informed that the people were organizing with the intention to try and recall him, and by May 6th, the recall effort began in earnest. May, June, and into July, with the Nodes exactly conjunct his own and in the midst of his third Lunar Node Return, Arnold was busy preparing for the release of the third film in his Terminator series. During this time, with the production and release of his movie being the necessary focus, Arnold had surely been considering the possibility of running for Governor of the State of California. And, he was probably also discussing the possibility with his wife. (In other words, we can probably assume that the yod between Sun/North Node/Moon was fully activated!) On August 3rd, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines was released. And on August 6th, Arnold Schwarzenegger was on Jay Leno’s Tonight Show, announcing his candidacy for Governor of California. The Nodes were 26  , securely on their way transiting through the 11th house of his natal chart, opening the doors for new life experience and direction, via politics. Let’s look at Maria Shriver’s chart for the same timeframe. At the time of Arnold’s initial interview with Talk magazine, (October 1, 1999) transiting Mars was just separating from a conjunction to her North Node at 17 51 in the 7th house of partners in her chart. By February 4, 2003, the transiting North Node was completing Keys to Life Experience 200 its journey through the lower half of her chart, moving through her 1st house on its way towards the opposition to her Venus at 1 06 (the ruler of her Ascendant). On May 6th, as the recall effort began in earnest, and during that month, June and throughout July, the North Node was in orb of her Ascendant, a time when one cycle of life and the chart is coming to a close, new choices are being made, and new ideas are percolating regarding future goals. On August 6th, as her husband announced his candidacy, the transiting True North Node was 2616, exactly conjunct her Ascendant. The Nodes were soon to enter the 12th house/6th house axis of her chart. She was about to start out on a new path of discovery, a new leg of her own life journey, right along with her husband who was completing his North Node Return. On the day Governor Schwarzenegger won the California Governor’s election (October 7, 2003), the Mean Nodes were at 2212 / 2212 (True Nodes at 2059), trine the new Governor’s Progressed Moon. They were transiting through the new First Lady’s 12th and 6th houses, the South Node separating from its conjunction to her natal Saturn. She would face many changes to her routines, her career, the well-organized, well-established life patterns she had arranged for herself and her family as she took on this new responsibility. With transiting Pluto at 1737, soon to conjunct her North Node in the angular 7th house, a whole new phase of life was about to begin; her relationships (insofar as career goals and projects) were changing, and the former “easy” day-to-day interaction with her husband and family was also transformed. The Inauguration took place on November 17, 2003, (scheduled for 11:00 AM in Sacramento, California). The Sun on this day was 25, conjunct Maria’s Descendant. Transiting Venus and Pluto were conjunct her North Node in Sagittarius, and formed an inconjunct to Arnold’s very sensitive Mercury/Ascendant conjunction at 18 Cancer. Chapter 9 201 Transiting South Node, now at 20 (Mean Node 2003 and True Node 2026), was inconjunct his Mars at 2006. The transiting South Node was soon to conjunct his natal Jupiter in Scorpio, at the same time the transiting North Node moved into a conjunction with his Progressed MC. Transiting Uranus at 2856 was forming a square (actually a “T-square”) to his Natal North Node/South Node Node axis—bringing all of the surprises and changes we can expect from this energy. As the Nodes transit the chart, opportunities for significant life experiences present themselves. Whether or not we select from the offerings, however we experience the process, this Node transit cycle is extremely personal. Sometimes the transit to a specific point of the chart brings an obvious “happening”, sometimes the experience triggers an emotional response or series of activities, i.e., process. This makes it more difficult for an astrologer to time and assess the potential impact of the transiting Nodes, the way one can with a planetary transit. Here are a few examples from Arnold Schwarzenegger’s life, where we can at least extrapolate some conclusions about what the experience of the transiting Lunar Node may have felt like to him (Note: Arnold’s chart has been calculated using the Mean Node, and Maria’s with the True Node. Both transiting Mean and True Node positions are listed where appropriate.): May, 1971: Arnold is at a peak in his bodybuilding career. He is in South Africa competing for another in the series of Mr. Universe titles he has won, when an accident occurs on stage at the event. He crashes through the floorboards, and his knee is very severely dislocated (surgery will be required to fix the problem). This brings an end to a long winning streak for the time being. Also, he receives word from his family in Austria that his elder brother, Meinhard, has been killed in an automobile accident. The North Node is transiting at 19/18 , inconjunct his Ascendant, and semisquare his Moon (the South Node is transiting sesquiquadrate his Moon) during the month. Keys to Life Experience 202

Dec. 1, 1972: Less than a year after the tragic death of his brother, his father dies. The North Node is transiting at 18 51, conjunct his Descendant (South Node conjunct the Ascendant). August, 1977: For many years Arnold has idolized Jacqueline Kennedy-Onassis, and finally he has an opportunity to meet her. They meet at a social/philanthropic event. On this occasion he meets several members of the Kennedy family, and is invited to another event with the Kennedys. There, he is introduced to Maria Shriver. The same day, she invites him to the family compound at Hyannisport, Maine. This is the beginning of their romance. The transiting Nodes are at 18 , square his Ascendant/ Descendant line, and sesquiquadrate/semisquare his Natal Nodes. (The transiting North and South Nodes create a Grand Cross with his Ascendant/Descendant.) Note: Maria’s Ascendant is conjunct Arnold’s North Node, and her Venus is conjunct his South Node. Arnold’s Mars (he had his Mars Return this month) is conjunct Maria’s South Node, and the transiting Node is approaching a conjunction with her Natal Mars at 15 44 (indicating the arrival on the scene of an important male/powerful other). April 26, 1986: Marries Maria in a fairy tale wedding in Hyannisport—it is the social event of the season, everyone who is anyone is there, or has sent regards to the couple! The Mean North Node is transiting at 29, semi-sextile Arnold’s North Node. Transiting Venus is conjunct his North Node (very appropriate, since Venus is the ruler of his Taurus North Node!). Transiting True Node is at 0 00, in orb and inconjunct Maria’s natal Venus (ruler of her Ascendant); in orb and square to her natal Uranus. (Natal Uranus, ruler of her Aquarius MC, is opposite her Midheaven. The transiting Node aspect signals her change in status.) Chapter 9 203 December 13, 1989: Arnold’s and Maria’s eldest daughter, Katherine, is born. The Mean Node is transiting at 1925 inconjunct Arnold’s Ascendant; True Node at 1756 is sextile Maria’s North Node at 1751. July 23, 1991: Second daughter, Christina, is born. The Mean Node is transiting at 1820, conjunct Arnold’s Descendant (South Node conjunct his Ascendant). (True Node is 1858.) September 18, 1993: The third child, a son, Patrick, is born. The Mean Node is transiting at 636, in orb of the conjunction to Arnold’s South Node (the “flipped Node” aspect). It is also trine Arnold’s Sun, and sesquiquadrate his Mercury/Asc conjunction. Transiting True Node is 535, approaching a conjunction with Maria’s Venus and a trine to her Uranus. September 27, 1997: Their second son, Christopher, is born. The Mean Node is transiting at 1846, separating from the square to Arnolds Mars/Uranus conjunction and sextile his Mercury/Asc conjunction. The True Node at 1945 is sesquiquadrate Maria’s Midheaven, in orb and approaching a square to her Nodes (the nodal “Grand Cross” configuration, where natal and transiting Nodes square one another). Apr 16, 1997: Arnold has a near-death experience during a heart valve operation to correct a congenital heart defect. The transiting Node is at 2727 trine his Natal Mean Node (The True Node is 2828.) August 15, 1997: Arnold’s mother dies. The North Node is transiting at 21, exiting orb of Arnold’s IC (4th house) and approaching a square to his natal Mars. If you would like to study Arnold Schwarzenegger’s or Maria Shriver Schwarzenegger’s lives/charts in more depth, several excellent resources are listed in the bibliography. 204

Appendix

Dynamic Lunar Nodes Graphic Wheel...... 205

At-A-Glance Lunar Nodes Ephemeris 1940 - 2040...... 207 205

© Diane Ronngren 1990 206

© Diane Ronngren 1990 At-A-Glance Lunar Nodes Ephemeris 1940 to 2040 True Node Positions for the First Day of Every Month

                                                                                                   At-A-Glance Lunar Nodes Ephemeris 208 07-01-1947 through 03-01-1959

                                                                                                                                             At-A-Glance Lunar Nodes Ephemeris 209 04-01-1959 through 12-01-1970

                                                                                                                                             At-A-Glance Lunar Nodes Ephemeris 210 01-01-1971 through 09-01-1982

                                                                                                                                             At-A-Glance Lunar Nodes Ephemeris 211 10-01-1982 through 06-01-1994

                                                                                                                                             At-A-Glance Lunar Nodes Ephemeris 212 07-01-1994 through 03-01-2006

                                                                                                                                             At-A-Glance Lunar Nodes Ephemeris 213 04-01-2006 through 12-01-2017

                                                                                                                                             At-A-Glance Lunar Nodes Ephemeris 214 01-01-2018 through 09-01-2029

                                                                                                                                             At-A-Glance Lunar Nodes Ephemeris 215 10-01-2029 through 12-01-2040

                                                                                                                              216

Bibliography, Acknowledgements and Author’s Notes

In 1973, while I was residing in Sweden, I began a continuing study of Lunar Nodes which has come to include hundreds of birthdates and life histories collected over the following 30 years. At that time, I was unable to locate an astrologer with whom to study, so I made good use of an ephemeris and my observations (studying people, listening to the stories of their lives), occasionally referring to German texts (mainly from the Ebertin school). Translated into English, my favorites are: The Combination of Stellar Influences, Applied Cosmobiology and Directions, Co-Determinants of Fate by Reinhold Ebertin.

Returning to the United States in 1981, I settled in Los Angeles and eventually connected with the West Coast astrological community and excellent teachers: Judy Johns, Marion March, Zipporah Dobyns, Robert Glasscock among others. I had the opportunity to learn from leading experts and teachers both in the Los Angeles area (through Aquarius Workshops, NCGR Chapters, ISAR and other Southern California astrological organizations), and at the international conventions I attended.

Simultaneously, I began reading and collecting books by the great astrology teachers and writers of our time, whose work has surely influenced my own writing of this book, especially: The Astrology of Personality, The Astrological Houses, The Spectrum of Individual Experience and other books by Dane Rudhyar, The Only Way to Learn Astrology, Volumes I, II, III and IV by Marion March and Joan McEvers, Planets in Transit and other books by Robert Hand, Prediction in Astrology, How to Personalize the Outer Planets and other books by Noel Tyl, the work of Jeff Green, Alan Oken, Liz Green & Howard Sasportas (particularly their series of seminars in Psychological Astrology), The Astrologer’s Handbook and Predictive Astrology by Frances Sakoian 217 and Louis Acker, Astrological Insights Into Personality by Betty Lundsted, Psychodynamics of Inconjunctions by Alan Epstein and Life Clock, Volumes I and II by Bruno & Louise Huber.

Searching for previously written information on the Nodes of the Moon, I discovered: The Node Book by Zipporah Dobyns, The Astrologer’s Node Book by Donna Van Toen, The Moon’s Nodes and Their Importance in Natal Astrology by George White, Uw bestemming, een astrologische en numerologische beschrijving van uzelf, van uw doelen en van uw toekomst by Renée Maas, and of course, Karmic Astrology, The Moon’s Nodes and Reincarnation by Martin Schulman. I also found these books useful: Eclipse Interpretation Manual by Rose Lineman, Interpreting the Eclipses by Robert Carl Jansky, An Encyclopedia of Psychological Astrology by C.E.O. Carter, Manual of Astrology by Sepharial, The Fortunes of Astrology by Robert Hurtz Granite, Moon Signs by Sasha Fenton and The Astrology of Self-Discovery by Tracy Marks , the A to Z Horoscope Maker and Delineator by Llewellyn George and The Astrologer’s Astronomical Handbook by Jeff Mayo. As well, I have on numerous occasions referred to Manly P. Hall’s Astrological Keywords and Rex Bills’ The Rulership Book. With all of these, my most useful reference is The Rosicrucian Ephemeris (1900-2000 and 2000-2100).

A student of human behavior and a proponent of the view that we make our own important life decisions and choices, I believe that we have the power to create our future and live our lives based on our perception of “reality”. In the course of preparing this book I have incorporated concepts from the work of Joseph Campbell (especially his The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Myths to Live By and The Masks of God Series), books on Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) by John Grinder and Richard Bandler, Jerry Richardson, Leslie Cameron-Bandler, Steve and Connirae Andreas, and others that address the process of self-empowerment by John Bradshaw, Harville Hendrix, Ph.D, Dr. David Viscott and Phillip C. McGraw, Ph.D. I also warmly recommend reading autobiographies, biographies, watching the Biography Channel or seeking out other sources of biographical information available on television or the internet. In fact, there is much to learn from all sources of information on how people live their lives as you study the Lunar Nodes.

I collected the information contained in the delineation of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver Schwarzenegger from several sources. 218

Birthdata for Arnold (from memory, A) and Maria (BC/BR AA) is from Astrodata, and that of their children from Data News, USA Today, Daily News. Other pertinent data, times and places are collected from a variety of news sources, both online and in print. An excellent timeline and summary of the events of Arnold’s life can be found online at his official website, www. schwarzenegger.com and at http://www.rotten.com/library/bio/entertainers/ actors/arnold-schwarzenegger Additional biographical information about Maria Shriver can be found at www.nationsmaster.com/encyclopedia/Maria-Shriver, and www.time.com.

Birthdata and names have been withheld for the other charts in this book to protect the privacy of those who so generously shared their chart information and their personal experiences with me. All of the charts in this book have been created with the permission of: Matrix Software, Inc. (126 S. Michigan Avenue, Big Rapids, Michigan 49307; 1-800-PLANETS / 1-800-752-6387 or www.astrologysoftware.com), using Win*Star, Matrix’s “Three House Wheels” format (with some adjustments) for the three anonymous charts, and for the celebrity charts, the “Two Wheels” format.

I had lectured on the Lunar Nodes at several AFA Conventions and at UAC, but it was when I had written an article on the subject of the Transiting Lunar Nodes (published in the Winter 1990 ASPECTS) that was selected by Scientific- Intformational Quarterly Magazine Digest of Astrology for its introductory publication in the Soviet Union in 1992 that I knew I wanted to write a book on the topic. I was so honored to be included in the publication. I imagined some day I would find a way to collect my observations and put them in a more comprehensive context. Writing this book has been a challenging process. I have learned how difficult it is to write an astrology book! Now I have even more respect for the authors and experts whose books I have appreciated over the years. I thank each and every one of you for committing your words to paper, and allowing us to learn from you!

In this vein, I would like to thank Anna Harwood for transcribing my lectures on the Lunar Nodes from the AFA Conventions in Las Vegas, NV and Orlando, FL, my UAC lecture from Washington, D.C. and the workshop tapes from my Lunar Nodes Series. This provided me with a written record of my previous work on Lunar Nodes. I appreciate the suggestions and editing assistance of Donna Stellhorn, Kelly O’Tillery, Stella Pereira Poehlman, and their (and 219 many other of my former/current students’ and colleagues’) encouragement when I was about to give up! And, I appreciate the graphic design skill of Gary Dunham, who created the diagrams, the tables included in the book, as well as the cover art, design and layout of Lunar Nodes - Keys to Emotions & Life Experience. YOU have helped make my vision a reality. 220

Diane Ronngren is available for consultations, workshops, seminars and speaking engagements. You can contact her at [email protected]

About Diane Ronngren

Diane Ronngren, Level IV, NCGR Certified Astrologer, has degrees in business and languages, and advanced certifications in Ericsonian Hypnosis and NLP. She approaches the many aspects of life with both understanding and common sense. Now a writer, consultant and lecturer, she previously pursued careers in adult education, international corporate management, and diplomacy. In 1989, she combined her growing practice as a full-time consulting and teaching astrologer with her versatility 221 as a business consultant, becoming an entrepreneur who allows her varying professional activities to incorporate her personal interests. Diane Ronngren is a dynamic speaker and enjoys teaching both business and metaphysical topics. She has lectured and taught in Europe and the United States since the mid-1970’s. She has taught Astrology classes, workshops, independent studies, and smaller focus groups for more than 20 years. She has worked mainly in Southern California, New Mexico and Nevada. Diane currently serves as Vice President of the San Diego Chapter of the National Council for Geocosmic Research (NCGR). A former speaker at UAC and AFA conventions, she served on the Board of Aquarius Workshops, and astrological organizations such as AFAN and ISAR. Over the last few years, Diane has written several books and booklets on astrological and meta-physical topics. A number of her astrological articles and series have appeared in various astrology journals and magazines; she was a columnist for The New Mexico Light for four years. Her “Sage & Smudge: The Ultimate Guide”, received the COVR Visonary Award for Best Book, General Interest. Now Diane is comfortably settled in Southern California, She maintains a busy schedule with her astrology practice, business consulting, motivational speaking and coaching. When she is not busy with her work she enjoys helping her husband, Gary with their publishing company, maintaining a comfortable home and relaxing with the people and pets they love. [email protected] www.dianeronngren.com Also Available From ETC Publishing Sage and Smudge: The Ultimate Guide by Diane Ronngren 2004 COVR Visionary Award Winner! (General Interest Category)

This guidebook gives you the secrets of more than 101 successful Sage & Smudge rituals “Sage & Smudge: The Ultimate Guide” combines Lunar timing, spiritual, herbal and cultural teachings past and present.

Interesting anecdotes and easily accessible tips you can use today!

Your Personality Code: A New Look At Sun Signs by Renée Maas Both Astrology and Numerology are systems that allow you to identify character traits, talents and potential for growth and development. Explore the 12 Sun Signs in combination with 132 individual Birth Numbers. This book uncovers the secrets of personality that make each of us unique and special! “Your Personality Code” makes it easy to discover even more about people than a simple sun sign can reveal!

Astrology Booklets by Diane Ronngren

Eclipse! Eclipses offer opportunities to plan your future – to welcome transformation as you create the life you want to live! Mercury Retrograde During a Mercury Retrograde Transit, all of us will experience a disturbance in the normal flow of our lives. Let’s enhance our ability to handle the stress! Venus We all deserve to experience love and abundance. Let’s make better choices, and benefit from using our knowledge of Astrology in our lives. Rectification Workbook A complete study guide demonstrating useful techniques. Includes sample questionnaire and step-by-step instructions for finding any exact birth time. Map Your World! Planning to relocate? Looking for a good market for your business? Met someone who might be right for you? Planning a vacation? This is the tool that can help you with your location questions.

Available At Your Local Book Store or order directly from: www.etcpublishing.com