The time is upon us for the Nodes to shift once again. When – December 22, 2021 at 10:15 pm EST and will remain there until July 2023 so what does it mean? I will explain what lessons this shift will require of us and some historic facts over the last 300 years that may show us what we can expect over these Nodes 18 month transit.
First of all, the Nodes are like the Shadows of the relationship between the Sun and the Moon. It is within those Shadows that occurs the 18 year cycle of Eclipses that are created when those Shadows draw closest to the Sun and the Moon. New Moons occur when the Sun is conjunct or right next to the Moon blocking out any light upon her surface and creating what we know as a Dark Moon. The Full Moon occurs when the Sun is exactly opposite of the Moon, therefore its light shines bright upon the surface. The Nodes are at equal distance opposite to each other at all times, when the Sun and the Moon align with the Shadows, Eclipses occur (in the most basic of explanations). The Nodes spend roughly 18 months in a given polarity and generate a theme historically and energetically; their cycle runs roughly on an 18-19 year Saros cycle which totals exactly 223 synodic months or 6585.321 days. Sounds complicated, I know, but as an Astrologer, I can look back at these cycles throughout history and gather that information, look for patterns in order to predict what the next cycle may look like, especially combined with the current Astrology. It fascinates me that I can count on historic or natural events, even personal events, to show me what may come. We think of time as linear, but when we look at the Astronomical Cycles and the events that connect them, we can clearly see how time is circular in many ways, coming back around again and again in cycles to throw lessons at us for humanity to learn, however, we do not or have not thus far and the cycles or chances to correct history continues through the Saros and synodic cycles. OK -that may have been boring… now the juicy stuff!
For those born with their Sun, Moon, Ascendant, Nodes or other planets in Taurus or Scorpio, this will have the deepest and most profound changes. Those holding the same in the other Fixed planets (Aquarius and Leo) will also feel the impact as these Nodes will be Squaring or in tension with those Signs. Squares often get a bad rap because yes, they are challenging, but those challenges push us to the possibility of great things in our lives if we don’t fall into a victim role or mode. Every Nodal Cycle brings Attributes to Develop and Tendencies to Leave Behind; this is where hidden gifts and talents can be found and make life easier. These attributes and tendencies come from the great Astrologer Jan Spiller and I thank her for her vast wisdom.
Attributes to Develop:
- Loyalty
- Awareness of boundaries
- Taking things one step at a time
- A sense of Self Worth
- Awareness of personal values
- Patience
- Honoring expressed needs of self and others
- Enjoying the five (I say six) senses
- Gratitude
- Awareness of nurturing from Mother Earth
- Forgiveness
- Persistence
Tendencies to Leave Behind:
- Attraction to crises situations
- Over concern with other people’s business
- Impatience
- Inappropriate intensity
- Judgmental tendencies
- Preoccupation with psychological motivations of others
- Resistance to cooperating with what others want
- Overreacting
- Destroying something in order to eliminate one part
- Obsessive-compulsive tendencies
One of the hardest lessons of this transit could be the need to seek our Self-Worth through others or through the approval of others; the need of another’s validation to the Self in order to feel good about one’s Self. This is often the trappings of what we have all come to know as “searching for the Soul Mate.” If you find and have this one special person’s energy, then you will be complete, when sovereignty comes from loving the Self fully and completely. This rings true in anyone who is searching because no matter how much love, support and validation one receives from others, there will always be the need for more. So, love yourself first and fully so that when we do come into relation with another, we can experience them in a wholesome manner.
In looking at some of the upcoming Astrology during this time, coupled with what I am expecting Globally, we will have a need to reexamine our values. We will be weighing and measuring what is of value, what we are willing to spend our time and money on and we are looking for quality versus quantity. We are reverting back to simpler times; or should be. The expense and cost of all goods are rising at alarming rates and not equivalent to our rise in income, therefore, we will be cutting back or looking at value – what are we willing or able to spend our money on? Also, this will have us looking at our time spent as well. What relationships or obligations are of value to us and worth our time?
Some positive affirmations to consider during this time:
- If I’m comfortable, then I am on my path
- What others think of me is none of my business
- To win, I need to proceed slowly and persistently step by step toward my goals
- When I live by my own values, I feel good about myself
- Mother Nature supplies me with the energy and sustenance I need
When the North Node moves into Taurus and the time it spends in the cosmos, there tends to be an adrenaline rush of the senses. The need to indulge the senses. During this Saros cycle, there have been lifetimes of power struggles, Globally, that seems to attract crises, trauma, drama, living on the edge. People have become addicted to all of the crises in the world and locally, this is known as the crises consciousness that has been escalating since the last cycle. Many people get a high from the trauma and the drama, the excitement of crises. This breeds poor mental and physical health for all. This is one of the reasons I have turned off the News and have become very selective on Social Media because although it is helpful on one hand and in small doses; it has become a drug or a poison that is really throwing the world out of balance and further away from where we need to be…. in Nature.
Money and material possessions are often a measure of Self Worth for many. It has become a status symbol that many strive to attain; it is a necessary evil for some. Finding the balance, finding the Value in the material and ethereal,, the intangible is suggested during this time. There is often a big focus on Money, gain, the material for the sake of just enjoying the pleasure of the senses like a Taurus likes to do. Savoring beauty, savoring delicious food and drink, savoring a beautiful day and the nature that surrounds us is key to this balance.
Self sabotage, and being overly judgmental are some of the qualities that come out during this time as well. Lack of Self-Worth and Self-Love are products of this, so it is important to work on one’s self if not we could become unaware of the harsh judgments we make upon others or thoughtlessly rip apart another’s beliefs or truth because it does not match our own and with great enthusiasm (think about the adrenaline rush). Minding one’s own business is the key here in addition to improving value of the Self. Grounding, Appreciation, Gratitude and a solid Connection with Nature is a natural cure all when we are out of alignment . Enjoy the Pleasure of the Senses and indulge a little.
In Eastern culture and Astrology, these Nodes are known as Rahu and Ketu – the Head and Tail of the Dragon, Here in the West, we also refer to them as the Head and Tail, but we think of them differently. Here in the West we liken the Head to the one we feed and the Tail is what we excrete, thus, we do not want to be feeding where we “shit” so to speak. However, in the East they feel that the Ego is the Head of the Dragon and that the Tail is the Wisdom and so they look to the South Node or the Tail for the wisdom to live by and they shun the Ego of the Head or the North Node. Conversely, in Western belief, the Tail is where we have come from and have learned our bad habits and that our fortune is where the Head is. Eastern philosophy believes similarly that we have come from the Tail (Past Life) and that is why we have that wisdom to grab from. Either way, the Tail is often looked at as a Past Life that we have previously lived and the Head or North Node is our future ahead of us and they both symbolize the Karma and Destiny in which we have lived and are yet to live.
When I took a look back historically, I could see a looming theme in the outer world and globally that was concerning; that of depression, recession and financial distress, the biggest in America being what is known as The Great Depression in 1929. This had a global effect which ultimately led to war when the North Node moved into Aries following and then renaissance when the North Node moved into Pisces then Aquarius following that. Another pattern I noticed was natural disasters as Taurus Rules the land and Scorpio the waters. Taurus also has a hold on housing and Scorpio investments and taxes; so we can expect that there will be some upsets in those areas. What we have not seen is Uranus (the planet of unexpected chaos and change (for the greater good though), so I could “predict” based on the history, but with Uranus being aspected and transiting Taurus, who knows what will happen. That surely concerns me. Now let’s take a look at the history that I have compiled:
| May 2003 | Nov 2004 | Housing Bubble burst, Oil Bubble, Indian Ocean Tsunami, Italy Blackout |
| Oct 1984 | Feb 1986 | Savings and Loan Crises and Recession -Global |
| Mar 1966 | Aug 1967 | Kick off Vietnam War- Oil Wars |
| Oct 1947 | Jan 1949 | High demand outweighed supply of consumer goods globally following WWII- Cold War Housing shortages, the IMF International Monetary Fund began for global indexes and monitoring of capital worldwide. |
| Jan 1929 | Jun 1930 | The Great Depression, Black Tuesday and crash of the Dow Jones stock market |
| Apr 1910 | Dec 1911 | Precursor to WWI, New York City’s Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire – due to poor working conditions and greed of the owners. |
| Jun 1892 | Jan 1893 | US Recession and Global bank failures, Australian depression |
| Mar 1873 | Jun 1874 | Great Britain Depression |
| Aug 1854 | Dec 1855 | United States contention building up to the US Civil War |
| 1817 | 1818 | Post Napoleonic Depression, the first Boom to Bust in the United States |
| Sep 1798 | 1800 | US/UK Financial Panic years leading the US to enact the Bankruptcy Act |
| 1761 | 1762 | Dutch and Belgium Bank crash leading to depression- strongest financial markets at the time |
I have to stress that many lands were discovered during these times and new water ways developed including the Panama Canal, Machu Picchu, South Pole, just to name a few, in addition to great accomplishments, discoveries and inventions came from these eras, so do not think that only disaster harkens; to the contrary. I am just pointing out how stark a situation seems to be in the financial sectors around the world during a NN/SN in Taurus/Scorpio. This is a great time to build a practical, stable life of comfort and security. To balance the material and spiritual worlds. To honor one’s values, getting in touch with true value that is meaningful. Inner Strength. Focus on the Self and respecting others. Being creative with what we have, creating something new. Surrounding self with beauty and comfort. Indulging in the senses for happiness.
What I find interesting and to go along with the financial theme – Venus will be in Capricorn. Venus is the Ruler of Taurus, thus money, material, beautiful things and acquisition possibly of land. Capricorn is the land she is trying to acquire and Capricorn is the bank that holds the loan and the government sets the rates. She will Retrograde here and instead of her usually 5-6 week jaunt in a Sign, she will be in Capricorn until March 2022 giving us all plenty of time to really find the value and beauty in what we already have and make the most of it while appreciating every moment of gratitude for what we have.
The Nodes are also a place of known illness, in addition to the Mars and Saturn placements in our charts. Taurus rules the neck, lower teeth and back of the head; Scorpio rules the reproductive organs and our lower bowls and urinary tract just to scratch the surface, but some of us could have some issues temporarily in those areas. Think of stress headaches and jaw clenching topped off with a bought of diarrhea from the anxiety. The North Node typically brings energy and the South Node drains the energy. This Nodal axis tends to hoard toxins in the body and then reverse and expel toxins in the body. I will explore this more as the transits occur.
Managing one’s money and finances, cooking in, gardening, managing our resources are all for our benefit and growth. Acquiring and holding on to savings or a nest egg. Sexuality, or sexual needs could increase/decrease, beware of sexually transmitted diseases and urinary tract infections. Appetites grow and could require curbing one’s appetite for anything including food, excessive generosity needs to be curbed as well in order to protect financial resources. Excesses in sexual addiction, appetites or over spending will be the undoing here. If our Karma is “good” we may experience considerable financial rescue from benefactors and often at the exact right time when we need it! In reverse our Karma could wallop us with hefty bills, taxes and fines, maybe a support bill or some payouts to other people.. Managing our finances, food and sex are the themes of the South Node; also the desire to give out in excess in those areas to others that probably don’t deserve it from us as a means to validate ourselves in some way. Speaking of excesses – beware of mixing alcohol and medicines and speaking of STD’s Scorpio is susceptible to bacteria in general from unclean food or water or nasty sexual partners, work places that are unclean. Beware of buying property in a Flood Zone – you gain the land and loose it to the water.
And like everything in life, every North and South Node has its good, bad and ugly and we have all been living through all of the Nodal cycles our whole lives so don’t think this is all bad. What I look forward to the most would be a greater sense of myself, maybe becoming Suzi Homemaker and making more homemade meals, getting creative with my cooking, planting beautiful flower and vegetable gardens and enjoying the bounty of both whilst making pretty bouquets to place throughout my home, maybe some new paintings or drawings for my walls or to give as gifts to friends along with a bouquet from the garden? I already do most of this anyway, I suppose I am looking forward to a simpler way of life that I can appreciate even more; holidays that are simpler, yet cozier and more meaningful and yes, meaningful relationships that can be cherished and celebrated! So look forward to that and start practicing these now ahead of the shift!