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I was recently inspired by Michelle at Astrofix.com's blog post wherein she explored the meaning of her south and north node placements as well as their sign rulers. One of the greatest tools an astrologer has is their own chart, but oftentimes it is the hardest to decipher! It's like looking at a painting when you're an inch away from the canvas. It helps to step back a bit, depersonalize a little (hard to do when you're looking at your personal chart!) and allow the chart to speak for itself. Here's what I uncovered in exploring my nodes and their respective rulers. What do you find when you relax enough to uncover the insights of your own nodal axis?
South Node is Aquarius 12th House… In past lifetimes I was oriented to an environment of solitude and observation (rather than participation) in everyday, earthly activities. I was attuned to my connection to the cosmic whole, and so interpersonal boundaries were not well-defined. I was detached, impersonal, having a great deal of compassion for humanitarian issues, but not well able to connect with others in more personal, mundane ways.
The ruler of my South Node is Uranus in Scorpio in the 9th House conjunct Venus and sextile the Moon. I was interested in uncovering esoteric secrets, of exploring unconventional knowledge and applying it to relationships and aesthetics. So even though relationships and emotional intimacy did not come naturally to me, I was interested in understanding them through the lens of philosophical/spiritual study of the deep, hard-to-locate areas of the soul.
The classical ruler of my South Node is Saturn conjunct Jupiter in the 8th House sextile Mercury in Sagittarius on the Midheaven. I was likely very dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge, and again here, much of the impetus had to do with learning to merge with another. I approached that merging through a detached, intellectual study, by engaging mentally/intellectually, and by utilizing others as mirrors to more fully understand myself. I wanted/needed to make this pursuit of the knowledge of relationship, or soul—merging, useful to society in some way (connection to Mercury/Midheaven in Sagittarius) and so I may have taught or written or otherwise communicated my understanding of the knowledge I collected. I can see how this is very relevant to who and how I am in this lifetime as well. So I see how these past-life skills serve me in this lifetime as well.
My north node is in Leo in the 6th House. Spiritually, and on a soul-level, I am attempting in this lifetime to shine in areas related to service and health. I need to create in clean environments, to lead and inspire regarding health and purity. I need to engage in tangible reality, to be comfortable being in the spotlight as I learn to take care of my own earthly needs and as I assist others to meeting their own needs through service to them.
The ruler of my North Node is the Sun conjunct Neptune in Sagittarius in the 10th House, sextile Pluto. I want to be seen by society, to have an influence on society in a meaningful, foundational way. I want to allow my divine essence to influence the world in a way that connects us all to our cosmic oneness, that leads us to a greater understanding of the big truths. I want to assist in a collective clearing, of a shared “getting down to the seat of our souls.”