For the longest time there was very little written about the North and South Nodes, the little horseshoe like symbols on the natal chart. Since they aren't really planets, it's understandable why they have been kept out of the usual astrological cookbooks. Most recently, I have watched the nodes become the crucial point in chart interpretation and to the best of my ability will attempt to explain how I see these celestial points at work in the natal chart.

The Nodes reflect the point where the moon crosses the earth's ecliptic (path around the sun). They are always opposite points. So if you have a North Node in Gemini your South Node is in Sagittarius. The most commonly held theory about the nodes is that they are karmic points in your chart, most traditionally, the South Node being what traits you came into this life with, and the North Node being the traits you are trying to accomplish. I like to avoid using the phrase 'past life influences' largely because I've observed most people placing too much emphasis on them and too easily side track themselves from their current life issues.

In a certain way, the South Node shows your inherent strengths, ones that you can call up effortlessly BUT using those strengths doesn't teach you anything new. The South Node shows your survival tools as a child (this lifetime) and what you counted on to make it to adulthood.

When looking at a person's South Node it is vital to find the planetary ruler of that Node and the Sign it is in. For example, South Node in Aries, look for Mars in the chart; then pay particular attention to the SIGN that Mars is in. South Node in Taurus - look for Venus in the chart; then note the SIGN that Venus is in and so on.

Now, let's look at a particular way of thinking when trying to interpret the Nodes in a natal chart. I'll start with a South Node in Aries.

First, we note the qualities of Aries...Pioneering, Individual, Strong, Courageous. This tells us 'How' the individual is responding to life. We know that the individual came into this life with these strengths BUT because they are South Node functions they imply that these strengths had to be used for survival AND that the individual was prevented from using the North Node function of (in this case) Libra (the sign opposite Aries) with the qualities of Fairness, WE energy , Relationship, Harmony.

The next step is to look to the ruler of the South Node...Let's say it's Mars in Capricorn. You really just have to use the Capricorn piece here since Mars and Aries imply the same warrior spirit. The South Node tells us the 'How' the individual responds to the environment. The SIGN Mars is in tells us the 'WHAT' they are hoping to achieve. So the individual with the South Node in Aries and a Mars in Capricorn might be interpreted as saying, 'I Aggressively (the how or the South Node) Put my needs aside and grew up Quickly (Capricorn).'

This is where I ask, 'What kind of upbringing would require that an individual have the Arian strength of courage with the need to be self motivated, responsible and mature (the traits of Mars in Capricorn)?'

1. A large family that was having a hard time providing for everyone so the South Node in Aries individual (with Mars in Capricorn) had to get out and contribute.

2. A Family where the parents were so involved with their own problems the child was forced to survive on their own

Those are just 2 examples of the many possibilities. But in all the cases, one thing remains constant; the South Node in Aries individual with Mars in Capricorn, learned how to survive on their own.

Let's look at how this energy changes based on the different placements of the ruling planet.

(remember the South Node usually points to that you old patterns you used to survive). So if the South Node is in Aries the native must assert themselves ALONE and the sign the ruler (Mars) is in tells us WHAT they will be doing ALONE.

This rule applies to all the nodes. If I was talking about a Taurus South node then the 'strength' might be Steadfast-ness and the sign the Ruling planet Venus was in in the natal chart would tell me 'What' the issue was around survival. so if the Native was a South Node in Taurus and had Venus in Aries in their Natal chart they could easily bring steadiness to the home in a very aggressive way. (Perhaps they had to be the person constantly confronting the family when things got out of hand.).

If using this chart for the South Node assume the course of action is in detriment to the individual. For the North Node, assume it is what they must accomplish.

Ruling planet is in: (Sign) Then the Native seeks to achieve the Nodal function in this way:
Aries: Aggressively, independently

Taurus: Sensually, securely

Gemini: Verbally, inquisitively

Cancer: Nurturingly

Leo: Proudly

Virgo: Discriminately

Libra: Fairly

Scorpio: Secretively, Passionately

Sagittarius: Jovially

Capricorn: Maturely

Aquarius: Individualistically

Pisces: Compassionately

In all of the above examples, the individual must use their talents in a way that often serves others but rarely serves themselves.

For the North Node you do the same process with the understanding that if they express their North Node FIRST there is a growth that can occur. In our example, the South Node is Aries so the North Node is Libra. Right there, we see that the individual is moving from Individuality or Me to We. These people come in expecting to be alone and are good at it. What they must build is a sense of relationship, or an 'US' consciousness.

As a general rule of thumb, We do the South Node to appease others and the North Node to give to ourselves.

Hope that gets you started!

Mark