The Nodes: A descritpion
The Nodes of the moon are the key to spiritual or karmic astrology. Unlike all the rest of the plants that are used in an Astrology chart, the Nodes are not actual (physical) bodies. They are in effect, poins of sapce time that delinate the long term orbital path of the moon around our planet Earth.
A complete cycle of the Nodes is approximately 18.5 years. This means that the Nodes change sign every 1.5 years or so. If you have ever wondered why you can easily realte to people around your own age, npw you know that 1 reason is because you have the same North and South Node.
The North and South Node are always exactly 180 degrees apart - or opposite each other. If any two other planets have this 180 (or close) difference, they are considered to be in opposition. Not so with the Nodes. They work together in ways that I describe in detail later on.
The Nodes: A brief History
The Nodes in Astrology are more recently used in Western Astrology. They are borrowed from Vedic (Hindu) astrology which has been in use for 5000 years. They were known in Vedic astrology as Rahu (Head) and Ketu (Tail) of the dragon.
As mythology has it, the dragon was once whole but they were cut in half to be banished from the heavens. Before it was cut however, the dragon drank the immortal elixir of life. This rendered the head and the tail of the dragon two separate, but alive entities. It is important to note the story of the dragon is but a story and was the way information was passed on thousands of years ago - and even now. The story exemplified the importance of the Nodes in comparison to the rest of the planets. This for some didn't make sense as the planets are physical entities, while the Nodes are points of space time that have meaning.
The North Node: Karmic Fulfillment
The North Node represents something called karmic fulfillment. This defines areas in our life that gives us fulfillment in this lifetime. Many thinks make us happy or sad, joyful or hurt, but "karmic fulfillment" is something that we generally keep seeking to get better and better at. The simple question "What fulfills me?" can have a very fleeting answer for many people. This ultimately helps us understand "our purpose" in one’s lifetime.
The South Node: Karmic Strength
The North and South nodes are polar opposites as they are 180 degrees apart. While opposite they tend to work in harmony or have a sense of balance with each other. If the North Node speaks of future fulfillment, the South Node at 180 degrees opposite represents the strengths from our past that we utilize in this life to get to fulfillment. Strengths are one way to look at that but it is more accurate to say how we "securitize our self in this life". Securitize can mean many different things for different people, even ones with the same Node.
