Everything in Motion and Creative Tension

A little over a month ago we were blessed with some premium celestial entertainment with the 2015 Blood Moon Eclipse.  People broke out the fine cameras, hung out on the lawn, or down by the river like me.  The drama was compelling as that bright Moon steadily disappeared into nothing and then became— something else.

Is that you Mother Moon?

Curious Australians gaze upwards at transforming Moon.

Some of us may be perfectly clear on how an eclipse happens but for those of us that aren’t..

We, the Earth, basically block the Moon entirely from the Sun’s light.

This NASA photo shows a lunar eclipse from the perspective of sitting on the Moon (left). The light that is peaking out from around the circumference absorbs much of the Earth’s atmosphere and casts that spooky red shadow on the Moon (right).

The briefness of the Moon looking this way is a good reminder of how we are in constant MOTION.  When practicing astrology it is all too easy for us to forget this fact.  We can fall into the trap of seeing the Sun, Moon and planets as static entities, with no background or direction to them.

But the truth is- all matter in the universe is in constant motion

Say for example, you have your Sun in Aries.  Pick up any astrology book and you will likely find a description of an independent and self-willed pioneer that does and goes where they want!

Yeah… like this.

But here’s the next question.  Why Aries?  ..anyone?

.. Bueller?

The answer is this- too much Pisces.

Pisces when in balance is an imaginative and emotionally sensitive sign that is quite in tune with nature’s subtleties.  But when taken to excess, Pisces can seek to ESCAPE the reality from which it is so sensitively attuned to, like the case above.

So, Aries (strong-willed independence) swoops in to attempt to RESOLVE the issues of an overblown Pisces (hazy confusion and lack of direction).  The signs RESOLVE the continuous issues of life as the Sun, Moon and planets “REVOLVE” around the Earth (geocentrically speaking).

Each sign has a past, see? And a future for that matter.

The importance of the reality that everything is in constant motion leads me to have to introduce two very special spots on the birth chart.  Those of the Lunar Nodes.

They aren’t planets they are INTERSECTIONS. Intersections of path of the Moon around the Earth and the apparent path of the Sun and planets (the ecliptic).  Eclipses only occur near these Nodal points.

So what’s this?  The path (motion) of the Sun is not the same path as the Moon?  EXCEPT in these two little spots where they intertwine?  It’s almost like the physical spot of the marriage of the Sun and Moon that the alchemists praised.

The Lunar Nodes are where the paths of Father Sun and Mother Moon connect.

This is no small thing symbolically!!  We know what happens when father and mother meet—baby!  Or life in other words.  The Lunar Nodes are very tied into LIFE symbolically speaking.

Life: Day one- Let’s do this!

And each life has it’s own themes.  In my experience, a glance at the Nodes in the birth chart is the quickest way to connect with the broad stroke themes of a person’s life.

With the North Node, the Moon begins her ASCENT over the ecliptic.  Therefore we can see the North Node as a point in which we seek to CLIMB.  Where we can be LIFTED in life.  Embracing the North Node might have tension- as we seek to go against the pull of gravity- but this tension generally feels good and healthy.

Remember this feeling? A nice combination of “I can do it!” and “I can see things that I couldn’t before”. North Node territory.

By contrast the South Node is where the Moon begins her DESCENT below the ecliptic.  At this point the pull of gravity is upon us, perhaps weighing us down with issues that won’t go away.  This is where we can SINK instead of swim, and the sinking generally feels bad.

The world can quickly go out of focus when we sink into our South Node issues and feel powerless against change.

Of course this does NOT mean that the South Node is bad and the North Node is good, even though it may seem that way.  The South node is just what is EASIER and more FAMILIAR.  It can be a very positive thing when kept in proper tension with the North Node to balance it from taking over like quicksand.

The ancients called the North Node the “Dragons Head” where life must be INGESTED verses the South Node “Dragon’s Tail” where the nourishment must be EXCRETED. But of course, the excrement is what fertilizes new growth. Nothing is to waste!

Therefore the “been there done that’s” of YOUR life may serve as helpful gifts to others, like the Dragon’s fertilizing doo-doo, but they really don’t serve YOU anymore.  That’s why we have the North Node, like our own personal North Stars to look up to and feel that creative tension of life within us.

A pearl is formed as the mollusk’s defense mechanism towards irritants that make their way into the shell. Mucous is secreted over the irritant to make it smoother on the living creature. Over time the end result is the beautiful pearl, a glowing example of creative tension.

For example let’s say your South Node is in Cancer and in the 3rd.  You are going to want to look at this in a way that spots the SHADOW behavior of this placement, so you can recognize how it might attempt to SINK you.  Shadow Cancer would be over-emotional and over-protective somehow.  Shadow 3rd house brings in themes of being too much in your own head and not having enough experiences to break up your own perception of things.

North Node to the rescue!

The North Node would be in Capricorn and in the 9th, directly opposite (as always) and offering some much needed balance.  Capricorn reminds Cancer that sometimes it needs to put the emotions aside in order to get to where it needs to be.  The 9th house welcomes foreign experiences and ideas from other people to break up our stuck-in-the-mud mindset.  With these themes introduced we can naturally use our Cancerian 3rd house gifts (an ease with kindness and a good way in communicating it) without letting them swallow us!

Back back South Node!!

Depending on the sign and house placement of your Nodes some very interesting questions can arise.

What do your Nodes say about your life themes?  Please feel free to share your experiences in the comment section!