The Lunar Nodes

The lunar nodes are not planets. They are two points in the sky where the Moon's path crosses the path of the Sun, which astronomers call the ecliptic. The place where the Moon climbs north of that line is the North Node; the place where it dips south is the South Node. The two always sit exactly opposite each other, so if one is in Gemini the other is in Sagittarius.

What they symbolize

In astrology the nodes describe direction rather than personality. The South Node is often read as the familiar: habits, talents and ways of coping you already carry and can fall back on. The North Node points toward what feels unfamiliar and a little awkward, but is where growth tends to happen. Think of it as a compass needle for reflection, not a command. The house where each node sits shows the life area involved.

This is the modern, psychological way of reading the nodes. Older books read them differently: the North Node (the Dragon's Head) as helpful and the South Node (the Dragon's Tail) as hindering.

In Thai astrology the North Node is called ราหู, and the South Node is known as เกตุ.

Mean node or true node

The Moon's orbit wobbles, so the nodes can be calculated in two ways. The mean node smooths the wobble out and travels steadily backward through the zodiac, completing one lap in about 18.6 years. The true node follows the actual, slightly uneven position and swings up to about 2 degrees either side of the mean. Most of the time the two are very close, but they can differ by a sign boundary now and then.

Natalora lets you choose between mean and true node in the chart options, so you can match whichever tradition you prefer.

On your natal chart Natalora also shows the South Node, exactly opposite the North Node of the type you chose. It needs no birth time, has its own sign and house readings, and forms no aspects of its own: a planet conjunct the North Node is simply opposite the South Node.

Using them gently

Nodes are a good question-starter rather than an answer. You might ask: where do I keep returning to what is easy, and what small step would stretch me? Nodes are also linked with eclipses, because eclipses happen when the Sun and Moon meet near these points. Treat that as a theme of change and review, not a prediction of events.