Nodal Shift: Aries & Libra
Spiritual Initiation
Today, July 18th, the north and south nodes of the Moon have shifted from Taurus/Scorpio into Aries/Libra. The nodes change signs approximately every 18 months and are incredibly important in astrology. In particular their placement in your individual natal chart corresponds to your soul’s evolutionary trajectory.
The south node shows what previous life lessons you’ve been mastering and what sort of karma you’ve accrued as a result. Karma isn’t inherently negative or positive, it’s simply a balance of energy. Whatever karma you’ve amassed from previous lives must be “zeroed out” in this life in order to settle any imbalances. If you continue to accumulate the same energy in this life (or if you’ve done this in past lives), it will carry forward and you’ll have to repeat those lessons. The south node shows what energy we have already accrued and there are ways to look at the birth chart which indicate whether or not you are repeating lessons in this life. Because the south node symbolizes what we’ve already worked on, it indicates areas of familiarity for us, special talents and skills that we come into this life with, and what we naturally lean toward because it is comfortable and easy.
The north node symbolizes what we are working toward in our current life. It shows our “destiny” and the new set of lessons and energies we’re working to master. The areas of the north node are totally brand new and completely unfamiliar. Thus, it can be incredibly difficult and uncomfortable for us to embody the north node’s expression. It feels awkward and we’re uncertain if we’re “getting it right.”
I often compare the north node energy to learning how to play an instrument for the first time. It feels foreign, it’s highly challenging to wrap your mind around the music theory and the particular structure of a specific instrument, and the muscles in your hands often bumble around clumsily as you attempt to coordinate all those components. The first time you play an instrument, barring any prodigies, usually sounds terrible! However, as any musician knows, it takes practice and discipline to master that instrument and you must return to it again and again. Over time, your brain begins to form new neural pathways that make the theory and practice coalesce fluidly and the muscle memory in your hands develops so that you feel stronger when you return to the movements you’ve repeated so many times. Most importantly, when you finally do begin to master the instrument, you can finally play music! It sounds beautiful, harmonious and joyful, and many musicians will tell you, there is nothing quite like playing music for an enraptured audience – the energy is electrifying!
This example embodies the energy of the north node. It requires much more conscious focus and effort to enact than the south node, which symbolizes that which already comes naturally to us. In eastern astrological tradition, mastering the lessons of the nodes is referred to as “learning to ride the dragon.” The south node symbolizes the tail of the dragon and the north node the head. You are obviously not going to ride a dragon backwards, so you must face and lean into your destiny while still balancing the karma you carry. The nodes are in opposition to each other – they are always at the exact degree of the opposite sign. Oppositions always deal with balance and learning to juggle two contrasting energies. So it is not our task to completely leave behind the tendencies of the south node, but rather to learn to focus our effort on the north node and recruit any skills, talents and positive karma from the south node to assist us in that effort.
This is how the nodes operate in general, and again, in your natal chart they indicate your specific life’s purpose/past karma as indicated by sign, house and aspects. But what about the transiting nodes? How do those come into play? Especially when they occupy totally different signs and houses than your personal chart? The transiting nodes show us two different pictures: 1) they show us the destiny and karma we are working on collectively as the human race and 2) they show the ongoing progress and stages of development of our individual nodes. In other words, we are working toward something – both individually and collectively – and the transiting nodes indicate what current lessons are assisting us in accomplishing those tasks. They also show the challenges we’re presented with which will require special effort on our part to overcome, but will also bring us into a higher mastery.
Since January of 2022, we have been working with the thematic axis of Taurus and Scorpio. This means our individual and collective karma has been revealing itself through the lessons of Scorpio. while our new effort and destiny has been working toward Taurus. This polarity axis is tied into relationships, as these signs naturally rule the 2nd and 8th houses. They each deal with themes of power – personal power, self-security and self-reliance vs. power dynamics in relationships (including abuse of power) and the transformative power of union with another. As well, these themes have influenced the eclipses we’ve experienced these past 18 months. Last March we had the first glimpse of the new nodal energies with the spring equinox new moon solar eclipse in Aries. This eclipse heralded the start of a new nodal cycle.
Like Taurus/Scorpio, Aries and Libra represent an axis of relationship. Traditionally, Aries (ruled by Mars) symbolizes the self, independence, initiation, beginnings, goals and individual desires. Libra (ruled by Venus) traditionally represents partnerships, comparison, analysis, discernment, harmony, balance and justice. On the astrological wheel, these signs symbolize the 1st and 7th houses, and thus represent the ways we see and know ourselves juxtaposed against how we come to know ourselves through the eyes of another. In Aries we discover who we are, what we want and take action towards those impulses. In Libra we’re met with the needs of others and must recognize the paradoxical truth that those needs hold equal value to our own, even when contradictory. So what can we expect to unfold for us as the nodes work their way through these signs over the next 18 months?
The underscoring themes of this transit are: wholeness, personal truth, inner peace, revitalization, moving into flow, self-acceptance, aspiration, reviving the spirit, beginning a new cycle of growth, finding spiritual grounding, and achieving balance between offering and receiving. These are the themes and the opportunities this cycle holds for us – if we can learn to balance the opposition between Aries and Libra by moving into the highest expression of each sign.
With the north node in Aries, we are looking at beginning a brand new cycle. This is obviously true as the nodes are literally shifting signs into a new cycle of energy, but this theme expands even further. Aries is the first sign of the zodiac, so it inherently holds the energy of new beginnings. As a fire sign, it is connected to spiritual energy and symbolizes the actions we take toward our spiritual missions. The north node moving into Aries marks a period of spiritual initiation. We may find ourselves called into a higher expression that we’ve previously embodied. We are challenged to step into a new role. However, this new role is a paradox because the role we’re being asked to inhabit is actually that of our true self. It is who we already are, the inherent identity we embody in our spiritual selves, but that has been ignored, limited, or suppressed until now.
Through this period of initiation, we are asked to make a choice – and this overarching choice may hold many other smaller choices within it. We are asked to choose between proclaiming our spiritual truth or clinging to the comfortable-yet-inhibited expression we’ve embodied thus far. As we face this choice, it may strain our relationships. We may no longer be able to meet the expectations of others as we embody our true selves, and that can make us doubt the validity of our truth and the path we’re being called toward. When we disappoint the ones we love, it feels like we’re failing.
How can this path be right for us if it creates so much tension and disharmony in our relationships? How can it be the right choice if it means that things, as they are currently known, begin to crumble around us? The instability we’re threatened with feels harrowing and it can prevent us from moving forward into this north node destiny. Aries is the sign of the warrior and it symbolizes courage. Part of this initiation process involves cultivating courage to stand independently as our true selves in the face of fear, discomfort, and doubt.
We must also be conscious that each sign has a shadow side. We are being called to embody our highest expressions, and so we must tread carefully to avoid leaning too hard into the expression of Aries. The nodes ask us to find balance, so this is our task. The shadow side of Aries involves being too “heady,” wrapped up too much in the mind and neglecting the heart. It also involves being too headstrong so that we are bowling over other people in our quest to achieve our goals. We may feel self-righteous in our efforts and allow the lower mind and ego to dominate our actions and attitudes. We may become arrogant and believe we don’t need anyone else now that we’ve uncovered what it is we’re aiming for.
This is where the balance of the Libra south node comes into play. We are being called to leave behind the karmic tendencies of this south node so that we may fully embrace the Aries north node. Libra struggles to make decisions because it is able to so clearly see the equal value of opposing positions. It recognizes paradox and understands that truth, justice and choice are in the eye of the beholder. Because it can so easily put itself in other people’s shoes, it has difficulty standing on its own two feet. There is great fear over making the wrong choice – because how can any choice truly be right for me if I can see how opposing choices are also right for other people? This causes Libra to vacillate and procrastinate to the extent that it actually misses out on opportunities. Deadlines pass, open spots are filled, and Libra is still left reviewing its pro and con lists.
As well, Libra can have a difficult time defending itself. In its darker shadow, because it directly deals with relationships, Libra can present as being overly self-sacrificing, deprecating, or even worse, finding one’s self in an abusive relationship. Libra can hold a strong victim mentality. Even when physical or emotional abuse are absent, we may find ourselves taking on the role of martyr in our relationships. We may hold a persecution complex as we continually give precedence to our partners and never prioritize our own needs.
In the Tarot the positive traits of Libra can be seen in The Lovers card as balance is struck between the masculine and feminine principles (i.e. Hieros Gamos). However, the shadow side of Libra is found in The Devil card in which we see the two characters from The Lovers are now chained and tortured. Yet, if you look more closely at this card, you find that the chains which bind them are self-imposed. We create our own hell through the limitations we set for ourselves. Often we use our partnerships and our notions of generosity and self-sacrifice as excuses for the suffering we endure. In truth our partners merely reflect back to us who we are. They are not responsible for our self-expression, fulfillment and happiness. It is our burden alone to make choices that will empower our own highest expression.
This is what we are tasked with leaving behind as we move into the energy of our north node in Aries. We must stop making excuses and displacing the burden of our limitations onto our partners. We must also be willing to be true to ourselves regardless of the perceived impact we fear it may have on our closest relationships. Often these fears are unwarranted. We may be surprised at the reactions of our partners as we move into our authentic spiritual embodiment. We may discover that those limitations we felt pressured to withstand were self-created illusions. Our partners are our mirrors, so as we move into our true divine being, they may reflect back to us their own self-actualization, divinity, and support for our choices.
This is the balance of the Libra south node, the tail of the dragon, which we must bring with us into our north node expression. It counters the shadow of Aries, which believes it can do everything on its own. In truth we will find our highest expression, embodying our divine essence, as we are supported by others. It is through loving support that we can experience triumph – and have someone with whom to celebrate it. As well, we require the mirroring of our partnerships in order to see ourselves more clearly.
We may find moving into the embodiment of Aries that we recruit our courage, overcome intimidation and step into a place of vulnerability. As we stand naked in our truth before the eyes of those we love, we are met with rejection, judgment, ridicule, or worse, apathy. Here again, we encounter the shadow of Libra, which is expressed as an unsupportive partner. This may feel crushing to our spirit as it took so much strength and resolve to take that scary step to begin with. It was a leap of faith that was not rewarded. What are we to do?
In this instance we are, once again, compelled toward courage as we face the greater truth of this relationship. We must leave behind the shadow of the south node, and that may include any relationship which does not validate, support and embrace the changes we are seeking. This is a very difficult truth to face, especially when those relationships may be long-standing and we feel so strongly rooted in them. These roots are false though, because any root system that is rotten from within cannot support the healthy growth of a plant. Likewise, we cannot move into our expansive, divine expression if our partners are sabotaging our efforts and cajoling us back into our limitations. And in reality, if we are not embodying our highest expressions and remain in these relationships, it will only serve to likewise impede the growth of our partners.
We may find ourselves in these situations, faced with these kinds of choices, over the next year and half. Thus, we are called upon to embrace the highest potential of Aries, which rules the head, home of the 6th chakra. So we must cultivate a new, higher perception in order to clearly perceive the choices we face. We must call on our disciplined and fair (Libra) judgment to make the right choices for ourselves. This also requires us to draft the wisdom of our hearts, allow ourselves to be vulnerable, and not simply make these choices from the lower mind. These are not easy decisions that we make, but on the deepest level, we know we must make them regardless of how difficult it may be.
What if you are not in a partnership during this period? Well, as a heads up, you may find yourself moving into a relationship over the next 18 months! Even if that is not the case though, these themes still apply. Instead of these dynamics occurring between yourself and a mirrored partner, they will be occurring between your higher and lower selves. You will be dealing with the transformation of moving into the destined expression of your Higher Self/Soul/Twin Flame while balancing the karma of your 3D/physically incarnated/lower self. This will be a highly psychological process for you in addition to a spiritual awakening. As well, you may find external support via non-romantic relationships. Libra governs all kinds of personal relationships, including friendships and close family members.
What we stand to gain from moving into the paramount expression of these two signs, by choosing to ride the dragon into our Aries destiny with the support of our Libra strength, is a deep, unshakable sense of tranquility which arises from the uncompromised knowing of our true Self. When we meet our real selves at the deepest level, we find spiritual grounding, and through that grounding we are braced to face any battle that may stand before us. We become an immovable force to be reckoned with, a gentle, but unyielding force, which holds true to its path. Supported by love, standing strong from a place of balance and acting with utmost integrity, we arise victorious.
This is the call, this is the initiation, you are the pioneer of your own path. Find your courage, seek your heart, move into self-acceptance through vulnerability, glide into the flow between the sacred and mundane holding each in one hand as you step into the revitalization of your true essence, unfiltered, unfettered, and unabashed. Here is where you embark on the new cycle of your personal Hero’s Journey. Your determination and aspiration inspires others to seek their own divine truth. Light the fire, spiritual warrior, and blaze your trail.
As mentioned at the start of this article, the nodes play a crucial role in your life path and personal fulfillment. If you want to better understand your own nodal placements and how they are impacted by this transiting nodal shift, I would love to help you with that. Please visit www.zenithglowastrology.com to book a reading.