I’m not an astrologer by any stretch, but I am a hippie-love-child,  born in San Francisco in 1972. So yes, astrological explanations get just as much clout around here as other kinds of reasoning, scientific, spiritual or otherwise. Still I’m stepping out on a limb here blogging about astrological happenings. I’m just so excited to share my new found understanding of The Nodes with you.

   Let me say first that as much as I believe in astrology, it’s important to know that it’s not about fate and things that are set in stones going to happen to you. It’s more like “the vibe is..” or “the wind is blowing this way..”. I use astrology as a tool to help me make the most of certain momentums. For example, when Mercury is retrograde I try to chill out and not reply heavily on computers, communications and pushing ideas forward. Instead I try to be a bit more retrospective and creative in my approach during those weeks. It just works better to relax when Mercury (the planet of thinking, communications) is moving backwards, then it does to attempt to push forward during that time. And no astro signs are bad or good. True, some signs make me feel warm & fuzzy, while other tend to make me go “huh?”, but still, each sign has it’s strengths and weaknesses and can be beneficial in the right place and time.

The Nodes are a pretty new subject for me though. And one that I’m really exited about. Everyone has North & South Node in their chart, based on where the Nodes were at the time of your birth. They are always polar opposites. The South Node represents the direction you are coming from, what is familiar, reliable and ‘normal’ for you. While the North Node indicated the direction you are going, or should be striving towards. Some astrologers go so far as to say that the South Node indicates all sorts of past life experiences and conditions that are a part of who we are today and may require a lots of clearing or healing work to move past. I’m not sure about past lives, but I do completely see how my South Node indicated a ‘cozy place’, an ‘old habit’, or a ‘comfort zones’ that we each have.

It’s the North Node that I find so exciting. The North node (sometimes called “True Node”) is the direction that you want to go in order to truly live out your great destiny. The North node can be kind o f scary! It’s that place where you so want to go, but it makes your heart race a little. You may have to push past some fear to go for it; after all, it is the polar opposite of your oh-so-comfortable South Node! It’s not the easy old what-is, it’s the what’s-next of life. For me, knowing about my North Node has really helped me know myself better and accept myself and ultimately move towards my most satisfying life.

My personal North Node is in Capricorn and my South Node is in Cancer. Sure enough, I find it incredibly easy to nurture others and stepped into cozy life of familyhood easily. Having babies, nesting and housewifery (Cancerian qualities) all come naturally to me. However all the while, on the side I’ve been making half baked attempts at starting businesses and get out into the world as a breadwinner (Capricorn characteristics). I was never able to have big success with these endeavors, because I was confused as to how to balance the two. And most of all, I wasn’t confident that my desire to have a business was valid enough to actually put domestic duties on the back burning. I was a little confused. I felt like a natural momma and still a little part of me was just not satisfied with domestic duties. And I even felt a little shame about wanting to carve out work time for myself.

Since I’ve discovered that my North Node is in Capricorn, I realize that running a business is a real and valid part of my soul’s evolution, I feel exhilarated. I AM suppose to work and go into the world and share my gifts! I love designing clothing, working with organic fabrics, figuring out all the little complexities that make it turn into real life fashions that woman can buy and wear and feel fabulous in. It’s okay that I’m not 100% satisfied doing dishes and laundry exclusively all day long. And, it turns out that when I get a nice chunk of time daily to dedicate to my business and worldly pursuits, I still LOVE coming home and doing wifey stuff. Finding the balance between the two continues to be tricky, but now I’m clear about my priorities and truthfully I’m more fun for my family when I’m being true to me.

I suggest you get a copy of your chart (at www.astro.com you can get a free one). And see where your North & South Nodes are. If you’re anything like me, this could be life changing information. You don’t have to be an astrological genius to understand it. Just find out where your Nodes are (you’ll need your birth date, time and location) and read up on the characteristics of the signs given. Remember, you are heading North! The South still has a lot of goodness to it, so you don’t have to reject it all together. Just begin to incorporate some of your North node actions into your game plan. Each day, do a little more of what makes your heart shine and a little less of what makes you feel dull.

Please comment below if you’ve had any interesting experiences with your Nodes. And please, let me if you like my Astro babble, there’s plenty more where this came from, if you’re interested..