Lunar Nodes

What it is

Lunar nodes are mathematical points — the two places where the Moon's orbit crosses the Sun's orbit (ecliptic). North node (Rahu, ascending node) and south node (Ketu, descending node) always sit 180° apart. Eclipses can only occur when the Sun is near one of these nodes. The nodes move retrograde through the zodiac (full circle in ~18.6 years). They shifted to Cancer-Capricorn in June 2024; moving to Leo-Aquarius in 2026.

Astrological reading

In astrology the north node is "the evolutionary direction, future dharma" — where the person or generation must go. The south node is "the pattern carried from past lives" — the comfort to leave. In Vedic tradition this is personified as the Rahu-Ketu myth: worldly passion (Rahu) and spiritual dissolution (Ketu). Eclipses pass through the "gate" of the nodes; this is why eclipse impact is read through the node themes.

Practice

Find which sign and house your natal north node is in; that direction is life's "growth point." The pattern shown by the south node has aged — not to leave it, but to draw nourishment from there and leap to the new direction.

Themes

• north-south axis
• evolutionary direction
• collective fate
• eclipse gate