South Node Astrology: What the Nodes Say About Your Past Life Karma & Soul Purpose
The North Node and South Node of the moon encode your soul purpose and past life karma into your astrological birth chart. The North Node on our birth chart indicates our life purpose and the growth points we are leaning into in this lifetime. You’ve wondered how the South Node relates, what it signifies or how to find both your north and south node; we have the answers for you.
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The south node PLacement: Your Past Life Karma
The South Node in your birth chart denotes the challenges we have already learned to overcome in the past.
Our south node may indicate themes of the history of our current lives and in lives that came before this one and our past life karma.
The cultures from which astrology was originally born are rich with themes and beliefs in such ideas as karma and reincarnation, but not in the ways you might think of these concepts.
It’s not likely that misbehaving and going against our moral code of ethics will have us coming back into the next life as a toad, at least not in astrological symbolism. Instead, our past lives indicate concepts we developed mastery over and those we did not.
Because time has sped up so much, even just in the past 50-100 years, as long as we continue coming back to Earth in a body, we will have new challenges to face. Each time we will essentially be better equipped to handle them.
Comfort In This Lifetime
Our south node placement indicates where we are most comfortable in this lifetime. This is because our south node governs in the realm of those lessons we have already mastered. For this reason, the south node can be easily overlooked when astrology students study the north node trajectory.
We can be too quick to immediately reject the qualities of the south node because the comfort zone is looked down upon as something to avoid. Instead, we need to combine the qualities of our south node and your comfort zone and use those as places to start when moving towards the north node path.
the north node: your Life’s Purpose
The north node is the opposite zodiac sign of the south node. Your north node challenges you to get out of your comfort zone. Your discomfort is rewarded with fantastic fulfillment as you feel your life’s mission engaged. If you want a life of purpose, align yourself to the path of your north node.
Often these aren’t the things that come naturally to us. When something is easy, we may think that means it’s more aligned, yet, it might not be spiritually satisfying. This path may be smooth because we’ve already tread it many times in past lives, but now it’s time to get off the beaten track and on to a new journey.
how is the south node and north node used in astrology?
So, with these examples, we can see how the south node is so influential in moving towards our north node! However, we cannot discount where we have come from to get where we are going. Instead, we must incorporate and integrate the lessons that got us to where we are - comfortability in the south node realm - to leap forward and branch out into our north node destiny.
When we make life decisions, we always choose comfort or growth, and balanced life will have plenty of choices made with both essential categories in mind.
If we choose too much growth without any comfort, we might find that our life lacks any level of stability and security, which we as humans need to foster long-term connections and relationships, for example. And, if we are basing too many choices on what will bring us comfort without making choices based on growth and expansion, we may find our lives feeling small and pre-planned with no adventures or variety.
It is worth taking the time to study your south node placement to see where it is that you might be hiding out from life or the areas in which you are naturally inclined to keep your life smaller than it is meant to be, or on the road that you are already familiar with.
Finding Your Lunar Node Placement By Birthday
Since the north and south node placements change about every 18 months, everyone born within the same date range has the same north and south node placements.
This timetable shows what your placement is if you don’t already know. Unfortunately, the north and south node placement isn’t always given when looking up a free birth chart, but some sites - like astro.com, for instance - provide this information.
Aries North Node and Libra South Node dates:
Jan 27, 1949 – Jul 26, 1950
Aug 20, 1967 – Apr 19, 1969
Apr 7, 1986 – Dec 2, 1987
Dec 27, 2004 – Jun 22, 2006
Libra South Node and Aries North Node dates:
Jun 17, 1958 – Dec 15, 1959
Jan 8, 1977 – Jul 5, 1978
Aug 1, 1995 – Jan 25, 1997
Feb 19, 2014 – Nov 11, 2015
Taurus North Node and Scorpio South Node dates:
Aug 3, 1947 – Jan 26, 1949
Feb 20, 1966 – Aug 19, 1967
Sep 12, 1984 – Apr 6, 1986
Apr 15, 2003 – Dec 26, 2004
Scorpio North Node and Taurus South Node dates:
Oct 5, 1956 – Jun 16, 1958
Jul 10, 1975 – Jan 7, 1977
Feb 2, 1994 – Jul 31, 1995
Aug 30, 2012 – Feb 18, 2014
Gemini North Node and Sagittarius South Node dates:
Dec 14, 1945 – Aug 2, 1947
Aug 26, 1964 – Feb 19, 1966
Mar 17, 1983 – Sep 11, 1984
Oct 14, 2001 – Apr 14, 2003
May 6, 2020 – Jan 18, 2022
Sagittarius North Node and Gemini South Node dates:
April 3, 1955 – Oct 4, 1956
Oct 28, 1973 – Jul 9, 1975
Aug 2, 1992 – Feb 1, 1994
Mar 4, 2011 – Aug 29, 2012
Cancer North Node and Capricorn South Node dates:
May 12, 1944 – Dec 3, 1945
Dec 24, 1962 – Aug 25, 1964
Sep 25, 1981 – Mar 16, 1983
Apr 10, 2000 – Oct 13, 2001
Nov 7, 2018 – May 5, 2020
Capricorn North Node and Cancer South Node dates:
Oct 10, 1953 – Apr 2, 1955
Apr 28, 1972 – Oct 27, 1973
Nov 19, 1990 – Aug 1, 1992
Aug 22, 2009 – Mar 3, 2011
Leo North Node and Aquarius South Nodes:
Apr 23, 1924 – Oct 26, 1925
Nov 22, 1942 – May 11, 1944
Jun 11, 1961 – Dec 23, 1962
Jan 6, 1980 – Sep 24, 1981
Oct 21, 1998– Apr 10, 2000
May 10, 2017 – Nov 6, 2018
Aquarius North Node and Leo South Node dates:
Jun 25, 1933 – Mar 8, 1935
Mar 29, 1952 – Oct 9, 1953
Nov 3, 1970 – Apr 27, 1972
May 23, 1989 – Nov 18, 1990
Dec 19, 2007 – Aug 21, 2009
Let’s look at the south and north node by zodiac sign:
Aries South Node / Libra North Node
For instance, if your south node is in Aries, you may be quite naturally skilled at working and living independently from other people. Your first inclination is probably to do things alone, and your impulses to act upon the first idea may be pretty intense. With the south node in Aries, your north node is in Libra, the sign of partnership and harmony.
So, how do you take what you have learned and conquered from previous lifetimes and apply it to this life?
You recognize that while your first impulses are usually correct, you are learning to balance that with the ideas and motivations of other people and come to collaborative solutions that everyone can feel good about.
Libra South Node / Aries North Node
On the other hand, if your south node is in Libra, you have spent many lifetimes accommodating what other people need and trying to keep the peace between them. These people are natural diplomats and may have a difficult time expressing any opinion that has the potential to rock the boat.
It goes without saying that if it goes unchecked, these people can naturally spend a significant amount of time up in their heads trying to figure out what the friendly or acceptable way to act will be instead of acting on their innate and individual impulses.
If your south node is in Libra, then your north node is in Aries, and you are here to stand out from the crowd, not to go along with it. The main lesson here is to learn to care less about how others perceive you and more about how you perceive yourself.
Anger also plays a significant role in these people’s lives; because of past lives where their rage could not be healthily recognized and expressed, there may be a lot of latent anger that these individuals are learning to deal with and release in healthy ways. Taking up intense physical exercise (i.e., kickboxing) can be a great way to do this, and of course, meditation also helps.
Taurus South Node / Scorpio North Node
If your south node is in Taurus, your comfort zone is the material world and having tangible things that surround you and bring you joy. With Taurus as your south node and Scorpio then as your north node, your creature comforts are a place for you to return when you need to recharge and regroup, but you will not find fulfillment in the accumulation of things in this lifetime.
Instead, your preference for things that are sustainable and that you can find material value is the point from which you might begin a quest for the spiritual, the things that are not seen but felt and experienced but cannot necessarily be explained.
The challenge for these people is to get out of the practical aspects of reality and move into the parts of reality that feel a little scary because they are uncertain. Already gifted in the realms of the senses, this lifetime for you is to explore the mythical and the mystical.
Scorpio South Node / North Node in Taurus
If your south node is in Scorpio, you have mastered the more spiritual aspects of reality in previous lifetimes. In this current one, you are learning how to translate that knowledge into everyday life and 3-D reality. This could involve the need for authentic talismans to remind you that you are here now.
Naturally wise and spiritually inclined, those with a south node in Scorpio are ready to scorch the earth at any time for a transformation and new beginning. However, it is new and foreign to them to consider sticking it out and playing the cards they are dealt in this life.
In past lifetimes, these people were used to other people (usually in their family or a partner) taking care of them financially. So in this lifetime, they must learn financial independence.
As with any north node placement, you will find that when you start making choices more in line with your north node, things will line up for you quite quickly, though it may not be in the ways you expect. Consistent work with a steady income to spend on material luxuries will likely bring you more joy than you may think.
Gemini South Node / Sagittarius North Node
With a south node in Gemini, you have many past life experiences of being the eternal student, someone curiously flitting from interest to interest and never delving too deeply into any one topic. In addition, you are used to being known and recognized in your local community for something and are less likely to go beyond the people and places you know and are familiar with.
You are less likely to branch out and become a little fish in a big pond and prefer to stick to the waters and lakes you’re used to! However, your Sagittarius north node will not be satisfied in this life until you have explored every option and expanded your horizons.
Your south node in Gemini serves you well because the Sagittarius north node person needs this non-attachment mindset to fulfill the priorities that are a part of this person’s path. A Gemini south node and Sagittarius north node person will need to move from being the eternal student to being the eternal teacher in search of a deeper truth and wisdom to life.
Sagittarius South Node / Gemini North Node
A south node in Sagittarius with a north node in Gemini denotes a person who in this lifetime has mastered the life path of being the eternal nomad traveler, moving from quest to quest, and guru to guru.
In this lifetime, this person is meant to incorporate the Sagittarian qualities of seeking and knowing and realizing truth when they hear and see it and using that to propel their studies into different topics they are curious about but do not currently understand.
It might feel comfortable for the person with a south node in Sagittarius to be constantly on the go from place to place and relationship to relationship. Yet, a north node in Gemini signifies the soul’s need to put down roots in one place for a while, nourish and take an active part in a community, and nurture longer-term friendships and relationships where there is a baseline of mutual respect, understanding, and learning from one another.
Cancer South Node / Capricorn North Node
If your south node is in Cancer, you have many past life experiences where you thrived in the domestic realm, at home, and with family. You are likely the natural caretaker in your friend group, and people are drawn to you when they need a little nurturance.
So in this lifetime with a north node in Capricorn, your point of growth and fulfillment is all about taking the people skills you innately possess and pointing them towards structure outside of your home life, namely in your career.
Capricorn north nodes are seeking public recognition for their work, whether actively aware of it or not, and will not settle until they have received recognition from their peers and colleagues in their field.
Capricorn South Node / Cancer North Node
Conversely, a south node in Capricorn means you have held high positions of power in your work arena in past lifetimes, and this life is a time where you are meant to focus more on your family and home.
A south node in Capricorn denotes that you gain recognition from the public eye quickly, and a north node in Cancer suggests that you seek a more private life in this go-around. Cancer is still a business and money-savvy sign, so you are taking this innate knowledge that you possess about how to create a secure life for yourself and your family, but you would instead do this in a way that is behind the scenes.
Read an in-depth analysis of your Capricorn south node in this article.
Leo South Node / Aquarius North Node
If your south node is in the sign of Leo, you have past lifetimes spent where you were the breakout star, in the spotlight, and on the stage. So used to being the center of attention, you either expect and welcome it in this lifetime, or you expect it and run from it.
Any spotlight on you is meant to be shared with the masses. These people make great humanitarians because they can draw attention to important causes.
Aquarius South Node / Leo North Node
People with a south node in Aquarius are used to working towards better humanity for all while downplaying the needs of the self. Humanitarian ideals will always be at the core of this person’s efforts, yet in this life as a north node in Leo, it just isn’t enough.
A person with these placements needs to accept their validation needs and be the center of attention. Often, this placement struggles with the push and pull of wanting to be seen vs. fearing to be truly seen. For this reason, it can help if this individual learns how to take on the role of someone who enjoys the spotlight so that they can play around with and pretend until it comes naturally to them - sort of “faking it” until they make it, in a way.
Virgo South Node / Pisces North Node
A Virgo south node comes into this life with superb skills of analysis and critical thinking. These are not the people you find just “going with the flow.” They are apt to have their way of doing things and believe they know best in all situations.
It can be challenging to accept that they are not the experts in every field and for them to receive advice from people who know more than them in other areas of life. Learning to relinquish just a tad bit of control is a lifelong lesson for these folks, who had previous lifetimes where they had to hold it all together.
Now, with a Pisces north node, opening up to multiple realities and possibilities brings them the peace they didn’t even realize they had been seeking.
Pisces South Node / Virgo North Node
Those with their north and south nodes on the Virgo and Pisces axis are the people that are natural-born healers. A south node in Pisces has spent many lifetimes being a psychic sponge for other people’s ailments and can fall ill easily if they do not take enough time to recharge alone and out in nature.
Those with a Pisces south node or a Pisces north node might naturally draw people to them that feel like or project that they need fixing. A person with a Pisces south node is here in this incarnation to learn solid boundaries to differentiate where they end and another begins.
The Virgo north node that these people are moving toward teaches boundaries, routine, and implementing critical thought when emotions feel overwhelming.
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Elisabeth is a writer and astrologer, based in Seattle. To connect with her and learn more about astrology, you can email her at hi@elisabethmckinley.com, or follow her Instagram @elisabetham.