The South Node in Astrology

Think of the things you have always been able to do without trying. The role you slip into in any group, the strength people always rely on you for, the habit you fall back on when you are tired. These come so easily you may not even see them as skills. That is the South Node in your chart: the well-worn road you arrived on.

The South Node is half of an axis. Opposite it, always, is the North Node, the unfamiliar road that grows you. The South Node is where you start, and what you take with you.

What the South Node is

The Moon's path is tilted against the Sun's path, so twice a month the Moon crosses it. The point where it crosses heading south is the South Node, and the point where it crosses heading north is the North Node. The two are always exactly 180 degrees apart, and both move slowly backwards through the zodiac in a cycle of about 18 and a half years.

In medieval Western astrology the South Node was the Dragon's Tail. In Indian astrology it is Ketu, associated with detachment, past knowledge and spiritual release.

Gifts you did not have to earn

Here is the part of the South Node that is easiest to miss. It is not a weakness. It describes real abilities, often remarkable ones, that came so naturally that you never had to work for them. Some astrologers read it as what you bring from past lives. Others read it as what you absorbed so early in this life that it feels innate. Either way, it is yours.

The catch is that what comes easily can also become the only thing you do. The South Node is comfortable, and comfort can stop growth. The trick is to keep the gifts and loosen the grip.

Where is this planet in your chart?

Its sign says how it works, its house says where. See both, with the aspects that shape it.

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