The author of this article, Rob Tillett, has been an astrologer for more than three decades. A poet, musician, magician, healer, dramatist and composer, he is the editor and publisher of Astrology on the Web and has written many of the articles on this website.
Rob lives in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, on the east coast of Australia.
Moon's Nodes Change Sign in 2007 a new phase of life on Spaceship Earth
Rob Tillett, astrologer and founder of Astrology on the Web, examines the effects of the Moon's Nodes changing sign from Pisces/Virgo to Aquarius/Leo in December 2007. The Moon's Nodes are a powerful karmic force in the zodiac. This change of sign, coinciding with the Solstice and Jupiter entering Capricorn, after a year in Sagittarius, mark a significant phase shift, as the cosmic emphasis cools from a period of fiery expansion to a period of earthy consolidation.
In astrology, the Moon's Nodes (the Dragon's Head and Tail) are not planets in the strict astronomical sense, but rather sensitive points on the ecliptic, where the Moon crosses from south to north latitude and vice versa. The body of the "energy dragon" is the fourth-dimensional path of the Moon by declination, as she weaves her web around the earth.
The nodes are also known as the Dragon's Head (Caput Draconis), the North Node, and Dragon's Tail (Cauda Draconis), the South Node, although in Indian Astrology they are known as Rahu and Ketu. In mythology, this Dragon sought to devour the Sun and Moon, causing the eclipses. The North Node, the Dragon's Head, is called the ascending node, because it marks the point where the Moon crosses the ecliptic from southern to northern celestial latitudes, and the South Node is called the descending node, marking the descent from northern to southern latitudes. All the planets have nodes except the Sun and the Earth, but the Moon's Nodes are by far the most significant, in terms of human destiny. For more on the nodes, please click here.
Rearranging the Deckchairs
The movement of the nodes is normally retrograde, so from December 1 to December 18, 2007, the Moon's true north node will be in the first degree of Pisces, the sensitive sign of the Fishes. On December 18 the True Node changes sign to Aquarius, after an eighteen-month stint in Pisces. On this day, mighty Jupiter, the Lord of the Gods, also changes sign from Sagittarius to Capricorn, marking significant developments in matters of the public good in the world.
At 08:07 UT (Universal Time, formerly GMT) on December 18, the True Node enters Aquarius, the sign of the Water-Bearer, heralding a substantial change in direction of the collective, marked primarily by a distancing from immediate emotional concerns and a focus more on the longer-term goals of harmony on Earth and seeking unorthodox, technological solutions to our problems. Saturn (karma; restriction; restructuring), however, turns retrograde the next day (Dec 19) in a favourable trine aspect to Jupiter (expansion; fortune; rulers), but in conjunction with President Bush's natal Mars (action; passion; warfare). The Full Moon in Cancer conjunct Mars and opposing Jupiter on Christmas Eve (December 24) brings the old emotional issues to a head, promising a resolution, though hopefully not through violence, as the aspects on Christmas Day are much more promising.
The Moon's True Node oscillates according to the Moon's "wobble". This is caused by the gravitational effects of the Earth/Moon interaction, so the True Node sometimes has periods of direct motion. The Mean Node averages this "wobble" out, so is always retrograde. The Mean Node does not move into Aquarius until January 8th, 2008, providing a sort of hiatus, when the difficulties marked by the opposition of retro Mars (action; violence) and Pluto (obstruction; transformation) will come to the fore. Religious conflict is likely to be marked at this time, though as Mars has moved back to Gemini, hopefully it will take the form of propaganda, rather than actual fisticuffs!
The Solstice happens on December 22 in the midst of all this cosmic repatterning. It marks the transition of the Sun into Capricorn and the activation of the Cardinal Cross, as marked by Jupiter's entry into cardinal Capricorn – followed by Pluto on January 26, marking the commencement of a new generational phase that will be active until November 2024. This is the very cosmic cross that lies at the heart of tropical astrology – and at the centre of the Christian system. The effects on the Cardinal Cross are not as marked as they were in June 2006, when the nodes activated it, but notwithstanding, the astrological symbolism is deep, and underpins our archetypal responses to the energies that will be released at this time. The Sun then conjoins with Jupiter in a powerful conjunction on December 23, conjunct the Fixed Star, Spiculum, which is noted for producing blindness. Will we experience the expansion of our political aims, indicated by the conjunction of the Sun and Jupiter in Capricorn, taking a blind leap into the foggy realms of morbid religious conflict? One shudders to think....
How Does the Rearrangement of the Cosmic Deck Chairs Affect Each Sign?
As the Dragon emerges from the muddy pond of Water and Earth, before taking a deep breath of Air and Fire we are due for a rapid realisation of karmic debts that have accumulated and must be repaid before this cycle ends. Hence we can expect dramatic developments with regard to the position of the nodes in your own chart, as well as in the world at large through the effects on the charts of countries and their leaders.
Karma is not just a mindless force, though the energies of the nodes do tend to bring out the unconscious side of things, but is a force that is designed to wake us up and shake us into a new state of awareness. Here is a brief commentary for each sign, with the current crisis point noted (due as the karma matures this December/January) and the side of life that will provide karmic experience in the period between December 2007 and July 2009.
Mutable Signs
Cardinal Signs
Fixed Signs
Pisces
Crisis: relationships; self vs other; need to act Year Ahead: learn to trust; increase compassion; release fear
Aries
Crisis: hidden issues; government & institutions; health; self-esteem Year Ahead: romance; self-expression; speculation; financial growth
Taurus
Crisis: true friendship; wants vs needs; over-dramatising Year Ahead: public image; home vs career; family relationships
Gemini
Crisis: domestic situation; career direction; release the past Year Ahead: travel; education; information overload
Cancer
Crisis: overstimulation; logic vs intuition; doubt; commitment Year Ahead: need for transformation; blinkered values; resisting change
Leo
Crisis: clinging to possessions; security; role of others Year Ahead: excessive competition; partner's demands; overloaded instincts
Virgo
Crisis: lack of perspective; rash action; self-centred; health Year Ahead: practicality; overcoming anxiety; clear goals; focused mind
Libra
Crisis: missed deadlines; health; used by others Year Ahead: too reliant on others; finding own path; taking risks
Scorpio
Crisis: emotional detachment; fear of standing out; alienate others Year Ahead: need for control; public vs private; career demands
Sagittarius
Crisis: too rigid; family direction; public status Year Ahead: self-righteous; opinionated; listen to others
Capricorn
Crisis: arrogance; rush to judgement; lack sensitivity Year Ahead: needs of others; creating crises; balanced goals
Aquarius
Crisis: personal values; confusion; denial of self Year Ahead: indecison; co-dependence; balanced partnership
Pisces
Aries
Taurus
Gemini
Cancer
Leo
Virgo
Libra
Scorpio
Sagittarius
Capricorn
Aquarius
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