Willpower Astrology

Hi folks,

This is one that I have been sitting on since last May. Partially because it’s hard to explain and partially because I was nervous about how it would all turn out since I’m a Leo:) So new year, barreling toward this New Capricorn Moon, making me get some ish done.

The nodes of the moon are not an actual place, but basically a pair of moving coordinates in outer space. As the earth revolves around the sun, the moon revolves around the earth. The place where those two orbits intersect are the moon’s nodes. The place where the moon passes in front of the earth is the North Node, called the “head of the dragon” by the ancients. And the “tail of the dragon,” or South Node, is where the moon’s orbit passes behind the orbit of the earth.

The nodes are always exactly opposite each other, so right now the South Node is in Aquarius. The nodes also go in reverse of the motion of the planets. So on the tropical zodiac chart, the Sun and Moon and everything else revolve counterclockwise-they move through the signs from Aries to Pisces. So this fall, the North Node won’t shift from Leo to Virgo, but from Leo to the preceding sign of Cancer, moving clockwise through the chart.

In astrology, the nodes represent our destiny, our karmic contracts, what we are here to learn in this life. nbd, amirite? They suggest that we’ve been here and have carried things with us from prior incarnations that must be dealt with in this one.

The South Node is where we have been before. This placement in our charts helps us to understand things that come second nature to us, what we already know. In past lives, we were very much ingrained in the energy of the South Node and probably demonstrate many attributes of the sign (Maybe why some folks think they don’t sound like their newspaper horoscope?). I’ve heard it described as the comfort zone-it’s how we know how to operate. If we stay embedded in the qualities of our south node for too long, however, we fail to progress. We stop learning, we never leave the nest as it were, we don’t tap into what this life has to offer us. In our earlier life, we must first become aware of, and then master the lessons of our intrinsic nature.

When we have learned those lessons, it is then we begin to unlock the secrets of the North Node. I’ve heard people say that you don’t even really start messing with it til after your Saturn Return (around the age of 30). The North Node is what we are here to be in this life. It’s what we don’t already know, though-it’s outside of that comfort zone. It requires conscious effort to develop it, it doesn’t just happen. When we move into the North Node, we shine, we grow, we kick ass and take no names.

Leo is the sign of kingly or personal power, where fun and games take center stage. The inner child is a reference to this sign, as well as relationships with children. Leo is a fire sign, denoting spiritual energy, passion, and initiative. It’s a fixed-sign, meaning that it saves and stores energy like a magnet. The heart and spine are the parts of the body where Leo metaphorically operates, the two being linked to the Lion’s motto “I will” (Like I named my blog, get it?). Creativity and expression are a part of Leo’s association with the 5th House, where we do things for our own pleasure.

Conversely, its opposite sign of Aquarius is all about people power, where wishes and dreams become fulfilled. Aquarius is about how we all share, the ways in which we connect, and our individuality within the masses. Aquarius is like the circulatory system, carrying the blood through the whole body-or like the ankles and shins running the message to all the people.

SO. This year’s movement of the North Node through Leo is asking you WHAT KIND OF KING OR QUEEN WILL YOU BE? The energy is about moving into the foreign territory of being a leader through personal example. We know how to be a part of a group, and now we need to have the People in mind as we creatively use our personal power toward our own goals. If we have mastered the lessons of South Node Aquarius, we will be the kind of ruler that has the people’s interests at heart already. This is literally the year to FOLLOW YOUR HEART. It will be scary and seem foreign, but pushing for that growth is how we keep expanding those horizons. It might feel at times like you are doing things alone, but that’s part of the lesson, too-taking accountability for your own intentions and actions. It’s your life-hold yourself responsible for who you are going to be and where you are going to go. Be the boss.

Things are pretty tense in the world right now, but a part of what we have to teach ourselves during this time is to HAVE FUN. We have to seek it out and hunt it down like lions on the prowl…or kittie cats, or something. Jupiter in Scorpio is all about transformation this year, bringing a lot of painful things to the surface, with intense emotion. We’ve spent a lot of energy merging forces with others, or conversely, letting go of connections. It’s also kind of a big deal that under the sign of the king, Saturn shifted into Capricorn, which is about public life, career, and legacy. We have transitioned from a fiery, idea-driven time to the time where we face the consequences of those ideas. The energy is heavy, and yet we must learn to open our hearts and let our inner children play. There’s such a focus on the collective now, that it’s up to us to make sure that our personal fun tanks stay filled. Those fun tanks are the key to knowing if we’re on the right track this year. If they aren’t staying full, it’s time to check in and reassess.

I wanna make some kind of snarky comment about media personalities trying to act like kings, but that would be gauche. And too easy.

Here’s a chart I drew for the upcoming New Moon. Part of why I’m writing this North Node update now is that I think the upcoming month or so will be a crucial time for us to be aware of on our personal journey through North Node Leo.

So you can see the North Node in the bottom right of the picture at 14 degrees of Leo. Its opposite sign is Aquarius (wavy lines symbol, not a great hand-drawn chart). Between the New Capricorn Moon on 1/16 and the New Aquarius Moon on 2/15, a bunch of those planets will pass through the South Node in Aquarius-Venus 1/30, Mercury 2/9, Sun 2/14. This means they will be in opposition to the north node. I think that during this time there will be some kind of crisis, making us aware of whether or not we are in line with our personal goals. We may be complacent as the planets pass through the South Node, relying too heavily on others or blaming others for our shortcomings. This next lunar cycle will be the place where we saw our plans materialize or fall apart. Mars won’t oppose the North Node til 6/8-10. So if we are ready now, the final push of this node cycle this summer should be easy. Later this fall the priorities change as the North Node shifts into Cancer, so make sure you get your heart right now-especially over the next month or so. Picking up momentum later will be hard.

Hope you are having a wonderful year developing your kingdoms. I personally have changed up a bunch of things and thrown myself off a cliff following my heart. Thanks for joining me on my journey.

Cheers,

Will

P.S. Used my journal, my ephemeris, my Buddha Board for the header image, and checked THE ONLY ASTROLOGY BOOK YOU’LL EVER NEED by Joanna Woolfolk for reference.