“The obstacles along the way sometimes
might feel so tremendous,
There are guides and spirits all along the way
Who will befriend us. ” Van Morrison
“Let us be silent that we may hear the whispers of the gods.” Emerson
The author Clare Martin has described the Lunar Nodes in the astrology chart as representing, “a doorway or magical threshold between this and other worlds.”
Another way to describe this is “meetings at the edge.” The author Stephen Levine, in his book by that title, evolved contemporary thinking about the path of being with someone who is dying. He described the kind of intimacy that can develop between people when one of them is preparing to transition. It is a very inspired work.
Cycles of birth and death accompany us throughout our lives as we move forward and leave things behind. “Meetings at the edge” can also be present at threshold times – when we might feel stuck but are actually at a crossroad waiting for information or direction. People may show up or experiences occur which clarify or affirm our way forward. It can be something that’s read in a passage of book, heard on a train from a stranger three seats back or can come in a dream or moment of inspiration and recognition.
In general the Nodes in an astrology chart describe which parts of ourselves we need to work on and evolve during this lifetime.
The Lunar Nodes are constantly in motion while the birth chart is stationary and captures a moment in time. This means that throughout time you are likely to encounter guidance in the sphere of life being targeted by transiting Nodes. For example if the Nodes are transiting the first and seventh houses, guidance can come through relationships that bring up the question of the balance between our identity and who we are in partnership with others. Someone can show up at a time like this and clarify or evolve who we are in this area through their interaction with us.
The people who come into our lives at these times – in one form or another -put us in touch with a missing piece of the puzzle. They may be strangers or liminal people – people who come into our lives to transmit information or contribute to an experience that sets us on our way. Often they do not stay.
In the sixth and twelfth houses guidance can come through experiences in the daily routine, health, work and from the realm of dreams, ancestors and spirit guides. For example is a health related challenge asking us to change our daily life’s routine or our relationship to the Mysteries? Is work pushing us in another direction? Are the anscestors calling us to live out some side of the anscestral lines that they were not able to in their time and place?
Alot of people are looking for direction now- in this topsy turvy time we are living in. The Lunar Nodes can be helpful in this realm.