// good karma - bad karma // blood moons and lunar nodes
No Title 22, Andrea Marchesini, Courtesy of Fine Art America
This Friday, July 27th, the world will experience the most intense total lunar eclipse this century.
A lunar eclipse always takes place on a full moon, when the earth's shadow blocks the light of the sun from reflecting off the surface of the moon. This week that shadow will block the light in full, leading to a total eclipse of the sun's light, giving the moon the reddish color responsible for the "blood moon" title.
There is nothing to fear. This is not a bad omen, a sign of destruction or a message of doom from the gods.
It is, however, going to be intense, important, and worth paying attention to.
This week's lunar eclipse will be discussed in more detail in this week's Vitula Journal newsletter (click here to subscribe and receive this week's issue). But as the south node is going to play a key role in what unfolds this week, it's important that we have an understanding of lunar nodes and the role they play in our lives.
The lunar nodes - the north node and the south node - are not actually planets or luminaries (sun, moon). Rather, they are the mathematical points at which the moon's elliptical orbit around the sun intersects with that of the earth's. These nodes shift signs approximately every 18 months or so, and determine where and when the solar and lunar eclipses will take place in any given year.
In our natal chart, the north and south node are traditionally associated with past-life karma and the energetic path that the soul is meant to take in the current lifetime.
On a very practical level, the south node in our chart, by both sign and house, represents where we have natural gifts and talents. On a more spiritual level, our south node represents karma - both good and bad - that's we've brought with us from our past life. In either case, good or bad, our south node is a comfort zone, so to speak. These are energy expressions that come very naturally to us, and, as such, these tend to be the energies that we express in times of stress and conflict.
We aren't meant to stay in our comfort zones however, and if we get too cozy in our south node energies, only focusing on things that come easily and naturally to us without much effort, we will inevitably stagnate and get stuck. That's where the north node comes in.
If the south node is where we've been, the north node is where we're going.
Our north node, always directly opposite of our south node, is an energy expression that excites us, but also scares us a little bit. It's energy we may feel uncomfortable with. Many of our strongest impostor syndrome symptoms show when we're dealing with areas associated with our north node. But it's exactly these energies that the universe wants us to use in order to grow, succeed and thrive.
And when we take the risk, when we jump off the cliff of our south node and into the unknown of our north, it's then that the universe tends to give us wings.
That said, if we aren't willing to take these risks, out of fear or insecurity or just apathy, the universe will tend to nudge us, sometimes in very jarring, uncomfortable ways, out of our past karma and into our future.
The north node is good karma potential energy just waiting to happen. But first we have to get past our south node.
If you've ever found yourself in a situation where you've done everything right, worked harder than everyone else, received nothing but positive feedback, only to find that nothing ended up working out the way it was supposed to...it's probably because you were focusing on south node energies.
If you've ever been going along just fine, achieving your goals, manifesting, making money and all the rest, only to have the rug pulled out from under you, taking all of the fruits of your labor along with it...it's probably because you were stuck in your south node.
No matter how hard we try, the universe will make sure we don't stay stuck in our south nodes.
An example: a client with the moon conjunct his south node in Taurus had never had to work a day in his life, thanks to a generous family trust fund. As with most south nodes, this wealth was a gift; he never had to work for it...it was simply a given in his life. He took advantage of this gift by living the lifestyle of a jet-setting playboy, spending money freely, living out of a suitcase, collecting art and wine, hosting dinners at Michelin-starred restaurants, basically supporting himself entirely through the trust fund, enjoying life but never really stretching himself.
The south node is not where we're supposed to stay in this lifetime however. And the universe will make sure that if we get too comfortable there, never using these gifts to stretch ourselves towards our north node good karma, that we are forced to leave our comfort zone and forces us to take action.
With a north node in Scorpio, this client was not meant to simply have money represented by his Taurus south node. Scorpio is a sign that want to transform the world around it. It's an energy that wants us to go through a continual process of metaphorical death and rebirth in order to achieve greater and greater success.
After living comfortably off of his trust fund and never stretching beyond the comfort zone of his trust fund, his father's business was sued, and he lost all but a small portion of his trust fund. It was at this point that he came to me, looking for advice on what he was supposed to do.
Naturally, he had to reach for his north node in Scorpio, using the remaining money to completely transform and remake his life. He had to not only have money (Taurus) but to transform this money into something else, into something greater than just wealth. He went back to school, re-invested his remaining money, and now has a profitable business consulting technology startups entering foreign markets.
And while he now makes almost as much money as he did from his trust fund, it was only when the universe took it away, forcing him towards the transformation and rebirth of his Scorpio north node, that he received the benefits of this placement, that he really cashed in on his chart's good karma.
As we all get ready to face this week's life-changing lunar eclipse together, one that pushes us out of our comfort zones and onto our path towards good karma, however uncomfortable that push may be, it's important that we understand how our karmic gifts and energies work in our own lives.
Could your comfort zone be holding you back from manifesting abundance? Are you blocking yourself from receiving your own good karma by sticking with the energies of your south node?
Below is a very brief description of the karmic energies associated with each north/south node combination, with suggestions for how you can start to cash in on your chart's good karma (to find your own north/south node, click here and enter your birth information. The north node will be represented in your chart by an upside down "U", or horseshoe, shaped symbol. Be sure to note both the sign as well as the house placement.).
To help you further navigate these karmic waters during this very intense eclipse season, we're offering a 30-minute Lunar Node Good Karma reading through August. in this reading we will focus specifically on the nodes in your chart, and look at how this karmic energy can be used to help (or hinder) your powers of attraction.
Also make sure that you subscribe to the Vitula Journal newsletter for a more in-depth discussion of this week's eclipse, including practices to help take advantage of this high-energy moment to manifest manifest manifest.
Lots of people are going to be realizing long-held dreams this week...make sure you're one of them.
Money is energy. Energy is value. Value is what you are.
// Lunar Nodes //
North Node in Aries/1st House // Comfort zone: people pleasing; co-dependent relationships; always compromising; not supporting yourself. // Good Karma: stop trying to make everyone else happy; start something of your own; make your own money; say no more often.
North Node in Taurus/2nd House // Comfort zone: frugality to the point of poverty; trying to have ALL the power all the time; feeling the need to deprive yourself of any physical comfort. // Good Karma: enjoy yourself! Make some money and spend it. Have sex! Eat rich, indulgent food! Get a job for no other reason than to have a paycheck that you can spend.
North Node in Gemini/3rd House // Comfort zone: always being right, thinking that your beliefs are the "right" beliefs; thinking you're an expert on everything; having to be right. // Good Karma: appreciate ideas for their own sake; write; connect; take a class; meet people in your neighborhood; stop preaching and start listening.
North Node in Cancer/4th House // Comfort zone: appearing accomplished to everyone all the time; showing off your accolades; doing things only for the status; your MBA and LinkedIn profile // Good Karma: get all up in your feelings; make emotional decisions; cry in public; do something only because it feels good, not because it will help you climb a ladder.
North Node in Leo/5th House // Comfort zone: facts, proving to everyone how smart and innovative you are; feeling like you're an important part of a group of radical intellectuals // Good Karma: get over yourself! Go party! Play with kids! Make fun of yourself and wear glitter. Dance. Make something just for fun. Stop trying to change the world and have some fun.
North Node in Virgo/6th House // Comfort zone: daydreaming; living in the fantasy world in your head; sleeping; allowing life to happen to you rather than happening to life // Good Karma: Get out of bed. Do things. Plan, organize, clean out your closet. Get a job. Volunteer. Go to the gym. Improve yourself first and your life will follow.
North Node in Libra/7th House // Comfort zone: putting yourself first; ignoring the ideas and needs of others in favor of your own; always arguing your point rather than seeking compromise // Good Karma: negotiate; form a partnership; tend to the needs of others as well as your own; allow someone else to take care of you.
North Node in Scorpio/8th House // Comfort zone: making money then more money then more money; having money; spending money; your money; casual sex and making sure everyone knows how hot you are // Good Karma: bond; transform something; invest rather than spend; focus on your work and not your income; coach others; seduce someone using more than just your looks and your bank account; monogamy (I promise).
North Node in Sagittarius/9th House // Comfort zone: data; information; constantly learning new skills; Twitter; talking in circles; knowing one thing about everyone in your class/office/company/neighborhood; all of your friends; trivia // Good Karma: synthesize; focus your learning in one area; become an expert; publish; travel; preach your truth.
North Node in Capricorn/10th House // Comfort zone: home; your family and close friends; only doing things that feel good; crying; your own personal comfort zone // Good Karma: leave the house; build an empire; become the boss; be tough; start bulking up your resume; partner with bosses and people in authority; plan how to take over the world.
North Node in Aquarius/11th House // Comfort zone: how fun you are; your art; how good you look all the time; making people fall in love with you; having to be the center of attention all the time // Good karma: innovate; create something new and cutting edge; join a group; build a network; share the stage; make someone else look good.
North Node in Pisces/12th House // Comfort zone: work work work work work; busy busy busy busy busy; perfecting everything; labeling everything; working out 6 hours every day; counting every last calorie // Good karma: stop; breathe; nap; look at art; meditate; listen to music without doing anything else at the same time; do something for a set amount of time, then stop; release the need to control outcomes; have faith; pray.