Swallowing Our Past: The Chiron and North Node Conjunction in Aries

On February 19, 2024, there will be a conjunction between Chiron, the Wounded Healer, and the North Node in Aries. This means that Chiron will also oppose the South Node in Libra. This post will provide various perspectives on the definitions of the North Node and the South Node in astrology and in application to depth psychology. Followed by how this aspect may impact individuals as well as the collective.

North Node and South Node in Astrology

According to Agneta Borstein, in reference to the findings of Dane Rudhyar, Node comes from the Latin word nodum, meaning knot. Nodes are not planets or objects in the observable sky but are mathematical points created by the intersection of the path of the moon with the plane of the ecliptic. The path of the Nodes is linked together with the path of the moon to that of the Eclipses. Earth orbits around the Sun, and the Moon orbits around Earth. These objects are innately tied together, a knot that, when observed, allows us to understand how the self and our emotions, our soul, and our spirit are also linked.

When an eclipse occurs, this flow is interrupted or distracted. Being aware of these interactions allows us to observe and put into practice the lessons that we are to learn or digest as we mature over time. Borenstein states, “The South and North Nodes are one and the same, only a little bit wiser every time that we allow them to be integrated and balanced into our daily life.”

The North Node is what we are here to learn, understand, and grow into, while the South Node represents the past, whether that is a recent or distant past life, I will not say. The South Node is how we have responded to life before our current one. We are comfortable behaving, thinking, and connecting to others in this way. It is almost like a habit. Yet, in our current life, this may help or hinder our progress in responding to our personal and environmental development.

In astrology, North Node conjunctions to natal planets show us how much we have grown or learned in relation to that planet. South Node conjunctions to natal planets show past or unconscious responses to what the natal planet governs. South Node conjunctions provide opportunities to actively identify, work with, and heal past or karmic ties, which can keep us in a loop of destructive or, at best, stagnant behaviors.

Additional Aspects:

Oppositions allow us to see that reflection lived out. Whenever a Node is conjunct with a planet, there is also an opposition.

Squares create tension between the natal planet and the North and South Node. Both Nodes are being invited to shift, transform, and work with the energy of the natal planet in, an energy that is very different from either the past or the present.

Trine and Sextile: When a natal planet is trine the NN or SN, it would then make a sextile to the opposing Node. Trines and sextiles are generally aspects of ease and support. They allow us to integrate the energies of the natal planet and the lessons of the Nodes with less resistance.

North Node and South Node: A Psychological Perspective

We can also look at the North Node as our conscious and the South Node as our unconscious. The North Node is the aspect of our personality that we are aware of and actively developing through learning, growing, and maturing. The South Node acts as our unconscious drives and experiences that impact us that we are not actively aware of.

Pluto moving into Aquarius, coupled with North Node in Aries, heightens our awareness of the quest for individuation. Individuation, a term coined by Carl Jung, is the psychological process of becoming our complete self through re-membering the parts of us that have been pushed down and cut off. In other words, it is the act of making the unconscious conscious and integrating those parts of ourselves so that we are not driven by them unknowingly but actively coordinating with them.

Individuation invites us to become our unique selves. To embrace and develop our specific gifts. From there, we then bring those gifts back to our communities. We do not hide ourselves away, hoarding our talents. We share them with those around us because what we have been individually gifted with, no one else can provide.

We explore our connections between the parts of ourselves through individuation and then we examine how we are connected to each other. One common thread lies within the archetypes or universal patterns and energy systems that are present within everyone’s unconscious. Archetypes can be explored through symbols, myths, and figures. In that way, the myth of the birth of Rahu and Ketu – the North and South Node can serve to understand the inner work of integrating our past with our present.

Currently, the North Node is in Aries, which means that the South Node is traveling through its opposite sign, Libra. Myths related to Aries and Libra can help illuminate the past that must be healed and the lessons that must be learned.

THE WHOLE OF MYTHOLOGY COULD BE TAKEN AS A PROJECTION OF THE COLLECTIVE UNCONSCIOUS

Carl G Jung – The Structure of the Psyche

North Node and Chiron in Aries

Collectively, when the North Node and Chiron in Aries come together, we will all be experiencing a raised awareness of the importance of defining and understanding the question “Who am I?”. If you do not have aspects to this conjunction, it may be a blip of a moment. For those with natal aspects to this conjunction, the impact can range from limited to extreme – a question of life or death.

More than likely, this will be a figurative question – a death of the soul, spirit, or self.

If asked, will you fight for your life? To be who you truly are without compromise? Or will you give in to the “other” when the time comes?

To successfully work with this energy, you will be called to develop discipline as a warrior in your field of specialty – the discipline to always be true to yourself. The Warrior archetype is often associated with Mars/Ares but also holds space for feminine mythological figures such as Athena, Inanna, Freya, and Oya. Find myths that you connect with that include tales of Warriors. These can act as keys to unlocking your unconscious.

Venus is automatically included in this work as the ruler of Libra. This suggests that the North Node and Chiron conjunction relies upon integrating the energy of Libra – love, justice, balance, partnership, and peace of mind. Psychologically, the warrior is an aspect of the animus, the masculine archetype. For the animus to function well, there must be a developed anima (feminine archetype). When this does not occur, that is when we project these parts of ourselves unto the “other”, in turn giving away our power – our identity- our self.

Be mindful of the shadow or the archetype of the unconscious self, of the warrior. The Warrior Shadow uses power not to protect but to harm ourselves and each other.

It is essential to develop a balanced sense of self – that is the key to individuation.

Inner work can provide the framework through which we can know the self by integrating our internal archetypes of the shadow, animus, and the anima through dream analysis and active imagination.

We will all be invited to examine our relationship to power, identity, and the wounds that may exist related to these concepts.

If you have an Aries North Node or South Node, over the next year or so, you will be experiencing your Aries return or opposition. The same can be said for those with a Libra South Node or North Node. For those with Aries North Node, this will be a moment when you may recognize how much you have grown as an individual towards living out the energy of Aries, specifically in the house that your natal North Node resides in.

North Node in Aries asks:

Are You Brave Enough

• To stand on your own?
• To know what is best for you and to fight for it?
• To assert “I am” and defend that statement with your life? 
• To become your own person and develop relationships that honor your independence?

The South Node performs two roles. As the familiar, we may cling to the ways of the South Node to respond to our current life, in this case, relying on our relationships with others to define who we are, what we do, and our role in society. The South Node, though, can also be our teacher; we do not repeat this past response; we learn from it. We know intimately WHY giving our power and agency away to the “other” does not serve us. We understand what to look for in those who can respect our identity and individualism. Those who encourage and embrace us for who we are.

For an in depth look at your personal astrology, shadow work, or for insights into the energy of this moment, book some time with me HERE.

I’ll see you all again soon to discuss the Mars and Venus conjunction.

Kamilah Rose