i like calling it the rka - rahu -ketu axis, but this probably confuses some..

i mentioned the idea of a planet in conjunction with the south node as a possible indicator for talents of some sort.. as usual, i am not great with words - should never have gotten involved in astrology, if indeed astrology is a mercurial affair, but in spite of this, i persist...

the idea from indian astrology is that the nodes being intimately connected to the moon are connected with the past and future.... the idea of karma also enters into all this from the indian point of view... apparently the concept is that one can carry from a past life, or lives, a particular talent which is brought forth into this life.. so, that is the idea of a planet connected to the south node, or ketu - being a possible indicator of a type of talent a person may exhibit..

obviously there is a lot more to the nodes and after reading and re reading a number of books i have on the nodes, i like this concept... it is mentioned in prash trivedis book the rahu-ketu experience... it was therese hamilton that recommended this book to me which i am very appreciative of.. thank you again therese! the other books that i like on the nodes are judith hills books on this topic...

i think the concept is to be moving into the future and letting go of the past, but karma has a way of slowing the process! again - indian concepts..

planets in close proximity to the north node as said to be the areas of life one needs to pursue and cultivate..

personally i have planets on both ends of the nodal axis, so it is a topic dear to me.. i feel like a fool for ignoring the nodal axis for as long as i did, but perhaps it is all for the good and my conservative nature had something of value in it as well.. now i am babbling, lol... merry christmas everyone!

James I have my mercury close to the south node in my 9th house and my moon in late Sag is square the nodes and mercury. I have been told that the connection between my moon nodes and my natal moon means that my Mom was a big influence on me. By the way, my moon rules my 8th house.
My mercury is in virgo in the 9th house near the south node and opposed the north node in 3rd house. Not sure what the means AMY

hi amy

i am just speaking generally.. the description of your chart sounds confusing to me! obviously you are using a system other then whole sign-houses... mercury-moon square presents some challenges.. having it connected to the nodes would increase these dynamics and be highlighted when the nodal axis comes into the same area of the chart where this config is located.. perhaps you'll get to look at it more closely then, or do some research ahead of time.. cheers james

The problem endemic to any such evolutionary framing of the nodes is always the same: We can’t even begin to approximate an empirical accounting of Past/future lives- they are categorically unquantifiable fields of inquiry. Since we can’t get something from nothing- that’s it. It’s an axiomatic proposition, and not a very interesting one at that.

…at least I certainly don’t think it’s that interesting. I don’t understand what the appeal is of inserting conjecture into a dialogue which is already nauseatingly seeped in it. If astrology (and this could be said of divination writ large) could ever be said to have an Achilles heel, it would be that it is a decidedly empirical heuristic forever relegated -as a default- to the realm of belief. Any time we try to translate celestial cause and effect into something tangible, we are left with, at best, a (subjectively) useful rendering of an (objectively) illusory structure. Such is the “burden??? of multiplicity. One plus one does not and *cannot ever* mean the same thing from one chart to another, and so we find ourselves in a perpetually uphill battle from the get go. It should follow then that the addition of unknown unknowns to what is already an unsolvable/unknowable equation is deeply unwise.

Adding insult to injury though -in putting forth a one-size-fits-all binary model for “assessing??? the progression of a souls journey through incarnations- the “evolutionary??? nodal framework completely cheapens the very subject it ostensibly seeks to imbue with meaning- the subject of life.

Man incarnates in a process of becoming, which is an exercise in actively engaging with the present. One is only as alive as one is actively tuned into the present moment. Meditations on past and future self(s) deprive the *present* (and only actual/real) self of any oxygen. To assert that one incarnates to “move??? from “point a??? to “point b??? is therefore not only to deny ensouled life the mystique and intrigue inherent to any and all forms of conscious experience, but to deny *living* and life itself (again, insofar as the life principle can be surmised as an engagement with the present and not something that can be achieved “pastly??? or “futurely???).

However I digress. To address OP more directly: the evolutionary nodes are a wholly modern adaptation, and Rahu/Ketu traditionally don’t have any specific relation to reincarnation (in any tradition).

Franzschubert wrote:

...the evolutionary nodes are a wholly modern adaptation, and Rahu/Ketu traditionally don’t have any specific relation to reincarnation (in any tradition).

From my research this seems to be true. This topic was discussed earlier this year here on Skyscript:
http://skyscript.co.uk/forums/viewtopic ... sc&start=0

Here is my summary from that topic:

Quick Survey of Books on the Lunar Nodes

The earliest book I’ve seen on the nodes is George White’s The Moon’s Nodes, American Federation of Astrologers, 1927. (74 pages). He builds a case for the north node enhancing progress and reputation in life, and the south node bringing discredit and disgrace. He mentions the recent birth of the royal princess (Elizabeth) and the presence of the south node on her ascendant. Today he would be surprised to see her 70 year reign as queen of England.

The next book is Dane Rudhyar’s The Astrology of Personality, Lucas Publishing, 1936. He equates the Moon’s north node with the future and destiny (Divine will), work to be done and the south node with the past and human will, the path of least resistance. So we can credit Rudhyar for the concepts of past and future in relation to the Moon’s nodes.

The next book is Martin Shulman’s The Moon’s Nodes and Reincarnation (1975). ...as others have pointed out, this is the source text for linking the Moon's nodes to reincarnation.

Mohan Koparkar’s Lunar Nodes (Mohan Enterprises, 1977) apparently picked up the reincarnation concept from Shulman. Although born in India, Koparkar was educated in the United States. The cover of his book blatantly states: North Node: Karmic distribution, energy into this life; South Node; Inlet of karma from past life, reincarnation.

The karmic reincarnation concept saw full flower in two of Manik Chand Jain’s books, Rahu and Ketu in Predictive Astrology (Astrological Publications, 1978) and Karmic Control Planets (Astrological Publications, 1980). Jain was born and raised in India, but traveled to America and other countries lecturing and teaching. I knew him personally in the 1980s and attended his workshops. He freely copied sentences and paragraphs from other writers without giving credit, and had help from western students writing and editing his books. That is why the language in his books is usually very good for an Indian author.

The next book I have in my library is Prash Trivedi’s The Key of Life, Astrology of the Lunar Nodes. (India: Sagar Publicatons, 2002) An Indian by birth and through his growing up years in India, Trivedi would have been aware of any oral tradition linking the nodes to karma and reincarnation. He does not mention this link in his book, but instead covers notes from the classics on the nature of the Moon’s nodes.

James has mentioned that the concept of karma (traditionally linked to reincarnation in India) is found in Prash Trivedi's book on the nodes. (James, happy that you have found this book useful!)

My understanding of the nodal axis is that it is the door to the world of spirits.
In her book 'The September letters', Elizabeth Vreede explains that during our nodal returns and halfway when we experience the shift from N to S, life forces and commitment to life are at their peak.

Around 9 years old, halfway when the Nodes are reversed, Rudolf Steiner says that for the first time, the child 'enters' his physical body leaving the world of spirits so to speak. And he also enters his 'etheric body', the forces that will help him grow as an individual.
"Reverence and respect are forces through which the etheric body grows in the right way. And he who has not been able, at this age, to raise his eyes to an adult with infinite veneration, will suffer from it all his life." Rudolf Steiner, 'The education of the child in the light of the science of the mind". p.38

This is why when we go back in our life history, we find in our life a significant event around 9 years old that shapes our life.
In my own history, at that age, I had a surgery and I still remember vividly the look of a nurse who was telling me 'You will need to handle it by yourself.' This is the feeling I got. And Welcome to the real world!
This is why it is important to pay special attention to our dreams, the people we meet, the events we live during our Nodal returns and halfway.

Franzschubert

frame it however you'd like and dismiss it too... very talented, lol..

therese

thanks again.. cheers james

ouranos

i enjoyed the story you shared.. i can't say anything happened to me at age 9.. but an event happened around age 6 or 7 which was quite significant.. that much i remember..

Another element mentioned in the book of Elizabeth Vreede is the shape of the Pre-natal eclipse Saros series. What form accompanied you when you entered this world? Because they represent entities manifesting over the centuries from the first Eclipse of the Saros serie to the last one, about 35 for the Moon and 40 for the Sun. She shows examples: in 1927, they were cyclic repetitions of harmonious lines, while in 1928 they looked like claws. And you see different forms emerging.
Both Solar and Lunar eclipses are safety valves in human evolution.
The sites timeanddate.com and in-the-sky.org have visual animations of each eclipse.
For astrologers with artistic fiber.

for me the pre natal eclipse stuff is more opaque... i seem to remember looking into this a long time ago.. was it alice bailey who was into this? i can't recall.. regardless - the connecting link here is the moon... what role does it play and does the rka/nodal axis have great bearing on us trying to understand our situation here? i think it does, so i suppose this is an area worth investigating for some..

i had a look at the first site ouranos - timeanddate.com... i got to see the pictures of the eclipse path.. i reminds me of the astro software that i have had that generates those types of images.. cool! thanks for sharing..

I also find the planets conjunct the south node as gifts. What we're bringing into this life.

However, I don't believe in moving away from our south node. I find that the nodes are about balance. If we go too far into the north node our lives become surface level and devoid of soul fulfillment. And of course, if we move too far into our south node we get stuck and things in the physical world get very challenging.

I find that if we live in a state of balance with the nodes our life is overall more fruitful and fulfilling. In this case, the planets conjunct our south node are not necessarily to be pursued (like the north node planets) but instead to allow to unfold naturally, with no-mind, in a yin way.

thanks athen.. i like what you say about balance, or perhaps finding a balance..

judith hill in her book 'eclipses and you' goes into the idea of any eclipse happening near a planet in your chart will be like the tide coming in our going out.. north end is tide coming in and south node of the eclipse is tide going out.. i also like this idea.. striking a balance is no easy feat..

something about the moon being a symbol for our subjective mind is interesting.. this concept of fluctuations, or a tide going in and out and the symbolism of what i understand of the moon connects for me personally.. this has nothing to do with indian concepts either... i continue to believe the moon is very important in astrology and the nodes of the moon are a direct way of understanding this and trying to find a balance - mental balance perhaps...

its astro symbolism.. symbols mean different things to different people.. there is a fair amount of subjectivity in reading them and yet, we try to read and understand them to the best of our ability..