Lunar node
South Node in astrology
The South Node sits exactly opposite the North Node, always in the opposing sign and house, and it is not calculated separately: it is the same axis read from the other end. Modern astrology reads it as what you already know how to do, which is both a genuine competence and the place you retreat to when the harder thing is being asked of you.
How old this reading is
Hellenistic for the astronomy, mid twentieth century for the modern reading
Also called: Ketu, Dragon's Tail.
South Node at a glance
| What it is | The opposite intersection point, derived rather than computed |
|---|---|
| Cycle | About 18.6 years, with the North Node |
| Time in a sign | About 18 months |
| Retrograde | Almost always, like the North Node |
| Opposite | The North Node, always exactly 180 degrees away |
| Governs | Habit, facility, the familiar, what is being moved away from |
Not objects. The two places where the Moon's orbit crosses the plane of the Earth's orbit, which is why eclipses happen near them and nowhere else.
What the South Node means in a birth chart
The South Node describes the default. It is usually the easiest thing in a chart to recognise, because it is what you do without deciding to, and what you are already good at without having worked for it.
The traditional caution is not that this is bad. It is that a strength used automatically stops developing, and the modern reading treats the South Node as the place a person hides when the North Node is asking for something uncomfortable. Both ends are read together or neither means much.
Why it is not calculated separately
The nodes are two ends of one line through the Earth, so the South Node is always exactly 180 degrees from the North Node. Any chart that shows them at anything other than perfect opposition has an error in it.
That also means a South Node reading is never independent information. It is the same axis described from the other side, which is why this site draws them as a pair rather than as two separate placements.
Frequently asked questions
- Is the South Node bad?
- No. It describes what you find easy, which is a real strength. The modern caution is only that ease can become avoidance, and that is a caution rather than a verdict.
- Can my nodes be in the same sign?
- No. They are exactly opposite by definition, so they are always in opposing signs and opposing houses.
Where is your South Node?
None of this describes you until you know where your South Node actually sits. Every chart on this site now includes it, calculated from the Swiss Ephemeris alongside the ten planets.
Calculate my birth chart