North Node in Pisces, South Node in Virgo: Some Insight for the Next 18 Months

The lunar nodes are imaginary places along the ecliptic. They represent two points in space where the Moon’s orbit around the Earth crosses the ecliptic. So why do we pay attention to them if they aren’t planetary bodies with mass and heft? Because, just like angles in a chart, they tend to mark a place of importance for the individual and the collective. They can help us to understand the choices we have to make and often are connected with a sense of fate or destiny. 

The north node (NN) is often concerned with a place of hunger or a yearning. It more than likely will take you out of your comfort zone, so you’re being stretched in this area of life towards new territory. The south node (SN) is a place of emptiness or a “been there done that” feeling. It’s also uncomfortable because you may feel as if you default back to this position. It may be easier in some way, but there’s nothing sustaining you there. Another important piece of information is that the nodes always travel backwards compared to the planetary motions. Meaning, the planets go counter clockwise and the nodes move clockwise. Where the planets enter a sign at 0 degrees, the nodes enter at 29 degrees. 

If you look at the glyphs of the nodes the north node looks like an uppercase “n” or a horseshoe and the south node looks like an uppercase “u”. With the north node you can feel enveloped by the energy, whereas with the south node, you can feel hollowness or even of being drained of energy. Some astrologers say you ignore the south node and put all your energy into the north node, but I like the idea that both nodes have something to offer. It’s like the nodes of a battery, there’s no + without the -. We can use the south node as a base to help us push towards the north node. 

Where the nodes are in your chart show you where you will spend a lifetime learning about those areas of life, and that’s for a different article. Today, we will be looking at the transiting nodes. Where are the nodes in the sky now? 

The last 18 months we have had the NN in Aries and the SN in Libra. If we stay with some of the imagery from above, we are using the space of the south node in Libra of depletion around themes of relationships, connections, values, diplomacy, and tact to propel us toward the north node in Aries. Those areas of life connected to Aries NN would have to do with independence, the impulse to begin something new, self-reliance, bravery, and agency. Look to your Libra house and see where things have been exfoliated or drained. Look to your Aries house where new projects and new life has begun. 

Now the nodes are moving into Pisces (NN) and Virgo (SN). The Pisces archetype has to do with spirituality, unity consciousness, compassion, artistry, intuition, sensitivity, and the archetype of the dreamer. The Virgo archetype encompasses practicality, the function of sussing and sorting out, discernment, organization, details, analysis, being of service, and the archetype of the caretaker. Both of the polarities are needed, so how would we use this energy over the next 18 months personally?

Begin with looking at your Pisces and Virgo houses. What experiences are represented there? Let’s say you have a Pisces 12th house and a Virgo 6th house. You would look at those themes and figure out how to springboard from the SN to the NN in some way. The 6th house represents your daily, mundane tasks, your physical health and well being, and small pets (to name a few). The 12th house represents your spiritual well being and undoing, places that are hidden from us, blind spots, and places of seclusion. One simple way to synthesize these energies would be to actively set aside and organize your calendar for times of rest and contemplation. Perhaps you set aside a block of an hour a day to nap, meditate, take a bath, read, draw, or meet with your therapist. To expand from a daily habit (great word for the 6th house) then you could set aside time for monthly (or a few times over the 18 months) for vacations, or even stay-cations. You may make a promise to yourself that when you notice signs of burnout, you will immediately address them with “time-outs”. 

A dear friend was showing me some of her artwork recently. I was astounded at how well they had captured the images, especially when she told me the person posing moved every eight minutes. I told her that one of her sketches would have taken me eight months, much less eight minutes. (And if you saw my drawings you would know that I hadn’t advanced past stick drawings so that was wishful thinking.) I asked her how she did it, and her response reminded me of the beauty of Pisces and Virgo working in tandem. She said she knew she’d never be able to get the scale or proportions right if she took on the whole body, and so she had to narrow in on one area she felt she could get the details down easily. Then, if she wanted to go back and expand that drawing or add more features she could do so later. 

That process is the Pisces/Virgo axis. It’s about looking at the entirety of something and then focusing on the components. If you feel like you’ve gone too far one way, use the polarity to regroup. So, if you think you’ve gone microscopic, then pull back and go telescopic. If you’re in the weeds and overwhelmed, what small feature can you zoom in on. If you’re bogged down by too many pieces of information, it may help to reconnect to the end goal. Use the Virgo discernment to suss and sort out things that seem titanic. Use the Pisces compassion when caught up in criticism or the need for perfection. If you’re in analysis paralysis, go for a walk. Practice trust, patience, and faith. 

This is the first step in working with the transiting nodes. Hold this information lightly. If you have planets or angles in the Virgo/Pisces axis, this may resonate more for you than others. If you don't have planets or angles in Virgo/Pisces, you may notice it more in the collective. Remember we have from now (January 2025) until July of 2026 to practice and play around with these concepts. Give yourself permission to work consciously with these energies, but also lots of pats on the back as you go along–you’re not being graded.