Draconic Astrology: Getting in Touch with Our Deeper Self Maria Blaquier

The term DRACONIC comes from the Latin names for the Lunar Nodes: Caput Draconis, the dragon's head or Moon's North Node, and Cauda Draconis, the dragon's tail or South Node. The Moon's North Node is the point where the Moon crosses the ecliptic from south to north; this intersection is used as the starting point, or 0° of Aries, to cast a chart based on the draconic zodiac. Unlike the tropical zodiac of solar origin, the draconic zodiac responds to lunar symbolism and therefore expresses unconscious motivations that affect our daily life1. Instead of representing psychological traits, it displays those recurrent emotional responses and inner impulses that we feel are beyond our control, which have to do with hereditary issues or early childhood experiences.

The South and North Nodes are placed 180° from each other and form the nodal axis. The South Node, or Dragon's Tail, shows where we come from, it describes those qualities that we are already familiar with and express in spite of ourselves, it is the path of least resistance. The North Node, or Dragon's Head, represents where we are going, it pinpoints the traits we strive to conquer in order to counterbalance these unconscious tendencies. In his article How to interpret the lunar nodes, French astrologer Dane Rudhyar states: "From a more strictly biological and functional point of view, the North Lunar Node refers to the mouth of an animal and the South Lunar Node to the organs of evacuation, which means both the anus and the procreative organs from which the seed goes forth." He emphasizes that the South Node is not necessarily negative, but a point of automatic release of materials that the organism needs to get rid of. In the same article, he exemplifies this concept by quoting French composer Saint-Saens (1835-1921) who used to say: "I compose just like an apple tree produces apples"2 It can be productive in an unconscious way, entailing no discernment or awareness.

In other words, the automatic impulses described by the South Node need to be outgrown and countervailed by incorporating the North's attributes. This is why many astrologers refer to this axis as the soul's path.3 For instance a person with the North Node in Sagittarius is born with a natural inclination towards learning and communication, but can also be superficial and changing opinions (South Node in Gemini). In an internal level he feels the need to seek his own philosophy of life, to contend with higher truths and expand his consciousness through fields such as philosophy, teaching, religion and traveling. He knows he has already become accomplished in Gemini and that to follow this path of least resistance prevents his growth (let us say by becoming an eternal student), and therefore strives to grow by developing Sagittarius.

Or someone with the North Node in the 10th is innately drawn towards nesting, and attached to her past and family (South Node in the 4th). The North Node in the 10th suggests that she should struggle to establish her social and professional position, but without losing her ability to take care and nurture her family in doing so. Both Nodes need each other to maintain a balance.

How to Calculate the Draconic Chart

Many sites such as astro.com or carta-natal.es calculate draconic charts. It can also be done very simply by using the position of the tropical North Node as 0° Aries. The North Node can be determined in two ways: Mean or True, the main difference being that while Mean is always retrograde, True is direct a few days each month. To figure out Mean, the Node's rate of motion is averaged out, while True takes into account the position of the Node after correction for the alterations that the gravitational forces of Sun and Moon cause in its path. The result is very similar in both cases and they are never more than a few degrees away from each other. There is no agreement among astrologers as to which is better to use in chart analysis. For example, in the article that has already been mentioned, Rudhyar advocates the use of the Mean Node. In his own words: "...as the nodes are not actual, concrete entities but refer to the interaction of two cycles - the lunar month and the solar year - the mean position of the nodes seems to be more significant than their slightly different actual position."4

To calculate the draconic chart, the position of the North Node is subtracted from the location of each planet and house cusp.

Example of calculation of the position of the North Draconic Sun:

North Node= 28° 10' 30" Cancer (118° 10' 30")

Tropical Sun: 9° 39' 47" Virgo (159° 39' 47")

Draconic Sun 159° 39' 47" - 118° 10' 30" = 41° 29' 17" which is 11° 29' 17" Taurus

This same procedure is used for the rest of the planets and house cusps. In the resulting chart the shape of the chart does not change because tropical house placements and aspects remain the same. These will have different signs and degrees but the same house positions as in the tropical. A Moon emplaced in the tropical 8th square Saturn will still be in the same position and aspect in the draconic. This chart coexists with the tropical one, complementing it, so it's better to approach them together. Special attention should be payed to conjunctions and oppositions between tropical and draconic planets (using an orb of 5 degrees). These links make available more subliminal aspects of our personality which come up by means of the conscious traits represented by the tropical planets and angles. To help make a clear distinction between the functioning of both charts, Argentinian astrologer Néstor Echarte recommends interpreting the draconic houses and planets as if they were conjunct the Moon.5

Take as an example a woman with a Sun in Cancer who feels that although she can identify with the importance of protecting and nurturing her family, this is not enough to make her feel fulfilled. Her draconic Sun is in Aquarius, so one could say that although her immediate environment will always be crucial, there's an inner force that compels her to get involved with groups, or activities related to social issues or modern technological developments. A great way of combining both could be by working with children or women at risk, or living in extreme environments. Another possibility, always depending on the rest of the chart, could be by growing food and plants in a community center and applying innovative techniques to the process. Or by developing an app to help women tackle issues related to feeding their families.

How to Interpret Draconic Houses

On combining both charts, the houses overlap. A way of reading this would be by considering the draconic house as the internal, emotional layer. Special attention should be paid to the draconic house that coincides with the tropical 12th or vice versa, this is an area that will involve hardship that presents itself through fated events. For instance if the draconic 12th overlaps the tropical ascendant, unconscious unresolved issues (draconic 12th) will come up in his sense of self, the relationship with his body and the way he appears to others. Or if the draconic 12th concurs with the tropical 7th, destiny seems to test the person through personal relationships and social interactions. Princess Diana illustrates this point.

Another crucial point is the draconic ascendant in relation to the tropical house it coincides with. If the draconic ascendant overlaps with the tropical 3rd, the person expresses his deeper motivations and gets in touch with his most intimate self through studying, learning, writing...In combination with the tropical 4th, one comes into deep contact with oneself through experiences related to family, the past, home. With the 6th, a clearer sense of identity is reached through work, or illness, or the kind of service one provides.

Example Chart: Queen Máxima of the Netherlands

Born Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti, in Argentina, she is the wife of King Willem-Alexander

I have used astro databank maintained by www.astro.com for these charts and calculations. The True Nodes have been used. House system: Placidus. All personal information and details have been obtained from www.bbc.com6.

The purpose of this work is to merely pinpoint some of the themes that stand out by combining both charts, that's why a detailed analysis of the charts will be omitted.