There are a number of Eclipse articles on this website, one about common misconceptions in astrology and magic, and two others that suggest appropriate remediation and ritual activities determined by whether an Eclipse is happening on the South or North Node. All will be updated regularly to apply to the specifics of the ongoing Eclipse cycle. Thank you to those who have circulated them, or will in the future!

This piece is about working with the longer-term cycles that Eclipses kick off, and what it means when the Nodes switch signs and houses in the natal chart, meaning they begin impacting new areas of life.

If you find the technical stuff incomprehensible and/ or boring, feel free to skip past the bullets…

Tips for the Current Period

During the two weeks between January 5th and when the next Eclipse occurs on the 20th, we’re living between the book ends of not one, but two distinct Eclipse phases — the meat in the time-sandwich between Eclipse-pair lunations, AKA the Bardo (bullet 3 above), and the time where one axis has been initiated and the old one has yet to conclude (point 5).

Continue tending your physical vessel, emotional and spiritual state, and staying engaged with the changes that are taking place within and without. This is a time of heavy processing, and we can lay a lot of ground work for what the future has in store by staying present and doing the work this period entails, as opposed to putting it off for a harder adjustment later.

In a way, it’s fortuitous that this cycle happened at the start of 2019, when we’re checking back in with life after the holidays and thinking about what we want our futures (and future selves!) to look like.

Nodal Axis Effects

Since the Nodes are ultimately points of calculation for where Eclipses will take place, their most impactful manifestations are kicked off by those events actually occurring. On a world transit level, signs mean a great deal, but on a personal level, the houses cannot be ignored. Signs first, then Nodal and Eclipse horosccopes.

Goodbye Leo-Aquarius

The cycle we’re working our way out of saw the North Node in Leo, which amplified people’s desire to be seen and receive credit for their contributions, stoking self-realizations and the need to love and be loved, but also self-importance and appetites of the ego. Many people started getting serious about their own businesses and promoting their material during this last Eclipse cycle, or have finally realized how important putting yourself out there is and dedicated themselves to it moving forward.

For the South Node in Aquarius’ part, a reduction in globalist approaches which were replaced by more tribal and nationalist policies was a clear manifestation, as was the erosion of democratic norms. Attempts to regulate the WWW and create additional laws around internet use, as well as data breaches, can also be tied to Ketu draining the sign that correlates to the collective consciousness and technological innovations.

Hello Cancer-Capricorn

There’s a lot going on in Capricorn for the rest of the Nodes’ stay here, given that Saturn and Pluto are both in Capricorn.

[For more on Saturn, see Austin Coppock’s article or webinar, or listen to episode 140 of The Astrology Podcast]

While transits to this axis can undoubtedly signify brutal events and come to Jesus moments, the South Node has a draining and purgative effect on Capricorn, a sign associated with the government and other elder, powerful, and well insulated institutions.

On a positive note, it may help strip power away from unqualified leaders and see outdated and bloated administrative models collapse. On the negative side, the US government shut down began on December 22nd 2018, the same day of the first lunation on the Cancer-Capricorn axis since the nodes entered those signs (the Full Cancer Moon).

Though it wasn’t an Eclipse, it was still a harbinger of what’s to come. Government responsibilities immediately began shrinking, and have yet to cease this course (as of writing on January 8th). Trump has threatened that he’s happy for it to go on for “months or a year or longer”, though I’m sure one event or another will ultimately intercede.

This period is also likely to witness the continued erosion of responsibilities, regulation, and protective measures instituted by governments. Laws are likely to be revoked during this time, and attempts to make new ones may not stick.

Unfortunately, with the North Node in Cancer, we can expect that the nationalist trends will continue, especially in America. The whole “reason” for the government shut down was because of Trump’s demand for a border wall, to “protect” “our own” country, as ridiculously ineffective as that would be.

Rahu in the Crab’s sign instinctively drives us to hold closer to our own families, our own lands — our own “tribes”, and can result in the rejection of others. Cancer is insular and mushy on the inner, but skittish and hard to crack on the outer.

America’s founding chart has a number of important planets in Cancer, and Pluto in Capricorn is slowly grinding its way to make for the US’s first ever Pluto return. It pains me to say, things do not bode well for our financial systems, ability to address our domestic or international issues in a balanced, productive way, or the issue of mounting fascism and racism for some time.

Better news will come, just not in short order. In the interim, at least we have Jupiter ⚡️

Horoscopes for the Nodes + Eclipses in Cancer-Capricorn

The collective impacts us all, and certainly there will be personal ways in which the sign significations listed above will manifest, but the most important thing to look to for an individual are the houses that the Nodes have transitioned into, which reveal the areas of life the Eclipses will start hitting.

Also keep in mind that what follows are delineations for how things will look by the end of the freshly begun year and a half to two year cycle. These changes won’t be immediately obvious, and each Eclipse lunation will put more emphasis on one end of the process than the other. The Nodes are a seesaw, churning the oceans of life back and forth, based on who takes the reigns. These horoscopes explore some of the pressure points and dialogues the Nodes are set to engage within individual charts.

Our lived experiences of this period will reflect the negotiations that take place between what Rahu is moving us toward versus what Ketu is purging and negating. Some of the largest upcoming life events will likely play into these shifts, meaning that by the end, we’ll have broader gains on the side of Rahu, whereas Ketu’s house topics will have been clarified and minimized. Knowing this can help us productively orient our actions and expectations.

For the most accurate interpretation, read from your rising sign. If you don’t know it, use the Sun, Moon, or whatever point you prefer to derive your houses from…

Rahu in the First (Cancer Rising)

Gaining Independence

Having Rahu in the first house of Cancer motivates you to put your own affairs… well, first… as Ketu in the seventh reduces the amount of energy you’re used to spending on others or receiving from them. You’ll be taking more on, which can show up as a hunger for accomplishment, recognition, and self-improvement. It could also be an increased appetite for literal food and drink.

This is a period of heightened awareness around self-reliance and what you’re capable of, as the struggle between the Self and Other is up for inspection. It’s also a phase where demands of partners and the outside world may make you wish, at times, that you were sequestered behind your own version of a border wall.

Some of those closest to you may fall on some particularly hard times, as the Saturn-Pluto conjunction plays out in your house of partnerships. How much of the onus to fix other people’s problems you take upon yourself vs. keep moving in the direction of your own interests is one of the key questions posited by the times to come.

Rahu in the Second (Gemini Rising)

Asset Gains

The North Node in your second house of personal finances and assets means that some form of accumulation is on the horizon. Collective resources are getting re-shuffled into your personal hand, which may indicate inheritances, pulling monies out of investment pools, the purchasing of gold over stocks, divorce settlements, and the like.

It might not mean that the dollar value of what becomes liquid or “real” is higher than what it was on paper, but you can expect for more assets to become tangibly yours, and to take possession of physical objects and things that are unequivocally for you.

There may be struggles and hardships which contribute to the situation, as Saturn and Pluto play out in your eighth. You may witness a drop in shared expenditures and exchanges, emotionally, financially, and otherwise, as this period sees you less likely to co-mingle your resources with others and may trigger divesting from resource pools. Business and personal partnerships, as well as your relationship between business assets and personal assets, are flagged for a dialogue.

Rahu in the Third (Taurus Rising)

Localized Gains

The third house rules your process of getting from A to B in the day to day. The places you frequent, the people you regularly encounter, the small, rote communications that are made. Rahu in the third brings about an uptick in this type of localized activity — increased email flow, more running around, and more exchanges with siblings.

On the flip side, the South Node in the ninth indicates you’ll take more local trips than long-distance ones, that you’ll focus more on blog writing and less on book writing, and generally indicates a shift from long-term, long-distance orientations to short-term task mastering.

On a magical and spiritual level, the third is said to be the house of the Goddess, and relates to witchcraft and “low magic”. Engagement in smaller, more regular spiritual observations, perhaps of the folk, Goddess-oriented, or self-guided variety is likely to increase, as opposed to formal religious studies, participation in orders and graded systems, and lofty “high” or ceremonial magics.

Rahu in the Fourth (Aries Rising)

Domestic Gains

Rahu in the fourth house of home and family and Ketu in the tenth indicates a shift of energy from the professional sphere into the domestic. You may find that demands at home necessitate this shift, or that a lessening of career opportunities or objectives happen to land you there more often than you used to be. Professional concerns will prove more stressful and taxing at some points in this cycle, and home life may suffer for it as energies are re-allocated.

The fourth house also has to do with origins and parents. You may have a piqued interest in your ancestry or need to pay more attention to care-taking parents, children, or tending to household obligations. Negotiations related to work-life balance will be the main focus of this Nodal period.

Routine space clearings and honoring your ancestors are recommended during this cycle.

Rahu in the Fifth (Pisces Rising)

Creative Gains

The North Node in your fifth house will provide a boost of creative energy, which can manifest in multiple ways. One of the most famous fifth house associations is children, which are a byproduct of sex (also a fifth house topic), but progeny are far from the only thing people can spend their time and energies creating. The fifth also rules works of art, and almost any other project that falls under the purview of a passionate endeavor you derive joy from investing time in.

The South Node in the eleventh suggests that the amount of energy you spend online and engaging in social networks will be reduced, alongside other community engagements. The struggle between what others expect of you and the role you play for collective and social endeavors, versus what you’re wanting to invest your own energies in because they make you happy and stoke your passions, is highlighted. People in positions of power within organizations in which you take part may prove, at times, difficult to deal with.

Rahu in the Sixth (Aquarius Rising)

Practical Gains

The sixth house is where our bodily and financial habits, for better or for worse, come from. Rahu in the sixth signifies that more focus will be allocated to physical and monetary maintenance, and may open doors to odd jobs and contract work. Your pets might need more attention, or you could adopt them during this phase, as the sixth rules not only small routine tasks, but also small animals which demand routine care.

Ketu in the twelfth brings about shifts in psychic energies and the navigation of dreamscapes. Expect an audit of old fantasies and limiting beliefs, and check in on how such things hinder your ability to care-take your body, your bottom line, and rise to the occasion of what’s required to lead a healthy, responsible life. A change of relationship between the intake of mind-altering substances and the conditions they, knowingly or unknowingly, medicate, is up for contemplation during this period.

Rahu in the Seventh (Capricorn Rising)

Gaining Self-Awareness

The seventh house rules the spouse, but also all significant partnerships, and your relationship to the outside world. Rahu transiting your seventh and Ketu in the first will, at times, rewire your energetic expenditures away from yourself in favor of others. This could mean that you get swept up by the demands of those close to you or find yourself in circumstances outside of your control that require some form of self-sacrifice in order to address them.

There’s a lot going on in your first house, with Pluto and Saturn transiting, so this period of time will likely be taxing, asking much of your ability to hold it together and rise to the occasion. Ketu will be in the process of purifying how you present yourself and auditing your ideas as they pertain to your body and orientation to the world, which has the capacity to result in some great spiritual progress and self-illumination, but could also manifest in bouts of depression and angst.

Stay engaged and honest with your support systems and resist the urge to isolate. Prioritize finding ways to take care of your body and mental health, as well as alleviate stress. Weight loss could be one of the manifestations of this time, whether undertaken consciously or as a result of reduced appetite.

Remember, no mountain is too steep for the tenacity and grit that Capricorn can bring to the table, and the peak awaits.

Rahu in the Eighth (Sagittarius Rising)

Collective Gains

The North Node in your eighth house of shared resources and coupled finances, along with Ketu in the second of personal assets, points to an uptick in the co-mingling of monies, emotional intimacy, and shared interests with close partners or businesses. Supporting others might prove to be a burden on your personal finances.

These times, especially given Saturn and Pluto in your second, may apply financial pressures that mandate such shifts, either as a necessary measure or way of reducing personal liabilities and expenditures. This could also manifest in judgments against you that must be paid, or the taking on of (or increased payments toward) debt.

Things that are (or were once) “yours” may end up being shared by or given to others, or you may find yourself investing in collective endeavors in pursuit of short-term shelters or longer term gains. This is money, but also objects and assets. Note that for the rest of 2019 Jupiter in your first in Sagittarius may delay some of these significations, as the Greater Benefic provides protection and will also be delivering bounties.

Rahu in the Ninth (Scorpio Rising)

Gaining Perspective

Rahu in your ninth house concerns things like the accumulation of knowledge, long-distance travel, religious concerns, publishing, and the development of your own philosophical worldview. Such topics will be a primary draw for the coming period, likely at the expense of your day-to-day routine and shorter-term activities.

Meanwhile, the demands of your daily schedule will at times present hurdles that keep you from investing in your longer-term, loftier ambitions. Over the course of this period, you’ll likely discover that more needs to be taken off your plate in order to cultivate yourself in the ways you desire, and to be less distracted by the minutia of the daily grind. The ninth also rules higher education, so you may apply yourself to some form of educational program that chafes against routine demands.

The ninth is the house of the God, which is associated with religious life, “high” magics, formal orders, and the like. Magically and spiritually speaking, you may find yourself pursuing attainments in more formal structures or taking on more masculine forms of observance, even working with a higher number of male spirits and god forms.

Rahu in the Tenth (Libra Rising)

Gaining Visibility

The North Node in your tenth house of career and public visibility stokes ambitions you may not have known you had, and by the end of this cycle, you can expect a heightened public presence and more determined professional direction. Investing additional energy in your public life and career will require sacrifices on the home-front, but domestic demands will present themselves throughout this process that require some back and forth.

The South Node in the fourth house, alongside Saturn and Pluto, mean that things at home or from your family of origin may not be going so smoothly. Home-life may, at times, prove burdensome and claustrophobic, and family secrets or issues with foundations, literal or metaphorical, are up for some excavation. You may be unable to move if you so desire, or find that you have no say in the matter.

Routine space clearings and honoring your ancestors are highly recommended during this Nodal cycle.

Rahu in the Eleventh (Virgo Rising)

Gaining Community

Rahu in your eleventh house of social networks, the internet at large, organizations in which you participate, and communities you’re a part of, draws your energies further in those directions. Although you may find that spending your time in such collective spheres takes away from your ability to spend it freely on your own passion projects and not having to answer to anyone, you’ll also gain new friends and a sense of community you may not have had before this cycle began.

The eleventh houses utopian views and communal drives, so it’s possible that you end up more deeply engaged with politics or volunteering for causes and organizations that you believe will help make the world a better place, or at least more how you envision it, during this cycle.

Meanwhile, Ketu in the fifth house takes your focus away from children, creative endeavors, and other fifth house topics, but not without chaffing along the way. A balance between the personal and collective must be struck. You may feel constrained by the demands on your creative output or obligations to have fun and be happy go lucky, when seemingly more important things are hanging in the balance.

Rahu in the Twelfth (Leo Rising)

Gaining the Unknown

The North Node in your twelfth house magnetizes you to the realm of fantasy, spiritual and magical exploration, dreamscapes, and psychological insight. The use of mind-altering technologies or substances may feature heavily, which rubs against Ketu in the sixth’s demands that you look after the physical first and tend to practical matters, such as bill paying, cleaning, exercising, and all the mundane activities that keep material life from falling to pieces.

Take care to guide the energies feeding into the twelfth productively, via spiritual practices, the responsible use of substances likely to lead to positive breakthroughs and contribute to your wellbeing, and reliable sources of info and tech for exploring the Unknown. The worst forms of this cycle can manifest in over-indulgence, delusional states, psychotic breaks, or confinement.

Ketu, Saturn, and Pluto in the sixth will likely present some physical and financial hardships that cause stress, which would no doubt feel good to blow off. Stay grounded and engaged with these issues in order to work through them and create positive change, rather than engaging in regular avoidance tactics.

Fasting and purifying the physical vessel may be a helpful feature of this time. Tend to your physical health and commit to healthy choices.