South Node 3rd House, North Node 9th House

South Node Third House, North Node Ninth House

The South Node always represents what we are most comfortable with, as well as our default patterns in life, and our habits that we fall back into when we don’t bring consciousness into what we are doing. The North Node, by contrast, is the direction our Soul longs to go towards in this life, and its qualities are like a guiding North Star when we have our North Node here.

South Node in the Third House can suggest unresolved karmic issues with brothers and sisters and situations from our early childhood. It also suggests that communication in all its forms is especially significant for us, and when used well, it hints that we bring with us an understanding—a savvy-- of how to get along in the “market place” or in the immediate world around us. We’ve got street smarts, and we’re curious, and want to know “what’s happening.” When not used well, a South Node here can be flighty or fearful of going too far or too deep. As the third house relates to the sign of Gemini, we could say that any of the negative characteristics of Gemini would apply here---especially the puer or puella complex, which is also known as the Peter Pan Syndrome; hinting that a part of us is reluctant to take on the role of growing up and expanding our world beyond the familiar.

The call of the Ninth House, which is ruled by Sagittarius, is a North Node call to expand outside the comfort levels of our community, our town, and our old ways of seeing things. It’s a call to expand, and to find a true spiritual rudder for our Soul’s journey through this life. A North Node placement here is always colored by whatever sign the Node is in, but it still carries the message of adventure---asking us to read, travel, and to dare to try to understand in a deeper way than ever before. This house is the house of the higher mind, and it wants to be nourished by contact with anything that inspires and stimulates us to find “meaning.” As it is the house of meaning-making, it is also the realm of spirituality, religion, and philosophy.

The 3rd and 9th houses have a lot of resonance with teaching, speaking, writing, telling our story, and movement through time and space. We are called here to see life as a grand Quest, and then to tell the story of our journey—to communicate what we know and what we’ve learned. Not so bad!

~elizabeth spring (c) 2008 www.elizabethspring.com

*Photo: exotic spices in Southern France--I took this photo, and the trip, with a person whose Nodes fall across the 3rd to 9th house axis. The effort to expand his world turned out to be a pleasurable experience for both of us.

South Node Second House, North Node Eighth House

South Node Second House,

North Node Eighth House

The South Node represents what we’ve come into this life with---the gifts, the wounds, the challenges. On the most basic level, the South Node is where we are comfortable because we are familiar with the territory, and in the Second House we can be very comfortable indeed. Having the South Node ruled by Taurus and Venus, it suggests that our comfort zone is in being independently resourceful, and that our creature comforts are very important to us. Taurus, Venus, and the Second House all love security, good food and drink, loyal friends, and the type of life philosophy that is rooted in a pragmatic and sensual understanding of life. Nothing wrong with that!

That is unless you take it too far. And this is the case if it’s your South Node in the Second House. The South Node always represents the area that we didn’t get quite right in a former life, or earlier in this one, so we are called to release these habits and traits. This Nodal combination speaks to the need to move away from the dependence, security, and comfort needs of this house and move towards the willingness to risk one’s present level of security for a deeper, truer level of security and integrity.

The Eighth House, whose astrological synonyms are Scorpio and Pluto, are about the willingness to die and be reborn like the phoenix if necessary in order to live a life of integrity. No false security or living in the world of denial for North Node Eighth House people!

The North Node in the eighth house, the house of Scorpio, calls us to find the emotional bottom line in all we do. It calls us to move beyond comfort, security, and even the simpler pleasures of life, and to look into the eyes of the bully to find the frightened unloved child there. It calls us to Truth and to new experience. It calls us to reach for the understanding of another’s point of view, other than our own, and the willingness to intimately and dynamically become related with that “Other.” It asks us to understand the highest level of inter-dependence, rather than dependence or independence.

And that is really a powerful place to be in! Here is where we can truly know the meaning of loyalty and trust. A North Node in this Eighth house is quite a gift if we can harmonize the qualities of our Second House into this, providing stability as well as ambition, integrity as well as intimacy. © Elizabeth Spring www.elizabethspring.com

The Gift of Pluto; Finding the Power in Your Pain

Astrological Pluto, ‘God of the Underworld’—
Finding the Power in your Pain

Pluto—ruthless planet of change or master teacher? Could the place of your deepest wounds also be the gateway to your power and sense of meaningfulness? Yes! Pluto, the astrological ‘god of the underworld’ seeks to find the meaning and purpose of our lives, but it does so with such an uncontrollable intensity that we want to bury or hide its experience.
Where you find Pluto in your birth chart is where you’ve had experiences of shame, sacrifice or loss—yet it’s there that Pluto dares us to look deeper into the opportunities disguised as loss, and to find our hard-earned wisdom there. It calls us to learn from our darkest experiences, and by understanding it, we transform that pain into power. No easy task! But this master teacher of the zodiac is also the greatest gift giver.
So how do you find where Pluto is in your birth chart? If you’ve ever had your astrology chart done, and can find a copy of it, this article will tell you how to find what area, or ‘house’ Pluto is in your life. This is the area where you have a distorting wound and also a high calling; a destiny. Like the abused child who grows up to become a loving parent, and maybe a ‘child-advocate’ instead of an abuser, you too can turn the pain in your past into compassion and power.
If you’re looking at your chart now, look to find the glyph that looks like the capital letter P with an extra little bottom line under it, or a tiny circle encased in a half circle on top of a cross. (Astrologers use one or the other to signify Pluto.) It will be in one of the 12 sections of the chart’s circle and will have a number next to it. Don’t worry about the numbers—you can ask your astrologer to explain the sign and aspects of Pluto, but for now we’re just going to locate it.
Your chart is a circle that is divided into 12 sections. Each section represents a different sphere of your life and Pluto is hiding in one of those sections. Now if you will imagine your chart to be a clock, put your pen at the section of the circle that would be the hour between 8:00 and 9:00. This is the section called the “first house.” The second house is in the next section, going counter-clockwise—between the hours of 7:00 and 8:00. Now write in the numbers of each section from 1 to 12 going counter-clock-wise in your circle and note where your Pluto is…it’s like a map, and you’ve just found the buried treasure!
Here’s a short translation of what Pluto in each area, or ‘house’ represents:

1st House: Pluto here shows you have charisma and the ability to be a leader, and a healer as well—that is, if you are willing to come out of hiding and dare to tell the whole Truth. Having once been shamed for your truth telling (‘Uncle Joe, why are you so fat?’) you now need to temper your honesty with compassion and tact, and to face your own cynicism and anger. Helping others find ways to deeply express the truth of their lives would be rewarding for you.

2nd House: You build self-confidence from using your many resources and talents. As you move away from scarcity consciousness and give money less power in your life, you understand what is your true wealth and value. Having once been shamed and blamed for your ways of handling your resources and money, you may wish to prove yourself capable, again and again.

3rd House: Misunderstandings and miscommunications may have you seeing thorns and missing the roses in your life. Your attitude or voice may conceal old angers…yet if you turn it around and let your keen perceptions and ability to communicate well (when you want to) you can tell a powerful story and reclaim your voice. Be a teacher and truth-sayer.

4th House: As you choose to build deep bondedness and connections with others you build a strong emotional foundation for your life. There may have been something unsettling in your early home life which is now buried deep in your subconscious. You heal that by learning ‘interdependence’ with others. Also, spend time nurturing children, animals, a garden…be lovingly in control of your home and let your roots grow deep and rich.

5th House: Your spontaneous fun-loving child-self was told to “keep a lid on it” and now its hard to find a balance between the urges of pleasure and creativity and the need to do your work. Take the time to uncover the creative playful side of yourself again and master the skills necessary to bring it out into the world. Let your work be your pleasure. Dare to be dramatic at times.

6th House: The delicate balance between responsibility for yourself vs responsibility towards others is off. Having been either over or under-protected when young, you weren’t taught some life skills (or given extra advantages) and later felt ashamed. Now you have the chance to build your skills and competency and can give your gift to the world through the work or service you do.

7th House: Too much self-protection prevents trust from developing in relationships. Avoid power struggles and create relationships based on equality. Sometime earlier in your life you may have had to deal with hidden agendas, manipulation and hurt with too much “truth.” Now it’s time for true intimacy, and less interpersonal drama.

8th House: Having had to experience some of the darker sides of life alone, you now have the ability to sit with strong emotions in yourself and with others, making you a gifted counselor, healer, or trusting friend. Don’t allow obsessions around sexuality, trust, and shared resources to limit your ability to be intimate. By not isolating yourself and using your healing gifts, you can be of great help to others in times of crisis.

9th House: Instead of adopting doubt and cynicism as your religion, make a point to travel, read, and educate yourself towards new ways of thinking. As you stretch the boundaries of your world you move beyond the religious hypocrisy you once experienced. Now its time to see your life as a spiritual quest and grand adventure.

10th House: Limitation and impossibility may have been conveyed to you growing up and your ambition may not have been properly supported. Fear of failure must be recognized as now you can dare to ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’! Work on developing a strong career and getting paid/appreciated for your true value. Take a leadership role, and dare to be a force for good in the world.

11th house: Somewhere in your past you may have lost yourself in friendships and in dealing with odd groups of people—now it’s time to find what your really believe in and find others who feel the same. In these new groups and friendships you’ll have the ability to be the truth-sayer and heal the group experience. You can greatly inspire others, so don’t waste time with the wrong crowd.

12th House: When you’ve felt overwhelmed and burnt-out by the pain and suffering you’ve seen, you may have shut down or numbed out so as not to feel it. Yet by compassionately opening your heart to others now you heal yourself as well as them. You have the ability to touch people’s lives in an intimate inspiring way—don’t neglect your gifts for the sake of false comfort.

Elizabeth Spring MA has a degree in counseling psychology with an emphasis in Jungian psychology. She has been a professional astrologer since 1992 and has studied astrology and the work of Carl Jung in England, Switzerland and California. She has written numerous articles for newspapers and magazines which can be read on-line, and does astrology readings in person and by phone. To read other articles or inquire go to her web site at: www.elizabethspring.com or email: elizabethspring@aol.com

South Node First House, North Node Seventh House

First House South Node, Seventh House North Node

The first house is all about YOU—your personality, your way of seeing the world, the way the world sees you, and the nuts and bolts and nuances of how you would describe yourself, and how others would describe you. The first house always correlates with Aries and it ruled by the planet Mars. With the South Node here it describes a pattern you probably followed early in life, and what you didn’t get right in your last life. By the time of the first Saturn Return at approximately 29 years old you are ready to truly move beyond this and come into your own as an adult reaching towards the heights of your North Node in Libra. The Nodes are always opposite each other, so if you know one you house placement you know the other is 180 degrees away.

South Node in the first house is about the independent Aries-like hero/heroine who is on a quest to know itself and to move assertively into the world. Some people liken the Aries archetype to the warrior—the spiritual warrior or the hero in the story that begins: “Once upon a time there was a …….” Now fill in your story! Besides suggesting this hero/warrior myth, it also can be played out as the martyr, the one who sacrifices Self, or the Wanderer, the one who flees from Self, or the Magician, the one who transforms the Self.

When we look at any of the South Nodes we read them negatively, as to the nature of the unfinished business in a previous life, and what were the habits and mind-set that was needed to be finished or improved upon. Otherwise we would not be taking an incarnation at all. So, we look to the lack of Selfhood here with this placement, or an exaggerated sense of independence or excessive fear or worry. Perhaps all. This doesn’t mean that some courage and wonderful assertive action and thought wasn’t accomplished, it just implies that this is the “gold in the shadow” and to get this gold you need to be aware of the underside or shadow first, and work through the leaden unfinished business before grabbing the golden fleece of Aries.

The North Node in the Seventh House, ruled by Libra and the planet Venus, speaks to the desire for harmonious and right relationship with others. It softens the Mars, and it asks that one consider the other person’s opinions and life in a full dialogue of “I and Thou.” North Node placements here encourage one on one relationships in marriage, business, counseling or advising. It also asks that we learn to accept the paradoxical nature of human relationships in which we all have the opposite qualities of light and shadow, good and bad. Accepting the humanness on oneself and others with compassion is an integral part of this placement. (c) elizabeth spring elizabethspring@aol.com http://www.elizabethspring.com/

Since this post is about Me and You; here's a picture of me last year in NYC in front of the fountains by Lincoln Plaza.