I wrote this article spontaneously last night to talk a bit about the North Node at 0 Libra and some messages that I have been getting about what has come up in the energies lately, and what I think these things are saying to us on a soul level about how we interact with, relate to and create in the world. I really feel this is a momentous time, and have found the vibes to be extremely intense. What I see right now, in summary, is that the time has come to release the past and fully choose the new direction. I feel the nodes on the 0 Libra/Aries point are marking that transition, and that the lessons they carry for us are a major key to our development going forward. My sense is that we are entering a phase of real time, on the ground, transformation and creation according to the truths and visions that we have been working with in the course of the past several years, and it is time to get clear on issues around our innate sense of identity and self expression.
To explain in brief: The nodes (north node and south node) are an axis point in the chart representing where the orbit of the earth and the moon intersect and are considered a point of fate. They circle the zodiac in 18 year cycles. The 0 degree point of Aries/Libra is a significant point because it falls on the world axis and is the first degree of the zodiac, thus it is a significator for major change and powerful initiation. The north node actually moves retrograde through the zodiac so even though it is at 0 degrees right now, it is the end of its phase in these signs for another 9 years. The nodes in astrology point to our soul work -- the area of our lives where we have gifts to uncover and addictions to kick. Aries/Libra are signs that are specifically about self and other and have been very prominent in the astrology of September & October (Venus Retrograde, Mercury Retro in Libra, The Aries Blood Moon Eclipse, and this whole axis of fate thing).
Since I have natal north node in Aries, I've been deeply reflecting on the dynamic we have been sitting with regarding relationships, and how that pertains to my own soul work, and the message that we are receiving as a world through this axis point and at this particular threshold. The happenings of the past month or so have been major in some way or another for most people that I know. I feel we've all been grappling with dynamics around how we show up in the world -- how we assert ourselves, how we yield to others -- and the complete balancing act therein. As an Aries north node (which is opposite the current Libra north node), I am well versed in the tendencies of these two signs and know all too well the vacillations between the extremes of Libra's obsession with people pleasing and Aries' "I could care less what they think" attitude. What this energy is really showing me, however, is another, more refined level to this polarity that I'm only now fully understanding.
I think sometimes when we go through life taking the warrior's perspective (e.g. Aries), we tend to feel that we are expressing our power through self assertion and directness by stating facts such as, "I feel X, I don't like that, I want this" and supposing it is our right to do so even if our feelings, wants, and desires are not in alignment with anyone else we are dealing with. We might even feel that we are even more right to assert our power if this is so. "Well somebody had to say it, right?" Sometimes we also come to this type of expression as a manner of survival. When we feel our needs are consistently ignored by others, we think if we just state them more loudly, maybe we will be respected. Generally, though, all this generates is more anger about what we're not getting and how people are not responding the way we want them to. We're not always necessarily shown by our elders and authority figures that there is a way to be firm about ones desires and freedom of expression without feeling the need to bulldoze those that oppose us.
This is of course where the Libra polarity plays in -- since Libra is all about diplomacy and tactful negotiation. However -- as a Libra moon, Libra south node myself, I know that even this can be done to excess. The whole energy of the past few months has had me seriously scrutinizing all of my not-so-great Libra traits. I saw myself being indecisive and wishy washy in moments when I felt what I wanted and what someone else wanted were different. I saw myself yielding like a contortionist under the delusion that I was "keeping the peace." And I noticed just how much time I spend fretting over whether or not something I said offended someone. But then something interesting happened: The part of me that used to get to this extreme and pull a 180 Aries-style table flip on my life gained some actual maturity and said to me -- You know, it's really your own fault you don't have the things you want!!! Why don't you try having the courage to actually ask for the things you want nicely, instead of assuming the absolute worst and running out of the place with guns blazing like there's a firing squad with a secret conspiracy against all of your hopes and dreams...? It's all about BALANCE, right? So create BALANCE! For you! And make it easy on yourself, will you?
See, because here's the deal. Beneath Libra's peace-keeping is an irrational fear that if the truth gets out and disharmony occurs, the end result is most likely a war. Beneath Aries' most self-serving motives, there is a deep desire for acceptance. Yield too much in life, and you are guaranteed to never have peace. Make it all about what you want, and you are unlikely to feel that people accept you. What lies in between is the understanding of two things -- the fact that ultimately all most of us truly desire is to be accepted and to do as we wish in peace. And so, is not the solution to the conundrum just as simple as accepting the truth of what we want and doing as we wish peacefully? I write this and it sounds like the most obvious wisdom I think I've ever written... but realizing that there is such a thing as a win/win situation when it comes to harmony in relationships and harmony with self has been kind of a breakthrough for me.
We don't enrich anyone's lives by agreeing with them all of the time. Our most pure and innocent fingerprint is the part of us that inspires, heals, and helps those around us. It's our RESPONSIBILITY to know ourselves, and fulfill our own pathway to happiness by sometimes letting other people know that Yes, we really do enjoy this activity/place/person, and if you don't like it -- go do something you like for a while and we'll meet up later! There's no need to justify what we want to do with any aspect of our lives -- and when we find ourselves justifying, resisting or fighting, it is so often just an insecurity arising from the fear that X person or group won't accept us for who we really are. If we really do know ourselves well, we can have peaceful relationships with other people because we know that we are free to live and let live. We don't have to control anyone to feel fulfilled and whole with that person, and we don't feel a need to yield to someone else's idea of reality just because they said so.
Knowing what you want in life, where you're going in life, and who you are inside intimately and well is basic self acceptance. Being at peace within yourself and these knowings, and honoring your own personal boundaries, there is no need for aggression. So when we meet another soul and it comes time to make a compromise, we can do so with complete truth.
Let people know who you are. Your friends, your family, your partner, your clients. Their acceptance, or non-acceptance of you has nothing to do with who you are as a being. Remain in hiding and you will have many regrets. Be you from a place of ease. When we're easy with life, we have harmony without losing ourselves. We can be us in lightness, in freedom. Not because anyone gave it to us, but because we gave it to ourselves. And in giving it to ourselves, we give it to everyone else we meet.
