The Lunar Nodes in the Birth Chart: North and South Node in Every Sign, with Birth Periods

What Are the Lunar Nodes?

The lunar nodes aren't celestial bodies but points: the two places where the Moon's orbit crosses the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun. The ascending node is called the North Node, the descending one the South Node; tradition also calls them the dragon's head and the dragon's tail. They always lie exactly opposite each other, in opposite signs and houses.

Astronomically the nodes matter because solar and lunar eclipses only happen near them. They move backward through the zodiac and take about 18.6 years for one cycle, so roughly a year and a half per sign.

North Node and South Node in Interpretation

• North Node: the direction of growth in this life, what feels new and often a little uncomfortable but helps you grow.
• South Node: talents, habits and patterns you bring with you: what comes easily, but also where you can settle in too comfortably.

In spiritually minded schools of astrology, the nodes are seen as a karmic axis: the South Node stands for what was acquired in earlier cycles, the North Node for the task of this life. Other schools read the axis psychologically, as a path from the familiar comfort zone to a new strength. Both come down to the same movement: from the familiar to growth.

How to Find Your Lunar Node

Under each sign you will find the periods when the North Node stood there. They are calculated as the mean lunar node, which moves evenly through the zodiac. The UmbraLux app shows the true node, which swings around this value and can change sign a few weeks earlier or later at the boundaries. If you were born in a boundary month, the exact date decides. The South Node always stands in the opposite sign.

North Node and South Node in the Signs

North Node in Aries, South Node in Libra

The path leads from constant consideration of others to your own initiative. The task: to be yourself instead of always mediating, and to make decisions without asking everyone first.

Born: 01.1949–08.1950 · 09.1967–03.1969 · 04.1986–11.1987 · 12.2004–06.2006 · 07.2023–01.2025

North Node in Taurus, South Node in Scorpio

The path leads from crisis and intensity to calm and constancy. The task: learning to value stability and simple pleasures instead of turning every situation upside down.

Born: 07.1947–01.1949 · 02.1966–09.1967 · 10.1984–04.1986 · 05.2003–11.2004 · 12.2021–07.2023

North Node in Gemini, South Node in Sagittarius

The path leads from big convictions to curiosity about the concrete. The task: to listen, ask questions and be present in small things. More in the article North Node in Gemini.

Born: 12.1945–07.1947 · 08.1964–02.1966 · 03.1983–10.1984 · 10.2001–05.2003 · 06.2020–12.2021

North Node in Cancer, South Node in Capricorn

The path leads from achievement and control to feeling and belonging. The task: to allow vulnerability and create a home where not everything has to be earned.

Born: 06.1944–12.1945 · 01.1963–08.1964 · 08.1981–03.1983 · 04.2000–10.2001 · 11.2018–06.2020

North Node in Leo, South Node in Aquarius

The path leads from the safe distance of the group to your own expression. The task: to show yourself with your heart, even if it makes you stand out.

Born: 11.1942–06.1944 · 06.1961–01.1963 · 02.1980–08.1981 · 09.1998–04.2000 · 04.2017–11.2018

North Node in Virgo, South Node in Pisces

The path leads from blurring to clarity and discernment. The task: to turn dreams into practical steps and draw healthy boundaries.

Born: 04.1941–11.1942 · 12.1959–06.1961 · 07.1978–02.1980 · 02.1997–09.1998 · 10.2015–04.2017

North Node in Libra, South Node in Aries

The path leads from going it alone to real partnership. The task: to learn cooperation, consideration and balance without giving up your own strength.

Born: 10.1939–04.1941 · 05.1958–12.1959 · 12.1976–07.1978 · 08.1995–02.1997 · 03.2014–10.2015

North Node in Scorpio, South Node in Taurus

The path leads from holding on to security to a willingness to change. The task: to let go, let closeness in and not shy away from depth.

Born: 10.1956–05.1958 · 06.1975–12.1976 · 01.1994–08.1995 · 09.2012–03.2014

North Node in Sagittarius, South Node in Gemini

The path leads from an abundance of details to a worldview of your own. The task: to commit, follow your own sense of meaning and trust your gut.

Born: 04.1955–10.1956 · 11.1973–06.1975 · 07.1992–01.1994 · 02.2011–09.2012

North Node in Capricorn, South Node in Cancer

The path leads from emotional dependence to responsibility and structure. The task: to pursue your own goals and find support within yourself.

Born: 09.1953–04.1955 · 05.1972–11.1973 · 12.1990–07.1992 · 07.2009–02.2011

North Node in Aquarius, South Node in Leo

The path leads from the center of attention into community. The task: to think for the whole, live friendship and diversity, and not make recognition the measure.

Born: 03.1952–09.1953 · 10.1970–05.1972 · 05.1989–12.1990 · 01.2008–07.2009 · since 08.2026

North Node in Pisces, South Node in Virgo

The path leads from control and perfection to devotion and trust. The task: to let go, live compassion and not have to explain everything.

Born: 08.1950–03.1952 · 03.1969–10.1970 · 11.1987–05.1989 · 06.2006–01.2008 · 01.2025–08.2026

The Nodes in the Houses

The house of the North Node shows in which area of life the task of growth becomes concrete, the house of the South Node where the familiar lies. With the North Node in the tenth house, it invites you to develop your career and visibility, while the South Node in the fourth house shows the security of the family as a comfort zone. More about the areas of life in the overview of the twelve houses.

Nodal Return: When the Themes Become Active

About every 18.6 years the nodes return to their birth position, that is, at around 19, 37, 56 and 74 years of age. This nodal return is seen as a time when the direction of life is readjusted. Halfway, at around 9, 28 and 47, the nodes stand reversed; that too is considered a time of reorientation. Currently, since August 2026, the North Node is in Aquarius and the South Node in Leo, until March 2028.

Lunar Nodes in Relationships

In relationship astrology, contacts with the lunar nodes are seen as a sign of especially formative encounters: when one person's planet touches the other's North Node, the connection often supports growth; with the South Node it feels familiar. More in the article on lunar node synastry.

In your UmbraLux profile you will find the North and South Node of your birth chart with their signs and, with your time and place of birth, their houses. Ask Verus, your AI companion, about your lunar nodes: he knows both with their signs and houses and talks with you about where your North Node may be pulling you.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Lunar Nodes

What does the North Node mean?

It describes the direction in which you can grow: themes that feel new and sometimes uncomfortable but are fulfilling in the long run.

What does the South Node mean?

It describes what you bring with you: abilities and habits that come easily to you, but in which you can also get stuck.

Why do the lunar nodes move backward?

The crossing points of the Moon's orbit shift slowly against the direction of the planets because of the Sun's pull. They take about 18.6 years for a full cycle.

What is the difference between the mean and the true lunar node?

The mean node is the evenly calculated position; the true node swings around it. The signs almost always agree; only in boundary months can a program show a different sign.