No idea what you’re doing with your life? Let North Node astrology be your compass

Bald, brilliant bard baddie William Shakespeare espoused, “Men at some time are masters of their fates:
The fault…is not in our stars, but in ourselves.”

If we look at recent reports of job dissatisfaction and general malaise it seems many of us are failing at mastering our fates and could do well with a quick hit of clarifying stardust.

Gen Z, despite just beginning to enter the workforce, is experiencing record levels of burnout. Denizens of every generation are inclined to feel the “three-year itch,” a phenomenon that finds workers looking for more fulfilling employment after three years at the same job. In addition, productivity is at an all-time low, and half of Americans claim their job “negatively affects” their mental health.

Mon dieu.

If you’re feeling more existentially exhausted than divinely inspired by the life you’re leading, a look at your birth chart might be beneficial.

What can astrology tell us about the path we should be walking and the calling in keeping with our celestial framework?

I’m so glad you asked.

Aiding us in our journey towards a better, fuller way of being is Elise Wells of Planet Poetica. Wells tells The Post, “For indications about what our souls are really reaching for and wanting to experience in this incarnation, I look at the North Node and the tenth house.”

Because we live in a crushing, capitalist, soul = mortar, work = pestle society, we tend to confuse career with purpose and financial stability with true fulfillment. The real question the tenth house and the North Node seek to answer is, ‘What are you here on earth to do?’

By living in alignment with our stars we can find the path that allows for both safety and freedom and richness of every variety.

Read on to learn more.

What are the lunar nodes?

The lunar nodes are not planets or celestial bodies but two calculated points that lie between the sun’s ecliptic and the moon’s orbit. The position of the nodes changes signs, cycling through the entire zodiac every 19 years.

The axis, or zodiac polarity, the nodes fall in correspond to the annual phases of the solar and lunar eclipses. In 2024 those eclipses fall in the Aries/Libra axis.

The lunar nodes are linked to the karmic, evolutionary path of the human soul; where we’ve been and where we are meant to go.

While the South Node indicates past life patterns, the North Node provides the framework for our soul’s work in this time-space reality.

How do you find your North Node?

To identify your North Node you’ll need to locate the lunar nodes within your birth chart.

If you have your birth date, time and location you can calculate your chart using a generator like this (scroll down to the Part of Fortune & South Node section).

In the birth chart, the lunar nodes appear as two horseshoe-esque symbols. The inverted horseshoe is your South Node and the upright horseshoe is your North Node.

While the North Node is what we are called to do, answering that call ain’t always easy.

“Your soul has experiences it wants to have for growth, often our hardships come from failing to listen to the whispers of our true wanting.”

Much like exercise and flossing, Wells explains, “Honoring our North Node is never what we feel like doing but it is what’s best for us. The South Node is what we already are, and the North
Node is what we are being asked to become.”

If you’ll allow it, a poetic, prehistoric illustration, “Our South Node represents the karmic aggregate of our past lives. It is the cave that we know, it’s safe, it’s familiar, and there are furs on the floor and a fire to keep us warm. We naturally want to stay, but that cave is a kind of cage. The North Node is our way out and our way forward. Our North Node shows us how and why we’re meant to risk and grow and leave the familiar.”

Tenth house

The tenth house is located at the tippity top of the birth chart and aprops of this position, represents our loftiest aspirations and ultimate visibility.

Wells tells The Post, “If you’re looking at the North Node for where you are being asked to go, you can look at the sign and planets present in the tenth house as lamposts to light your way. You can’t approach one without the other. The tenth house is where your efforts culminate in the outside world, how you bloom.”

Together with the lunar nodes, the tenth house shows us what we are made of and for. For more information on the role of the nodes or to book a birth chart or past life reading, please reach out to Elise Wells at Planet Poetica.

The North Node through the signs

North Node in ARIES

Wells tells The Post, “With the North Node in Aries your archetype is the individualist. You are here to learn, to distinguish between self and other, to develop a special relationship with anger, to burn through karma, and to use your gifts of discipline and action to choose your path. Often, what feels instinctually right for you is for the ultimate benefit of all.”

To live in accordance with the Aries North Node, Wells recommends a trajectory of solo artist at best and independent contractor at the bare minimum. This node is meant to blaze a trail. They can, and will only succeed, by answering to themselves and abiding by their own instinctual knowing.

North Node in TAURUS

Wells tells The Post, “The archetype of the North Node in Taurus is the lover. Taurus rules the throat and in kind, you are here to use your voice and the expression of it to create an unshakeable sense of safety within your own body and the world at large. You are meant to learn that you are a child of the earth and will always be a part of it, to feel the world through your senses, and to know yourself through the beauty and spirit present in the material world.”

To support the soul journey of the Taurus North Node, Wells suggests any practices and/or professions that invest matter with spirit; cooking, growing your own food, designing a home, architecture, anything that builds self-worth and wealth.

North Node in GEMINI

Wells tells The Post, “The North Node in Gemini is the trickster; you are here to be a weaver of words, to lightly and always curiously sift through information to find a channel, to use your fine tuning towards the big picture, to know change as a constant. North Node in Gemini is meant to access the river of knowledge, questions, and exchange, to dip a cup into these currents and share its plenty.”

Living by this North Node and that very river can take the shape of a career in media communication, investigative journalism, translation, or speech writing. You are meant to dig into communities and simplify abstract concepts into inspiring, actionable steps.

North Node in CANCER

Wells advises, “Cancer North Node is the protector; you are here to own your needs, to break patterns of shame that come with having needs, to forgive yourself for being vulnerable, and to use your vulnerability and empathy to build a haven/enclave for self and others.”

Individuals with North Node in Cancer flourish in the healing arts, esoteric realms and by deepening their connection to and with the family they come from and/or the family they cultivate. Success for these individuals is to be found in the lunar nest of the internal rather than the grind of the external, solar world.

North Node in LEO

As Wells explains, Leo North Node is meant to embody the archetype of the jubilant frontman, “You are here to engage and explore, to recognize life as a game that you can play and win, to communicate with your inner child, to be ok with being in the spotlight, to take risks in an embodied way. To feel vital and accept acclaim.”

Living by this North Node means living in any arena where you can leverage play and performance, this runs the gamut from family constellation therapy to ecstatic dance facilitation, and amusement park design to art/theatre teacher. North Node in Leo is meant to embrace their star power and step firmly into the warmth of the ever-loving sun.

North Node in VIRGO

“North Node in Virgo is synonymous with the archetype of the priestess. You are here to be your own hero, to use your intellect to build boundaries, to focus on the embodied present, to join in with the group/collective, and to find balance between and acceptance of, both order and chaos.”

In the past, those with North Node in Virgo were somehow disconnected from the present moment and their role within it. This go-round, the objective is presence and participation. Virgo is associated with the sacred, the streamlined, and the medicinal. In-kind, those with this North Node are called toward the healing arts, scientific discovery, invention, and technological innovation/support.

North Node in LIBRA

As Wells explains, those with their North Node in Libra are meant to embody the archetype of the partner and peacemaker, “You are here to cooperate, to hold the mirror up for others and to see yourself through that reflection, to let the mystery be revealed to you, to give freely, to support and to be supported. Libra is a social composer who weaves together the other and the self for the ultimate and harmonious benefit of all.”

To live fully as a Libra North Node is to learn yourself through relationships and the acts of service you commit in support of those bonds. Being a noble partner and parent is important for those in this incarnation but these roles can exist beyond the standard definitions; you are made to mentor and mediate making the fields of law and education fertile landscapes for you.

North Node in SCORPIO

As Wells explains to The Post, “With the North Node in Scorpio your archetype is the sorcerer. You are here to feel trust, especially in yourself, to courageously cut away what you do not need, to feel connection and appreciation without ownership, to develop an awareness of the motivations of others, to welcome change as a source of vitality, and to bravely feel the full range of human emotions.”

Ideal paths for the Scorpio North Node to walk include any that incorporate shadow work. They are meant to find value in things and experiences beyond the material. Sex therapists, funeral directors, psychiatrists, midwives, research assistants, forensic specialists, and death doulas all sing to the spirit of this North Node.

North Node in SAGITTARIUS

With the North Node in swashbuckling Sagittarius you are the philosopher knight, the humble warrior.

As Wells explains, “You are here not only to seek truth and experiences but to carry within you, a sense of personal truth, to rely on your intuition as a compass and logic as wind in your sails, to communicate directly and clearly and without fear of causing controversy.”

To live in accordance with this North Node you must focus on the larger picture rather than petty details. You are meant to challenge yourself by stepping out of your comfort zone and traveling far and wide. You are meant to see the world so you may speak to it. Careers including foreign correspondents, teachers or professors, religious scholars, or general rogues are all in line and in support of this North Node.

North Node in CAPRICORN

Those with North Node in Capricorn are asked to rise to the role of the builder. Wells expounds, “You are here to build something of value, to create something lasting and worthwhile, to forge a legacy. You are asked to use boundaries as building blocks, to reparent yourself with the stability of wisdom, to accept responsibility for your actions and own your desires.”

Ideal trajectories for North Node in Capricorn Builders can find mortar by practicing patience and preparation. You are Saturn’s child and as a result, your greatest rewards may come at the end of a very long harvest. Trust that everything arrives exactly when it is meant to, your role is to ready the way.

North Node in AQUARIUS

According to Wells, the North Node in Aquarius relates to the archetype of the visionary, “You are here to share your uniqueness so that may be a beacon for others, to participate in the everyday warmth and equality of humanity even as you see it from a distanced perspective, to dedicate yourself to a cause with clear eyes and full heart.”

Aquarius North Nodes can bolster themselves by stepping fearlessly into the role of the revolutionary, to defend and support others with equal parts zeal and humility.

North Node in PISCES

Wells explains to The Post that North Node in Pisces is reaching towards the role of the empath, “You are here to truly learn what it means to let go, to focus on the spiritual, to dissolve boundaries, to feel the connection that runs through everything, to find the flow and step into it and out of it, and to know value and worth in the face of the forces of nature.”

To rise to the occasion of this North Node, Wells recommends practices and careers that allow for equal parts engagement and objectivity; therapist, unorthodox healer, plant medicine facilitator, death doula, or artist. This node is meant to lift the veil between worlds.

Astrologer Reda Wigle researches and irreverently reports back on planetary configurations and their effect on each zodiac sign. Her horoscopes integrate history, poetry, pop culture, and personal experience. She is also an accomplished writer who has profiled a variety of artists and performers, as well as extensively chronicled her experiences while traveling. Among the many intriguing topics she has tackled are cemetery etiquette, her love for dive bars, Cuban Airbnbs, a “girl’s guide” to strip clubs, and the “weirdest” foods available abroad.