North Node vs South Node: What Your Soul Came Here to Do // Ep 006

What if the areas of life that feel effortless are actually where your soul has already been... and the things that feel like a stretch are the whole reason you came back?

Your birth chart has two points that map this out. They're always sitting directly opposite each other, and together they tell the story of where your soul has been and what it came back to Earth to grow into. Some people know their north node sign. Far fewer understand what it's actually asking of them, or why the south node changes everything about how you read it.

This episode is the full picture.

WE COVER:

• What the nodes actually are and why they always work as a pair
• The south node as soul-level muscle memory and why leaning on it too much keeps you small
• What your north node is really asking of you in this lifetime (and why it's supposed to feel uncomfortable)
• Every node axis explained, from Aries/Libra through to Virgo/Pisces
• Why the goal was never to abandon one end for the other

SHOW NOTES:

// Explore more soul-aligned guidance at clairesolomon.com

// Your north node is one of five key points I cover in an AstroCodes Astrology Reading — a personalized, layered reading of your chart through astrology, Human Design, and Gene Keys: Order your AstroCodes Report [only $88]

// For a lighter take on the nodes archetypes: this Instagram post made me laugh while explaining exactly this

// If you're drawn to going even deeper on your soul's story across lifetimes, an Akashic Records reading picks up where astrology leaves off: Book your Soul Purpose Akashic Records Reading

// Download your copy of 37 Soul Prompts  — journalling questions to help you start uncovering your soul purpose themes [free resource]

Disclaimer: This podcast shares spiritual insight for personal reflection and entertainment purposes. It is not a substitute for professional medical, psychological, legal, or financial advice. Please use your own discernment when interpreting and applying the information shared.

Transcript

Hey, I'm Clare Solomon, Akashic Records Practitioner, business strategist, and astrology and human design nerd. And this is the Kinda Cosmic Podcast, down-to-earth chats about out-of-this-world stuff. We'll talk Akashic insight, astrology, starseeds, cosmic intel, soul purpose, and all the strange, beautiful ways the universe shows up in everyday life. No fluff, just real talk about being a soul in a human body.

Hello. Hello. Today we are talking about one of my absolute favourite parts of astrology, and that is the nodes. Your north node and south node. And in a nutshell, these reveal your soul's journey across many lifetimes. I always say the nodes are like the little breadcrumb trail that your soul left for you, like the compass. Like, here's one of the major reasons you came to Earth again. Kind of coordinates. But just to briefly explain, the nodes are not planets. So they're not physical things or objects floating around in space. They're more like two invisible markers. 

So you can kind of think of the moon's path as one road in the sky and then the sun's path as another road. And they cross each other in two places, like an intersection. And those intersection points are the nodes, and they are always directly opposite each other. The north node and the south node are always directly opposite. So it's not something we can see, but it's something that we can calculate. We can calculate where these intersections or where these points are based on the exact moment that you were born. Unique to you.

To find them, you will need your exact time of birth to the minute, which is required to pull your accurate birth chart in general. And once you do, you'll be looking for a little. It's like a little horseshoe-shaped symbol. So the north node is the horseshoe shape, kind of looking like a rainbow, you know, like that way up. And then the south node is the horseshoe shape the other way around, like a bucket. And these, which is why I love them so much, are the points in your chart that describe your soul path, your karmic themes, your comfort zone and your evolutionary edge. All of that juicy stuff. 

So what exactly is the North Node all about? The North Node represents your greatest potential for this lifetime. This is the energy your soul is really asking you to lean into and embrace more of while you are on Earth right now, in this very lifetime. Even if it feels strange, unfamiliar, awkward, uncomfortable, because I will say that's actually part of the point, that is part of the stretch for us and the growth and the evolution. Because your north node is basically saying, here's your exact next level of growth, here's the cheat code for your evolution, all laid out for you. But your human self is like, are you sure? Because that feels very scary. And I just want to stay over here where it's all very comfy and cozy. But actually your soul planned this, right? Like our birth time is chosen for a reason by our soul. Yes. Even if you were a caesarean baby or your mother was induced, etc. etc. All of that is already planned and figured out beforehand. So our birth time is no accident. And that's because being born at that exact minute mapped those node points. It mapped our whole birth chart, of course. But in terms of those node points, this is literally why your soul incarnated again. And if you wanted to stay comfy, you probably would have skipped Earth this time around. Right? Like, we're here to grow. So by following the themes and the pulls of our north node, we are aligning with that next chapter of evolution that our soul signed up for. 

So then what's with the south node? If the north node is the path forward, where we are traveling to the south node is basically everything we bought with us from our past lives. It's like our backpack for our journey. So it's packed with our skills, strengths, patterns, talents, energies that we have mastered in our past lives. And particularly the most one or two recent past lives. Our south node is where everything feels really easy and really familiar. It's the comfort zone, right? It's I can do this in my sleep energy.

And in fact, it probably comes so naturally to you that it doesn't actually require any thought. We don't see it in ourselves that we're so naturally easily good at and attuned to these things. Sometimes your soul went a little too far into that energy in previous lifetimes while trying to master it. So in this lifetime, there's kind of like a gentle nudge to rebalance that pattern. This is where the karmic thing can come in, right? Like just our soul wants to rebalance something where we're like, whoa, I really went so gung ho on that thing. But now it's time to rebalance it a little. And it's not because it was bad or wrong. It's simply because lingering too much in that one energy will keep us a bit small and cozy and it will hold us back from our full potential.

But it's not about completely abandoning our south node and leaping completely towards our north node because we don't need to do that. We can't really do that. It's about the balancing act of the two. And while there's certainly far more flavor that can be sprinkled in by looking at the house that our north node is in, or the gate in human design, for today, we're going to keep it simple and focus purely on the sign to get a feel for the energy signature that your soul is asking you to embrace more of. 

But before we go into each, I want to zoom out for a moment and talk about something that is so important to understand in astrology, and that is that everything, literally everything, operates on an axis. Our birth charts are a wheel, right, with spokes, and each of those is an axis. Every sign, every house, every point in your chart has an opposite energy, opposite on the wheel that balances it, complements it, stretches it, challenges it. And each axis represents essentially two sides of the same coin.

Two archetypes that look different on the surface, but they're actually working together, helping you grow in really kind of opposite but connected ways. And because your north node and south node always sit directly opposite each other, understanding the axis is essential. You can't understand your north node in isolation without understanding the energy thread or the polarity that it's sitting on. So let me bring these to life for you. 

First, we have Aries and Libra. And these two signs are directly opposite each other and they exist on the same axis that is all around relationships. Aries, which I like to call The Passionate Pioneer, represents "me" energy, right? And Libra, which I like to call The Connected Peacemaker, represents "we" energy. 

Aries is raw life force energy, the warrior vibe, the pioneer. It's instinct, courage, leadership, and this kind of spark of desire that says, I'm gonna go first. Libra, on the other side of that same coin is relational intelligence. It's harmony, co-creation, reading the room, making decisions. But with the collective in mind. Aries is pushing forward and Libra is pulling things into balance. And not one of them is good and one of them is bad, not one is better and one is worse. They actually need the energy of each other. And the axis asks, when do I honour my own path and when do I honour the connections that I have? 

So if your north node is in Aries, your soul is stretching you to learn how to become the passionate pioneer. You're meant to follow your instincts, honor your individuality, and build this deep self trust, even when it feels uncomfortable to be this leadership kind of vibe, and even when it feels uncomfortable to disappoint people. Which is how it may feel. You're here to stop outsourcing your direction to other people and to choose yourself. And knowing that choosing yourself in this lifetime isn't selfish. It's a planned thing for your spiritual growth. Your soul is basically saying, hey, you've spent many lifetimes, particularly the last few, being the peacemaker, the diplomat, the one smoothing everything over for everyone else. You've done the whole like harmony and balance thing beautifully. But in this lifetime you are here to choose yourself, to initiate, to lead, to go first, to be bold and stop waiting for every single other person to agree or to be happy before you move.

Your south node being automatically in Libra when you have an Aries north node. This gave you all of the relationship, wisdom, collaboration skills that you'll ever need. You can't turn this part of you off - that's already there. But now your growth comes from saying, cool, and what do I want? 

So now let's flip it. Same axis, same energy thread. But if your north node is in Libra, your soul is learning how to be the connected peacemaker. So you are here to grow through collaboration, partnership, compromise and that whole relational mastery piece.

Your past lives were deeply self-directed, so your evolution now comes from letting other people in, co-creating and allowing other people to support you. Chances are in past lives you were a bit of a lone wolf, certainly in your most recent ones. Someone who was very capable, could build a village with one hand while fighting off a dragon or something with the other. And independence, therefore, is the theme of your comfort zone. Very happy and capable, doing things on your own and leading the way. But your evolution in this life comes from learning to not do everything alone. You will actually grow and reach your greatest potential through collaboration and partnership and connecting with others and actually letting people into your process, which will feel absolutely unnatural and uncomfortable. 

Your Aries south node, which is automatic because you have a Libra north node. This gives you this inbuilt courage and self-sufficiency. Again, you can't turn it off. But your Libra north node is asking you to soften and share the load. And remember that the universe can actually work through other humans around you too. Right, like easing off the whole lone wolf thing. 

The next axis we have is Taurus and Scorpio. And these two signs are directly opposite each other and exist on the worth and transformation axis. Taurus as an energy is The Grounded Sensualist and is all about comfort, stability, the body, the senses, the physical world. Scorpio energy, on the other hand, is what I like to call The Transformative Alchemist. And that's about depth, intensity, emotional truth, shadow work, and the unseen. Taurus is really around building something strong and lasting. And Scorpio burns everything away that doesn't serve anymore. So the Axis really asks, what am I building and what am I shedding? 

So if your North Node is on the Taurus side, your soul is stretching you into how to be more of a grounded sensualist. So you're meant to simplify, stabilize, slow down, and build a life that feels safe in your body, because you're coming out of lifetimes of fairly deep intensity. If you've got a Scorpio South Node, probably emotional extremes in past lives, and now your growth is actually going to come through pleasure and steadiness and choosing a more gentle path. 

With a Taurus North Node, you've actually mastered that whole deep transformation thing in past lives, like shadow work, PhD levels of mastery, you've gone deep. You've felt all of the feelings, and you've, you know, regenerated Phoenix style over and over and over again. So in this life, your soul is calling you and saying, enough with the deep, deep, deep intensity. You know, like, let's learn stability and feeling grounded on Earth. Slowing down, trusting your body, finding really fun and simple earthly pleasures, right? Building something solid and sustainable instead of burning everything to the ground every few months. 

But flip side, same axis, if your North Node is in Scorpio, this is all about learning how to be this transformative alchemist. Your evolution is, in truth, telling, going beneath the surface of things. Emotional depth, empowerment, shadow work, and letting things die and collapse when they need to, so that real change and the real thing can emerge.

In past lives, you've mastered the whole comfort thing, the cosy cottage, snacks, indulgence thing. And in this life, it's actually about alchemy and courage. Remember, with a Scorpio North Node, it means your South Node is in Taurus. So comfort is actually your default setting. Past life you loved the routine, the stability, softness, steadiness. Absolutely no surprises, thank you very much. Keeping it very cozy. But in this life, you are actually being called to evolve by moving toward the emotional, psychological, spiritual depths of life.

It's asking you to trust transformation, basically, and to shed skins when needed and not hold on to things just because they have always been a certain way, and to let your curiosity lead you into the mystery, even though it feels far more comfortable to not do any of that. 

Then we move on to the Gemini Sagittarius Axis, which is all around the mind and meaning. Gemini as an archetype is The Engaging Messenger, gathering all of the pieces, the facts, the details, the curiosity, the chats, the conversations. Sagittarius, on the other hand, same coin, same axis is The Expanding Guide energy. So it's not just about gathering the pieces, it's connecting the pieces, the wisdom, the bigger picture, the truth and the meaning of things. So the axis is actually asking, what information am I collecting and what meaning am I making out of it? 

If your north node is in Gemini, which mine is, your soul is learning how to be the engaging messenger. This current lifetime is designed for sharing what you know, communicating clearly, asking better questions, and bridging understanding between people. Past lives were very likely spent in big picture thinking and very wide reaching philosophies. Sitting in a cave alone, deeply pondering the meaning of existence. But in this current lifetime, your growth comes from those details, the nuance, actual dialogue with people and sharing, like getting out of the cave.

With a Gemini north node, your past lives were really about being a philosophical explorer, a freedom lover, a seeker, a wanderer, a truth hunter. But this lifetime, the magic actually lies in the smaller things, like the conversations around what it is that you discover, the questions, having curiosity, having everyday connections with people, getting out of the cave of exploration and into the real world. And your soul growth in this lifetime actually comes from being a messenger, a teacher, a storyteller who brings wisdom down to earth in ways that actually, you know, people can use and understand. Because you've spent however many lifetimes studying it, it's not a lifetime now to keep doing that. It's one to speak and share what you know. And that will feel uncomfortable, right? Because it's in the learning and the study that you feel most at home and most cosy. And it's because you've mastered that skill. 

But if your north node is in Sagittarius, this is about stretching into being the expanding guide. So you are meant to explore those bigger truths, trust your intuition and teach from lived wisdom, not just book wisdom, right? And to expand your own worldview. Your past lives would have been really full of logic, lots of mind focus, lots of information gathering. And now your soul wants more meaning to that information, more adventure and exploration, and more freedom around what you are learning and absorbing. With your north node in Sagittarius, like I said, you've spent lifetimes gathering information, asking a million questions and organizing ideas into like a little library. But now, in this life, knowing that that's already your strength, you're now here to zoom out of those details a little bit more. Trust your intuition, not just your mind, not what just feels logical, but zooming out and intuitively feeling into what it is that you are being drawn to study and learn and to essentially step into this guide or mentor energy.

With your Gemini South Node automatic having Sagittarius North Node, you already know how to learn. In fact, you are a master at learning stuff and absorbing information. But the Sagittarius Energy wants you to explore the meaning behind what you know. 

Next we have the Cancer Capricorn Axis, which is the axis of security and foundation. Cancer as an archetype is The Compassionate Nurturer, loaded with emotional security, energy, softness, intuition, home, warmth, compassion. Capricorn as The Committed Authority on the other side of that same coin gives physical security, structure, long term plans, mastery. So the axis asks what kind of foundation supports the life I'm here to grow into. 

If your north node is in Cancer, you are learning and growing into how to be more of this compassionate nurturer. Your growth comes through softening and healing and tending to emotions, honouring your intuition and building a life that feels homely, which will feel varying degrees of uncomfortable to you. Your past lives were very achievement heavy, status, authoritative, building great and amazing things. But now your soul wants connection and nourishment as the foundation. Essentially, you've been the responsible one for lifetimes and lifetimes, the leader, the builder, the reliable one, the achiever of things. So what that means is there's a mastery here of you know how to hold it together better than anyone. Again, it's not something you can switch off and you're not meant to, but your soul came here this time to soften. 

A Cancer North Node wants you to nurture and feel and connect and open and build emotional safety for yourself and security, not just physical success. So playing with the whole security and foundation themes of the Axis, but in a perhaps more flowy feminine way than a typically more masculine way, all of the things to feel safe and secure way. 

So like I said, your Capricorn South Node here has the structure completely handled. That's easy default stuff. But your evolution comes through letting yourself be human and not just competent. 

On the flip side, if your north node is in Capricorn, you are learning how to be the committed authority, stepping into leadership, taking responsibility for your path, becoming self-disciplined and building something solid and lasting. Your past lives were very heart-led, right? And now life is calling for more mastery and structure. You've done lifetimes after lifetimes of emotional work, so you understand feelings, intuition, Family dynamics, inner worlds, all of that. Instinctively, this is your default emotional intelligence master - can't switch that off. That's who you are. But in this life, you're being called to grow by stepping more into responsibility, leadership, commitment and long-term building. 

So your Cancer South Node gives you the heart, and your Capricorn North Node is asking you to pair that heart with ambition and actually create something real and lasting in the world. 

Then we have the axis of purpose and expression, which is the Leo Aquarius axis. And Leo as an energy archetype is The Confident Creator. It's big heart, big creativity, self-expression, inner child, performer. Aquarius on the flip side is innovation, community, forward thinking, future thinking, collective change. It's The Revolutionary Humanitarian archetype. So this axis asks, what am I here to express and who does it impact? 

If your North Node is in Leo, you are learning and being stretched into how you can be the confident creator. Your evolutionary path right now is: you are meant to be seen, to express yourself, to create and to take up space. Your past lives were deeply in service, service to the collective. And new growth for you now comes from owning your light and displaying it, displaying your unique sparkle. Especially the last few past lives, you would have been doing a lot of work behind the scenes, supporting the collective and championing causes, helping your community, blending with the group. Right? Like even when you had something brilliant and unique to offer, it was about the cohesion of the group. But in this lifetime, you are actually meant to stand out from the crowd and be really bright and really shiny, to take the mic, to get on the metaphorical (or real) stage and lead with your heart, trust your creativity and to be fully seen.

Your Aquarius South Node, which is directly opposite your Leo North Node, that's given you the vision of how all of our roles make up part of this like wider cosmic ecosystem. But your Leo North Node is asking you to embody somebody who takes up space and showing us that you are the vessel for the vision. Like, here I am, watch me do the things and have a damn great time while I'm doing them. 

If your North Node is in Aquarius, you are being called into being and embodying the revolutionary humanitarian. So you are actually here to innovate, to disrupt, to think differently and help the collective evolve. Your past lives were really focused more on personal recognition, but now your soul wants to explore, actually collaboration and impact. You've been the star of the show many times before. You know how to sparkle and perform and create and captivate, and that's brilliantly baked into you now. So don't switch that off ever. But your growth and evolution now, right now in this lifetime, comes from this community and collective impact approach and doing things a little differently. 

So you've got the confidence from having a Leo South Node, but your Aquarius North Node is asking you to use that confidence to elevate humanity instead of just yourself. 

And finally, we have Virgo and Pisces, which sit on the healing and wholeness axis. Virgo I like to call The Productive Healer is the healer, the organizer, the optimizer, the one who brings soul into the body, grounded and embodied. Pisces, on the other hand, is what I call The Inspiring Mystic. It's the dreamer, the intuitive, inspiration, uplifter, the one who merges with something higher and far more magical. This axis is asking what wants healing and what wants surrender? 

If your North Node is in Virgo, this is all about stretching you to be the productive healer. You're meant to bring order to chaos, learn boundaries, refine your gifts, and make your spirituality useful. Your past lives would have absolutely been magical, mystical, dreamy, but growth is actually going to come in this lifetime through embodiment and practical service using, actually using your soul gifts. You would have lived many lifetimes in the mystical realms. Ethereal, intuitive, floaty, dreamy, spiritual, very connected to the spiritual realms. And you still are, can't turn that off. But in this life, you are here to ground your gifts, to actually organize your magic, refine your craft, and bring your intuitive gifts down to earth in, in practical ways. You are highly intuitive. You can't turn your intuition off. It's very easy for you to live an intuitively led life, but Virgo energy is calling you to shape all of that into something that others can actually access and use and benefit from. 

On the flip side, if your North Node is in Pisces, you are here to surrender to being the inspiring mystic, to trust your intuition, to soften your control and reconnect with the divine and dissolve this need that you may feel for perfection. And this is because your past lives would have been very service-focused, very detail-focused, very anchored in getting things "right" in inverted commas. And now your soul wants more flow, spiritual connection and creativity. Certainly your most recent one or two past lives would have been all about mastering systems, structure, order, routine. And so know that you are going to be naturally good at all of those things. It's not ever going to be hard for you to be excellent at looking after your health, organizing your daily routines. But now your soul is asking you to essentially loosen your grip on those things, know that they're always going to be there. But let in more imagination, intuition, surrender, creativity, and more general trust in the unseen and the unexplainable. 

Your Virgo south node already knows how to organize life, but Pisces north node is teaching you and giving you opportunities to learn how to let life move through you. 

So to wrap all of this up, here's the beautiful mind-bending thing about the nodes - is your soul chose one of these axes as your personal evolutionary pathway before you were born. Not randomly, but very intentionally. On one end of that axis sits your south node. And that's the archetype your soul has done again and again and again across lifetimes. The one you can do with your eyes closed. It's your instinct zone, comfort zone, past life, muscle memory. Right? And it's why certain things come naturally to you and why certain patterns feel just really familiar. 

On the other end sits your north node, the archetype you're stretching into in this lifetime. It's the direction your soul wants you to grow towards, even if it feels awkward, uncomfortable, completely opposite to how you would normally operate. Which, by the way, is exactly the point. Your south node says, you already know how to do this. That part is built into you. And your north node says, now let's evolve, let's try the energy you haven't mastered yet. And like I've covered, the magic isn't in abandoning your South Node or pretending it doesn't exist. It's in weaving the two energies together. Use all of those things in your backpack. The wisdom, the skills, the mastery, the instincts of your South Node. And then let your north node be the compass that points you toward who you came here to become. 

And when you tune into all of this and follow it, you'll start to see that life expands. And you'll get more and more opportunities and invitations that stretch you into the direction of your North Node. And your purpose then starts to feel really anchored and really lived, rather than something that you're always searching for. 

And if you want to explore the flavor of this even deeper through the house that your North Node or South Node sits in, or the exact gate within your human design chart those layers can add a whole lot of extra clarity to why life has been unfolding the way it has. And I'll put some links in the show notes, but for today, just sit with the energy signatures of the sign and keep your eye out for how comfy your comfort zone is versus where you're being invited to. Put one toe out and stretch in the opposite direction. 

I really hope this has been fun and helpful and we'll chat soon.

And that's it for today's Kinda Cosmic chat. Find more soul-aligned guidance at https://clairesolomon.com/