Your South Node sits exactly 180 degrees opposite of your North Node on your birth chart. It represents where your karmic journey has begun and what gifts you’re bringing into your present life from past experience. As I’ve been learning the ropes of astrology and joining the fanfare of reading birth charts, I thought I’d write a post combining my expert knowledge of intentional living and how to begin incorporating astrology—specifically, past life karma—into your life path. We tend to borrow traits of our past selves that continue to feel comfortable in this life. They can often be “stubborn” qualities that persist in decision-making: optimism, pessimism, practicality, realism, etc.

These are qualities we’ve attached ourselves to based on past iterations of our lives, our parents, and our ancestors. When spiritual lessons are represented within the family tree, we borrow into the idea that we must be palatable; therefore, we attach ourselves to these qualities until we face our North Node. This circumvents our path to embrace what makes us unique, unlearn past programming, and embrace our destiny.

The Astrological Science Behind South Node

Your South Node is directly opposite to your North Node, and together, they make up your Lunar Nodes. The South Node represents what karmic action you’ve experienced in past lives and how it will influence your action. The South Node provides insight into both positive and negative qualities of self. Once those qualities come to light, they provide insight into your North Node, which is your “Karmic Fate” or destiny. Because they appear on opposite sides of your birth chart, they represent opposing qualities. The interpretation being: we learn from our past or the gifts we bring into this lifetime (south) to fulfill our greatest destiny (north).

The South Node pays homage to the hard lessons we’ve already learned and fallen victim to, while the North Node is in alignment with your destiny. Together, the two represent the unfolding of your life path and how you choose to embrace fate.

South Node in Pisces

So, what’s my life path? Cosmic Unfolding? Destiny? Karmic Past? Let me offer you a bit of background into my chart. I’m a Virgo, born August 23, 1997, at 6:25 PM in Detroit, Michigan. When requesting your birth chart, which I recommend doing on Cafe Astrology, you’ll need to know the date, exact time, and place of birth. All three of my major signs are Earth signs: I’m a Virgo sun, Taurus moon, and Capricorn rising. Since my sun is in Virgo—meaning my North Node— that places my South Node in Pisces.

What does South Node in Pisces mean?

I am a natural-born healer. It is said that those with their South Node in Pisces are psychic sponges. A psychic sponge is one who is sensitive or an empath to other people’s emotions. When you step into this role, you don’t just listen to someone’s emotions but often embody them, becoming the healer. According to the influence of the past life, Pisces is ruled by Jupiter. Based on my research, the Pisces sign as a South Node is a dignified Jupiter, meaning people having this sign embody the best traits of the sign. Here, dignified insinuates that you—the objective you—demonstrates the highest qualities of a South Node Pisces.

These people are moved by the spiritual truth of their awakening and embody kindness, humility, and respect. Pisces also governs the subconscious mind, imagination, and creativity because it is represented by the 12th house of dreams and spirituality.

North Node in Virgo

Your North Node represents our karmic path for our future or lessons we came to Earth School to learn. Your north node is opposite your South. My north node happens to be the same as my sun sign, Virgo.  I’ve always thought I’ve embodied both qualities of Leo and Virgo since I’m a cusp, but it’s become increasingly evident over the last few years that I am, in fact, a Virgo, both sun and North Node. The sun signs determines your ego and identity in life, setting the role for your destiny, or North Node. Sun in Virgo denotes a particularly smart, ethical, hard-working, and intentional (wink, wink) human being. North Node in Virgo implies great accomplishment and distinguishing qualities that set you apart from others. It is a destiny of someone meant for great service to others, healing guidance, and generosity. 

Significance of the Karmic Past

So what does this all mean? As I begin to weave the astrological arts and sciences into the genre of intentional living, I’m beginning to understand the importance of understanding your birth chart. The way the stars were in alignment the moment we were born, and how that plays a role in the fate of our lives. Some say the alignment of the stars is the beginning of our karmic fate; our lives are a result of that alignment, and they have a direct correlation to our destiny. The spiritual law of karma states that we maintain control of the cycle of action and result through our thought, decisions, and actions.

However, this law has a beautiful silver lining: if we decide we do not like the result of an action, we maintain the karmic decision-making to choose again. According to The Chopra Center, karma is a source of energy that, unless having reached total enlightenment, affects every moment of your life. Therefore, one decision affects the next, and the next, and so on. The spiritual law of karma, in fact, can be applied to the physics law of energy that states, for every action, there must be an equal and opposite reaction.

Destiny as Influenced by Our Karmic Past

Our destiny is influenced by all actions taken by our past selves. Without all past actions or decisions, we would not be present in the moment we are now: sitting in a chair, riding the subway, laying in bed, drinking coffee. Every decision we make influences the next. It is thought that the subconscious notions behind those decisions—especially important ones—are highly influenced by our North and South Node. Early Sanskrit literature in India implies the same belief as the South Node: if you believe in reincarnation, you understand that all actions, therefore results of actions, are influenced by past life karma.

Embracing Past Life Karma by Living Intentionally

So, what do we do with all of this knowledge? We allow it to influence our intentional lives. Day by day we allow the influence of our karmic past to inform our decision-making and our actions. Living Intentionally is a lifestyle we curate. Combine that lifestyle with the qualities that make us who we are, and we’re living out our destiny. That is, in essence, how our North and South Nodes inform our life path. It’s not necessarily active or conscious attention we provide it, but a natural occurrence of karma born from past versions of ourselves.

The best thing we can do to influence the North and South Nodes of future versions of ourselves is to attempt to live as intentionally as we can in this lifetime; consciously drive our attention to growth, evolve and change.

Research Notes:

The Chopra Center: How Does Karma Affect Your Life

Astrology. Community: South Node in Pisces

Astrostyle: North Nodes & South Nodes: The Astrology of Your Life Purpose & Past Life