The Moon's Crossing Points
The lunar nodes (राहु केतु) are the two points where the Moon's orbital path intersects the ecliptic. The North Node (Rahu in Vedic astrology) is the ascending node — where the Moon crosses from south to north of the ecliptic. The South Node (Ketu) is the descending node. They are always exactly 180° apart and move retrograde through the zodiac, completing a cycle in approximately 18.6 years. Eclipses can only occur when the Moon is near a node.
North vs. South Node
| Node | Vedic Name | Signification |
|---|---|---|
| North Node | Rahu | Future direction, worldly desire, expansion, obsession |
| South Node | Ketu | Past-life skills, detachment, spirituality, dissolution |
Nodes in Natal Reading
In Western evolutionary astrology, the North Node shows your soul's evolutionary direction — the unfamiliar territory you are meant to grow into. The South Node shows innate past-life skills that can become crutches. In Vedic astrology, Rahu amplifies and obsesses; Ketu detaches and spiritualises — both are shadow planets that can either elevate or destabilise depending on their sign, house, and conjunctions. Node transits and dashas reliably mark major karmic turning points.