Our Destiny

Our destiny is written in the stars. The moment we are born, the stars are aligned for our unique path. Each planet is situated in a zodiac sign. Each planet is in a house, or position within the sky. And these three aspects — planet, sign, house — all come together to create you.

The Center of the Universe

The sun (a planet in astrological circles) is ego. The sun is the center of self just as it is the center of our solar system. The zodiac sign that the sun is in at the time of your birth describes your sense of self. It takes about a month for the sun to travel through different signs. The house that the zodiac sign is in highlights the areas of life you will be focused on.

The sun was in Aries when I was born. The sun is the essence of personality and creativity. In other words, it is the true you. The true me is Aries. Aries is the first sign of the zodiac, the beginning of the astrological year. Aries is the sign of birth and childhood but also the sign of independence and self-direction. Arians go their own way with childlike enthusiasm and impatience. It is a gift and burden.

The House of Connection

The sun was in the 8th house at the time of my birth. The 8th house is ruled by Scorpio, the 8th sign of the zodiac. The 8th house represents a multitude of things that may seem unrelated. It houses sex and intimacy, but also money and property. The 8th house is the house of birth and death. At its core, then, it becomes the house of bonds, of connections; it is the house where an individual joins another, a house of transition into a bigger purpose.

Thus the center of my universe hosts both the highly individual Aries with the permanent commitment to something more.

The trick of my life is figuring out what that something more is.

Destiny

So I turn to destiny. Our destiny is written in the stars, but it is not our sun sign that leads us there. It’s our North Node. Your North Node is your destiny, the lessons you need to learn in this life. As with all things, there is an equal and opposite to your North Node: your South Node.

Your South Node is everything you learned in your past life; these are the lessons that you’ve carried over but should not dwell on. Think of your South Node as the things you are naturally good at; it’s great that you have these skills, but you will not grow if you never learn something new. Enter your North Node.

The North and South Nodes change every 18-19 months. On your birth chart the North Node is represented by this symbol: ☊. Some charts have this symbol for your South Node ☋ but others do not show your South Node. (No worries, it’s simply the opposite of your North Node.)

My South Node is in Taurus, in the 9th house. In my past life, I learned how to enjoy the physical and material aspects of life. I lived life with luxury and sensuality. But, here and now, Taurus as the South Node is teaching me to let go of attachment, overindulgence, and practicality. The 9th house, ruled by Sagittarius, represents higher education, philosophy, and travel. My South Node tells me that I’ve done this all before, that I’ve taken the path of the traveling scholar and lived in the moment.

My North Node is telling me to do something more.

Is it any surprise that my North Node is in Scorpio? We saw Scorpio appear as the ruler of the 8th house where my Sun lives. And here it is again, reminding me to do something more.

Scorpio, as a North Node, calls for spiritual fulfillment rather than focus on material success. It is in the 3rd house. The 3rd house is the house of communication, ruled by Gemini. This is the house of brainstorming, community, and talking. My destiny then is to reach for the unknown, for connection, and to talk about it. To look beyond the mundane, to reach past the end of the world, and to bring it back for you, so that we can explore and examine it together.

So tell me, what is your destiny?