To understand the North Node in synastry we need to first understand its nature. And to understand the North Node, we must first understand its opposite, the South Node, as they are both part of the same thread; and every time you have a planet conjunct the North Node, that also means that it is in opposition to your South Node. The South Node is where we’ve already been – it is the something whose body or form we left behind us and yet it is all around us continuously. It’s the beyond shape and form. It is a scent in the air, a familiar fragrance – it is timeless, and formless. It is the monk who prays or meditates – not the monk’s body, but the spirit of the monk, his prayers, which is why the South Node is related to spirituality, mysticism, surrender, trust and faith, the intangible things, and all things which though we can’t touch can still be around us. The South Node “things” remain even when there is no more form nor shape nor skin. So in synastry, contacts with the South Node help create a portal to and of release, and focus on the essence.
The North Node is where forms arise – it’s where things form to come into being and materiality. It is how our soul comes through to create forms – it’s like atoms coming together and become material. It is like a sculptor who wants to take the intangible desires and shape it, and form it, with his hands. Our North Node isn’t just some thing we come into life to do or even a simple soul’s purpose description or a place of getting things and possessions – it is a path of forming unformed yet things into the material. As such, it is also sometimes known as maya or illusion, and we can get obsessed with the thought of it. What is obsessing us is the desire towards it because desire is what guides us to do things we haven’t done before – and yet these desires are first formed because there was a need for them already created in the world, and if we weren’t meant to experience them or able to have them, they would not have arisen anyway. The North Node provides us a path of soul growth because we form things out of the unmanifest, unknown and uncomfortable; and new sculptures may sometimes not look amazing at first try, but we learn as we continue hands-on moving and shaping and forming.
As every new formation, or sculpture, we learn along the way because it is new, which is why we may often face challenges, uncertainty, doubts, and many obstacles. One of the main lessons is patience and perseverance, as well as being aligned to values, higher principles, the seven virtues, having integrity, and gaining self confidence and self trust as we continue forward despite the uncertainty that this newness brings. When we are not aligned to higher values and the virtues, this is when things become obsessive and we fall into lower compulsions, greed and even lust – because we don’t trust ourselves and we are not willing to put in the effort and persevere. The North Node asks us to follow our northern guiding star of our values and beliefs, and to pave our own destiny forward – which means – the destiny we shape through our actions every day, through our hands, feet and words. The North Node is the place where the past meets the future in the present – because what we choose to do now is also shaping our future and what weaves us into that.
In synastry, when our North Node touches another person’s planet we begin forming something together. And with Saturn, that thing formed will stick. And this “past meets the future in the present” becomes even more emphasized, because Saturn too asks us to consider the consequences of our actions.
Saturn conjunct the North Node in synastry is considered a karmic aspect, and there is a stickiness to their bond making it very hard to separate from each other. There will be karmic recognition, and a feeling of knowing each other before or even being a family, which they probably have been, and it could have been a parent-child relationship. Whatever the relationship was, these two people were really bonded and close in past lives. Their meeting in this life is pre-destined and very important for both of them and their life paths, which is why they feel a sense of purpose together or that their meeting was destined.
Saturn comes in as a guide for the North Node, but they need to be mindful not to fall into the dynamic of teacher-student, and parent-child, because now this is a relationship, meaning both are at equal grounds and should approach one another with respect and care. The most important lessons in life we learn not through books but in silence, through the tending and caring for another person – because relationships are devotional pathways. So it’s not about Saturn preaching, it is about Saturn embodying higher values and living a life of truth and wisdom, that then inspires the North Node to step up and match him. And it is actually the love they feel for Saturn that inspires them to become better and make tangible actions in their life.
Separating might be quite hard, because there is a very strong bond between them and sense of responsibility, and the “we’re meant to be together” that they feel. In some cases they may not be able to “solidify” the relationship, whether because of distance or circumstances, but that’s usually because of other aspects, and even if not physically together, the impact from this bond is still really impactful.
Saturn helps the North Node person form something tangible and material related to their destiny. This may play out as feeling very supported by Saturn, taking tangible steps in their career or life purpose, making important decisions, committing and starting family together, or just becoming more responsible and mature in their life as a result with their relationship with Saturn. It can also play out as learning about the material side of life, whether it is money or lack of money, and becoming really aware of limitations and the need to put in more effort into their life. Maturity here is really important, because the North Node will be stepping tangibly into their life’s purpose and they need to do some soul growth. The North Node may need to finally come face to face with the limitations of the world, which will then inspire him to create something to push against the limitations – remember that limits make us creative, as we have no other way forward than to make something “out of nothing”.
Saturn enjoys this relationship also because both of them feel a sense of purpose and they resonate with the forming things – because Saturn likes to build and have tangible structures, and Saturn respects courage, endurance, confidence, perseverance, values, integrity and loyalty. It is precisely this that makes the two actually connect even deeper: the sense of purpose they feel together. There are also usually lessons in humility for both partners, and temperance and patience.
Often times they may “form” a baby together. Both of them feel a deep sense of responsibility and that they were meant to be together. There are no games in this bond, and I’d advise you to not play games, as this is a karmic aspect. What we form in life, stays. And this bond can stay for other life times also – so be mindful of what you create and form, and approach it with care and love.
We often form out of our desires and ideas and thoughts – so Saturn in this aspect helps the North Node shape what they wanted into something tangible, and the North Node also feels like they want to be better and be the best version of themselves for Saturn, and they want their recognition. This aspects supports the form making – so it’s no longer saying “I want to start a business”, we suddenly have the support and inner inspiration to put in the effort to do it. Saturn will not do it for us, but the encouragement we feel from them is like a loving hand and embrace that gives us strength.
The love and sense of purpose that the North Node feels as a result of this bond inspires them to grow and mature. And if hopefully they can do it sooner rather than later, these two might end up together for a long time creating a solid, purposeful and loving union, and perhaps family.
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Cover art by Vincent van Gogh, 1887, via Wikimedia Commons.