North Node calculator
Find your North Node and South Node by sign and house: the direction you are growing towards and what you already know by heart.
What the lunar nodes are
The nodes are not planets. They are the two points where the Moon's path crosses the Sun's path, and they always sit exactly opposite each other. The South Node describes what comes naturally: talents, habits, the comfort zone. The North Node points to what feels unfamiliar but makes your life larger when you practise it.
The nodes take about 18 and a half years to go round the zodiac, so they return to their birth position around ages 18, 37 and 56: years when direction tends to come into focus.
How we calculate it
We use the mean lunar node, the standard in most astrology software, with its position for the day and time of your birth. The nodes move slowly, about one sign every year and a half, so the sign is reliable even without a birth time. The house needs the time.
Questions
Is the North Node the same as my destiny?
It is better read as a direction than a destination. The North Node shows the qualities worth developing; the South Node shows the skills you bring with you. Growth usually means using the second in service of the first, not abandoning it.
What is the difference between true node and mean node?
The mean node averages out the Moon's small wobbles and always moves backwards; the true node includes them. They are never more than about a degree and a half apart, so the sign is the same except very close to a sign boundary.