North Node in Taurus/South Node in Libra - Here the soul is confronted with some of the most difficult karmic lessons in the zodiac. Past lives have been strewn with endings as the Plutonian force of Scorpio worked through its process of transformation. Now the individual is so frightened by the memory of having the rug constantly pulled out from under his feet that he develops a defensive attitude toward all who offer him regenerative advice. In past incarnations he literally went through the fires of hell to burn away his false values. Now instead of falling back on the remains of Scorpio still within him, he must build through Taurus a new set of substantial values to live by. Nearly all with these Nodes have at one time touched the force of Witchcraft, and so in the current life there is to be a rude awakening about any remaining residue of the lower self. In past incarnations, this individual also had to deal with a powerful sex drive which kept throwing him off balance. As a result, he is used to seeking gratification through all sorts of relationships which ultimately become destructive to the personal ego. Then, confused and embittered by all he sees toppling around him, he is almost glad to aid in the destruction of whatever little remains. Most of the conditions in this life are still controlled from his subconscious level, buried deeply below the scrutinizing eyes of society. He may appear jovial and friendly, while he is in fact planning some mysterious adventure of intrigue inside. The chart must be studied carefully to see just how far the soul has come out of Scorpio before an accurate interpretation can be given. For those already closer to Taurus, the violent churning of Scorpio is purposefully avoided at all costs. For those just barely out of Scorpio the internal revolutions are still going on. Planets conjunct either Node will pull the individual toward that Node and literally force him to live through it in the current life. For all with these Nodes the past residue of revolution is of such powerful intensity that there is bound to be some after-effect spilling over into their present life relationships with family members and close loved ones. Each day seems to be filled with new emergencies, until one crisis built upon another creates such a turmoil of conflict that the individual is reduced to his most very basic struggle for survival. He doesn’t yet know the art of moderation or how to take things at face value for he still believes that others always have an ulterior motive. Inside he feels that he must constantly escape from punishment, and in his escapes he leaves behind him a tornado-like shambles of all he once held dear. At times he sees others turning on him, but rarely does he stop long enough to understand that he is the cause. Whether he is still acting out his past incarnations in Scorpio or advancing through Taurus his fixed stubbornness is very much a part of his ingrained way of doing things. He will make much growth when he is able to see the actions of others as reflections of his own subconscious! From past incarnations he has become accustomed to attuning himself to a peculiar brand of intensity, which when not allowed to express itself, turns to anger. He has been deeply scarred with the pain of being hurt, and now like a wounded animal can be deadly to any who represent the slightest threat. On the lower levels of consciousness, individuals with these Nodes can pursue their prey with a personal vendetta. Then when the pieces fall, they appear to be the innocent victims, while they are in fact the carefully planned victors. Due to the intense emotion constantly seeking expression, a variety of creative outlets are needed. Sexual desire must be transmuted into Divine Love. All embittering conditions from past incarnations must be dropped from the consciousness until the new seed of peace is discovered. The Scorpio South Node must burn the bridges of the past and resolve to benefit from the lessons of Lot’s wife: “Never to look back!”

Through the Taurus North Node he must learn not to dissipate or waste in valueless areas all the power that flows through him. His greatest achievements in this life occur when through the development of a great love for the earth he lives on, he starts to appreciate glimpses of the source of his unfailing supply and support. For lifetimes he has misused his energy, his drives and his desires, feeling himself alone against all the oppressions and afflictions that affect mankind. Now, through the sensitive impressions of his Taurus North Node he is to be brought to the awareness that the abundance in the universe is so great that he will always have what he needs when he needs it. He must learn to distinguish the difference between the words want and need, for although he may not always be able to realize what he wants, he is at every moment surrounded by all he needs! As he reaches for his Taurus North Node, he is reaching at last for stability. He can stop chasing all he has ever felt cheated of by seeing all that is now offered to him. Ultimately, he is destined in this life to reach a state of contentment as the seething volcanoes of Scorpio melt into the blue spirit waters of harmony in Taurus -- where the beloved Gautama Buddha left his blessing. Truly this is the transition from lifetimes of war into a garden of peace.

The house position of the South Node indicates the area in life where any remaining residue of the Scorpionic battles must be conquered. The house position of the North Node shows the area in life where the new awareness of trust and security can ultimately replace the underlying struggles.

from: Schulman, Martin, Karmic Astrology - Volume 1, 1975, Samuel Weiser, Inc., New York

North Node in the 11th House/South Node in the 5th House -- Here the individual comes into the current life remembering a style of living in which he was the sole creator. Now he keeps trying to take the bull by the horns in order to recreate the manner of living to which he was accustomed. Yet everything he tries to do bears a tinge of being slightly inappropriate insofar as fitting his current life circumstances. He is prone to love affairs, finding them a comfort to the continuation of his past-life ego. What he often fails to realize is that through his love affairs he makes himself weaker, and rather than gaining strength from compliments and encouragements he develops a dependency where each compliment creates the need for another. Eventually he makes himself so helpless that his behavior becomes hopelessly childlike. He wants to be loved desperately, but the residue of past-life sexual tensions are so great that he often confuses what is really important to him. He has great difficulty understanding reality for his life is a stage of players and his dreams are so romantic in nature that he becomes a veritable Don Quixote chasing windmills. He believes in chivalry and can easily be fooled by glamor. Wanting to be constantly reassured that his arrival in life does not go unnoticed, he is unable to accept the role of just being a member of the audience. To those who appreciate him he can be extremely generous, but the moment he feels ignored he will run into his gossamer dream world trying to create a Seventeenth Century romantic adventure in which he will be the central character. Constantly in search of self-fulfillment through amorous adventures, he can too easily lose his way. He would like others to think of him as sacrificial and when he does involve himself with a love affair it is almost certain that he will force himself into a position of having to give up everything. Like the “Martyr King’ who sacrificed his throne so that he might fulfill his love, this individual would like his affairs to be honored, sanctioned and even admired. His past-life sense of dignity is so great that he is not particularly pleased with even the thought of an illicit love affair; yet from time to time he finds himself in the midst of one if for no other reason than to express his ability to sacrifice a principle for what he believes at the moment to be the world’s greatest love. Basically he is a good person and it would take severe chart afflictions for him to have a malicious bone in his body. Throughout all the zodiac his creative talents with children are unsurpassed, for at heart he is a child himself. Regardless of the Sun sign he will at one time in this life need to lean on someone with more strength than himself. Through his eleventh house North Node he is to learn the value of friendship. He must transcend the physically possessive relationships of his past incarnations and cherish with equal fervor the new impersonal relationships he is now forming. In this life he is learning how to pay more attention to the meaning of his dreams rather than trying to force his own will against the flowing tide. His dreams bring him messages from his higher guidance through which he is telepathically brought to understand the reasons for all his actions, but his will is often so great that he refuses to accept what he knows is true. If he is realistically asked to abdicate anything at all in this life, it would only be his powerful self-will for here in the pride of ego he actually blocks all that he so desperately desires. Truly, he is his own worst enemy. The individual with these Nodes suffers from a built-in discontent for whatever he creates though his South Node only leaves him free to dream of more he is missing. He would like to be free of entanglements, but he is constantly jumping out of the frying pan into the fire. Before any growth at all can be made he must learn to overcome the monstrous dragon ego which he has allowed to become his self-generating instrument of destruction. He must learn how to see himself impersonally, with the understanding that his life is like a river flowing beneath the bridge from whose vantage point he may watch it! His most difficult tests always revolve around the temptation to control the flow of that river, yet his greatest happiness occurs when he can appreciate its beauty without tampering. It is almost certain that he will go through at least one major experience in which he will be required to sacrifice his personal ego for the sake of fairness to another; for only when he has learned how to rid himself of every biased thought can he reach his higher purpose. So long as he retains the slightest tinge of self-pride all the power in his chart will be denied him. Even the possibilities of a harmonious marriage loom beyond his reach until he becomes impersonal. The fifth house South Node uses so much energy in trying to achieve self-sympathy that the individual has difficulty finding the strength to give complete fulfillment to a marriage mate. Many with these Nodes experience divorce, but this is neither destiny nor necessity. It is simply an outgrowth of misusing the South Node energies. Through so much focusing on the self the individual does not see or fully appreciate all the blessings he has. Again the answer is the same. He must relinquish the grip on “self” and dedicate his life to impersonal service rather than expect others to wait on him. If he can learn to become less romantic and more scientific, he will start to see the truth for what it is. He must never allow the fires of passion to cloud his vision for his happiness will be achieved only when he can look at life from a dispassionate viewpoint. His karma is in learning how to become non-involved and yet always available when needed by others.

Ultimately, he is destined to become the impersonal servant of humanity. He will at one time in this life do much to further the career of another. Friendships, clubs and societies become important to him for it is through such associations with others that he ultimately comes to sense his own identity. Through the ways that others value him he comes to value himself. Then he is able to see himself as a part of others as well as a part of a higher cause to which he is dedicated. The more he can do this the more he will rise off the plane of self-consciousness, and the demanding needs to gratify his own ego will become submerged in the collective ego of the cause to which he has dedicated his identity. When he completes this lesson, his strength of character and sense of direction become no weaker nor less purposeful than the cause of which he becomes a part.

The sign which contains the South Node shows the ways in which this individual allows too much past-life residue of passion and desire to pressure his current life. The sign which contains the North Node indicates the ways in which he can develop enough detachment so that he frees his personal self, enabling him to dedicate his energies toward more universal causes.

from: Schulman, Martin, Karmic Astrology - Volume 1, 1975, Samuel Weiser, Inc., New York