North Node in Pisces/South Node in Virgo - In the realm of consciousness, this is the hardest Nodal position to deal with. Here, as a result of many lifetimes, the individual starts to realize his own rigidity. He is aware of his patterns and how much they hurt him; yet he finds them difficult to let go of. In prior lives, he lived in the consciousness of a finite universe where all was well structured. Now he is confronted with the realization that truth extends beyond what his finite senses can measure or even perceive. He is unavoidably confronted with situations, circumstances and events which force him to relinquish his hold on the physical plane. Nevertheless he still tries to live like the salmon – swimming against the current, regardless of the direction of nature’s forces. He still seeks order. In fact, his need for strict regimentation is so strong that he develops medical troubles in the center of the body from personalizing a stiffness that increases tension on the inner organs. Constantly he suppresses desire for the sake of doing what seems proper for he would like to maintain an image of respectability. In past incarnations he built his understanding on fact, not hearsay. Now he accepts only what comes from the “highest authority.” He seeks ways to rid himself of the nervous irritability which keeps overcoming him, and yet he puts stipulations on the cure. He must learn how to immerse himself in the waters of Cosmic Consciousness, and in this baptism of thought he can truly experience a new birth. Before he can do this, however, he must first overcome his karmic fear of living in a contaminated world. He comes into this life believing that the world is filled with danger, and therefore constantly questions the credentials of the people and conditions he considers allowing into his life. Everything foreign to the self represents the threat of disease, and it is because of such thinking that from time to time disease actually occurs. For many with these Nodes there is a strong residue of sexual problems left over from former incarnations. Either a deprivation of the sexual experience, or a strong determination to avoid emotional hurt through it, leads them to seek a better understanding in the current life. Some are confirmed Puritans, while others are capable of being physically responsive and emotionally cold at the same time. The mind is so analytical that life can easily slip into the manipulation of a chess game. This individual has a sharp eye for detail and never overlooks the obvious. He is an expert at solving puzzles, willing to spend many hours tediously groping for the tiniest answer, but can get so involved with whatever he is doing that he often loses perspective. His past-life discriminating tendencies often lead him now to pick apart what should be left altogether. Thus, although he is capable of immense clarity of thought, he does not experience complete peace of mind.

Through the Pisces North Node, he must learn Faith. When he stops separating the world into neat little compartments, he will get his first glimpses of Universal Consciousness. Ultimately he is to achieve the understanding that all is one, and one is all. Before this happens, he must learn how to stop seeing himself as separate from the rest of the world. He will go through experiences which force him to grow more compassionate. As he starts to find his well-laid plans dissolving into nothing, he begins to see others in a different light. Ultimately he symbolically goes through the pain of the entire universe so that he can strengthen his Divine Love to the point that he absolutely refuses to pass judgment on others. He makes much progress by acquainting himself with the spiritual way of life. His growth extends as far as his arms can reach. While the arm of the past still clutches at his self-imposed restrictions, the arm of his future is grasping for the higher alternative. It is only his failure to let go completely that prevents him form achieving the perfect transition into the full state of higher mind. Yet, he does reach the point the he occasionally sees it. From time to time his remarkable intuition reveals to him the mysterious essence of life, yet the past incarnation memories of his Virgoan practicality cause doubt at every point. An so, half way between one world and another, these mutable Nodes are in a constant state of change. Arriving at his destination but not sure that he is there, he keeps going back to start his journey again. Each time he reaches one step more into the infinite, where ultimately he will dissolve the shackles of his rigidly formed past and be born again as pure spirit.

The house position of the South Node indicates the areas in life that is still too rigidly embedded in a personally overstructured idea. The house position of the North Node shows how the soul can renounce its grip on all rigid definition of form and structure so that it can be free to swim in the Ocean of God.

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

North Node in the 4th House/South Node in the 10th House -- This individual must learn to overcome the karmic feeling that he is the vital center of all situations around him. He comes into the current life with subconscious memories of a past sense of dignity, which leads him to believe that at least certain areas of life experience are beneath him. His prior incarnations have put him in the position of being captain of his own ship, if not the commander of others. As a result, he is used to assuming an authoritative position whenever the weakness of others triggers his powerful need to take charge. He enjoys the role of protector and goes to extremes in filling his life with those whose very weaknesses put them under his dominion. By so doing, he is constantly testing his own power to stand tall. This is a lonely position, for here the individual is so concerned with his self-appointed mission, that he never allows others to see into his real self underneath. What he shows is a facade or the uniform of the role he feels obliged to play. In the current life, he goes through experiences which teach him to come down off his skyscraper and make sure of the foundation underneath. It is in the area of his most highly intimate relationships within his own family that the stage is set for his lifelong battle in an attempt to gain control of his own roots. Many with these Nodes have one unusually demanding parent whose expectations encourage them to believe that they are truly destined to achieve a position of sitting on top of the world. As a result, they are discontented with whatever situation they are in, for always it falls short of what they feel they were meant to do. The karmic lesson here is that "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." The individual must overcome his readiness to forsake what he has for the possibility of attaining what he doesn't. So unwilling is he to see himself in a back-seat position that when circumstances force him to do so he may, in extreme cases, even contemplate suicide; for he firmly believes that without achieving some great destiny, life is utterly worthless. This incarnation brings him through the experience of facing the conflict between a career for himself and the demands of his family. He must learn maturity, for with all his projected strength, power and dignity, he is nearly a cripple when it comes to solving his own emotional problems. He must examine his roots and after pulling his head out of the clouds of his past, build a practical foundation for his future. Eventually he learns that his organizing for others is merely a distraction from putting his own life in order. The relationship established with parents early in life is more important in these Nodes than in any other position of the zodiac. Here the individual will spend much of his life energy attempting to be totally free and independent of his parents, yet always conscious of how much he needs them. Nevertheless, the reaction patterns to life continue to show a definite parental defiance, masking a strong need for parental love. The soul is at a point in karma where he feels unappreciated for all his efforts. The past incarnation residue is based on achievement for the sake of recognition and appreciation.

Now, achievement is to be its own reward. The soul must stop trying to gain audience for its deeds, realizing that the audience will always be there if the deeds are great enough. It is in this process of seeking an audience through which the individual tends to lose himself. He must literally transform his fourth house into a new birth of emotional attitudes, learning the lessons that when a man stands on tiptoes he is unsteady. His life is like the beautiful orchid: a splendid sight to behold when raised and nourished under the most delicately controlled environmental conditions, but once the orchid is prepared for display, it is snipped from its roots, insuring wilting and certain death after a short time. This individual will be faced with the choice of being the overlooked orchid growing in a garden of thousands, or sacrificing his own happiness to be the beautiful flower on someone's lapel. As soon as he overcomes his past-life need for display, he can start to grow to the maturity he is so desperately seeking.

The sign which contains the South Node indicates the ways through which he still overemphasizes his importance. The sign which contains the North Node shows how he can grow to become in substance so emotionally fulfilled that he no longer has to equate his happiness with his soul memory of prior-life personal esteem.

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