Summer Solstice and Dimensions of Spiritual Astrology
Around summer solstice there was a 6 days seminar with Dr. K. Parvathi Kumar on “Astrology and the Path”, in Billerbeck near Münster, Germany. Over 150 persons from different countries of Europe, the Americas and India had come to this group living. Many of them I knew, and so it was a beautiful “family gathering”. For me it was a very intense time – besides the discourses there were several organisational meetings, and of course lots of exchanges. I took particularly time to meet persons who I don’t know yet or where there is not much contact. The main purpose, however, was to go into a deeper understanding of the wisdom teachings in their astrological dimension, and to dive inside with profound meditations. I appreciated this very much. Other highlights were the marriage ceremony of Anwar and Susanne and two fire rituals. The group also visited the Gulab garden, a rose garden of the WTT group of Münster inspired by Master Morya.
In his discourses Sri Kumar gave profound insights into aspects of Spiritual Astrology, commenting the introductory pages of the book and elaborating on questions of the participants. I gained new insights – into the effects of the north node and south node, into working with Pluto, Neptune and Uranus, ways of reading the chart and, of course, the importance of Cancer solstice. Below you find an extract of my notes on the north and the south nodes (they are incomplete and might contain mistakes), and some impressions of the seminar:
“The north and the south node, as we all know they are shades but are not planetary principles. They happen on account of the movement of Earth around the Sun where sometimes Moon comes in the way to cause solar eclipse and Earth comes in the way to cause the lunar eclipse. Therefore, these are shades emerging relative to Earth. A shade that we experience during the solar eclipse, where we see the partial Sun, or we may not see the Sun if there is a total eclipse. Likewise, when Earth comes in between there is the shade on the full moon where you experience gradual decrease of Moon and again coming back to its original form. These shades are considered as shades on consciousness. These shades are of particular importance as visualized by the seers of wisdom.
The positive node, which we call in Sanskrit as Rahu, is similar to Mars; while the negative is similar to Saturn. A positive node is stronger than Mars. The negative node is like Saturn. Saturn itself is a very strong energy. What do they do? The positive node has a very strong grip. To grip anything the energy that exists with us is the positive node. Mars works as force and the node enables gripping it. This grip is generally misused than used properly. That’s where the quality of shade prevails. Instead of gripping the right thing we tend to grip the wrong thing. To grip what is beneficial for the soul does not happen. The grip enables eclipse to the soul. That is how eclipse to the Sun happens. We do things which are not desirable and we grip them strongly. What are desirables for us we don’t have such a strong grip over it. The grip on virtues is not so strong as the grip on vices. That’s how we can give a pass-by to a prayer now and then but not to a breakfast. Breakfast we don’t give a pass-by. We make sure that we have a breakfast. But we don’t make sure of a prayer as regularly as breakfast. What is valuable is not gripped, what is not value for the soul is gripped. That’s how it causes an eclipse to our consciousness. For example, in the world certain things are necessary to be gripped. For that positive node helps. But if you grip anything too much, it has the counter effect of the grip. Like people gripping money, there is a counter effect of money gripping them. People gripping the power, people gripping the other gender, people gripping certain views strongly and move forward whether right or wrong.
This grip of node has its positive dimension and also negative dimension. Its negative dimension damages the person, it afflicts the person. That’s how people are power-blind, gender-blind, money-blind. Excessive grip is the negative dimension of positive node. Generally, what is not desirable is gripped. For example, the grip over the body, which is the ultimate grip. In the advanced age even when we feel like getting away from the body because it is no more functional, you have many difficulties for a smooth functioning of the body, and we feel it is enough to be in this body; you wish to move but there is a grip. This grip is an undesirable grip. It is a grip that continues to give unhappiness to the soul. This grip exists in personality, but also at the body level, at the mental level, at emotional level, at all levels. What is to be gripped is not gripped, what is to be not gripped is gripped.
Therefore, the node and anti-node both, if they are in the negative houses they work positively. That’s how we interpret in astrology. For example, if you have the positive node in the twelfth house it is useful. Because a negative principle in a negative house works much more positively because two negatives makes positive. Likewise, eighth house, especially sixth house, and twelfth house. These are the houses which are considered very favourable to the node and the anti-node. If this node or the south node or negative node is in the fifth house, you have trouble conceiving, you have trouble in delivering. In any other house it is trouble. Mostly, if you see the node and anti-node in the charts these days, it is in the first and seventh house. That’s why most of the marriages tend to be very difficult to continue. The wedlock does not continue long because the node, anti-node cause where they have to be together the couple are not together. They meet on the ground where there are differences more than on the ground where there are agreements. That’s how it works in the first and seventh house.
Coming back to node itself, node causes gripping things which are not beneficial to the soul and progress of the soul – except when it is in the negative houses of the native. When it comes to the south node, it does the opposite. It causes, for example, if I hold something… you know many people when they hold spoons, when they hold forks, or when they hold something in their hands, things fall from their hands. That is a very clear indication that anti-node is at work. We don’t intend to throw them but they slip from our hands. In life, many things people lose on account of lack of grip. This is what south node does. It releases when you don’t wish to release. People lose on account of this. People lose memory. The loss of memory is also an act of south node. You tend to be more and more forgetful. It is OK if we forget unnecessary things but those are not the things that we forget: necessary things we forget, unnecessary things we hold. All those which are valuable to you, helpful to you, support to you such things the mind loses. And only things which are unnecessary, non-essential, and sundry things, they are all held. In fact, sundry things, unnecessary things should be eliminated. What is to be eliminated is held what is to be held is lost. This is how the south node functions, especially on mind.
The north node functions especially on the Sun that means consciousness. The north node is deeper and the south node is at the mental plane. When the south node is properly placed in the horoscope it is easy for you to leave the body. An eighth house south node is very helpful to leave the body. A twelfth house south node is very easy to get away from the world, meaning easy departures are there. If you have south node in the eleventh house then you would have associations with saints, sages, and mendicants. You are not more with the material world, you are more with the philosophical world. Like that, it tends to give certain dimensions. Basically, south node causes one kind of loss by not holding what is to be held. North node gives problems by holding things which you are not supposed to hold. This is how the comprehension is eclipsed.
To overcome this eclipse, what is generally suggested is to think of a serpent standing on its tail. A serpent standing on its tail is worshipped to overcome the ill effects of the south node and the north node. For both nodes it is the same sign. Why? Because north node is said to be the anterior part of the serpent while the south node is considered as the posterior part of the snake. And they always move in that direction — in one axis they move. These shades when they fall upon Moon or Sun, they have an impact on your comprehension and your mental memory. When solar eclipse in that sun sign where you are born, let us say Leo, if you are born in Leo and if there is a solar eclipse in Leo that year you have to be particularly alert to ensure that you don’t lose related comprehension. For that, you are asked to relate to this symbol. Likewise, a lunar eclipse also has an impact on your Moon. If there is lunar eclipse in that sun sign of your birth Moon then it has a greater impact on you. This is how these nodes are observed.
When we think of compatibility between two persons, the two persons when they are in togetherness, three things are important. One is the seventh house which gives us the compatibility of being together – be it a partnership or be it a man-wife relationship, any persons together is a relationship. This relationship is seen through first and seventh house. If there is anti-node or node in any of the first or the seventh house of any of the two persons, there is an indication of a problem there. Most of the cases where divorces happen, if you look into the chart, you would have them – either node or anti-node either in the first house or the seventh house of one person or the other. This would cause the separation because there is already a shade that causes separation. Likewise, in marital relationship or in partnership, what is intended is to bring forth certain fruitful productions. In the case of business partnership it is the ability to work together to bring out good products and good profits. In the case of marital relationships it is bringing up good children. There the node in the fifth house, if there is anti-node, please note such persons would be denied ever of good fruits unless remedial measures are taken like meditation upon the snake on the background of a black colour, a white snake has to be maintained, and that has to be daily looked at.
