Reverse Scorpio-Taurus Nodal Return

After a year of blogging I continue to be surprised by how responsive readers are to one of my early posts: 3rd House Astrology: My North Node in Scorpio. While this primarily a blog focusing on my mental health journey, I occasionally use astrology as a tool to provide context for how I make sense of and move through the world. I have been surprised by comments I’ve received from people who resonate with the way the North Node functions in my birth chart and how it impacts my relationships, my self-expression, my identity, and my goals and ambitions. This blog post on my reverse nodal return is inspired by a comment from a reader who has the same Scorpio-Taurus nodal axis and, therefore, is currently navigating their reversal nodal return as well.

For those of us who are approximately 27, 46, 64 and 83 years old, we were born with the North Node in Scorpio and our South Node in Taurus. Since January 18th, 2022 the North Node has been in Taurus and the South Node in Scorpio, the inverse of our natal nodal axis and therefore, a reverse nodal return. The North Node represents what we are striving towards. It is symbolic of our destiny, our guiding light or our North Star. Conversely, the South Node represents our karma, lessons from the past or areas we mastered in past lifetimes. Since the South Node is associated with comfort, complacency, and reverting to old ways, it can also be an area of self-destructive or self-sabotaging tendencies. Generally, the South Node is what we are trying evolve past or move away from.

During a reverse nodal return we are given an opportunity to take stock of where we’ve been to get a clearer sense of where we’re going.

“This is a time of going back to the basics and rediscovering the good qualities of your south node.”

Tea & Rosemary, “The Nodal Return & The Reverse Nodal Return” (2022)

My South Node is in the 9th house, commonly referred to as the House of Philosophy associated with travel, spirituality, and higher education. This is quite spot on for me, given that I do not even need to look past this lifetime to find my South Node themes and experiences. Religion was central to my upbringing and I was drawn to philosophical questions from a young age. In my last post A Global Nomad’s Relationship to Home, I outline my transnational upbringing. I attended international schools, learned new languages, and immersed myself in several cultures before I developed my own sense of national, racial or cultural identity. I was always a dedicated student and I have remained within academia by pursuing a PhD, a degree that will take a number of years to complete.

While the North Node in my 3rd house encourages me to embed myself within more local contexts concerning community, transportation, and communication, my reverse nodal return is helping me appreciate all the South Node qualities I possess. Three months into my reverse nodal return and my mindset has already shifted. I have become more preoccupied than usual with my international upbringing, the experiences that have led to my doctoral studies as well as my spiritual practices and beliefs. My sense is that this reverse nodal return is a transitional period orienting me towards my North Node life purpose and direction. Hopefully this level of reflexivity will mitigate some of the pitfalls of my South Node placement which include naive idealism, arrogance, and grandiosity. After gaining a deeper awareness of the ways in which my South Node is a valuable part of my story, I imagine I will feel more grounded to let go of some old habits and ways of thinking so that I can fully embrace the uncharted path ahead of me.

If you are experiencing a reverse nodal return, you can look at your birth chart and see what houses are ruled by Scorpio and Taurus to get a better sense of areas in your life this is manifesting for you.

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Image Description: A compass pointed South West.