When: January 11, 2025 – July 26, 2026
What: The moon nodes run through Pisces and Virgo
Takeaway: The moon’s nodes (also called the points where eclipses occur) change signs. The North Node enters Pisces and intensifies the desire to dream, imagine and fantasize. And the South Node enters Virgo, encouraging us to rethink our relationship with perfectionism. Buckle up – over the next 18 months we will be learning a whole new set of eclipse lessons.
The moon nodes change signs
On January 11the gluttonous North Node enters boundless Pisces, and the purifying South Node enters meticulous Virgo. This shift marks an eighteen-month period in which discernment will be critical. The ability to distinguish delusional behavior from productive idealism is essential for steering your life in the desired direction.
When the lunar nodes change signs, we begin a new series of lessons in these areas. Wherever Pisces and Virgo are in your birth chart, these two houses will be a place of learning and growth over the next year and a half. The part of your chart that contains Pisces will be a hotspot for hunger and increase, and the part that contains Virgo will be a place of shedding and purging. On a collective level, the North Node in Pisces will activate our imagination, compassion, and escapist tendencies, while the South Node in Virgo will help us dump any hypercritical or over-analytical patterns in ourselves and in our relationships.
What are the moon nodes?
The lunar nodes are not planets; they are astronomical points in space calculated from the positions of the sun, moon and earth. These points are important because a solar eclipse occurs when there is a New or Full Moon near the North or South Node.
Many cultures have described the nodes of Luna as two halves of an insatiable dragon, consuming the light of our celestial bodies. The North Node represents the hungry head of the dragon, causing feelings of appetite, urgency and ambition wherever it appears in your birth chart or in the current sky. The South Node is the swishing tail of the dragon; it represents surrender and letting go, and it initiates a cleansing release wherever it falls.
The lunar nodes generally move in a retrograde direction, meaning they travel backward through the zodiac. Because this is the natural movement of the lunar nodes, their retrogression does not have the same turbulent impact as a planet in retrograde. The moon nodes are naturally wobbly; they appear to walk confidently backward through the zodiac, but in reality they tend to vibrate back and forth like celestial Jell-O. And on January 11, they wobble back from Aries and Libra to Pisces and Virgo.
The nodes go from cardinal signs to mutable signs
This change of signs, from Aries and Libra to Pisces and Virgo, is also a change of modalities for the lunar nodes. There are three sign modalities: cardinal, fixed and mutable. Aries and Libra are both cardinal signs that herald new seasons. A mutable sign is more flexible, releasing one season in preparation for the next.
When the nodes move into the mutable signs of Pisces and Virgo, they emphasize the need to be flexible. We can make the most of this period by remaining receptive to new information and ready to pivot when necessary. We can soften our boundaries – emotional, creative and/or spiritual – to let in a new wave of fantasies, inspirations and intuitive impressions. At the same time, we will be asked to abandon outdated wellness regimes and exhausting habits such as over-planning, overthinking and chasing the impossible dream of always ‘getting it right’.
The Moon Nodes occupy opposite ends of the zodiac, meaning there is essential tension between these two signs. Finding balance is the key to successfully working with the nodes. Resist the urge to throw caution to the wind and save every hapless stray, but also avoid sweating the small stuff. By finding a middle ground between the instincts of the heart and the logic of the head, a channel is opened through which your loftiest desires can become reality.
Incoming: a new series of eclipses
Since the lunar nodes are where eclipses occur, most eclipses over the next 18 months will occur in Pisces and Virgo. In these moments, Sol and Luna’s lights seem to be temporarily extinguished. The ancients, who relied heavily on the light of the heavenly bodies, understood that eclipses were ominous events because of the disturbances they brought to the sky. We are no longer as dependent on the sun and moon as past civilizations, but eclipses are still periods of increased volatility. Eclipses cause plot twists, energy spikes and instability. It can be difficult to stay centered during the intensity of eclipse seasons, but extra thoughtfulness in our decision-making can help us navigate these times more smoothly.
Sol and Luna don’t have to be in the exact location of the moon’s nodes to trigger a lunar or solar eclipse — just close enough to partially obscure their light. That’s why we already had one Pisces eclipse on September 17, 2024, when the North Node was still in Aries, but relatively close to the Full Moon in Pisces. Think back to the revelations or notable events that emerged in that moment, especially those related to your creativity, spirituality, and/or escapist tendencies. The issues triggered for you on or around this date provide an indication of what this new eclipse period will teach you.
Here are all the dates of this series of Pisces and Virgo eclipses:
- September 17, 2024 at 7:34 PM PT: Lunar Eclipse near the North Node in Pisces
- March 13, 2025, at 11:54 PM PT: Lunar Eclipse near the South Node in Virgo
- September 7, 2025, at 11:08 am PT: Lunar Eclipse near the North Node in Pisces
- September 21, 2025, at 12:54 PM PT: Solar Eclipse near the South Node in Virgo
- March 3, 2026, at 3:34 a.m. PT: Lunar Eclipse near the South Node in Virgo
- August 27, 2026, at 9:14 PM PT: Lunar Eclipse near the North Node in Pisces
- February 20, 2027, at 3:14 PM PT: Lunar Eclipse near the South Node in Virgo
Is this your nodal return?
Is your natal North Node in Pisces and South Node in Virgo? Are you approximately 18, 36, 54 or 72 years old? If so, welcome to your nodal return.
This is a crucial time for growth, as the lunar nodes complete their 18-year cycle through the zodiac and return to their positions in your birth chart. As you enter your nodal return now, you are on your way to finding more balance between your sensitivity and your perceptiveness. This is a time to clarify which dreams you most want to pursue and which nitpicking tendencies need a reset.
To find out where the lunar nodes are in your birth chart, go to the Me tab in the CHANI appor view your diagram with our online tool. For more information on the return of the nodes, along with other astrological milestones, check out our post on the astrological timeline of your life.
6 ways to work with the North Node in Pisces and the South Node in Virgo
- Discover what your desires have to teach you. Instead of giving in to whatever desire flows through you at any given moment, explore its source. Your desire to communicate with something bigger than yourself is natural, but how you do it matters. Journaling, therapy, and meditation are all tools that can help you understand the origins of your desires.
- NB to what is out of balance in your boundary setting and your receptivity over the next 18 months. What needs to be released, reimagined or redefined so that you don’t compromise your energy or integrity? The same tools – journaling, therapy, and/or meditation – can help you identify what you need from both yourself and others.
- Slow down. Pace yourself as you fill up calendar. The nodes are in Pisces and Virgo for 18 months, so you’ll have more than enough time to reassess your creativity, spirituality, counterproductive tendencies, outdated health habits, and critical inner stories. Eclipse seasons may feel like pressure cookers, but you can handle this intensity by focusing on what’s in front of you here and now. Take a deep breath. Count to ten (or twelve). Question the impulse to rush. More often than not, that urgency is avoidable or unrealistic.
- Listen to the Astrology of the Week Ahead podcast for the week of January 6, 2025, and your reading in the ‘This Week’ section of the CHANI app. There you will also find journal prompts and other resources that will help you work with the lessons that the North Node in Pisces and the South Node in Virgo bring you.
- Learn how the lunar nodes affect your natal placement by using the Transits tab in the CHANI app. You can also read your free Current Celestial Horoscope for the North Node in Pisces and the South Node in Virgo to find out how your rising sign will be affected during this period.
Looking for more information? Read your daily horoscope:
Ram | Taurus | Twin | Cancer | Lion | Virgin | Libra
Scorpio | Archer | Ibex | Aquarius | Pisces
Then download the CHANI app iOS or Android for additional horoscopes, meditations, affirmations, readings for the current moon phase and sign, and more.
