The True Node and Mean Node are two different calculations of the Moon’s Nodes.
The Lunar Nodes move backward through the Zodiac at a rate of one revolution every 18.5 years. When astronomers calculate the Mean Node, they take the Moon’s rate of motion and average it out. The resulting position is the Mean Node. The Mean Node is always retrograde.
The Nodes are calculated points based on the position of the Moon relative to the Earth and Sun. The difference between the Mean Nodes and True nodes is in the way you calculate them. In theory, the position of the Nodes “wobbles” a bit. Astronomers began to factor this wobble in and called this position the True Node. But it is not necessarily any “truer” than the Mean Node. It’s just a different mathematical approach.
Although the Nodes proceed through the Zodiac signs in a retrograde direction, the True Node moves in the opposite direction for a few days a month. (The opposite of retrograde is “direct.”) This is very different from the mechanism by which Mercury and other planets go retrograde.
Whether mean or true, the Nodes move in a net retrograde direction. But due to the differences in calculation, the True Node moves forward, a.k.a. direct for a few days each month.
There are plenty of ideas about the meanings of retrograde planets that move opposite their normal direction for a period of time. But the True Nodes go direct by a very different mechanism. A direct True Node basically comes down to a mathematical calculation. So what is the significance of a True Node being direct? Bottom line: I suspect a direct True Node is not of great importance.
There is no agreement among astrologers as to which is better to use in chart analysis. There are valid arguments supporting the choice to use either one. They are never more than a few degrees away from each other, so it rarely makes a difference in a birth chart reading. If your True and Mean nodes happen to fall in 2 different signs or 2 different houses, consider that both may be valid!
In case you’re looking for just a little bit of nerdy detail, here it is. Here’s a quote I lifted from the “fine print” at astro.com. Keep in mind that the term “osculating” refers to the model used to calculate the True Nodes.
Both are well-defined points in astronomy, but this does not necessarily mean that these definitions make sense for astrology. Mean points, on the one hand, are not true, i.e. if a planet is in precise conjunction with its mean node, this does not mean it be crossing the ecliptic plane exactly that moment. Osculating points, on the other hand, are based on the idealization of the planetary motions as two-body problems, where the gravity of the Sun and a single planet is considered and all other influences neglected. There are no planetary nodes or apsides, at least today, that really deserve the label ”true”.
The North Node and South Node of the Moon together represent a directionality in life. The South Node represents persistent emotional coping patterns, beliefs, or imprints on your psyche. The South Node is your “starting point.” It represents your greatest strengths. But you can get stuck there, and that tendency can block the connections you want to make. The North Node shows you new opportunities that often feel uncomfortable and unfamiliar– but they can open exciting new doors for you.
© 2023 Molly C. Gauthier
