Nodal Inversion in Astrology simply refers to a time where the Lunar Nodes will transit in the opposite position that they are in your birth chart. So, for instance, if you have Rahu (North Node) in Libra, between 2022-2023 would be your Nodal Inversion; as Rahu was transiting Aries.
The Nodes transit a sign for about 1.5 years, taking about 18.5 years to transit the whole zodiac. As the Inversion is the half cycle, it first happens around 9 years old, repeating about every 18 years afterwards. So the Nodal Inversion ages are 9, 27, 45, 64, 82.
Of course, this is only the basic concept and timing, not the actual experience and process of the transit. To understand that, we must first understand the Nodes themselves.
Understanding the Lunar Nodes
Rahu is the name of the North Node, Ketu is the name of the South Node. North and South are modern names, Rahu and Ketu are the names used by Vedic Astrologers, like me.
Mythologically, the Nodes are said to come from the splitting of a snake-like creature. This snake defied the gods by swallowing the nectar of immortality, and was cut in two as they attempted to kill it. As it became immortal from swallowing the nectar, it was forced to remain alive split into two parts, the head and the body.
The head, Rahu, represents the forward thinking part. Dealing with our desires for the future, what we want to accomplish and the biggest obsession of our lives, the thing that caused us to reincarnate. Rahu represents this one area where we desperately want to achieve, as it is a great desire emanating from our karmic past.
The body, Ketu, is the larger portion of what remains, showing all our past baggage. A lot of times, modern astrologers give a negative connotation to this. But Ketu represents the whole past, bad and good too. It can represent excesses, or areas where we overextended ourselves in past lives. But it can also represent talents, great skills, and long cultivated fruits of past lives.
The main mission when dealing with the Lunar Nodes in astrology is to find balance. To find equilibrium between the past, and what comes from Ketu; and our desires and aspirations for the future, that come from Rahu.
Going back to the mythology, we have a split creature, trying to be whole again. That is the big mission of the Lunar Nodes, being whole again. Honoring and dealing with our past, while embracing and building the future.
The Nodal Inversion
During a Nodal Inversion we have transiting Rahu touching natal Ketu, and transiting Ketu touching natal Rahu. This creates a deep sense of contrast in life.
As explained above, Rahu represents the great desires and pursuits of our current incarnation. It shows areas that infatuate us, as well as things that we want to understand better. Ketu shows the past, representing what we’ve already done. It represents areas where we have a good degree of knowledge and experience, even representing talents at times.
Transit wise, Rahu tends to show an area of great desire, focus and new developments. While Ketu tends to show an area of closure, endings and letting go.
Putting two and two together, we get transiting Rahu exciting and stimulating the past and the baggage of our charts. And we get transiting Ketu promoting closure and release of our current desires and pursuits. Both things point towards a deep review, or reassessment, of life.
Some desires or needs established in the past might have outlived its purpose, or even felt empty. Maybe you accomplished something, and it wasn’t what you expected it to be. Alternatively, your failure at a pursuit could come into a new focus. All defeats cause sadness, but some are blessings in disguise. They can reveal that we are meant for something else, rather than what we initially wanted.
Either way, the Inversion shows a point where you let go of some desires or pursuits. This can lead you towards finding focus, rather than wanting to be an astronaut, a neurosurgeon and a ballerina at the same time. Or it could lead you towards a great change of approach.
On the other hand, the stimulation of the past leads you to familiar, yet often forgotten roads. You might rediscover a talent, or skill, that you didn’t give much importance to. You could find yourself in a new path, founded on an old contact, skill or place from your life. Alternatively, an old project or desire can return with great intensity. Nevertheless, a fresh perspective on the past gives you a new outlook on life, what you did and what you could’ve done differently.
The Nodal Inversion is an inflection point in life. Where we reevaluate our past and future, as well as our desires. Maybe we let go and forget about a project that didn’t live up to our expectations. We can find a new focus, or a new approach towards our great desires. We might rediscover something from the past, much to our benefit. This is a great moment of change triggered by a review of our past.
Nodal Inversion Ages
Nodal Inversion Ages: 9, 27, 45, 64, 82.
The first Nodal Inversion is relevant, although not that noticeable. It happens in late childhood, in a time where we start to experience new responsibilities or demands from society. A lot of times, big changes in the family life can happen around that age. But, being such an early age, it is usually not something that noticeable for most.
The second Inversion at 27 tends to be the most important one. It comes after the first Nodal Return at 18, when the native reached independence and started intensely going after his desires and pursuits. The early 20s are a strong time of trial and failure, learning to deal with life and your own impulses.
In all of the later inversions, after the first one, there is a strong sense of purpose around this transit. The Nodes show the main reason, or the main impulse, that caused us to reincarnate. The jolt of energy of the Nodal Return shows a great moment of expressing yourself and exploring possibilities, but the Inversion is the necessary opposition, the contrast.
The Nodal Inversion is a karmic “The Emperor has no clothes” moment, where the issues in our approach to life are highlighted. The exact events will vary from chart to chart, but the goal is always the same, showing problematic areas in your life.
For instance, someone with natal Rahu in the 10th. This placement indicates a focus on career, or a focus on an expressive public life. Ketu in the 4th shows a past mostly focused on the native’s inner world, somewhat in the shadows. This placement could indicate someone that overworks, so the Inversion here could excite the 4th house and stimulate the native towards taking time off and having more fun.
In some other cases, this placement could show someone that isn’t that great in managing their career, even with their big desires towards this area. Here the Inversion could highlight that their approach to work isn’t proper, and that they should try new ideas, or maybe a new job.
To give another example, Rahu in the 5th promotes the creative mind. This placement promotes artists and intellectuals, as the mind is very active. Ketu in the 11th shows a past where the native relied mostly on community, and ideas from groups, rather than their own. This life has a strong desire for independence, and charging ahead with your own ideas, but this gets tiring at times. The Inversion could point you towards letting go, and trusting others in some areas of life, rather than trying to do it all on your own.
The Inversion of the polarities creates the perfect moment to see and understand negative patterns, problem areas and things that are not working. Around 45 and 64, mid-life crisis like events are possible in regards to this transit, maybe showing some need that the native has long neglected in his life.
The second inversion at 27 will show how some of the plans, and strongly held beliefs, of the Nodal Return at 18 have failed. Understanding the reason behind such failures becomes a key focus, and this transit is an important moment of maturity. Letting go of shadows, blockages and fears are things that can happen; making for valuable life lessons.
