Ketu in Aries
Avessalom Podvodny. Planets in the Signs of the Zodiac
With such a position of the Nodes, one must learn much about self-sacrifice and the needs of other people. The experience of all past lives in the sphere of building self-confidence and respect must be passed on to others. The South Node in Libra holds the individual back from further enhancing their sense of self-identity. They must beware of a strong ego that influences their actions in the current life. Their old position of “I am first” now brings a sharp and painful experience as they learn the lessons of interaction. They must restrain their ardor and ensure that everything they seek in marriage and close partnerships, as well as in their relationships with other people, is meaningful. They must learn to navigate sharp corners and find balance. While the middle path may seem less appealing to them, it is still the only possible path to happiness for them. Ultimately, the person must realize that their strong searching individualism is not actually meant for them but rather to better equip them so they can provide others with a more harmonious life.
Many individuals with such a position of the Nodes are stubborn and willful. Listening to others is new to them, and they find it uncomfortable and undesirable, feeling that it complicates their forward movement. In past incarnations, moving forward was very important, and the desire to get there first was part of the fierce competition of Aries. This carries over into a certain closed mindset, which the North Node in Libra will eventually open, showing the individual the other side of the coin they never considered important enough to acknowledge before.
Selfishness and vanity of all kinds must be curbed if the individual does not want to find themselves alone. Usually, they feel drawn to something but do not understand how or why. Through the North Node in Libra, they must now re-examine their aspirations and goals so that their Aries energy is invested in some useful purpose.
The individual often changes decisions, and loyalty to one cause is not among their virtues. Past incarnations have conditioned them to impatient restlessness, which still tends to keep them in motion. They know they must give more than they receive in the current life, yet they find it sincerely difficult to cope with such karma. The Martian quality of the North Node in Aries impatiently pushes them in new directions. However, upon arriving at each destination, they find a fine Libra web in the middle of the seesaw and are surprised to see that the goal was neither a goal nor the end of the journey. Confused and dismayed, they sit in the middle, trying to assess the circumstances that, they hope, will point the way to their next successful journey. Yet every goal, every aspiration, every sprint, and every effort leads them to Libra—a midpoint!
Finally, exhausted, they realize that the second half of the journey involves other people. They must learn the karmic lesson that they are not alone. Until they learn to share, something will always hold back their efforts. Eventually, they come to understand that winning or losing in the game is far less important than honesty in that game.
Many individuals with such a position of the Nodes are overly self-confident and stubborn because, in past lives, they were selfish and fanatical. Now the circumstances have changed; it is time to put themselves in someone else’s shoes. Many events in today’s life are painful blows to the ego. The individual must not be bitter, seeing that many of their desires and needs are given to others. Initially, their natural reaction is jealousy. They want to fight and defend everything they have lost; however, the more they fight, the more they lose. Eventually, having exhausted most of their inner resources, they must subdue their selfish ego and accept life in a world based on the necessity of sharing.
Until they overcome their South Node, the greatest disappointment for them will be witnessing other people receiving what they themselves desired. They struggle to realize that all their dreams, desires, and wishes at this time are meant for others. They mentally excite the desires of those around them and ultimately become the instrument of their fulfillment. In reality, they earn their new place in the world by experiencing the karma of selflessness. Yet the persistent urgings of the South Node continue to pull them back, often making them feel that they would rather not have learned this lesson at all.
They should resist the tendencies of past lives to ride the wave, as they are now able to see the disharmony between people without taking sides. Often, they find themselves in the position of an arbitrator. By helping others become more objective, they are actually helping themselves. The more they can encourage others to interact, the more they will learn to do so themselves.
Amid all the hustle and bustle, this individual learns to imagine the consequences of their actions before making them. In fact, they must learn to look before they leap—that is, not to be reckless!
Many people with such a position of the Nodes have deep-seated irritation arising from past-life memories of frustrations that block self-expression. In this life, such people have a very pleasant appearance, which is part of the karmic lesson about vanity that the South Node in Aries must overcome here. Any remnant of self-love causes difficulties in marriage—it is a battlefield where a war must be waged between love for another person and one’s own needs. It is difficult to achieve balance between Aries/Mars and Libra/Venus. The South Node in Aries constantly tries to assert its needs, while the North Node in Libra needs nothing for itself except to love others, regardless of their demands.
This individual can best feel love for others only after their own needs are satisfied. Until the desires of past incarnations are overcome, their subconscious demands are so strong that they drain the energy of other people, effectively lulling them into a stupor. Essentially, this person is a walking “anesthetic.” They constantly wonder why other people avoid talking to them for more than a few minutes. They would like to talk for hours if they could keep the focus on themselves. Yet in secret moments, they are deeply saddened by the feeling of loneliness and the fact that their relationships with other people are much shorter than they would like.
There is nothing subtle about this polarity of the Nodes. Happiness comes only after the person is forced to reassess their desires and realizes that they attract other people. The selfish ego must be abandoned. This achieves heightened sensitivity to the needs of others. The North Node in Libra is one of the most difficult to achieve because the selfishness of Aries looms as a huge obstacle that must be overcome. Yet the individual must overcome it to move into a new cycle, and they will find the key to this new cycle when they begin to evaluate themselves from the perspectives of others.
The position of the South Node in a house indicates the area of life where the insatiable desires of past incarnations still demand priority. The position of the North Node in a house shows how fulfillment can be achieved through self-sacrifice, cooperation, and the expression of selfless love toward other people.
