An Ode For the Lunar Nodes

 

This is an ode for the lunar nodes. 

For Glen - in sad memoriam.

There is no time now for a lecture, 

nor sweet, nor sour hours of conjecture. 

For, when we talk about the Moon, 

who drags the seas across the dunes,

like wiry hair strings on a lyre,

through fog and air and tongues of fire,

we do injustice by sustaining sense. 

It may be nonsense, may make no sense 

but, in a sense, to give two cents 

about a subject so opaque 

is to walk upon a lake; 

to walk along beside the shore 

in silence, wandering more and more. 

Then it seems to be much more 

like a dream than anything which can be seen, 

beneath the sun’s raised, blinding light. 

Come, 

Let’s talk of Rahu, Ketu, and the night. 

For we are in the land of nod 

among the mysteries of the gods

(and the goddesses, 

it’s their addresses which to 

tonight we do 

aspire). We’re in a place we can’t describe 

with gentle waters by our side; 

the flotsam, jetsom, lulling tide. 

Perhaps, by crawling deep inside, 

we’ll make more sense than if we hide 

behind ideas of “wrong” or “right”. 

We begin to dance by beads of light 

and shall, perchance, describe the night. 

How many names are there for the Moon? 

She waxes, wanes, she sweeps, she swoons 

as we carve out chunks from afternoons, 

with chipped tea cups and coffee spoons. 

She rises, sometimes early, sometimes late.

She keeps a place amongst the plates, 

where poets weep and sleepers wait. 

Nearby, the horrid old “Hecate” – 

goddess of witchcraft, sometimes hate. 

Queen of the wayward sisters, ho, 

of what you need and long to know. 

‘Neath bible black in sky of pitch, 

I think I hear a screeching witch. 

Aghast, I jump back, and with glee, 

where there was one there now is three! 

Three sisters come, upon their brooms, 

with cackles crackled light they loom 

and, for their evening’s mischief take 

one of them begins to shake: 

“When shall we three meet again? 

In thunder, lightning, or in rain? 

When the hurley-burly’s done, 

when the battle’s lost and won. 

That will be here, by setting sun.” 

Whose son is this that greets the throng? 

Be they good, or do they wrong? 

I see the Thane of Cordor there,

Macbeth’s his name, he now lies slain.

I have some questions of my own, 

some mustard seeds that must be grown.

 

What are these nodes, some kind of rings? 

Marks on charts where stars do sing? 

To the North is Rahu who, in Vedic, sung:

“King of meteors… The Dragon’s tongue”. 

His fiery breath is serpentine, 

his shadow dances nightly thine. 

For, all the nodes can really be 

is shadows stained on glittered seas.

 

Four times a year they loose their grip, 

the Moon turns red, and starts to slip, 

apocalypse now is near, and fear and dread 

fills mortal souls with boots of lead. 

From grove of moon-glint and fen-frost, 

what can be found when all is lost? 

Rahu forms the dark eclipse - 

Ketu’s merely smoky wisps. 

But, Ketu holds a heavy load - 

for all that’s past is the South Node. 

So, while Ketu hides in darkened heights, 

we’re wise to chart their path tonight. 

From where did they originate? 

Scholars argue and debate

but most of them, they now agree, 

the Vridha Yavana Jataka’s from 270 A.D.

Most of it’s written for the men - 

the Stri Jataka’s for girls and women.

 

Let’s take a moment to reflect 

on all the shame and the neglect 

of women’s voices over time, 

despite the fact that mothers 

always taught their daughters,

Not their sons,

about the stars, the moon and sun.

I mean, 

the moon’s a mother too.

 

Not serene, like Mary, 

dressed in blue, 

but bald and wild and full and new. 

Returning now to Rahu’s role, 

the one who swallows his son whole. 

In the ancient books it doesn’t say

that Rahu’s for another day.

Nor Ketu past, the focus there’s on class and caste. 

The raja yogas write the native’s health, 

whether a girl will marry wealth. 

If it’s in the past we will divine, 

we’ll have to move ourselves through time. 

We need to find a forest tree, 

a different school of astrology, 

which names itself “evolutionary”.

You may know the names, 

or might have seen, 

Steven Forrest, Jeff Wolf Green, 

they weave a tapestry of tales

from Aries horns to Libra’s scales. 

They say that Pluto plays a role 

in the epic journey of the soul. 

Pluto shows our karmic wounds, 

the moon’s more like a  musty room, 

filled with books and bricks and long-dead men, 

where our past lives begin and end again. 

If your South Node’s in the sign of the ram, 

then you knew war before you began. 

You may have known the clash of shields, 

may have died on battlefields. 

Wherever you did come to lie, 

the bets are it was “do or die”. 

Danger, stress, intensity  

Were your past-life’s propensity. 

But, War can be a metaphor 

for the bravery you showed before. 

Climbing mountains, sailing seas, 

perhaps you fought against the breeze? 

Perhaps you faced calamities 

that brought you, bleeding, to your knees? 

Perhaps you shared a wedding bed 

with someone else who now is dead. 

Whichever way you came to rest, 

it’s Libra’s scales now serves you best. 

For, your North Node seeks balance, calm, 

harmony and soothing balms. 

No more war-cries, no raised arms. 

No bomb warnings, no alarms. 

It’s balance now that you should seek, 

for war will only make you weak. 

What if your South node is with the bull? 

Well, your stomach will have been most full! 

Taurus roots beneath the earth, 

close to the ground, where Aries hurts.

Taurus stays, and will not move, 

for Taurus has nothing to prove. 

Taurus just wants food and love, 

the simple blessings from above. 

It prefers familiar, chosen paths, 

sensory pleasures, hearty laughs. 

Perhaps you were a farmer once, 

perhaps you were the high school dunce!

You wouldn't care as long as you were fed, 

and anyway, we all end up dead. 

But, probably best that you watch out, 

there’s pitfalls in just growing stout! 

Stability’s not the be-end-all, 

best watch out in case you fall. 

Scorpio’s where you need to head - 

the sign of sex 

and death and red. 

Ruled by Mars, the fiery one, 

(although not as fiery as the Sun). 

It’s time to love complexity 

and moral ambiguity. 

Scorpions are vipers, see!

everything that’s said secretly. 

If your South node’s in Gemini, 

then your intellect will be sky-high. 

Whether serious or sunny be, 

you possess verbal fluidity.

You could write someone a pretty song, 

make up the words as you go along. 

You faced situations where there was a need 

for reflexes of lightning speed. 

You led a cerebral, rational life, 

with wit as sharp as butcher's knife. 

But, perhaps that doesn’t serve you today, 

for you must learn a different way. 

Look to the archer’s cat-gut bow - 

that’s where your energies must go. 

No more time for cocktail Twins, 

Sagittarius has grails to win! 

You’ll find you’re at your karmic best 

when life confronts you with a quest. 

There may be unresolved components 

involving old jealous opponents. 

Be sure that you will meet them soon, 

under the crooked gibbous moon. 

Use your mind with apprehension, 

lest you suffer over-extension. 

Be a gypsy, or philosopher, 

take chances, for those of us who win must dare. 

Treat life as if you didn’t care, 

and adrenaline will take you there. 

If your Ketu’s in the sign of Cancer,

maternity was your old answer. 

That is to say that in times past, 

you protected life against the blast 

of furnace flames against the face, 

you furthered all the human race, 

saw your features on a younger face, 

nurtured those who took your place. 

You rarely would’ve been alone, 

your focus was on hearth and home, 

on loyalty and bondedness, 

on care and calm and cautiousness. 

Be careful that you’re not seduced 

into playing roles where you’re reduced 

to mere function as a human being - 

you’re far more than they are seeing. 

Perhaps there is a tendency for 

psychic nakedness you see, 

and while that’s an admirable trait, 

you could get trapped by Ketu’s weight. 

Your North node lies in Capricorn, 

Great Works are why you were reborn. 

You are destined to become an elder, 

wiser than when you’d begun. 

It’s not that you won’t have some fun, 

just that the battle’s not yet won. 

There’s no more twisted, gnarled, or wizened tree 

than the one that they called Family.  

If your South Node’s in the lion’s mane,

then you knew fortune, maybe fame.

Perhaps you were a king or queen, 

it’s all a dream within a dream. 

And, if you didn’t wear a crown, 

don’t feel bad, no! don’t feel down. 

Your soul still comes from the same fire, 

as those who wore regal attire. 

Perhaps your past accomplishments

lay in between the battlements, 

or raising up the King’s war tent. 

Heavy is the head that wears a crown, 

for someone else always tears it down. 

Aquarius is where you’re headed 

(quick! Before you get beheaded!). 

It’s time you learned how to rebel, 

the exile’s way, the rebels yell. 

How fared you when you mortal were? 

What did you see? What did occur? 

I saw blue flames and Merlin’s flight. 

Blue doves I saw, and Heaven’s light. 

I saw the rhyme on wintry tree, 

flew on the wings of honey bees. 

Freedom’s what you now must seek, 

and true freedom’s not fit for the weak. 

Be careful, for what comes easily

can end up as theatricality. 

You’re worth more than that - 

you’re proud and strong, 

and this precious life won’t last for long. 

Don’t let life bring you to your knees, 

before you’ve achieved just what you please. 

Cultivate a blasé way, 

don’t give a fuck what other’s say! 

For those with Virgo as their South node 

there’s a knowledge of an inner code 

which means they strive to make things better, 

to live a life that’s by the letter. 

But, not settling for second standard 

can leave you feeling rough and slandered. 

Perfect’s the enemy of good enough, 

you need to know when enough’s enough. 

Internalised inadequacy 

can do your soul rough harm you see, 

so try not to become a prude, 

don’t adopt a higher attitude. 

There may be some guilt and even shame, 

for something where you weren’t to blame. 

Don’t let it take over again, 

you’re here right now to clear your name. 

Your North node’s in the sign of fish, 

a much deeper, murky kind of dish. 

It’s time to know that, at its root, 

god’s love is always absolute. 

In this lifetime your sacred mission 

is to feel that love without condition. 

Let go of the idea you need to struggle, 

strive, to cry a watery puddle.

You are sacred, perfect, now.

 So, meditate - you are allowed! 

Don’t take yourself on three-day benders, 

find your own way to surrender. 

You need to learn to play again, 

to be a child, to laugh with friends, 

to laugh and cry and when it’s your time. 

To dance and feast and quaff some wine. 

If your south node’s on Libra’s scales, 

then courtesy’s what never fails. 

But, failure comes in different hues, 

and even cowgirls get the blues. 

Let’s throw in grace and empathy, 

and that sacred gift  - humility. 

All of these are Libran charms, 

but all of them can do you harm. 

You’ll find yourself saying, once or more 

“I’m sure that I’ve met you before!” 

Familiar souls will find you here, 

and art and justice steers you clear. 

But, being fair can lead to fears. 

Your destiny’s in Aries’ spears. 

It’s fighting where you once were calm. 

You need to be prepared for harm. 

Anger’s sometimes needed now, 

for life demands a furrowed brow. 

Such stress and strain are much less threat, 

than a life lived hiding with regret. 

No need to take on foolish risk, 

just know that sometimes best is brisk. 

You don’t need to check on how you feel, 

you need to focus on the real. 

If your South node’s in Scorpio’s tail, 

then sex and death and darkness blazed. 

You had to hold the dragon’s gaze. 

Though you were doubtless often brave, 

life can feel heavy, dark and grave. 

This time there’s one life you must save - 

the only one before the grave. 

You need to rest in Taurean lands, 

to feel the earth between your hands. 

Lie down in grass of green and brown, 

don’t let the bastards drag you down. 

You’ve come here to find comfort now, 

it’s time to be a sacred cow. 

If you’re ever feeling down, 

take yourself away from town, 

and head into the fields and downs. 

Wade through peaty mud and bogs, 

make sure you take a faithful dog. 

God and dogs are very close, 

although cats think that he loves them most. 

The city life will suck you dry, 

so make some time for open skies. 

And, if it fits your personal myth, 

find someone to spend life with. 

If your South Node’s in the archer’s bow, 

then you have known rain, sleet and snow. 

You will have seen much toil and strife, 

for you sought true meaning in your past life. 

Maybe there was a suitcase packed, 

or just the shirt upon your back. 

Maybe you travelled on your own, 

anywhere you laid your head was home. 

Adventures, possibilities 

were all you needed to be free. 

Instinctively you broke all moulds, 

well this time you seek different gold. 

The grail you seek on this time round 

is conversational, and profound. 

It’s found when you’re in company, 

celebrating ambiguity. 

If your south node lies in Capricorn, 

then solitude won’t make you mourn. 

In fact, you crave it, need it, good! 

Just don’t be alone more than you should. 

Capricorn’s the Hermit’s staff, 

it’s the way of Gandalf the grey’s path. 

But, even Gandalf needed friends. 

And, so do you, on that depend. 

Lift your head up from your magic phone, 

and make sure that you’re not alone. 

There’s oceans between loneliness and solitude, 

but I digress. Just know that it’s not always best 

to walk alone, be a welcome guest. 

Cancer’s where your North node lies, 

so much joy there is in children’s eyes. 

Give up the slog and have a rest - 

find home and hearth and you’ll feel blessed. 

And if you need to, cry ancient tears, 

and feel that prior life of fears. 

Your angels will be overjoyed, 

when your arms are filled with children’s toys. 

If your South node’s Aquairean, 

then long ago your tale began 

by breaking from the tyranny 

of tired and old normality. 

But, breaking moulds an old-school game, 

time to reflect a different same.

Your North Node is in Leo’s pride

So show the world what is inside.

Step on the stage, it’s time to roar!

To dance and sing, be so much more. 

You’ve come back to let the old bonds go,

To finish business from long ago.

So, let stage fright melt like wax

Show your nerves why you came back.

And when your fear like wax does melt

It’s time to make your presence felt.

To be right’s one thing,

and heard’s another

Share your soul with sisters, brothers.

To be right requires mental freedom

To be heard requires a new Eden.

It’s not your place to beg for pardon

We’ve got to get back to the garden.

There will be times when you’re depressed

But now you must dress to impress.

For, it’s your time now to be seen.

To be a king, or be a queen.

If your South Node’s in Pisces scales

You won’t be concerned with small details.

Perhaps once you held a mystic’s wealth,

Or suffered from a loss of self.

Perhaps you incarnated late

Is compassion more relevant than hate?

It’s time to live life to the most,

Not wander through as a waking ghost.

You lose yourself, you reappear

suddenly find you got nothing to fear

Alone you stand with nobody near

When a trembling distant voice, unclear

Startles your sleeping ears to hear

That somebody thinks you’re holy.

But what does that word really mean?

What’s divine cannot be seen.

It’s not your role to be someone’s Jesus Christ

Or to submit to sacrifice.

For nothing comes from being nice,

You tried that in a prior life.

Enough of your karmic deficiency

Your North node’s in Virgo, you see.

Your path’s effective, orderly.

Neat, precise proficiency

Is where you’re destined now to be.

For them that obey authority

That they do not respect in any degree

Who despise their jobs, their destinies

Speak jealously of them that are free

Cultivate their flowers just to be

Nothing more than something to invest in.

Let us go then, you and I,

When evening’s spread against the sky.

Let us walk through ancient streets,

Half-deserted old retreats.

Where the women come and go,

And talk of Michelangelo.

Of restless nights in cheap hotels

And sawdust restaurants, oyster-shells.

Obscenity, who really cares?

Money doesn’t talk, it swears.

Bright moon-lilies, indolent love

Utter out from sky above.

There’s no more beauty in human life

Than to behold the stars at night.

The endless dance between dark and light

Over the leaden, lonely sea

I hear a sad soliloquy:

To be, that is, or not to be.

Slings and arrows of old fortune

By the gate, with star or moon.

To die, to sleep, it all comes too soon.

We mutter, and put back our clocks, 

And wait for heartache’s natural shocks.

Until we cannot wait again

For death walks us back down the lane.

To sleep or die, perchance to dream.

To forget all that we chanced to seem.

Now doubt comes as we lay, moon-eyed

And Saturn’s scythe stands by our side.

Maybe we search now, far and wide,

All those we knew they seem to hide.

No one’s here for us to share

The magnificence of this cold night air.

Let me tell you this for free -

Happiness is what you choose to be

For others, it’s not what you own,

Nor what’s in your bank, nor on your phone.

For all this sadness, all this toil

Won’t matter when we’ve left this coil.

The light of the mind is planetary,

The trees of the mind are black, and odd.

The grass is full of griefs, and god

Won’t hear us when we try to shout

As our breath begins to be snuffed out.

I am a thousand winds that blow.

I am the diamond glint on snow.

I am sunlight on ripened grain.

I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you wake in the morning hush,

I am the swift, uplifting rush

Of quiet birds in circling flight.

I am the soft starlight at night.

So do not stand at my grave and cry.

I am not there, I did not die.

The moon’s no door, it is a face

That weeps for all the human race.

All the waste, and all the violence,

Fades out to blackness,

Then to silence.