TLDR
- The lunar nodes recently shifted from Virgo and Pisces into Leo and Aquarius, and we’ll feel this shift into early 2028.
- The nodes aren’t objects in the sky. They’re mathematical points tied to the relationship between the moon and the earth. The south node is the energy you’re moving away from, the north node is the energy you’re growing toward.
- The collective is moving from “me” energy (Leo south node) toward “we” energy (Aquarius north node), which shows up as big shifts in technology, community, and how power is held.
- There’s no good or bad in astrology, only shadow and light. This shift isn’t inherently positive or negative, it’s just a different way of being.
- To make it personal, pull your birth chart and find where Leo and Aquarius live in it. Those houses show you where you’re being asked to grow.
If you spend any time in astrology corners of the internet, you’ve probably heard that the lunar nodes just switched from Virgo and Pisces into Leo and Aquarius. And I’m not here to hand you the full astrological rundown of every degree and date. I’m Sara Walka, founder of The Sisters Enchanted, and after more than two decades of reading tarot and teaching this stuff, what I’ve learned is that the rundown isn’t the useful part. The useful part is knowing what to do with the information when you hear it. So that’s what this shorter episode of Stay Magic is about: a way to think about the energy we’re in right now.
Because here’s the honest answer to “what does this mean for me?” I don’t know yet. And neither does anyone handing you a tidy prediction. What I can give you is the map, and then hand you the pen.
What just happened with the lunar nodes in 2026?
The lunar nodes shifted out of the Virgo–Pisces axis and into the Leo–Aquarius axis, and this is a collective energetic transition we’ll be living with into early 2028. A node shift is a big deal because it changes the direction the whole collective is being pulled, not for a week or a moon cycle but for a roughly year-and-a-half stretch. So this isn’t a “check your horoscope on Tuesday” thing. It’s a season of growth that’s quietly rearranging the backdrop of all of our lives.
DEFINITION: THE LUNAR NODES
The lunar nodes are the north node and the south node: two mathematical points located in relation to the moon and the earth and their relationship. They are not physical objects in the sky. In astrology, the south node represents the energies you’re moving away from, and the north node represents the energies you’re growing toward.
This is the part people miss, so I want to slow down on it. The nodes are coordinates. Points. They’re not a planet you could photograph or a star you could point at. Once that clicks, the whole thing gets less mystical-woo and a lot more usable, because now you’re just working with a set of directions: here’s where you’ve been, here’s where you’re headed.
“They are not things in the sky. They’re mathematical positions as related to the position of the moon and the earth.”
— Sara Walka, Stay Magic Podcast
What’s the difference between the north node and the south node?
The south node is the energy you’re moving away from, and the north node is the energy you’re growing toward. That’s the whole distinction, and it’s a good one to hold onto. You also have a personal south node and north node in your own birth chart, and that placement is a rich place to explore your strengths, your weaknesses, possible career directions, and the arc of your journey through this lifetime. (I’ve got a whole episode digging into your personal nodes, so go find that one if you want to go deeper on your own chart.)
FRAMEWORK: SOUTH NODE VS. NORTH NODE
South node: the familiar, well-worn energy you’re being invited to move away from.
North node: the less comfortable, growth-edge energy you’re being invited to move toward.
In your personal chart, the two together sketch the direction of your growth across a lifetime.
What does the south node in Leo and north node in Aquarius mean for the collective?
Collectively, we’re being asked to move away from Leo energy and grow toward Aquarius energy. Leo is that bold, brave, courageous, look-at-me kind of energy. Beautiful in its own right. Aquarius is the opposite pull: collective, a little quirky, a little different, the sign that’s happy to be weird in service of the group. In astrology, the signs always run in pairs, each one sitting across from its opposite, and Leo and Aquarius are that pairing here.
So with the nodes on this axis, and with the moon’s themes in the mix (nurturing, the emotional body, the inner world), the collective is sliding from a “me” centered way of thinking toward a “we” centered one. You’re already seeing it. Big shifts in technology, in how society functions, and a move away from big singular power sources toward more community-style power sources. That’s very Aquarius, and it’s the direction the north node is pointing us for the next couple of years.
DEFINITION: THE LEO–AQUARIUS AXIS
Leo and Aquarius are opposite signs on the zodiac wheel. Leo is the energy of the individual: bold, expressive, look-at-me. Aquarius is the energy of the collective: community-minded, unconventional, future-facing. With the south node in Leo and the north node in Aquarius, the collective growth edge is a shift from “me” toward “we.”
Is this node shift good or bad?
Neither. There’s no good and bad in astrology, only shadow and light in every aspect. Moving from “me” to “we” isn’t inherently a good thing, and moving from “we” to “me” isn’t inherently a bad thing. Both directions have a shadow side and a light side. It’s just a different way of being. I say this because a node shift like this can feel turbulent, especially with big energy stacking up in Leo right now, and it’s easy to read “turbulent” as “bad.” It isn’t. It’s just growth, and growth has friction.
“There’s no good and bad in astrology, there’s shadow and light to all aspects.”
— Sara Walka, Stay Magic Podcast
How do you find Leo and Aquarius in your own birth chart?
Pull your birth chart and look for which houses Leo and Aquarius fall in, because that’s exactly where this shift is going to touch your life. The nodes are working the Leo–Aquarius axis for everyone, but where in your life that plays out depends on your personal chart. For me, I have Leo in the second house and Aquarius in the eighth, and Leo also rules my third house while Aquarius rules my ninth. If that house language means nothing to you yet, that’s completely okay, we’ve got other episodes on the houses you can dig into.
Once you’ve found your placements, the work is to sit with them and ask the good questions. Where am I being invited to move away from one way of being, toward another? What’s the lesson on the journey here? What if I de-center this old way of thinking and center this other way of being instead? That’s what I love about astrology. It doesn’t hand you answers, it hands you better questions to ask yourself.
Why Pluto in Aquarius makes this bigger
On top of all this, we’ve got Pluto in Aquarius running underneath the whole thing. Pluto digs into the deep, the taboo, and the places where power lives, so with Pluto and the north node both in Aquarius, the “we” shift isn’t gentle background music. It’s the main event of this era, pushing hard on how society is structured and where power sits.
How do you work with Leo-to-Aquarius energy?
You work with it by leaning into community and letting yourself be a little weird in service of belonging. That’s the practical translation of “grow toward Aquarius.” How do we move toward the collective again? How do we let our freak flag fly a little? How do we find our people, step away from guru systems and one-person-holds-all-the-power setups, and build meaningful communities where we feel like we belong? That’s the assignment. Alongside it, we get to sit with a world that’s changing daily as new technologies rise, which is a very Aquarian thing to have to hold.
“How do we let our freak flag fly a little bit? Find our communities, tear down from guru systems or one person who has the power, and really create meaningful communities that allow us to feel like we can belong.”
— Sara Walka, Stay Magic Podcast
If you’re the type who wants a nudge here: drop where you’ve got Leo and Aquarius in your chart in the comments, or sit with the “what if I de-centered this and centered that instead” question for a week and see what surfaces. There’s no wrong way to do it. There’s just your way.
Want to learn to read your own chart?
Node shifts like this only get personal once you can see where they land in your chart. Inside Holistic Witchery and the Enchanted Journey, we teach you to mine your own cosmic DNA instead of waiting for someone else to interpret it for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the lunar nodes in astrology?
The lunar nodes are two mathematical points, the north node and the south node, located in relation to the moon and the earth and their relationship. They are not physical objects in the sky. In astrology, the south node represents the energies you’re moving away from, and the north node represents the energies you’re growing toward. You have a personal north and south node in your own birth chart, and studying them can reveal your strengths, your weak spots, possible career directions, and the larger arc of your journey through this lifetime. On a collective level, the nodes shift signs roughly every year and a half, moving the whole group’s growth edge from one energy toward another. At The Sisters Enchanted, we teach the nodes as a directional map: the south node shows where you’ve been, the north node shows where you’re headed.
What does the north node in Aquarius mean right now?
The north node in Aquarius means the collective is being invited to grow toward Aquarian energy: community, connection, unconventional thinking, and a “we” centered way of being. Because the north node marks the direction of growth, its move into Aquarius points the whole group away from the “me” focus of Leo (which now holds the south node) and toward the group. In practice, Sara Walka teaches that this looks like big shifts in technology and in how society is organized, plus a move away from single, concentrated power sources toward more community-based power. It’s the pull to find your people, build genuine belonging, and step back from guru-and-follower dynamics. This influence stays active into early 2028.
When do the lunar nodes leave Leo and Aquarius?
The Leo–Aquarius node influence stays with us into early 2028. Node shifts aren’t quick transits that pass in a few days. They’re roughly year-and-a-half-long seasons that reshape the collective’s direction, so the “me to we” theme of this Leo–Aquarius axis is a long arc, not a passing mood. That’s exactly why Sara Walka frames it as something not to lose sight of: you have plenty of time to work with this energy on purpose instead of reacting to it. If you want to track the shift in your own life, note where Leo and Aquarius fall in your birth chart now, and check back in over the coming months to see how those areas of life evolve as the nodes do their slow work.
Is a lunar node shift good or bad?
A node shift is neither good nor bad. In astrology there’s no good and bad, only shadow and light in every aspect. Moving from “me” energy to “we” energy isn’t inherently positive, and the reverse isn’t inherently negative. Each direction carries both a shadow side and a light side, so the shift is just a different way of being rather than an upgrade or a punishment. At The Sisters Enchanted, we lean on this framing on purpose, because a node shift can feel turbulent, especially with strong energy in Leo right now, and it’s easy to mislabel that friction as “bad.” It isn’t. Growth naturally comes with discomfort. Reading the shift as neutral gives you room to work with it consciously instead of bracing against it.
How do I find my north and south node placements?
You find your node placements by pulling your birth chart and locating the north node and south node, then noticing which signs and houses they fall in. For this collective shift specifically, you’ll also want to find where Leo and Aquarius live in your chart, because that’s where the current node energy is most active for you personally. The nodes work the Leo–Aquarius axis for everyone, but the area of life it touches is chart-specific. Sara Walka’s own chart, for example, has Leo in the second house and Aquarius in the eighth. If house language is new to you, that’s fine, The Sisters Enchanted has episodes and programs that teach you to read your own chart so you can interpret these placements yourself instead of relying on someone else to do it for you.
What’s the difference between the lunar nodes and Pluto in Aquarius?
The lunar nodes and Pluto in Aquarius are separate influences that happen to reinforce each other right now. The nodes are mathematical points that mark the collective’s growth direction, and they shift signs about every eighteen months. Pluto is a planet whose energy digs into the deep, the taboo, power, and transformation, and it moves far more slowly, staying in a sign for many years. With both the north node and Pluto in Aquarius at the same time, the “we” shift gets amplified: the nodes point the collective toward community and the future, while Pluto pressure-tests how power and structures are held. Sara Walka teaches that this overlap is why the current era feels so charged around themes of technology, community, and who holds power.