The Moon and its Nodes in Evolutionary Astrology

You wouldn’t think that the world of Evolutionary Astrology (EA) would produce an astrological “cookbook” style text, but Deva Green has shown that it’s not only possible to do, it’s possible to do well. The Moon and its Nodes in Evolutionary Astrology is both interesting and helpful in decoding the evolutionary functions of the Moon (and its nodes).
The structure of the book is simple and direct. After a brief introduction, Green goes through the Moon by sign, then the nodes by sign and house. Sign and house for the nodes are bundled together, so that you have, for example, “South Node in Gemini/3rd House”, which is common
in dealing with the nodes (Jan Spiller took the same approach in Astrology for the Soul). Each section, both for the Moon and the Nodes, begins with an overview of the placement (e.g., Moon in Aries), and then further explores how the placement works for someone in Consensus State, Individuated State, and Spiritual State. These evolutionary stages are easy enough to understand, which is good, because they aren’t explained overtly. In fact, one of the potential drawbacks of the book is that a great deal of psychology and metaphysics is assumed, and it is further assumed that the reader is familiar with them and Evolutionary Astrology. It’s easy to see why Green didn’t want to try to recapitulate all of EA in a short chapter (that I probably would have complained was oversimplified!), but some readers might find challenges with unfamiliar material. In a sense, this book is a specific tool for those already familiar with Evolutionary Astrology.
The content itself is very good, and there’s a lot to think about as the reader considers the evolutionary role of the Moon and the Nodes through the lens of Evolutionary Astrology. Even without a thorough familiarity with EA, it’s possible to expand and deepen your understanding of these familiar points, and Evolutionary Astrologers will take away even more. Stylistically, one finds a great deal of repetition – which makes sense given the nature of the material. In fact, each Moon/Node section can be read as a variation on the basic themes.
It’s very likely that most readers will use the book on an as-needed basis rather than reading it straight through, and although I think something is lost by that approach, it should be useful. The final chapters of the book are instructive case studies of both clients and public figures, and should be read along with the introduction and whatever Moon/Node signs one is immediately drawn towards. As with any astrology book that deals with case studies, the approach of the author may or may not resonate with the reader, and multiple interpretations are possible. Yet understanding Green’s approach will guide the reader’s use of the book, and the contained focus on the Moon and Nodes is an aid to interpretation.
Deva Green is the daughter of founding Evolutionary Astrologer Jeffery Wolf Green, and her work is deeply informed by his teachings. She is the current director of the Jeffery Wolf Green School of Evolutionary Astrology, and so her credentials are solid. The Moon and its Nodes in Evolutionary Astrology is an important book for Evolutionary astrologers and an interesting and
helpful book for any practitioner or advanced student.
Armand Diaz for the NCGR Newsletter March 2023
Deva Green is well qualified to write this book as daughter of the founder of Evolutionary Astrology, Jeffrey Wolf Green, and as director of the JWG School of Evolutionary Astrology. This branch of astrology takes the Moon’s nodes – the North and South Nodes – as guides to an individual’s soul passage and growth from one lifetime to another, so reincarnation is presupposed and is demonstrable to its teachers and adherents in chart delineation.
As the publisher puts it rather well: ‘Evolutionary astrology is a specific methodology which sees the evolution of the soul as a process of growth that occurs as we progress from one lifetime to another. While it is a complex subject to consider, we can engage with this process by understanding the role of the Moon and its nodes, which have specific meaning in connection with the journey. They can help us to find a sense of security and a means of emotionally supporting ourselves through the natural tension that results as we make the transition from the past to future.’
Green expounds that the trinity of time is represented by the Moon: the past (South Node), the present (the natal Moon) and future (North Node). The Moon is thereby a bridge of sorts between what was and what will or can be, the past and future. The term ‘self-image’ is used often as a synonym for ego, suggesting a shape-shifting projection energy of self that reflects and adapts to different circumstances between lifetimes and within one lifetime, according to challenges and other experiences.
It has to be said at once that this is matter of belief and it will resonate with astrologers who regard their art as an essentially spiritual one. It is taken for granted that the goal of existence is self-perfection – though what perfection looks like, or whether it is truly attainable, I am not sure anyone truly knows.
To demonstrate how nodal Evolutional Astrology works, Green defines extensively the character and challenges associated with the Moon in each of the 12 signs before moving onto the lunar nodes by sign and house. These building bricks of understanding are then put together in a series of case studies from the author’s files and from celebrity examples, such as Martin Luther King and Amelia Earhart.
Green has a gift for encapsulation. So, for example, in the case of South Node in Taurus and North Node in Scorpio, the native is likened to ‘a frog in the well’ that looks up at the sky and thinks it the total universe. A certain laziness or inertia may be present, but the life ahead may address the nature of emotional security and what happens when it is lost – will the soul adapt and grow, or transform, in response to change? I chose this example because my nodal axis is in these signs, and I recognise basic truths. The only way to test Evolutionary Astrology is to start with oneself, I think.
The one area in the book I am less sure of is the author’s categorisations of different ‘States’ of being as ‘Consensus’, ‘Individuated’ and ‘Spiritual’ in relation to the Moon’s natal position and that of the lunar nodes. While literal meaning is understood, the precise nature of these different states is not entirely made clear. These states express different levels of soul challenge and character, but I would have benefited from more discrete definitions.
In saying this I should declare that I wrote about the lunar nodes in my 2022 Wessex book Chasing the Dragons: An Introduction to Draconic Astrology, a technique that treats the nodes as a portal to a new Moon-based birth chart for greater amplification of soul or life purpose. I held off from embracing the idea of soul as a belief though I defined it through different faiths and philosophies. In Deva Green’s book I recognised many truths as to myself (and in the celebrity cases) while still left wondering as to the actual nature of this time-travelling thing we call ‘soul’.
Or to put it another way, Green has done a great job in demonstrating the remarkable insights of her technique, no matter what one chooses to believe. Something is working here. Which takes us to the essential mystery of astrology. How or why does it work?
Victor Olliver The Astrological Journal