Nodes in Motion: Jackie O's example

With this piece, I try to ‘investigate’ what ‘was going on’ at the time of the major – to me at least – turning point in Jackie's life, at the time of (and the short period after) the death of her second husband, Ari Onassis. Because it was only after Ari died (and the battle with his daughter Christina over inheritance was over) that Jackie left her old habits behind and became a totally different woman: she did not care to be neither the ‘First Lady’ nor the ‘First Wealthy’, she stopped seeking for the ‘(extra) rich husband’, she settled permanently in New York, and most importantly, she started working (as an editor), actually doing very well. At a certain point she started dating again, choosing however men totally different than the ones she used to (the rich and powerful). She seemed to have been born again, happy in her role of a proud mother and ‘nobody’s wife’. By the end of her life she was a sweet grandmother (of three) and lover (in an affair with probably the only man who really loved her without expecting to gain anything from her).  

When Ari passed away on March 15^th, 1975, the Nodes (at the time at 4 degrees Sag(N)/Gemini(S)) were transiting her 1^st/7^th houses. By the time she started working in September of the same year the transiting Nodes had moved closer to her AC/DC axis (natally Scorpio rising at 17°58’ Scorpio, at the time Nodes at 24°59’ Scorpio(N)/Taurus(S)) but also her natal Nodal axis (transiting nodes opposing natal) as in Jackie’s chart the two axes (AC-DC and Nodal) nearly coincide (Snode: 17°12’ Scorpio) – an indication, according to Rudhyar, that her life was controlled by karma. Transiting Nodes had also already formed an exact square aspect to her IC/MC axis (at 28°54’ Aquarius/Leo). Just before entering the Scorpio/Taurus, the transiting Nodes had squared Jackie’s Neptune. Anything that would touch her Neptune or MC would activate the entire kite involving Saturn-Moon-MC/Neptune-Venus. With nodal transits to all her angles and to the natal Nodes we have enough indications marking a life crossroad, the end of a phase in life and the beginning of a new one. The period was obviously characterized by both external events (the transit to the angles) – Ari’s death, the battles over money, the new job, relocation – and inner changes (the transit to the Nodes) – the will to change, the decision to start working and not go after another tycoon etc.

With the Nodes transiting her 1^st/7^th houses anyways the emphasis was on re-determining herself in comparison to others – Jackie decided to be ‘nobody’s wife’ and stand on her own feet. At the time, Jackie’s natal Nodes did not receive any major aspects by transiting outer planets. Around Ari’s death, the transiting north Node from Sag was trine Jackie’s Sun-Mercury conjunction. This is a contact that could be connected to the relocation, the change in status (widowed-working), the financial gain even that occurred from the death of her husband. After all, the Sun is the ruler of Jackie’s 10^th house. Mercury rules the 8^th house of loss. Ari’s death most probably wasn’t such an unpleasant event for Jackie since for quite a while he wanted to get a divorce – the death of his son and his consequent depression (even madness for some) has just put these plans aside and Jackie was lucky enough to become his widow and get richer by 20 million dollars. The marriage was not a happy one anyways.

As far as the progressed Nodes are concerned, these indeed had not progressed much until the period ‘under survey’. They had moved enough to form a within 1-degree orb aspect to Chiron (pr. NNode conjunct Chiron). I am thinking that a possible (yet simplistic) interpretation of this contact could be getting over an old wound since the north Node has to do with moving forward and leaving the past behind in order to find one’s destination. The trine between progressed north Node and natal Mars had also become closer (in comparison to the same natal contact) and this was probably something that emphasized her courage and dynamic for action so to move forward. Finally, regarding directed lunar Nodes, these formed only two minor aspects to natal planets at the time, a semisextile to Mercury and a quintile to Mars. I guess that the Nodes, transiting, progressed, or directed, always talk about lessons that have to be learned. Progressed lunar nodes however could only emphasize issues that already ‘exist’ in the chart, like if the lessons that somebody believes that s/he has to learn is something that was recorded during infancy. Transits and directions on the other hand possibly bring on new things

In the particular example it is definitely the transiting Nodes that provide with more information as aspecting the natal chart. A period of great change for Jackie in all major areas of her life, was characterized by the transiting Nodes aspecting the angles of her chart which represent exactly these major areas. Her sense of self (AC), career and status (MC), living conditions (IC), the way she related with partners (DC), everything was profoundly changed as touched by the Nodes. The nodes are by some related to karma and easily somebody could claim that Jackie lived a lot of karmic drama in her life, something possibly correlated to her nodal axis coinciding with her AC/DC. I would prefer not to give a karmic weight to nodal movement but rather speak of evolving, of doing necessary changes, of leaving things behind and moving forward. With her north Node in Taurus Jackie probably felt that she needed a partner to find her destination. Yet partnerships, the marriages she of course chose to do for specific reasons, brought her much pain. She gained the power and the money she wanted through them, but she also had to bear infidelity, and violence. At a certain point she had to close that circle and move forward. She had what she always wanted, now she should be really happy for a change. Stand on her own feet, express herself, live where she belonged.