The U.S. election is consuming almost everyone right now. It would make perfect sense to devote a whole astrological analysis to predicting the outcome. But for so very many reasons, I’m not going to do that. The only thing I will mention is that around midday on November 3, Mercury, the planet that rules elections, will station direct. That means it will appear to be standing perfectly still in the sky. When a planet stations, the power is intense and sometimes volatile. Think of the chaos of Mercury retrograde—miscommunication, technology failure, everything taking longer than it should. To understand what this might mean, consider that Mercury stationed on Election Day 2000, when there were hanging chads, the ballot count was stopped, and the U.S. Supreme Court “selected� George W. Bush over Al Gore, who, like Hillary Clinton in 2016, won the popular vote but not the Electoral College. That really says it all. Expect a repeat of the delays and chaos that we saw that year and then multiply by 2020. This election may not be decided until sometime in mid-December. To give everyone a breather during this tense and testy time, I want to refocus our attention on our own life’s purpose. Each of us has a path to walk, regardless of who sits in the White House. Understanding the lunar nodes in your chart can help you make decisions and take actions that are aligned to your true purpose. To see where your lunar nodes are placed, get a copy of your astrological chart calculated with birth date, time, and place. You can find a free chart by doing an internet search for “free birth chart calculator.� The lunar nodes are not planets. They’re points in space where the Moon’s orbit around the Earth intersects the Sun’s orbit. Some astrologers call them the Nodes of Fate because their placement in a natal chart indicates what you bring into this life (South Node) and where you’re headed as you move along your journey (North Node). Before talking about the Nodes, it’s necessary to understand that it’s their house placement that is important. The wheel of the zodiac is divided into 12 parts, known as houses. Each house represents a specific area of life. Some of the most common house meanings are as follows: 1st House: The house of the self, the body, appearance, and personal interests 2nd House: Money, possessions, personal resources 3rd House: Communication, siblings, local neighborhood 4th House: Home, family, one’s “roots� 5th House: Creativity, children, lovers, hobbies 6th House: Pets, daily routine, acute health conditions, job duties 7th House: Marriage, partnerships, enemies you know 8th House: Transformation, emotional trauma, other people’s money, death 9th House: The collective mind, philosophy, higher education, foreign travel 10th House: Career, status, public recognition 11th House: Friends, groups, social engagement 12th House: The subconscious, psychological issues, confinement, hidden enemies The North and South Nodes are always located in houses that are directly opposite each other. Traveling from the issues connected to the house of your South Node to the issues of the house of your North Node is considered to be your life path or karmic journey, whether you believe in past lives or not. The South Node marks an area of life that should be comfortable because we are born with the skills needed to navigate this house. Of course, in many traditions, this is because it is an area that has been mastered in past lives, but it is equally acceptable to think of it as an area of life that your personality type navigates with natural ease. The North Node points to your mission for this lifetime. In other words, this area of life probably won’t be comfortable. It will bring up the experiences you need to go through in order to grow toward your destiny. For example, someone with their South Node in the 1st house will have their North Node in the 7th. This person will come into life with a clear sense of self and generally feel comfortable in her/his/their own skin. These are the issues of the 1st house. The 7th house, what the person will need to work on, has to do with relationships. This person might not work and play well with others and need to learn those skills in order to find satisfaction in relationships and fulfill their destiny for this lifetime. The person born into the opposite chart, South Node in the 7th, will feel comfortable as long as they’re in relationship with others, but will struggle when alone. They may have to work on self-love and self-reliance. For all you seekers and anyone wanting some distraction from the election, get a copy of your chart, and see what the Lunar Nodes reveal to you about your life’s purpose.