The S&P 500 versus the Speed of the True Lunar Node

Financial markets correlate closely with the 4–14 day cycle of the retrograde–stationary–direct motion of the True Lunar Node (North Node). This cycle can be depicted by charting the Speed of the True Lunar Node against the S&P 500 (where "speed" refers to the geocentric motion in degrees of longitude per day).

S&P 500 (daily candles) vs True and Mean Lunar Node Speed, April to June 2026.

Expect reversals and short-term changes in trend when the True Lunar Nodal Speed (blue solid line in the chart above)

► equals the Mean Lunar Nodal Speed (red horizontal dashed line).

► is at 0 (blue horizontal dashed line). 
► reaches maximum and minimum extremes.

 

The absolute maximum of the True Lunar Nodal Speed is approximately +0.0015 degrees of geocentric longitude per day (brief direct motion); the absolute minimum is -0.1074 degrees per day (peak retrograde motion). Standstills (stations) of the True Lunar Node occur when its geocentric speed in longitude momentarily reaches zero, as it oscillates around its mean retrograde motion due to solar and planetary perturbations. The True Node is predominantly retrograde (negative speed, averaging –0.053°/day) but regularly slows, stations (speed = 0°/day), and briefly moves direct (positive speed, up to +0.0015°/day) for hours to days before resuming retrograde motion. These stations are most pronounced and prolonged near eclipse seasons (roughly every 173 days), when solar perturbations on the lunar orbit are strongest.

The S&P 500 versus the Speed of the True Lunar Node (solid blue line)
and the Speed of the Mean Lunar Node (blue dashed line), 2014 to 2016.

In addition to the phenomenon of eclipses, there is a period of approximately ±2 weeks around the equinoxes, when Earth crosses the ecliptic from south to north (spring) and vice versa (fall). During these intervals, geomagnetic activity tends to be relatively strong, though highly variable and unpredictable, as solar emissions impact both hemispheres in an unbalanced manner.

 The S&P 500 versus the Speed of the True Lunar Node (solid blue line), November 2015 to April 2016.

The physical wobbling and oscillation of the Moon in its orbit around Earth and the Sun are driven by square aspects and conjunctions in both longitude and declination relative to the Sun and Earth. Around solar and lunar eclipses, the lunar nodes undergo rapid transitions between direct motion (speed above zero), retrograde motion (below zero), and near-standstill phases (at or very close to zero), as indicated by the blue-shaded time frame. During these periods, financial markets commonly exhibit sentiment extremes and elevated volatility.

Approximately every 86.5 days, a so-called Moon Wobble occurs when the Sun is conjunct, opposite, or square (0°, 90°, 180°, 270°) to the True Lunar Node. The lunar node begins wobbling about two weeks before the exact event and remains unstable until roughly one week afterward. When coupled with solar or lunar eclipses, the wobble effect can be extended. As the Sun approaches conjunction or opposition to the lunar node, its motion is nearly blocked (as indicated by the bluish shaded areas). These periods are potential crash windows in financial markets. 

 

The S&P 500 versus the Sun conjunct, opposite, and square (0°, 90°, 180°, 270°) to the True Lunar Node, 2011 to 2015. 

 

The Moon's Nodal Wobble refers primarily to the retrograde precession of the lunar orbital nodes—the points where the Moon's orbit intersects the ecliptic plane. This line of nodes completes a full 360° cycle westward (retrograde) relative to the vernal equinox in approximately 18.613 years, at a mean rate of about 19.35° per year or 0.053° per day.

This Precession causes the Moon's maximum declination to vary between roughly ±18.3° (minor lunar standstill) and ±28.6° (major lunar standstill) over the cycle, influencing eclipse patterns, tidal extremes, and the apparent "wobble" in the Moon's orbital orientation as viewed from Earth. A secondary, shorter-term perturbation arises from solar gravitational effects, causing the True (osculating) Node to oscillate around the mean node by up to about ±1.5° with a dominant period of roughly 173 days.

The Moon's Extreme Declinations represent the annual instants of greatest northern (positive) and southern (negative) geocentric declination, which delineate the progression of the 18.613-year lunar standstill cycle. These events reach their peak values (±28.43°) during the major lunar standstill in 2025 and their minimum values (±18.33°) during the minor lunar standstill in 2034.

The Moon's Extreme Declinations and Standstill Cycle, 2025 to 2035.

These values reflect the combined effects of the Moon’s orbital inclination (≈5.15°) and the 18.613-year nodal precession relative to the ecliptic. During major standstill years the extremes approach the sum of the obliquity of the ecliptic (≈23.44°) plus the orbital inclination; during minor standstill years they approach the difference. The listed times mark the precise moments of zero declination rate of change (local extrema).

Eclipses occur when the Sun aligns closely with the lunar nodes (conjunction or opposition) near a new or full Moon, aligning the Sun, Earth, and Moon in three dimensions. Around these times—typically twice yearly in eclipse seasons separated by about 173 days—the True Node's geocentric motion slows markedly, often becoming stationary or briefly direct (positive speed) before resuming retrograde motion.

This "wobble" or instability in nodal speed reflects heightened perturbations when the Sun's gravitational influence on the Moon's orbital plane is strongest. The True Node may exhibit rapid fluctuations in direction and speed (retrograde-stationary-direct), magnifying energetic or disruptive effects in observational contexts. Mean nodes remain steadily retrograde but also decelerate noticeably.

The True Lunar Node moves retrograde (clockwise/westward) along
the ecliptic, completing a full 18.613-year cycle (6,793.39 days) at an

average speed of 19.35° per year, or just under 19 days per degree.

Equinoxes mark when the Sun crosses the celestial equator, aligning its apparent position with the intersection of the ecliptic and equator. The lunar nodes' alignment with equinox points modulates the Moon's Extreme Declinations and Standstill Cycles. When a node coincides near an equinox, it accentuates the 18.613-year nodal cycle's effects on lunar rising/setting azimuths and tidal variations. The True Node's oscillatory behavior can interact with these seasonal alignments, though without the pronounced speed reversal seen at eclipses. 

 

See also:

TPR (2012 to 2016) - The S&P 500 versus the Speed of the True Lunar Node (more historical chart examples). 
TPR (2026) - Bradley Cowan’s Lunar Cycle Projection Methodology Applied to the S&P 500.

Jack Gillen (1979) - The Sun and the Moon. 

Rashad Khalifa (1974) - The Computer Speaks God's Message to the World (also known as "Code 19").

A hermetic astrological illustration from Athanasius Kircher's 1646 work, Ars Magna Lucis et Umbrae (The Great Art of Light and Shadow), depicting the lunar nodal axis as a celestial dragon winding through the zodiac, designed as a tool for calculating solar and lunar eclipses.

The S&P 500 versus the True Lunar Node's Speed

There is a notable correlation between the speed of the True Lunar Node (North Node, Rahu)—defined as its motion in degrees of geocentric longitude—and short-term changes in financial market trends. This relationship becomes particularly evident when:

■ the speed of the true lunar node approaches zero, and
■ the lunar node changes direction (i.e., at the minima and maxima of its oscillations).

The result is a rapid cycle of approximately 2–7 days, during which short-term trend shifts may occur, sometimes aligning with larger market moves. This behavior corresponds to the lunar node’s retrograde, stationary, and direct phases, recognized in both astrology and astronomy.  During lunar and solar eclipses, the node exhibits a pronounced “wobble,” oscillating quickly between these phases. As the Sun approaches a 180° opposition to the node (e.g., late May 2012), the node’s motion slows to near standstill. This condition—often termed a lunar standstill—is regarded as a potential crash window in equity markets.

 

In financial astrology, the True Lunar Node represents the masses, the general public, and foreign elements or strangers. In market terms, it often signifies overseas influence. For instance, the North Node in the 7th or 9th house may indicate foreign investors; in the 3rd, foreign news; in the 2nd, foreign capital; in the 10th, foreign governments; and in the 12th, 6th, or 8th houses, foreign-related losses.

 

 

The Lunar Nodes precess rapidly along the ecliptic, completing a full revolution—known as the draconitic or nodal period (associated with nutation)—in about 18.6 years, distinct from the saros cycle. The Moon's orbit is inclined ~5° to the ecliptic, while the ecliptic is inclined ~23.4° to the celestial equator. Consequently, once per nodal cycle, when the ascending node aligns with the vernal equinox, the Moon reaches its maximum northern and southern declinations (the Lunar Node Declination Cycle). At these extremes, it also attains its widest rising and setting azimuths, its highest and lowest meridian altitudes, and may produce unusually delayed first visibilities of the New Moon.

The true Lunar Node cycle is 18.613 solar years (≈ 6,798.364 days). Its 4th harmonic is ≈ 4.65 years (≈ 1,699.591 days). Accordingly, the North Node advances ≈ 30°—entering a new zodiac sign—every ≈ 1.55 years, equivalent to:

≈ 18.6 months
≈ 80.9 weeks
≈ 566.5 calendar days
≈ 10.1 weeks per 1/8 segment
≈ 55 trading days

The term "Moon Wobble," coined by Carl Payne Tobey (1902–1980), describes periods when the Sun is conjunct either node or forms a T-square to the nodal axis. Based on his study of major disasters—fires, severe weather, and loss of life—he found such configurations frequently coincide with heightened risk, especially near eclipses, though not exclusively. These periods are associated with pronounced declinational instability of the Moon and an increased likelihood of environmental and material disruption.