Pisces
Dates: February 19 — March 20
Keywords: Dreams, Intuition, Softness, Femininity, Spirituality, Sacrifice, Illusion, Deception, Escapism, Elusiveness, Fickleness, Surrender, Fantasy, Forgiveness, Introspection, Imagination, Sensitivity, Compassion, Purification
Archetype: Dreamer, Escapist, Artist, Empath, Counsellor, Helper, Psychologist, Martyr, Medium, Mystic, Creative, Visionary, Poet, Musician, Cheater, Procrastinator, Deceiver, Sensitive Soul
Ruling planet: Jupiter and Neptune
Element: water
Modality: Mutable
The Fishes
The society, progress-oriented ethos of Aquarius is universalised in the mutable water sign of Pisces. Compassionate and receptive, the fishes are the embodiment of boundless soulful creativity and represent the elemental life force from which everything emerges and finally returns to.
A Soft Soul
Pisces is soft-natured, sensitive, and caring, with a high degree of humility and empathy. Its understanding of the suffering of others is unparalleled, and it is unconditionally and sympathetically devoted to human welfare. As this predisposition tends to translate into personal sacrifice for communal needs, Pisces must take care not to identify with lost causes or resort to martyrdom. Resonating with the beautiful idea of absolute goodness, the fish nevertheless understands at a deep level that once ego is released and we let go of the need to be special, we see that our sense of self-importance is what deters us from genuine truth and joy. This sign seems to dwell in an entirely different sphere compared to the rest of us: often a creative soul, Pisces derives inspiring ideas and original thoughts from its innate awareness of emotional and spiritual energies which lie beneath physical existence, where all is interconnected.
Boundless Imagination
No other than Pisces draws such strength from sharing in the dreams and visions of the collective imagination. The fish possesses keen intuition and highly sensitive antennae to tune into the emotional undercurrents and creative energies of its surroundings. Its visceral connection to the collective unconscious picks up on even the most subtle of energetic shifts, and its highly active internal world of feeling and sensitivity requires the fish to constantly recharge its batteries. Whether emotionally overwhelmed or unable to exercise its boundless imagination, Pisces loves to escape into music, art or films — or drugs, alcohol, gaming, and other mind-altering experiences that allow it to temporarily transcend reality. Pisces tends to find the battle against addictions and mental health issues more difficult, as its compassionate and slightly other-worldly quality is often at odds with the painful mundaneness of the material world. The development of a creative outlet and a disciplined dedication to self-knowledge, both of which allow for the presence and legitimacy of magic and dreams, is an excellent antidote to Pisces’s tendency towards avoidance and escapism.
Dreamy or Distracted?
Sweet-natured and supportive, others come to Pisces for comfort and unconditional, non-judgmental understanding. Often very sociable, the fish is highly flexible and changeable, skilled at moulding itself to fit the circumstances and people it relates to. Yet its mutable nature also means that Pisces is easily swayed, lacking structure and self-control, with a tendency towards being unsettled and erratic. Its ‘go with the flow’ attitude can make it prone to confusion and procrastination. Pisces easily absorbs the goals and energies of others and, merging these with its own, can forget to assert itself. As such, the fish’s authentic Self can be hard to pin down — comparable to a live fish cupped in your hands that wriggles to escape through the cracks between your fingers. At its worst, Pisces is as slippery as an eel — evasive and deceptive, shady and shifty, and unreliable, getting caught up into the business of cheating (in a wider sense) or fishy activities (in the most literal sense). To avoid floundering about in shallow offshore waters, Pisces’s exceptional gullibility can be positively expressed, for example channeling its concern for welfare by working for a charitable cause, where practical aid is given.
A Fish Out of Water
Pisceans often feel a strange sense of alienation, removed from the demands of normal life and mundane concerns of earthly existence. This sign can become lost in the attempt to merge with a ‘saviour’ — whether in the form of a guru, a relationship or at the bottom of a bottle. There is often a search for God, or for an alternative source of sustaining faith and devotion in life, and when this is found, Pisces can be impressively committed to serving the cause. It intuitively understands that any attempt to explain the inexplicable leads to dogma, and recognises that we can live in a world of dreams if we become aware of our personal process of projection and reflection. If less spiritually inclined, Pisces likely channels its affinity with the invisible realms into psychology, arts, music, acting, and other creative professions. This sign is often an advocate for mental health, understanding that life consists of both descending into the darkness of our unconscious fears and destructive habits, and ascending to leap above the limits of our normal lives and briefly know the heavens.
Rose-Coloured Glasses
In love, Pisces is soft-natured and has a tendency to be highly idealistic especially in younger years. Quite the dreamer, this sign likes to romanticise potential partners, seeking the creation of magic between people. Since long-term relationships cannot sustain themselves on magic alone, this can lead to disillusionment when the practical demands of everyday life set in. If the moon is not in a fixed sign, Pisces can find it challenging to stay within its confines and focus on one person alone — partners may need to accept the Piscean tendency to wander off occasionally. Yet its universal compassion also means that this sign is deeply caring, intuitively understanding of and sympathetic to the partner’s needs. Its soothing gentleness and dreamy comportment is highly attractive: Pisces has a softening effect on partners, sensitising them to their intuition and encouraging them to access their emotions. Transcending the ego more easily than others, this sign will put the needs of partners before its own, and forgives without judgement, which is a true asset for a lasting connection.
Towards Spiritual Mastery
Pisces’s sacred call is to employ its receptivity, imagination and unconditional kindness to encourage others to achieve self-realisation. Through the death of Self and absorption into Oneness, we come to live like an enlightened being — kind, helpful, forgiving and trusting, sharing our reality with others without imposition. At home in the cosmic ocean, where all is one and one is all, Pisces teaches us that dividing aspects of Unity and dissecting reality into categories is a waste of time — we are all a manifestation of that which simply is. This sacredness is to be innocently and freely enjoyed.
