By now, if you have been keeping up with this ongoing exploration of the energies of the zodiac, you can anticipate what I am about to say.
Pisces energy is somewhere in EVERYONE’S psyche! This is the energy of all that is mystical, dreamy, imaginative & for some, spiritual.
Pisces is one of the 3 water signs, the other being Cancer & Scorpio. In Pisces, emotion is expressed in the least personal way of all three. This is the broad brush of emotional energy, far-reaching, altruistic, principled. Let’s use a watery image to attempt to 
capture the nature of Pisces. It’s like the ocean; vast & seemingly without end, deep & hard to penetrate, mobile & with sudden shifts of directional flow. The ocean can inspire but it can also overwhelm. Pisces emotion is best described as compassion devoid of attachment to the object of the compassion. It is universal love rather than individual love. It is the place of peace in the left hand of the divine, that most exalted of positions.
It is a mutable energy, one that is adaptable, malleable, and shiftable. Like the ocean referred to previously, the waves can move in numerous directions all at the same time. And so it is with Pisces; this energy flows instinctively where it needs to flow. In the natural wheel of the zodiac, Pisces finds its home in the 12th house, a sector of the horoscope that co-relates to the unconscious mind, and to the formative period in human development. In the first few hours after birth, much is absorbed by the newly manifested being and it is a time when the soul of the being is very close to the surface of the skin. The infant science of psychology has only just begun to scratch the surface of the intricacies of emotional and mental development but I think that most thinking individuals will agree that what happens to a person in their early years forms the foundation for all that follows. I would add that what happens in the first few hours after birth is critical to later development, physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. Pisces provides the self with a template for all of this. So, understand that this is the part of the psyche that absorbs stimuli and processes these stimuli, assimilating information into the most interi
or areas of the self. This absorption is multi-faceted, organic, sensate, emotional, ethereal, of the heart, of the mind & of the soul. Obviously, this process continues throughout the life journey and so we can co-relate Pisces to that part of the self that intuits, senses, ‘knows’, without the need to prove or substantiate, as opposed to Virgo, the partner sign to Pisces, which absolutely needs to disseminate & analyze in order to absorb data.
The symbol for Pisces is the dual fishes but note that they are fashioned as if pointed in opposite directions. This is usually understood to represent the dual nature of human existence, the pull to spirit and the pull to flesh. But another way to understand the movement of the two little fish is to see them chasing each other’s tails, creating a circular movement. A circle of being is thus suggested and more than anything else, Pisces is the place where we can connect to the eternal, the infinite. Pisces flows through life (water) in a continuous, unbroken way. What a beautiful affirmation of the constancy of being—always the same, though always different.
So, Pisces is spirit, the yearning to find the divine, the place of understanding that supersedes any mental process, the ‘aha’ experience that makes sense of the chaos and brings light into the darkness. Pisces is intuitive, gentle, yielding, forgiving. Anyone with an emphasis of this energy in their psyche must learn to listen to their inner sense. And I will say here that not all Pisces types will ‘hear’ their inner voice in the same way. What is universal for these types is that there IS an inner sense of some kind and that often, these types will have early life experiences that result in a sense of alienation, aloneness, and separation from others. They are often misunderstood and even shunned by those who cannot as easily connect with the ethereal world. It is essential that these sensitives find their own place of ‘ground’ or security within their own selves. They must create their own criteria of relevancy because often others will not ‘get it’. Nevermind, little Pisces, what you know is what others aspire to know. What you feel is that which is true so hang on to that truth about yourself.
As with all energies, Pisces has a Shadow. Confusion is one such manifestation. Pisces types must work hard to stay clear. Think back to the image of the ocean. There’s just too much water! So it is, with Pisces. Depending on
the rest of the chart, of course, the Pisces like person is acutely sensitive to all forms of incoming energy, whether positive or negative. Because of this, the Pisces-like person must be rigorous in her attempt to develop discernment & maintain healthy boundaries. This is a steep process so until a level of hard-headed analysis is reached, confusion can be the result.
This can lead to another shadow—a lack of focus. Often described as dreaminess from a positive perspective, lack of focus can rob the individual of ever finishing what she has started. Again, this is a broad-brush commentary; every Pisces-like person is unique. The rest of the energies in the birth mandala will be instrumental in how the Pisces part of it actually concretizes in the form of characteristics & proclivities. As an example, you may be a solar Pisces with the Moon in Capricorn or your Ascendant might be in Capricorn. Your so-called lack of focus will be much less in evidence than another solar Pisces with the ascendant or Moon in Gemini. Gemini will contribute to a personality that is much more casual & fun-loving while Capricorn will give you the tools to turn your dreamy power of imagining into something tangible & useful. Happy you, if you have been blessed with the Geminian love of fun & lightness! Lucky you, if you happen to have a good dose of Capricorn in you!
Another Shadow is a tendency to form addictive behaviors. Pisces can easily fall into varying degrees of dependency, different forms of compulsion & a pattern of seeking escape from a sometimes-harsh reality. Again, the positive side of this problematic shadow is a brilliance of artistry. Pisces has the ability to imagine the unimaginable & if the shadow is avoided, it is in Pisces that we find the POET, the ARTIST, the DREAMWEAVER.
An example of a Solar Pisces who was able to use the positive side of the shadow, was Albert Einstein, born March 14, 1879. His Pisces Sun was firmly grounded by Neptune in Taurus & provided him with a high degree of dispassionate objectivity by Jupiter in Aquarius. His Moon in Sagittarius was similarly ruled by Jupiter in Aquarius, providing him with a capacity for fearless adherence to principle, albeit ones that he considered to be of prime importance. With both Mercury & Venus in Aries, ruled by an exalted Mars in Capricorn, he had the inherent capacity to be a fearless thinker & apply values that were founded on individualistic experience. He was not a follower by any stretch of the imagination. That Capricorn Mars, in mutual reception to his 
Saturn in Aries, provided him with the focus & drive that he needed to ride his solar Pisces energy right into the heart of matter & energy, and in a way that had never been done previously. He was a “one of a kind” independent & fearless thinker. A famous story often told about Albert was that his theory of relativity came to him in a dream. What an absolutely perfect Pisces process! And he, with all that enterprising & uncompromising energy concretized that dream into the foundations of our modern world. Amazing!
To see Albert’s chart, just click on it.
Here are some possible descriptions for Pisces through the personals.
Moon in Pisces: Sensitive to the extreme, you can ‘feel’ others just by being in their vicinity. Sometimes, this is not even necessary since you have the ability to IMAGINE being in their vicinity! You are constantly adjusting yourself to the changing environment around you with an innate ability to go with the flow once you get the hang of it. Compassionate to the core, you are a heart-based giver to all. You may find yourself ‘alone’ but you will never be lonely since the interior of your mind is filled with engaging ideas & dreams. Take as much personal time as you need. Seclusion recharges your batteries. Make it a habit to commune with the Moon. Just go out into the night when Luna is shining bright & breathe her in!
Mercury in Pisces: The potential for so-called ‘psychic’ ability is high. The nature of your thinking is, at the best of times, dimensionally creative. ‘To imagine is to create…’ could be a mantra for you. Able to make connections that others marvel at, take the time to explain how you got to your conclusions. We all wish that we could leap from mountain peak to mountain peak the way that you can. Love is your natural language. Use it. Develop your own unique vocabulary by allowing the words to rise up in your consciousness uncensored. Not always easy but once you get the hang of this process, you will find that your language will inspire those who hear it.
Venus in Pisces: Universality in the expression of divinely inspired LOVE is your strong point. Able to love without judgment, you are the natural healer of the zodiac. You can be moved to the very core of your soul by an inspiring piece of artwork as by another individual. It’s how it impacts you on that most intimate of levels. Practice discrimination from time to time so you don’t get lost in the depths of your feelings & keep on the watch for all those ‘three-legged dogs’, whether animal or human. Your non-judgmental ability to accept the most broken amongst us could, if not monitored carefully, lead you into problematic situations. Remember…BOUNDARIES!!! Practice therapeutic touch because you have the capacity to relieve others of their stress.
Mars in Pisces: The potential to find one’s path instinctively by following flow is high. Conversely, because of the fluid nature of this placement, one must be mindful about setting boundaries & establishing protocols for action taken. All initiatives are linked to the feeling nature so to succeed, one must believe in one’s goals, be they material or spiritual. Romantic to the core, the sexual nature can only fully express itself if Love is included. One of your objectives is to develop DISCRIMINATION. You get so many messages that you need to discern which are valid & which are merely background noise. Remember, not all intuitions are founded on objective reality. A LOT of what you sense is coming from the emotional centers of ‘the other’, many of whom are unconscious, living in fear & muddled up. Learn how to separate the ‘wheat from the chaff’ & once you have mastered the art of 
discernment, throw the chaff quickly into the fire so that it does not contaminate the wheat. How to develop discernment? The very first thing is to maintain an attitude of skepticism & once a message comes through, either via a dream, a sensation, or a download, take the time to sit quietly with it and feel it in your entire body, organic & etheric. Read the signals methodically. How does it make your body feel? Is there a specific sensation somewhere in your body & if so where? What is your heart saying? Is your spiritual self nourished or depleted by the incoming message? In what way? Using a filtering process can tremendously improve your ability to discern if your intuition was valid or merely at the mercy of collective chaos. Especially now, we are living in a sea of chaotic energy, and those of us who are sensitives MUST become adept at discrimination. Otherwise, we will surely drown in a sea of tumult.
Ascendant in Pisces: Like Mars in Pisces, your spidey senses are like radar & if you learn to interpret them accurately, you will always find your way through any situation. Trust your gut response but first learn to understand what your gut response really means. Depending on the rest of the mandala, your messages may come in the form of body signals, including auditory ones, mental messages, a holistic type of simple ‘knowing’ or visual images either through omens or dreams. Your 
job is to figure out what your messaging protocol is. You can sense your way into any situation & your ability to MERGE with those around you is both a blessing & a curse; a blessing because this allows your exquisite empathy to provide others with comfort but a curse because you absorb the emotions of others so easily. Boundaries are of the utmost importance for you. You may find that you are most comfortable with friends who provide you with stability and grounding and who are able to translate what you nebulously ‘feel’ into understandable language. Keep developing boundaries & keep them strong so that you are not inundated with meaningless sensations. Also just like those with Mars in Pisces, you must cultivate DISCERNMENT above all. If you are having challenges in managing your personal boundaries, look at the placements of both your natal Jupiter & Neptune to develop strategies that help with this.
If either of your ruling planets is in FIRE:
–meditate regularly
–create rituals to connect you to your spiritual center
–visualize a flaming ring of fire that surrounds you at all times & disallows unwanted intrusion into your personal space
EARTH:
–spend time in nature daily
–engage in drumming which syncs your heartbeat to GAIA
–visualize yourself protected by trees, rocks, or any other representation of nature, somewhere in a safe, protected place where only those you permit can find you; & imagine you are barefoot!!!
AIR:
–practice deep breathing techniques
–chant healing mantras, either your own or ones you have learned from spiritual teachers; sing loudly & often
–visualize yourself surrounded by an electric web that none can penetrate without your conscious permission
WATER:
–fortify & guard your heart by focusing on it during a meditation; (place both hands across your heart while meditating)
–be selective about who you engage with organically; purge yourself regularly with saltwater baths to rid yourself of others’ emotional plasma
–visualize yourself in a large fluid egg (womblike) laced with go
ld thread that stops all negative energy from permeating your personal space; (my colour of choice is pink; use your own inner guidance to find the colour that suits YOU best)
Star Crossings: What’s in the soup right now?
Two planets are associated with Pisces, Jupiter, and once it was observed in the sky, Neptune. Jupiter co-relates to the intuitive mind or what has sometimes been called the right brain, that part of the self that can dream, vision and create. Neptune is the higher octave of 
Venus, representing love universal, love divine. Jupiter, as the sub-ruler, demonstrates Pisces’ connection to spirit via the avenue of creative, left-brain process. Neptune as ruler shows Pisces’ connection to spirit via alignment to the collective consciousness; thus, the reason why so many Pisces types have that famous ‘spidey sense’. Here’s a look at these two planets in current transit.
Jupiter takes about 12 years to move around the Sun and spends about 1 year in each sign of the zodiac. In the personal horoscope, Jupiter is considered to be bridge energy, that is, it links the more personal and external impulses with the deeper, less obvious impulses. In working terms, Jupiter can demonstrate our sense of meaning, our level of faith or belief, our need to understand, and the drive to succeed as we do so–the reward factor. The more that we can develop this part of our psyches, the more we will b
e ‘in the flow’ or ‘lucky’. Currently, Jupiter is at the front end of its journey through Aquarius. Collectively this is a great time to envision our future as a human race & set the goal, collectively, to reach that reward.
Jupiter is one of the planets that helps us to understand our life in cyclical terms and most of us will experience at least 5 or 6 (often up to 8 or even 9) Jupiter Returns. ( A planetary return is when that celestial object revisits the exact degree that it occupied at a given birth.) So, for all of you who have Jupiter in Aquarius natally, you will be experiencing this ‘return’ over the next year or so.
Following is a listing of dates going back to 1949 for Jupiter’s transit of Aquarius. If your birthday occurred within the scope of these dates, then you are currently experiencing a Jupiter “RETURN”. And, obviously, dates indicate the time periods when anyone with Jupiter in Aquarius experienced a Jupiter Return. Note the time elapse between the sequential dates. An interesting exercise is to go back to any records that you might have as to what was going on in your life around those dates. This will provide you with real-life data as to how your own Jupiterian energy operates for you and, even more importantly, how it has changed in terms of operation. Remember, the way energy works within us individually is directly co-related to the level of our own personal vibration. This vibratory level can alter depending on our egoic reactions to our life experiences.
April 13-1949-June 27, 1949
(the planet’s retrograde takes him back into Capricorn)
December 1, 1949-April 14, 1950
(the planet moves into Pisces & then retrogrades back into Aquarius)
September 16, 1950-December 1, 1950
ruler: Uranus in Cancer
March 15, 1961-August 11, 1961
(the planet retrogrades back into Capricorn)
November 4, 1961-March 25, 1962
ruler: Uranus in Leo
February 23, 1973-March 7, 1974
ruler: Uranus in Libra
February 7, 1985-February 20, 1986
ruler: Uranus in Sagittarius
January 22, 1997-February 3, 1998
ruler: Uranus in Aquarius
(some of these souls had Jupiter conjunct Uranus–wow!!)
January 6, 2009-January 17, 2010
ruler: Uranus in Pisces
Note that some of the dates are interrupted by a span of a few months. This is due to the regular retrograde cycle that the planet follows occurring near the 0* point.
Anyone with Jupiter in Aquarius will have the potential for incredible uniqueness. She will more likely be open-minded rather than rigid. The Uranian element within her persona will lead her in new directions, give her the appetite to explore new concepts, philosophies, ideologies, and spiritual protocols. There is a real possibility of genius on some level. (look to the house placement & aspects that Jupiter is making, especially to Mercury, the 3rd & the 9th house.) In Aquarius, Jupiter will be ‘high-minded’, particularly in areas to do with equality, equity, social action, community activism. Again, depending on the rest of the energy of the natal mandala, this could be a person who innately understands technology and particularly pursues scientific understanding. Sudden insights can take place so look at the ruler, Uranus, to determine the subtext of the “Jupiter in Aquarius” person. This individual is the big picture person; the one who can see beyond the single tree of a forest. She prefers to view the forest in its entirety. The need for ‘reward’ is most likely linked to these same broader social issues, the furtherance of social justice, the establishment of community equity, the application of objective morality in the context of human interaction. Able to see far beyond the current social condition, the idealistic Jupiter in Aquarius can envision a future utopia even when dystopia appears to be the prevailing circumstance.
In Esoteric Wisdom, Jupiter is powerful as the soul-centered ruler of Aquarius. The heart & mind unite to serve fellow humans via the auspices of society. Truth can flow from an individual who attunes to this level of expression & she can become a beacon to others in their spiritual search for meaning. Used in the most light-filled manner, this energy can become a ‘loudspeaker’ that dispenses inspirational ideas. Communication of positive concepts can fill the ‘darkening void’ with the light of wisdom.
Neptune, the modern-day ruler, takes much longer to transit the zodiac, having a cycle of about 165 years or, spending about 14 years or so in each sign. Currently, Neptune is transiting Pisces, having entered that energy back in 2011. He is about 2/3rds of the way through the energy of Pisces @ 20*, finally entering the third (Scorpio) decanate. The transit will conclude in 2025 at which time, Neptune will move into Aries & the two other outers, Uranus & Pluto will have shifted into the energies of Gemini & Aquarius. These next few years will be a signatory period in terms of the re-making of the current structure of the status quo. The shift into airy energy collectively, along with a fiery Neptune in Aries which will be ruled by Mars, will then provide us all with the opportunity to re-imagine (Aquarius: Mercury exalted) & explore (Gemini: Mercury ruled) new collective initiatives (Neptune in Aries). Society will not disappear but the way society operates will undergo a massive re-birth & the re-imagining of the social structure will be initiated & concretized by Mars, the warrior energy in us all. Fasten your seat-belts, kiddos, it’s going to get interesting!
But, back to Neptune in Pisces, boundaries disappear during this transit & that certainly appears to be the case quite literally as demonstrated by the so-called pandemic. Watch the messaging carefully over the next few months. Neptune in Pisces is also about illusion. We are already beginning to experience a shift in the prevailing narrative about the current global “pandemic”. Open your eyes wide to get the full picture.
I could also talk about confusion, fog, co-dependency, addiction, deceit, and so forth when exploring Neptune but I prefer to default to the more positive expression of this nebulous energy. If we think negatively, we will live negatively. So, if you start feeling muddled, just let go and seek peace. If you don’t feel the flow, take some time to check your own inner ‘truth meter’. Often, we lose that sense of connection because we are lying to ourselves. Especially the Neptune in Libra generation, (1942-1957, now mostly entering their so-called ‘golden’ years), you guys just have to take those rose coloured glasses off and call a spade a spade. Okay? Lifestyles may radically alter; relationships may suddenly fall by the wayside and any number of elaborate shams may suddenly be revealed. The key is to have the courage to admit what the truth really is. Continuing the ‘illusion’ (Neptune) is not an option and will only result in more confusion, denial, and even a downward spiral into addictive behaviour. After all, addictions are merely mechanisms that are masking some inner sense of lack or even loss. Sometimes, you have to lose it all to gain it all. 
That’s where the practical, hard-nosed energy of Virgo comes in. As the partner sign to Pisces, Virgo yanks the wild flights of fancy of the Pisces motif back to earth. Virgo encourages Pisces to base speculation on some cold hard data. Imagination is fine as long as it is fully understood that it is, in fact, IMAGINATION, & not a proven, peer-reviewed conclusion. It’s truly beautiful how the various energies complement each other and never more so than in the Pisces/Virgo polarity partnership, currently at work & embodied in Transiting Neptune!
There’s a lot to dig into with Pisces energy. It’s subtle, complex, inscrutable, mystical, magical, inspirational in a gentle yielding sort of way & lovely to be around when present in the psyche of others. When I think of Pisces, I find myself singing that little ditty:
“Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream
Merrily, merrily merrily, merrily
Life Is But A Dream…”
Dream on, little Pisces, dream on…