THE COMPASSION THAT IS PISCES

Here we are at the gates of one of the most inscrutable energies of the Zodiac. Oh Pisces, will we ever understand you?  Perhaps the answer to this question is that understanding need not be the destination in the journey into Pisces. Rather, the goal, when exploring this energy—(because EVERYONE has it wired somewhere into their psyche)—is to simply FEEL it deep within your own self.

 

Pisces is one of the water signs, the least personal on an emotional level. Cancer, the cardinal water sign, takes us deep into the subjective. Scorpio, the fixed water sign, introduces us to the mystery of emotion. Pisces, the mutable water sign, lifts us into the power of 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. 

 

This is, in some ways, the most malleable, adaptable and shifting of the watery energies.  Like the ocean with waves moving in numerous directions, Pisces 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 since it is equivalent to the first 2 hours of life after actual birth. Much is absorbed at this most critical time 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 in an organic manner, assimilating information into the most interior areas of the self. 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 like, for instance, Virgo, the partner sign to Pisces, needs to do.

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 others’ tails, creating a circular motion of 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.

 

We are now at the end of 2 millennia of experience that was dubbed as the Age of Pisces. The human collective explored the principles of idealism, devotion, commitment, service, compassion, union, and a variety of spiritual disciplines over the past 2000 or so years. The highest manifestation of the human journey through Pisces is the principle of LOVE expressed through faith and works of godly devotion. Reactively, we have seen a distortion of this very same impulse sometimes at the very same time as those manifestations of pure optimal expression of this energy. Fanaticism, bizarre expressions of religious devotion like self-flagellation or self-deprivation in the name of the divine, holy wars and other suchlike behaviours are examples of Pisces energy in distortion. The human collective has now explored a multitude of ways to interact with the divine. Now, as we move into the newly blossoming energy of Aquarius (as a collective), we can integrate the Pisces experience into the exploration of the Aquarius experience. We have searched for the divine outside of ourselves and now we will turn our attention inward and locate the sacred within.

 

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. 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 ‘the other’ 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 and don’t let go.

 

Above all, we find compassion and forgiveness deeply entrenched in this energy. When the Christ was dying on the cross, he beseeched his God, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do!” Here we see how powerful compassion and forgiveness can be. In his moment of extreme need, the Christ thought not of himself, but rather, of the spiritual welfare of those who had wronged him. Other ‘love-based’ spiritual practices also follow this model. As aspiring spiritual beings, we seek to bless ‘the other’. We attempt to understand, with heartfelt compassion, why ‘the other’ does things that may be hurtful or incomprehensible. If we are cruelly wronged, we make an effort to lift ourselves out of ego-based vengefulness and find ways to forgive the wrong. It isn’t easy to do. It is difficult to find the balance between justifiable response and the sometimes totally unjustifiable response of retaliation. When we are wronged, we want to retaliate, to prove ourselves correct, to punish the wrongdoer. But Pisces encourages us to rise above this very understandable and human need; to shift it into something that heals all who are involved in the unacceptable situation. Just like Christ, we want to throw our burden onto the divine and let go of the need to be proven right. Trust, another Pisces attribute, helps us to believe in the immutable energy of spirit. We throw our burdens into the cache that is the divine and we trust that the divine will lead the way.

 

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. The Jupiter connection represents Pisces connection to the divine spark of creativity, its connection to spirit. The Neptune connection shows Pisces alignment to the collective mind; 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 and our need to understand. It identifies the aspirational impulse within the self, where we derive our greatest sense of reward or achievement. The more that we can develop this part of our psyches, the more we will be ‘in the flow’ or ‘lucky’. Currently, Jupiter is moving through Capricorn, the energy of the real, the substantive, the nitty-gritty. When the aspirational energy that is Jupiter settles into the down to business energy that is Capricorn, it’s the time to get real. Dreaming has its place but once the dream is fully envisioned, it time to EMBODY. Right now, is a great time to DO your creative work, not just imagine it! Locate those inner intuitions and then FOLLOW THROUGH with the planning, the organizing, the do diligence.

 

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 ( and 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 Capricorn natally, you will be experiencing this ‘return’ over the next year or so. Embrace the experience of simple being over the next few months and see what spirit has to offer you.

 

Neptune 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 midway through its own home territory of Pisces. When Neptune transits Pisces, we could collectively experience a greater sense of holistic being.  This could happen on any number of levels. We could find our home/community; develop our connection to our ‘soul group’, whatever it is. And certainly, we could, at the highest of vibrational levels, leave our judgments at the door and work together with unconditional love.

 

I could also talk about confusion, fog, co-dependency, addiction, deceit and so forth when exploring Neptune, and especially, Neptune in Pisces, 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 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 (now mostly entering their so-called ‘golden’ years), you guys just have to take those rose-coloured glasses off and call a spade a shovel. 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, all addictions are merely mechanisms that are masking some inner sense of lack or even loss. But, sometimes, you have to lose it all to gain it all.

 

We are on the brink of some very exciting and interesting times. Connecting to the Pisces part of ourselves will only enhance the experience of the years ahead!

 Pisces on the angles (1, 4, 7, 10): oh! you spooky little thing!

Pisces overlaying houses (2, 5, 8, 11):  not so stuck in your ways.

Pisces overlaying houses (3, 6, 9, 12):  go with the flow, baby, go with the flow…