“The Dream” by Odilon Redon

“You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop.” 

- Rumi

(February 18 - March 19)

We are now in the season of the two fishes. A mutable water sign, Pisces is fluid and slippery, chameleon-like. It is ruled by Neptune, God of the Sea and planet of alternate realities, and Jupiter, God of the Sky and planet of boundless appetites. It is the archetype of the Dreamer, the Mystic and the Poet. 

Born with one foot in the Otherworld, Pisces knows instinctively that the Self is an illusion and that we really are all One. Because of that, it is a natural empath and possesses a rare generosity. But also, it must protect against self-sacrifice and energy vampires. Being a water sign, Pisces natives are sensitive, but not in the same way Cancers and Scorpios are sensitive. If Cancer is the river and Scorpio is the well, then Pisces is the ocean: vast and infinite. It doesn’t just feel its own feelings; it feels everyone else’s feelings too. 

I think of Pisces as the tofu of the zodiac (I love tofu), picking up and absorbing the flavors of whatever else is cooking in the pan with it or whatever sauce it’s simmering in. But in all cases, these natives will need periods of retreat, meditative rituals or hobbies that allow them to disappear from themselves for a bit. Coming back can be a challenging task, but it is an important one. Addiction, escapism and loss of self are pitfalls that must be vigilantly avoided. We can be influenced by others, we can experience moments of transcendence, but we must not dissolve.

A big part of the story of Pisces is the ambivalence of being alive. Being confined to the body leads to an (often unconscious) on-going attempt to get back to the Source, or touch the divine. For Pisces, God is not a castle in the sky, or an endless party, or pearly gates or a garden of paradise. It is the ouroboric womb: safe, contained, submerged, timeless, rhythmic and hypnotic. It is the primordial liminal fluid of pre-memory and pre-consciousness where all is symbiotic. These are romantic, idealistic and highly spiritual principles. If one is careful not to be too easily deceived, and with grounding influences from either the rest of the birth chart or from other people in the life, this rich imagination and deeply feeling nature can contain enormous creative potential.

For all of us, where Pisces falls in the chart will be a less defined, more porous, potentially confusing, area of life. And that area is what is being highlighted for the duration of the Sun’s time in the sign. Try to cultivate acceptance around the idea that not everything needs to be structured and predictable. But also remember that defining and maintaining your boundaries is necessary for a healthy relationship to Self and Other. So, by all means, swim out into the watery blue expanse, but take a buddy with you, wear a life jacket, and don’t lost sight of the shore.