Pisces – True Tarot Tales

Pisces Season 2025: Part 2

Each zodiac sign contains three decans, blocks of ten days or so, each with a different planetary ruler. “If you’ve ever wondered why people born in the same sign seem different, the decans can help answer this puzzle,” – astrologer Rachel Lang.

The decans or decanates were in use by astrologers in Egypt 2100 BCE, as evidenced carved on coffin lids. But they may be far older in astrological usage, and have been described as ‘the thirty-six faces of astrology.’ Each of the 12 signs of the zodiac (Wheel of Life) represents 30 degrees of the 360-degree wheel of the zodiac, tracking the course of the Sun over a year.

Each sign is subdivided into three parts of ten degrees each. These are the decans from the Greek word “deka” meaning ten. The decans are not considered particularly significant by astrologers in general, but do supply further clues, nuance and texture and for divinatory purposes, may help a reader narrow down a timeframe to a ten day window, while supplying extra insights in respect of situation, stakes, character and potential destiny.

First Decan Pisces

Pisces- Pisces

Dates: 19 Feb-29 Feb

Planetary rulers: Jupiter/Saturn

Tarot card: Eight of Cups

*Smith Waite Centennial deck © U.S. Games Systems, Inc.*

Card meanings: Moving on, cutting ones losses, leaving something behind, but not in anger. Reversed: disillusionment, regret

The first decan of any sign is considered the most typical. Pisces makes for versatility and adaptability, while Neptune presents a soft or gentle manner or appearance. This Pisces decan is rarely aggressive or confrontational.

But there is a sense of a push and pull going on here. Jupiter means Pisces thinks big and steps forward. Neptune means Pisces swims in circles or hides in the weeds. This Pisces native connects with other people on an unconscious level, almost hearing what they are thinking. Maybe they haven’t noticed this about themselves yet, or they take their telepathy for granted, but if this is you, watch out for the signs.

While quiet, this Pisces has deep passions and their love life can be tempestuous. Their ideal partner will be lively and communicative with a can-do approach but the first decan Pisces tends to go on a lot of detours before arriving or settling in their happy place or rightful destination.

They often look younger than their age, but they need to be especially aware of their dietary and other habits in order to protect their health; mood, and the chest, lungs and feet in particular. Pisces is extra-sensitive to the effects of overindulgence of alcohol or mind altering drugs.

Second Decan Pisces

Pisces-Cancer

Dates: 1-10 March (approx.)

Planetary ruler: Jupiter/Moon

Tarot card: Nine of Cups

Card Meanings: the wish card, dreams come true, food and drink, the hospitality industry. Reversed: overindulgence, complacency, self-satisfaction

The sub-influence for this decan is Cancer, ruled by The Moon. Cancer is the natural ruler of the fourth house of home, family and security. These Pisces subjects typically stay close to birth family members. This Pisces may struggle to loosen parental ties, becoming fully independent, but must do so if they want to progress and develop and become the adult in the room (Saturn in Pisces

The zone of the sky from March 1 –10 houses the stars of the water of Aquarius, Eridanus the river and the western fish of Pisces. These are the faintest, most elusive stars. Now you see them, now you don’t.

These Pisceans blend in anywhere. Sensitive and psychic, this decan absorbs like moss. For the same reason these highly empathic people need to choose their company with care, and form healthy habits early on in life. These subjects are supremely susceptible to the influence of others in their environment, and this can work positively or negatively.

Third Decan Pisces

Pisces-Scorpio

Dates: 11 March-20 March

Planetary rulers: Mars/Pluto

Tarot card– Ten of Cups

Card Meanings: contentment, completion, arrival, family life, stability, safety and security, team effort, a happy home Reversed: losses, family conflicts, break-ups, unhappiness

The sub-influences for this decan are Scorpio and its rulers, traditional Mars or modern Pluto. Energetic Mars and Scorpio – natural ruler of the eighth house of desire, willpower, drive and determination – bestows extra charisma, and the drive and determination to push forward. This Pisces native has the artistic creativity of Pisces/Neptune with extra sticking power to turn dreams into realities.

Pluto brings depth. Mars brings speed and energy of attack. This Pisces native needs to keep busy, with plenty of energy outlets. Pisces marks the completion of the zodiac wheel. This final decan marks the point at which we move into Aries, the cycle starts over again and Aries too, is ruled by energetic Mars. What these Pisces natives start, they finish.

These Pisces natives, like the other decans, are enormously attuned to their environment, but they tend to stay more aloof and watchful, less likely to blend in. They are highly observant, natural detectives, well suited to police work or other kinds of investigative work. Pisces-Scorpio listens between the lines and notices what is not being said.

The Cusps of Pisces

Aquarius-Pisces: February 15-21

Aquarius-Pisces: This is a Pisces native with Aquarius tendencies; a person of high principles, quiet, refined, and with strong likes and dislikes. This Pisces native is likely to do a lot of travelling. They have executive capabilities and can earn or make a lot of money, but tend to become bored quite easily. This native needs to be careful not to get trapped, committing too soon in a relationship that doesn’t suit them, simply out of a fear of being left on their own.

Pisces-Aries: March 17-23

Born on the Pisces-Aries cusp, this native is especially instinctive and brave. This mix of energy combines physical and moral courage with compassion for others which can make this Pisces individual a successful leader. This person is loyal to friends and colleagues and they are also generous, and eager to see others do well.

Famous Pisces subjects

Michelangelo, Copernicus, George 111, Albert Einstein, Neville Chamberlain, Sidney Poitier, Elizabeth Taylor, Yuri Gagarin, Michael Gorbachev, Osama Bin Laden, Steve Irwin, Steve Jobs, President Erdogan of Turkey

Key Astrology Dates in Pisces Season 2025

I touched upon the broader Pisces weather in Pisces Season 2025 Part 1. This weather starts to break when Mars goes stationary in Cancer 23 February after a retrograde lasting two and a half months, beginning December 6.

Feb. 18 Sun enters Pisces.

Feb. 20 Mercury at 12 degrees Pisces square Jupiter at 12 Gemini. Information spreads. Discussions and options are explored. Be wary of something or writing something you might later regret. Beware thieves and scammers.

Feb. 23 Mercury at 17 Pisces trine Mars at 17 Cancer. A great time for home improvements, new kitchen or bathroom

Feb. 23 Mars stationary direct, finally, a change of pace after two and a half months of retrograde. Energy ramps up. Forward motion.

Feb. 24 – 25 Mercury conjunct Saturn at 20 degrees of Pisces. Wet weather, snow, ice, cold conditions, and grey skies figure in to all plans and outlooks. Hard cold realities demand attention, but a focus on details and duties will bring good results.

Feb. 26 – 27 Mercury at 24 Pisces sextile Uranus at 24 Taurus. Clever ideas appear in mind. Sudden solutions fall into place. Intuition and practicality converge. Understanding ignites grand perceptions even in regard to abstruse matters.

Feb. 28 New Moon, 10 degrees of Pisces Square Jupiter. Tarot card 8 Cups. Closing a door perhaps, more in a spirit of acceptance than in anger. A good time for starting photography, yoga, swimming, meditation, poetry. This Jupiter square warns against overdoing things.

March 1 Venus stationary retrograde at 11 Aries. Strong passions, not the best day for a wedding, major purchase or legal action. Patience is needed.

March 2 Mercury conjunct Neptune at 29 degrees of Pisces. Imagination and intuition get a big boost. Dream images register strongly.

March 2 Sun at 12 Pisces square Jupiter at 12 Gemini. Big events, big moods, possible insomnia.

March 3 Mercury enters Aries to stay through March 28. Venus goes retrograde until April 14. Not the best window for weddings or major expenses.

March 4–6 Mercury at 3 degrees of Aries sextile Pluto at 3 degrees of Aquarius. Keep communications short, clear and to the point.

March 7–8 Sun at 18 degrees Pisces trine Mars at 18 degrees of Cancer. Emotional healing unfolds with little effort. Physical healing/improvements. Kind gestures bring relief and help close to home.

March 11–12 Mercury conjunct retrograde Venus at 9 degrees of Aries. Odd coincidences. Chance meetings bring important information. New insights into past events. Freak natural events or weather events possible.

March 11–12 Sun conjunct Saturn at 22 degrees of Pisces. Sadness in the picture. Losses must be faced, relinquishments made. Rest is needed.

March 14 Sun at 24 degrees of Pisces sextile Uranus at 24 degrees of Taurus.

March 14 Full Moon, Sun at 24 degrees of Pisces, Moon at 24 degrees of Virgo. A lunar eclipse intensifies feelings, intuitions, sensations and perceptions. A push and pull of psychic Pisces and analytical Virgo, accentuated risk of respiratory illnesses

March 15 Mercury stationary retrograde, 10 degrees Aries. Here we go again for the next 3 weeks, stalls, delays or other complications in comms, contracts and exchanges

March 19–20 Sun conjunct Neptune at 29 degrees Pisces. Light is thrown on the nature of the subconscious and the images dwelling there.

March 20 Sun enters Aries, Spring equinox in the northern hemisphere, Autumn/Fall equinox in the southern hemisphere.

Happy Birthday Pisces. The Taskmaster planet Saturn is still in Pisces in 2025. Fresh starts and new ventures will pay off but these will demand a sustained effort of concentration and headedness. A reminder of the dates Saturn is in Pisces, from 7 march 2023- 24 May 2025 and again from Sep 1 2025 until Feb 13 2026

Tarot for Pisces Season 2025

Cards from The Legacy of The Divine Tarot

I could see two storylines in this line of cards. One is to do with my own family right now, and the personalities and events were completely obvious to me in real time. The other storyline, I saw as holding up a mirror on Donald Trump’s negotiations with Russia. Why did I think so?

Justice. Legalities. Libra. Diplomacy. Summit. Due Process. And Vladimir Putin is a Libra Sun sign subject.

King of Swords. An Air Sign king. Donald Trump (Gemini), Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Aquarius) and Vladimir Putin (Libra) are all Air sign subjects, liable to turn up in a Tarot reading represented by the King of Swords, Knight of Swords or Queen of Swords, I knew Donald Trump was a Gemini sun sign subject. Volodymyr Zelenskyy is also a King of Swords, another Air Sign King. NB There are questions as to actual birth dates and times of DT and VP, which is a consideration for astrologers. But in my cards Vladimir Putin has always turned up as a King or Queen of Swords, while Donald Trump invariably shows up as the King of Swords, and that is what I work with.)

The Hanged Man. This card signifies Neptune, the modern ruler of Pisces. But I also associate it with president Zelenskyy. This card has been appearing in readings ever since February 2022 when my mother anxiously asked, did I see Putin being successful in his attempts to have Zelenskyy assassinated and I said no, I did not see that. But though I have a tendency to lean to over-optimism, I did feel that Zelenskyy would be betrayed or at least, experience bitter disappointment, not least that the Budapest Memorandum would not be honoured as promised. I did not see a military defeat as such for Ukraine, nor an overt victory for Putin. But would Ukraine feel it had received justice from those who had required it to relinquish nuclear weapons in return for protection in case of attack(The Hanged Man)? It seemed highly probable in 2022 that Putin would consolidate at least some territorial gains in the Donbas, as well as consolidating the 2014 re-annexation of Crimea.

Queen of Swords I read this card as showing President Putin, with President Zelenskyy/Ukraine shown as something of a sacrificial figure, caught in-between Putin and President Trump (and Europe of course)

The King of Cups I immediately thought that the King of Cups must be referring to Erdogan, but I needed to go and check. Sure enough. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is a Pisces zodiac sign, born 26 February 1954. I had wondered if it might be referring to Xi Xin-ping of China, another mighty player in this terrifying power play, but he is a Cancer sun sign subject, born 15 June 1953

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is NOT happy that he has been bypassed by President Trump, and that Ankara was not consulted about hosting, let alone attending the recent negotiations. Turkey backs Ukraine’s full territorial integrity. It controls the Black Sea and NATO’s southern flank. He sees Putin’s control of Crimea, annexed in 2014, as an abiding challenge to shipping security in the Black Sea in particular Black Sea Grains.

“Considering the active diplomacy we have followed in the last three years, our country (Turkey) will be an ideal host for the possible talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States in the coming period. During my meeting with Mr. Zelensky, I expressed Turkey’s strong support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence…. We will provide all kinds of support to conclude the negotiation process with a lasting peace. Despite all the difficulties brought about by the war, we want to take firm steps towards the target of 10 billion dollars in our bilateral trade. I would like to express my appreciation for the courageous steps taken by my dear friend Zelensky regarding the rights of our Crimean Tatar compatriots who are fighting for the territorial integrity of Ukraine, and I hope that additional steps will follow.”

Source https://x.com/RTErdogan

The Devil card, the last in this line of cards is a pretty dire warning of unwanted consequences going down the route as mapped out in the recent negotiations. It is also the major arcana card of Capricorn. It talks about money. Lots of money. Apparently $300bn, according to former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

“Trump’s statements are not intended to be historically accurate but to shock Europeans into action. In particular the US can see $300bn of frozen Russian assets – mainly in Belgium. That is cash that could and should be used to pay Ukraine and compensate the US for its support. Why is Europe preventing the unfreezing of Putin’s cash? The US believes Belgium, France and other countries are blocking…”

Now Emmanuel Macron has called a second emergency summit. When he shows up, I will be interested to see if Tarot will present him as a King of Pentacles, date of birth 21 December 1977.

“France calls second urgent meeting of EU leaders in 3 days to discuss security issues in Ukraine and Europe, — Reuters Another meeting is expected tomorrow. Among the invited countries are Norway, Canada, the Baltic states, the Czech, Greece, Finland, Romania, Sweden and Belgium.”

None of this is to express an opinion, and clearly, nothing will be resolved in Pisces Season 2025. But it does appear that Pisces 2025 is acting as a crucible. With further Neptunian shockwaves to come.

Back soon. Thank you for reading.

Further reading

Astrologer Marjorie Orr

BBC

MilitaryNewsUA

Pisces Season 2025

The work of John Flamsteed the first Astronomer Royal. *Image from the Atlas Coelestis, posthumously published by John Flamsteed, 1729, illustrator John Thornhill.*caption…

Most of us know our zodiac sun sign. But what are its stars, what do they look like in the night sky, and what’s the ancient story behind it all? Time to go fishing with Pisces.

Traditional Associations

Dates: 18/19 Feb to 20/21 March. Variable cusp depending on the leap year cycle

Ruling planets: Jupiter and Neptune (before Neptune’s official discovery in 1846, it was Jupiter)

Zodiac House 12. Endings, Resurrections, the Unknown, all that is hidden.

Element: Water Quality: Mutable – versatility, changeability, the ending of one season and the beginning of another Energy: Yin -receptive

Key phrase: I believe

Body: Feet, eyes, bladder

Birth Stone: Aquamarine (‘the water of the sea’) A blue variety of beryl (Emerald is a green beryl.) The aquamarine is a hexagonal crystal structure, sometimes confused with blue topaz, believed to enhance foresight and clairvoyance.

Tarot card: The Moon

Meanings: The Moon, Mondays, tides, cycles, ebb and flow, feminine cycles, fertility, instinct, wildlife, walking on the wild side, hunting, fishing, psychics, ghosts, visions, dreams, delusions, madness, contamination, fever, food poisoning, uncertainty, danger, confusions with documentation, risks in travel.

Astronomy

Pisces, the Latin plural of fish, is the 14th largest constellation overall, covering a large V- shaped region in the part of the sky known as The Sea or The Water. Its stars are faint —hard to see with the naked eye.

The fish of Pisces are depicted as freshwater fish, koi carp, swimming at right angles to each other, one to the north and one to the west, attached by a cord. Its brightest star, Eta Piscium, also known as Alpherg or Kullat Nunu, is a bright giant star (G class) 294 light-years from Earth and has a luminosity 316 times greater that of the sun. Kullat Nunu is its Babylonian name. ‘Nunu’ means ‘fish’ and ‘kullat’ is a bucket.

Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.comcaption…

The vernal equinox currently occurs during Pisces, 19-21 March, the astronomical marker of the start of spring in the northern hemisphere.

History and Mythology

Pisces is the sign of the thaw, the freshwater melt and the first spawning of the freshwater fishes, though depending on latitude and therefore temperature, some species may spawn sooner. Fish may rise again to the top to feed. Frogs and Toads will spawn. The fish of Pisces are attached by a cord of stars, just as life and death are conjoined and cannot be separated. Pisces is not only the last sign of winter, moving into spring; it is the last sign of the whole zodiac year, the culmination of all the signs that came before it.

Egypt

“It (Pisces) is one of the earliest zodiac signs on record, with the two fish appearing as far back as c. 2300 BC on an Egyptian coffin lid ” -(Wiki) The two fish of the constellation Pisces were the offspring of the Great Fish. In Egyptian mythology, this fish saved the life of the Egyptian goddess Isis, and she placed this fish and its descendants into the heavens as a star constellation.

India

In Hindu mythology Matsya is an manifestation or avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu the Preserver who rescued the first man, Manu from a great deluge. (…and here we are again, back to the great flood stories of Aquarius) The Matsya may be depicted as a giant golden fish or as a merman, half- fish half humanoid Lord Vishnu. Vishnu is the second god in the Hindu holy trinity (Trimurti) Brahma was the Maker, god of creation and passion, Vishnu, the face of light and preservation, and Shiva, the face of the dark, and destruction.

Greece

To the ancient Greeks, the fish were the goddess Aphrodite and her son, Eros, who were out walking by the Euphrates one day when a terrible monster rose up out of the water. This monster, Typhon, had been terrorizing the gods of Olympus ever since the war with the Titans. Typhon was a Titan, a son of Gaia, and he hated the gods of Olympus as invaders and upstarts who had overthrown and dispossessed his own, more ancient race of Titans. He was as tall as the heavens and his eyes shot flames. Instead of fingers, he had 100 dragon’s heads sprouting from his hands -for which one could read ‘flames,’ or magma.

Not one of the Olympian gods had the power to destroy Typhon, not alone. All they could do was avoid him or flee for their lives, which they often did by transforming themselves into animals. Aphrodite and Eros now transformed themselves into two fish (koi) and swam away. Ultimately, Zeus imprisoned Typhon beneath Mount Etna, but Typhon is still very much alive down there. As of February 2021 there was much talk about such seismic activity as a potentially major global influence in 2021. We are seeing again, warnings of a potential volcanic eruption in Santorini and beyond in the Aegean, in Aquarius and Pisces season in 2025.

Rome and Early Christianity

Early Christians used the Fish as a symbol of their faith and called the TWELVE apostles of Christ the Fishers of Men (Pisces as the twelfth sign.) The secret code name for Jesus, Yeshua Ben Joseph- was Ichthys from the Greek meaning fish, it was an acronym Jesus- Christ- God- Son- Saviour.

The so-called Age of Pisces began 1 AD and- depending on your source, will end in 2150 when we enter the so-called Age of Aquarius, though some astrologers say we are already in that Age. Read more about the astrological ages HERE

The Age of Pisces saw the rise of the Monotheistic religions, Christianity and Islam. This current, much discussed brand new mini Age of Aquarius, 2024-2043, is supposedly a secular age, all about technology and collectivism. But religion shows no sign of going away. Islam is fast on the rise in the west, Christianity on the wane, with vacuums filled by socio-political ideological transmutations of the religious instinct. Identity politics.

The Archetype

In Tarot, whether the subject of any inquiry is male or female, Pisces is embodied as The Knight of Cups. In Arthurian legend this would be Sir Percival, or in later versions of the legend, Sir Galahad. This knight is a champion of the underdog, a protector, a lover, a bearer of grace. The healing chalice. This card generally translates as good news, a happy situation, recovery from illness, a new friend, an admirer, possibly a marriage proposal, news of a baby on the way, “my cup runneth over”.

Pisces combines imagination with the determination and self-sacrifice of a salmon fighting upriver to spawn, even at the cost of its life. New life must come, says Pisces, even if the death of the self is the price. Paradoxically, there may be a certain passivity, even inertia. This serves Pisces well at times, but may, in some cases, degenerate into the shadow side of Pisces, depression, alcohol or other substance misuse.

These individuals are natural artists, writers or musicians. Compassionate and sensitive. But while their steel may be hidden, all the same, it is there. Not much is said about this scaly Pisces steel. They can be tough, even hard in a quiet way. They don’t say much but watch the eyes harden. Cross the line once too often, you are gone. That is it.

Pisces needs variety. Structure must allow them room for a degree of autonomy. Desk-based work, although Pisces can certainly do it, and with considerable efficiency, it is not really their thing. They like to be on their feet, which are ruled by Pisces. They make excellent and approachable team leaders. Passing the buck is not their style. They will take on injustice, taking on those senior to themselves in status. But Pisces, unlike, say Aquarius, acts on an individual basis. Group actions, campaigns or crusades do not sit naturally with their temperament, except just possibly for early Pisces, born on the Aquarius cusp. Later born subjects especially, born close to the Aries cusp 20/21 April, are especially the ‘doers’ of Pisces, and Pisces is brave. Very brave indeed. But these watery denizens need to guard their physical energy. It can be erratic, and their reserves once depleted, are not so easily restored as other signs. If they become prone to headaches at the back of the head, there may be related bladder infections or other issues.

Famous Pisces in history

Michelangelo, Amerigo Vespucci, Copernicus, Vivaldi, Handel, George Washington, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Albert Einstein, Nat King Cole, Elizabeth Taylor, Nina Simone, Harold Wilson, Yuri Gagarin, Sidney Poitier, Steve Irwin.

silhouette of man on boat during golden hour — Photo by Inu Etc on Unsplash

‘No man is an island,’ wrote John Donne. Yes and no. We are both the ocean and the land. Islands in archipelagos. But there are bridges. There are boats. Sometimes we are islands. Sometimes we are the bridges and the boats.

Pisces Season 2025

Neptune is another name for the god Poseidon, known as The Earth-Shaker, associated with earthquakes in not only the literal sense, but also the metaphorical sense. We have been navigating fathomless Pisces waters for quite some time now. Uneasy times. Borders and boundaries dissolved. Norms overturned. Our instincts are increasingly on edge. Right now we have got…

Saturn in Pisces (from March 7, 2023, to May 24, 2025; and then again from September 1, 2025, to February 13, 2026) After February 13 next year, Saturn will not be back until January 10, 2053 to March 22, 2055. Saturn periods are intense. Demanding. Life-changing. Character building. Giving structure to what is shapeless. In infrastructure terms, building a dam to contain a reservoir.

Neptune in Pisces (from April 4, 2011 until 2026 but with a break May 2025) Last time Neptune was in Pisces (in the mid-19th century) marked a time of many European revolutions, the Civil War, and a resurgence of mysticism. Neptune in Pisces this time round has marked a time around a global pandemic and lockdown, binge-watching on devices, addiction to escapism via non material digital routes. Fewer physical books, fewer actual cinema seats. In infrastructure terms, removing a dam.

North lunar Node in Pisces (from January 11, 2025, to July 26, 2026.) Dreams and visions. Going deep. Thinking and acting in terms of the big picture. Letting it be. Letting go.

Mercury in Pisces (February 14-March 3, 2025 and again, March 29-April 16.) Intuition first, explanations second. Feelings work faster than thinking. Dreams are vivid, speaking in metaphors.

There is a deeply uneasy, foggy lull for the time being, but we know big things are stirring, churning beneath the surface. Back channels on overdrive. We all know it, we can feel it. Putin is looking ever more highly likely to consolidate his unlawful annexation of Crimea, plus Luhansk and or Donetsk.

Attitudes, if not policies, could start to shift from the end of next month when Neptune leaves Pisces and enters Aries, aka The Emperor, the Ram. This is young energy, new starts, masculine energy, potentially war energy. Potentially War at sea. “Emperors” rise, and new Empires. Emperors do action. Unilaterally. They incur risks for sure, above all betrayal, and they may accept advice, but they operate in relative freedom of the constraints of bulky process consensus. Action is the only way to meet the Ram, should it decide to charge head down. Meanwhile, Saturn and Neptune in Pisces demand we cut out the deadwood, look a problem squarely in the eye and call things by their “proper” names.

This is all due to heat up, not quite yet, but soon, possibly for worse on the world stage, but also for better, Mars going direct again at last February 23 will start burning off the fog. Physical energy starts picking up soon, we can get more done, sort out stuff that has been hanging over us since at least early December 2024.

Neptune is associated with The Hanged Man in the Tarot deck. I have had a feeling about the Pope since Christmas, about his health come early spring. Hope to be wrong but it comes to us all. The Hanged man is about taking time out. Sacrificing something for a greater good, or accepting great losses as a necessity. Looking at things from a new and different perspective. Hard won wisdom. Swan’s feet working furiously beneath the surface. Extraordinary times requiring extraordinary measures.

March is looking pretty extraordinary.

The old order is fast disappearing. On an everyday level, old ways of doing things are not working like they used to do. We need new tools and new methods. The new order is not yet quite here, but we are getting an ever clearer sense of what it looks like.

Enter the Season of Pisces The Heavenly Fishes, 2024

Most of us know our Western Tropical zodiac sun sign, but what’s the story behind it? And what are the decans? It’s time to find out more about Pisces the Heavenly Fishes

13th century window in Chartres Cathedral

Traditional associations

Symbol:

Date of Birth: 19 Feb to 20 March

Ruling planets: Traditional: Jupiter Modern: Neptune

Element: Water

Quality: Mutable

Lucky Days: Monday and Thursday

Energy: Yin (receptive)

Key phrase: I believe

Body: Feet, eyes, bladder

Tissue Salt: Ferrum Phos (Iron Phosphate) An oxygen booster.

Birth Stone: Aquamarine but also amethyst, ruby, blood-stone and jasper. Aquamarine is the blue variety of beryl. Emerald is a green beryl. The aquamarine is believed to enhance foresight, clairvoyance and a sense of well-being.

Colours: Purple, violet, sea-green

Herbs/Flowers: the water lily (associated with Neptune)

Tarot cards: The Moon: ebb and flow, cyclical shifts, intuition, dreams, visionary capabilities, ghosts, fertility, instinct v societal norms, wild creatures, difficulties with travel, infection, poison, uncertainties, shadow boxing, wild creatures.

Other cards: the Knight of Cups and the 8, 9 and 10 Cups.

Pisces Astronomy

Pisces, named for the Latin plural of fish, is the 14th largest constellation overall, located in the first quadrant of the Northern Hemisphere and covering a large V-shaped region. But although it’s a fairly large constellation its stars are faint, none brighter than fourth magnitude. Not easy to see with the naked eye.

Even so, its brightest star, Eta Piscium, also known as Alphergor Kullat Nunuis a bright giant star 294 light-years from Earth, 316 times more luminous than the sun. Its Babylonian name is Kullat Nunu, ‘Nunu’ meaning ‘fish’ and ‘kullat’ meaning a bucket.

The fish of Pisces are often depicted in art as two koi carp swimming at right angles to each other; one to the north, one to the west, and attached by a cord. This imaginary cord, Alrescha or Alpha Piscium, is made up of a pair of white dwarf stars. Astronomer Ian Ridpath explains: “A cord joins the tails of Pisces. The horizontal dashed line passing through the southerly fish is the celestial equator, and the diagonal dashed line is the Sun’s annual path, the ecliptic. The point where they cross is known as the vernal (spring) equinox.”

Pisces rules the feet. Symbolically Pisces has one foot in the death of the old year, and one foot in the new life of springtime.Pisces is the twelfth and final sign of the zodiac year, ruling the twelfth house in a personal horoscope, representing hopes, dreams and fears- what lies beneath. “Can thou draw forth leviathan from the deep?”

In Christianity, Pisces represents Christ, and its opposite sign of Virgo represents Mary, the mother of Christ.

Pisces stands for what is unknowable.

The nature origins of the Pisces story

green pine trees beside river during daytime — Springtime snow melt Montana Photo by Gary Yost on Unsplash

February and March is the time of the winter melt, the fullest mountain rivers and the first spawning of fresh water fishes in the Northern hemisphere. This was the flooding season in Mesopotamia where the zodiac signs and stories of the Western Tropical zodiac first originated. There is evidence of recorded astrology dating back to the third millennium BC/BCE.

Pisces is a mutable sign, marking the subtle transition of one season into another. Pisces marks the end of winter leading up to the vernal equinox. Of all the zodiac signs, the mutable signs; Pisces, Gemini and Sagittarius, are traditionally the most adaptable, the ones most at ease with endings, transitions and change.

The fishes of Pisces are attached by a cord of stars, just as life and death, and winter and spring are conjoined, and cannot be separated. Pisces is not only the last sign of winter, moving into spring; it is the last sign of the zodiac year; a symbolic culmination of all the signs that came before it.

undefined — From Urania’s Mirror, Sidney Hall, 1824

The end of winter often brings mourning. More than any other season, it is the end of winter that carries away the old and frail. A mild or green winter was especially feared as it “made fat the graveyard,” as the old saying went.

Pisces straddles winter’s grief and the bright green shoots of spring.

The Pisces Archetype/Astrological Personality

The court card of Pisces is the Knight of Cups, signifying an offer, an invitation, a proposal, a welcome message, a bringer of good news, an admirer, lover, chivalry, a Sir Galahad, good health, a healing cup, a loving cup, fertility, pregnancy.

Pisces is famous for its emotional depths and visionary capabilities; sensitive, intuitive, psychic, often musically or artistically gifted, but also capable of not only scientific or technical competence, but brilliance.

These are talented individuals and famously loyal once committed; compassionate and sensitive. They adapt with ease, are spontaneous and full of surprises, but while their steel may be largely hidden, all the same, it is there. Not much is said about this Piscean steel but Pisces can be, not just resilient, but downright tough in its own quiet way.

Many police officers, arbitrators and judges are born under Pisces, as well as artists and musicians. Administrative work, although Pisces can do it perfectly competently, is not their forte by and large.

Strengths

Pisces can make excellent and approachable leaders of small teams, loyal to the staff in their charge. They will take on injustice, and challenge those of superior status. But Pisces, unlike Aquarius, confines their remit to action on an individual basis. Pisces is not temperamentally disposed to the mounting of group actions, campaigns or crusades. Unless perhaps, they are early Pisces, born on the Aquarius cusp. The later subjects of this sign, born close to the Aries cusp are potentially very much the warrior ‘doers’ of Pisces, and they will keep their own counsel and act alone if their blood is up.

Pisces is brave, kindly and instinctive, but their constitutional physical energy, once depleted, is not buoyant or easily restored. If Pisces is prone to headaches at the back of the head, there may possibly be related bladder infections or other issues.

Pisces, while sociable, needs a fair bit of time to itself. Pisces thrives on rest, music, hobbies and relaxation time near to rivers, ponds and sea. The writer personally knows two freshwater anglers who are Pisces sun sign natives. One keeps his own pond of koi carp at home.

Challenges

Depending on other planetary placements, Pisces may fall prey to wishful thinking, melancholy or unhealthy lifestyle habits. They may struggle to recover and regroup from setbacks. Without enough to do, or without a clear sense of purpose or direction, Pisces can drift loose from their cord, becoming detached and living too much in their own imaginary world.

But of course there is no such thing in reality as the Pisces personality. You are a unique individual. Your zodiac sign (sun sign) is a major keynote, but it is nothing like the full picture in real life – or in astrology. There are many other factors in play in your natal chart; your rising sign, your Moon sign; the planets in your houses, the aspects, your decan, and the degree of the actual day you were born.

If you don’t feel like a ‘typical’ Pisces, perhaps you are a second or third decan Pisces, rather than a ‘most typical’ first decan Pisces.

The Decans of Pisces

two Siamese fighting fishes — Photo by Worachat Sodsri on Unsplash

The decans (or decanates) are a further way of marking time, breaking down each of the zodiac signs into three shorter blocks of roughly ten days each.

While the Mesopotamians (Babylon and Sumeria in what is modern day Iraq) were developing the signs of the zodiac and the concept of natal astrology, astrologers in Egypt were developing the system of the decans. These two astrological traditions came together sometime around the 1st Century BCE and the 36 decans were merged with the astrological signs.

The Zodiac is a belt of sky we see from earth, tracking the path of the sun across the sky over the course of the year. We call this pathway of the sun ‘the ecliptic.’ The Greeks named the zodiac signs after twelve of the constellations appearing on, or crossing this zodiac belt: Aries, Taurus, Gemini Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and lastly, Pisces.

Each of these designated zodiac signs represents a 30 degree section of the zodiac belt. Each sign is then further sub-divided into three blocks of ten degrees ten days in length, with slight variations. This gives us the decans or decanates from the Latin meaning ‘ten.’

The decans are popularly known as the ‘thirty-six faces of astrology,’ adding subtle depth and nuance to the stories of the signs of the zodiac, distinguishing between someone born at the start of their zodiac month from someone who is born during the middle or at the end of the zodiac month.

Readers may also use decans to help with the determining of timing issues.

First Decan Pisces

Pisces- Pisces

Dates: 19 Feb-29 Feb

Planetary rulers: Traditional: Jupiter/ Modern: Neptune

Tarot card: Eight of Cups

Card meanings: Moving on, cutting ones losses, leaving something behind, but not in anger. Reversed: disillusionment, regret

Second Decan Pisces

Pisces-Cancer

Dates: 1-10 March (approx.)

Planetary ruler: Moon

Tarot card: Nine of Cups

Card Meanings: the wish card, dreams come true, food and drink, the hospitality industry. Reversed: overindulgence, complacency, self-satisfaction

Third Decan Pisces

Pisces-Scorpio

Dates: 11 March-20 March

Planetary rulers: Ancient Mars Modern Pluto

Tarot card– Ten of Cups

Card Meanings: contentment, completion, arrival, family life, stability, safety and security, team effort, a happy home Reversed: losses,family conflicts, break-ups, unhappiness

The sub-influences for this decan are Scorpio and its rulers, traditional Mars or modern Pluto. Energetic Mars and Scorpio – natural ruler of the eighth house of desire, willpower, drive and determination – brings to this Pisces extra charisma, and the drive and determination to push forward where Pisces in general can tend to err on the side of caution, holding back. This Pisces native has the artistic creativity of Pisces/Neptune with extra sticking power to turn dreams into realities.

Pluto brings depth and Mars brings speed and energy of attack. This Pisces native needs to keep busy, with plenty of energy outlets. Pisces marks the completion of the zodiac wheel. This final decan marks the point at which we move into Aries, the cycle starts over again and Aries too, is ruled by energetic Mars. What these Pisces natives start, they finish.

The Cusps of Pisces

Aquarius-Pisces: February 15-21

Pisces-Aries: March 17-23

Famous Pisces subjects

Thank you for reading.

Back soon.

When will there be an end to the war in Ukraine? The Crow caws. The Hanged Man speaks

No-one knows the answer to this question. I certainly don’t. But what does the Tarot have to say about it? I have looked at the same question in another very recent post, where I used ordinary playing cards. We seemed to be seeing a Russian regrouping with big bumps in the road Oct and Nov and again before Christmas, a new offensive in January, and something big happening in March, and then again by Gemini time, late May-late June.

Last night I asked again, this time working with Tarot, asking, “in what month or year will there be a truce, ceasefire or permanent cessation of military action in Ukraine?”

I drew a single card. This was The Hanged Man- yet another outing for a card which has been jumping out of the deck since the invasion 24 February.

The Hanged Man stands for a waiting game, a state of limbo, an inability to make a decision. Or it can signify a sacrifice for a higher purpose, surrender, letting go, breaking a pattern, metamorphosis, suspension in time, meditation, changing one’s perspective, transcendence.

The Knight of Cups also corresponds with Pisces and The Hanged Man. He is the warrior who is a bringer of peace. He is the bearer of the Grail, of the loving cup or the healing chalice, who may be seen as Siegfried, or as one of the Knights of the Round Table, Lancelot, Galahad or Percival.

He rides along the shoreline, the knight of the liminal spaces.

Traditionally, the image is associated with a punishment once meted out to traitors in Italy, who were hung upside down by one ankle. Another interpretation is that this ties in with the story of the Norse god Odin. He hung upside down on Yggdrasil, the giant ash tree in exchange for the knowledge of the runes and they came to him in a vision on the ninth day without food or drink. One imagines he also had a mighty headache by that point. But the Tarot has its artistic roots in the courts of northern Italy during the Renaissance.

From the Tarot Illuminati, artist Erik C Dunne

Turn this card the other way up. Does he remind you of someone? Who does he look like? OK. He is not a dead ringer for Zelensky but let’s be reasonable- the Tarot is doing its best.

Tarot is not astrology and I am not an astrologer. However, there is a lot of astrology embedded in the Tarot, and clients have often asked the reader to have a stab at timings, with interesting feedback in respect of results.

In astrology The Hanged Man signifies Pisces, and the dates of Pisces in 2022 were 19 February to 20 March. This card was an apposite reflection of a recent event that had already happened since the invasion happened 24 February

This is what Tarot does- it detects, reflects and projects. Just treat this as a curiosity. I had not predicted the invasion of Ukraine, except that in a general 12 card reading done in December 2021 the Tarot had alerted me to a issue or problem attached to energy supplies from Russia, specifically NordStream 2.

I had also commented in an article published on Ask Astrology in January, that I had misgivings about 2022 on account of a general theme to do with the blurring or crossing of boundaries and borders. This again was connected with the Hanged Man. Its traditional ruler in astrology is Jupiter but its modern ruler is Neptune. Either way, 2022 was promising to be a year of deep waters and seismic events, metaphorically as well as physically. Jupiter goes large. Neptune goes deep.

Pisces, *Atlas Coelestis* John Flamsteed

“John Flamsteed FRS (19 August 1646 – 31 December 1719)^[a] was an English astronomer and the first Astronomer Royal. His main achievements were the preparation of a 3,000-star catalogue, Catalogus Britannicus, and a star atlas called Atlas Coelestis, both published posthumously“-Wiki

According to Western/ Tropical astrology, Jupiter is currently retrograde in Pisces and goes direct again 28-29 October-20 December 2022

According to Eastern/Vedic astrology Jupiter will remain in Pisces until 23 April 2023.

In Summary

Based purely on the appearance of The Hanged Man, we have a range of possibilities here, suggesting that the war in Ukraine will end when:

-Mr Zelensky agrees to make a sacrifice, Hanged Man style, and decides to relinquish the Donbas to Russia. Mr Putin would claim this as a win, and use it as his way out of an increasingly untenable situation, though he or a successor of his same ilk could be back again in time, for another bite of land.

There is no reason why Zelensky should agree to such a thing, since Russia has broken international law and then gone on to commit war crimes. But if the population of the Donbas genuinely were more than 50% pro Russian separatists, might Zelensky decide that Ukraine would do better without them in the long run, given the state of affairs since 2014. Mr Putin after all, *only* wants to protect the 25 million Russians now living outside Russia’s borders in Ukraine and all across the Baltic.

Without Ukraine’s agreement to recognize referendum results held under the current conditions of duress, Putin will be forever fighting to hold on to the Donbas, and that’s no substantive win.

But it’s not a win for anyone else either, and won’t be unless the West can dig itself out of the hole it has got itself into, and continue to say no to cheap Russian gas this winter. If not, this whole thing simmers indefinitely or escalates next spring.

-or the war may end when Jupiter goes direct in Pisces, Tropical astrology style, 29 October-20 December. This seems highly improbable. Putin will want to squeeze the situation as hard as he can over the winter, praying the energy crisis will really bite down on the current levels of western support for Ukraine and leave her naked unto her foe.

-or the war may end during Pisces season, 20 February- 20 March. Saturn enters Pisces March 7, 2023 until May 24, 2025. Saturn is big on the status quo, on law and order, and it is big on boundaries and borders. The aftermath of this war will bring a long period of turbulence in its wake.

-or the war may end c late April 2023, according to the status of Jupiter in Pisces in Vedic astrology.

Photo by Sebastian Voortman on Pexels.com

There’s a feeling of events moving in stages, pointing towards something more conclusive or definitive March/April 2023. Tarot seems to be seeing a ceasefire slightly earlier than was indicated in my earlier cartomancy reading, though not hugely so.

But supposing the fighting stops right now, the political backwash runs high until 2025/2026. There will also be the small matter of reconstruction.

Something to watch for that is happening sooner, is an eclipse in Scorpio 8 November. Eclipses do not signify immediate changes, but historically they announce profound changes. Mr Putin is a Libra sun sign subject with Scorpio rising, and conjunct his sun is the fixed star Algorab, the wing of The constellation of the Crow, merciless and rapacious.

It doesn’t feel as though it bodes at all well for him personally. But Putin is choosing to wage a total war, so that any victory here, whether for Russia or Ukraine is a pyrrhic one.

The west is clearly not blameless either in all this, but it likely doesn’t bode too well for Scorpio subject Mr Biden either, in the US mid term elections 8 November.

What a year, this Chinese year of the Black Water Tiger

#BookwormSat 2022, Year of The Black Water Tiger

-Time is the substance from which I am made. Time is a river which carries me along, but I am the river; it is a tiger that devours me, but I am the tiger; it is a fire that consumes me, but I am the fire.

-Jorge Luis Borges pic.twitter.com/UehfCu6KVc
— Katie-Ellen H. (@KatieEllenH) August 27, 2022

Till next time 🙂

Further reading https://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/Ukraine-Nuclear-Weapons

Cartomancy, Kyiv, reflections, 5 March 2022

The Fortune Teller by Albert Anker, Swiss painter, 1880, Wiki Commons

Cartomancy is the art of divination/psychic using ordinary playing cards. The cards- once we learn their associated meanings, it’s a language- help us access the psychic mind, which means the human equivalent of the hive mind. They reflect our unconscious thinking or the collective subconscious.

Yesterday I sat down to look at Ukraine, using this deck of beautiful rather old butterfly playing cards from the Fifties, gifted by my father, left to him by his own father; a keen card player socially, though he never used cards for divination that I am aware of.

The butterfly is a symbol of the soul, or the psyche. The root meaning of the Greek word ψυχή (psyche) was “life” or may have come from the verb ψύχω (psycho, “to breathe/blow”). Associated meanings: “spirit”, “soul”, “ghost”, “self” .The word “psychic” derives from this same root.

The reader (blindly and unconsciously) draws/selects the cards which most accurately detect what is on the readers mind and reflects it right back at them. The apparent randomness of this exercise is what makes it so peculiar- or downright psychic. The very first card out is an instantly recognizable mirror of the question that is on the reader’s mind while shuffling. Or it is not. The reader can’t just make this up.

The reader then pulls more cards to see what the cards may advise, project, foreshadow or predict in respect of that given situation. Sometimes what emerges is a comment or insight into an unfolding situation which may or may not turn out to be a prediction as events unfold. It can be hard for the reader to tell which.

We are witnessing the playing out of a tragic situation. Prediction outright is not appropriate here. If Putin withdraws, still, a horrible tragedy is still playing out. While there have been many times over the years in which I have pushed hard for a yes or no answer for a client, working to a brief on their behalf, this is not one of those situations. No client privacy, no direct feedback available, so many variables, no clean cut answers.

But still, glimpses may be read between the lines. Putin’s victory is far from assured. Like the Viet Cong in Vietnam, Ukraine doesn’t have to win. It has to not be defeated. But should Putin become desperate, it will only make him more dangerous. March this year is not only coming in like a lion, but seems likely to stay like a lion and not go out like a lamb.

Question One what is Mr Putin thinking in respect of the Ukraine situation, as of right now, today, 5 March 2022?

The first card out of the deck was the King of Diamonds. This is Mr Putin, actually very confident. The King of Diamonds means someone who in charge of business. “I have got this. I am on top of this.”

The second card out was the 10 Cups. Mr Putin is looking at it. The 10 Cups is a very happy card, none happier except for the Ace of Cups.

It means ‘Home sweet home’. 10 is the number of completion. I complete my home. Mr Putin genuinely feels that Ukraine is Russian. Ukraine ‘left home’.

The languages are NOT the same. The mutual history is very long and complicated. But Ukraine ran away, the naughty child. He has gone to fetch it back home again, together with all its natural resources. Is partition the best case scenario outcome? Or is it Odessa and then Transnistria and Moldova next?

In general terms of dates, this 10 Cups means Pisces, the final ten days of Pisces season which means 11-20 March. Obstacles notwithstanding, the cards show that as of yesterday, Mr P was confident that he will have, should have Kyiv surrounded, and in his control by 11 March-20 March.

Question 2: what most worries Mr Putin right now?

The King of Spades reflects the subject of the question, Putin himself. Notice how he appears to be looking right back at that confidently expectant money king, the King of Diamonds card.

King of Spades:-“A man of authority, ambition and power. Divorced or widowed, an older man, a leader, lawyer, judge, police officer, health specialist, man from a foreign country. He can be arrogant, opportunistic, deceptive, cold, calculating, shrewd, possessive, emotionally controlled, detached, a rival in business or love.” – David Arcuri, The Art of Cartomancy (link for those interested in learning more about cartomancy)

Mr Putin is a King of Spades in terms of his natal astrology; a Libra subject according to his given birth date 7 October 1952. Although it should be noted, Mr Zelensky is also a King of Swords; an Aquarian subject: 25 January 1978.

So what causes Mr P most anxiety just now? Mr Zelensky himself, clearly, plus The 9 Clubs + 2 Clubs + 9 Spades.

9 Clubs =long range business, long term planning + 2 Clubs, talks and cease fires + 9 Spades, grief, mourning, death. The 9 of Clubs drawn adjacent to the 9 of Spades in particular, suggests delays. He fears postponement and delays.

(A ceasefire is a 9 Clubs delay so far as Pres Putin is concerned. His soldiers must eat. Supply lines can be attacked. A ceasefire puts his forces on to the defensive.) See the 9 Wands?

Rider-Waite Tarot, artist Pamela Colman Smith

This card as you can see, this tarot equivalent of the 9 Clubs, also represents the courage and defiance of Ukraine.

In Tarot, the 9 Wands can also mean long range foreign intervention. It could therefore also mean a fear of long range missiles or satellites. How is that? The 9 Wands is the card of Sagittarius, the Archer.

And, just as Putin is using elite non- uniformed military groups to terrorize civilians without accountability, and though the UK government does not endorse this, UK and foreign volunteers are travelling to Ukraine to fight or otherwise support the Ukraine resistance on a private volunteer military basis. Here we have Mr Zelensky proactively deploying Aquarius in defense of Ukraine (collective IT/socia media/space technologies/ Elon Musk and Star Link).

The 9 of Spades (Gemini) may turn out to be talking about critical developments in late May that will be unwelcome to Mr Putin. It cannot come too soon so far as many of us are concerned, but that’s what is being shown here. In a previous reading I drew the 10 Swords for Mr Putin on his future timeline. That’s pretty close in time to the 9, both in Gemini, and first he must navigate Taurus the Bull (banks, sanctions, church condemnation, the state turned topsy-turvy, loss of faith of his own people, food security) The eclipse in Taurus Sat 30 April may prove instrumental?

Question 3: What do we see in respect of near future developments in Kyev?

Watching the news earlier today (6 March) It is expected that Kyiv will be surrounded in the next few days, at which point Russia will make “an offer” to the government of Ukraine.

We have drawn the Queen of Clubs and the 8 Spades.

A court card, a king or queen, will describe a real person. I don’t know who this Queen of Clubs might be in respect of Ukraine. I have previously drawn Mr Zelenky’s wife as a Queen of Swords. I will just have to watch that space. Drawn together with the 8 Spades, it could mean a woman is taken hostage or is taken to prison or to hospital.

Another possibility is that this card is detecting another aspect of key timing. The Queen of Clubs is Aries in astrology, 20 March -19 April. Aries is a cardinal sign. It initiates. It attacks with energy. An initiative gets bogged down by the 8 Spades. Or possibly Mr Putin may have reason to seek medical help at this time.

The 8 of Spades:-“Traditionally a card of disappointment, illness and physical restriction. A loss of balance, a lack of reciprocation, unrequited love, something one-sided and not mutually beneficial. Physical imbalance, health problem, mental imbalance, a doctor, a dentist, a psychiatrist, a wound, pain, an insult, feeling slighted or snubbed, hurt feelings, an emotional upset. Reassessing one’s goals, examining ones accomplishments, investigating or researching a question or problem, a medical exam, civil service exam, scholastic exam, forensic exam, police investigation“- David Arcuri, The Art of Cartomancy

The Tarot correlation with this card is the 8 Swords: entrapment, stress, restriction. I have also learned to associate the 8 Swords with difficulties to do with plumbing – drains, leaks, water supply. Dams too possibly, though the Moon is absent (flooding) One can also see the potential for hostages. as if the entire population has not already been taken hostage, and Mr Zelensky will have taken extra measures for the security of his own wife and children.

We understand Russia could already be hitting Ukraine much harder, but Putin does not want to pulverize the place. He will if that’s what it takes, but he would far rather harvest Ukraine for everything it has to offer, not least grain production sufficient to provide food security for 600 million people.

But should Russia achieve its objective of taking Ukraine in the next few days as widely expected, this card is not good news for Mr Putin, and this will be no surprise to anyone.

That number 8 is stable but not in a good way. If we were looking at an outright military success for Russia, there would need to be a number 1, 3 , 6, 10 Clubs or Diamonds, following that 9 Clubs.

Astrology Reading Cards

What astrology cards do we get?

Left: Near future for Kyiv? Aquarius. Rebellion, obstinacy, aided by social media/space tech. But I fear I also see grief, present and future; Mr Zelensky is mourning. That 9 Spades also applies to him in the near future. He already is mourning of course, but now is his time for action.

Right: Near future of Russian invasion? The Twelfth House. The House of Shadows, enemies, dreams, sorrow, joy of Saturn. Mr Putin’s motivation is profoundly emotional. Just supposing that he who sows the whirlwind shall reap the whirlwind, and just supposing that he will not be around to reap the whirlwind personally speaking, for Putin a lose-lose situation might be the same thing as a win-win situation. He will not be forgotten. This for him, is about personal legacy. Either he will reabsorb Ukraine into Russia, ‘home sweet home” (that 10 of Cups card.) Or he will “teach the west and all the world, once and for all, not to mess with Russia.”

If this is where he is coming from, Putin may not care too much about the cost. Since when did Lenin care, and he died a natural death but then who did Russia get next?

The cost, human and other is already high but, despite the attack at Zaporizhzhia, the largest nuclear plant in Europe, and though there is clear potential danger here, I have not seen that it will be nuclear war. Nor an accidental nuclear catastrophe.

Mr Putin has decided that talk is cheap. NATO is bound like Prometheus, tied up by its own rules, and Mr P is fine with playing dirty, and has decided he cannot rely on the neutrality of Ukraine -or Moldova either.

It is not wise to tell you enemy what you will NOT do, and this is what NATO, namely Stoltenberg has been doing. I don’t know where I read it, ‘the children of the dark are wiser than the children of the light’, but it’s true. To a point, that is, when they send themselves to hell in the handcart of their own design but leaving behind all their mess.

Astrologers have described this in terms of a cycle of events, a kind of perfect planetary storm, replaying some, but not all themes elements of 1939-1945 depending whose interpretations you are reading.

Looking back at readings done 2022, I did not see this coming. I just felt uneasy, and didn’t care one bit for this whole Jupiter in Pisces thing that some astrologers seemed to think was so wonderful. Fathomless depths, dissolving or absence of boundaries (for which we can now also read borders) And giant Jupiter. It made me think of tsunamis. It made me think of that ominous line from the Bible, the Book of Job, ‘canst thou draw forth Leviathan with a hook?’

Now I can see Mr Zelensky, sitting in Pisces (now) and shown as The Hanged Man, a sacrificial or Christ type figure. I remember the pang I felt, drawing the Three of Swords reversed in Leo, Regulus, heart of the royal lion. Sorrow to the lion hearts. Sorrow to the summer of 2022. Unless Pres P is dealt with by his own people- and it does look as though he will over reach or come a cropper, suffer a setback in the next 3 months, 9 and 10 Spades, the end of this crisis is not in sight that I can see. But of course, I have got things wrong before or fudged them, not hit them dead on. Any reader who says they haven’t is not to be trusted.

Once when I was very small, we went to the zoo, and apparently I said I couldn’t see the elephant and I was looking at it. But to me it was so big and I was so close, I couldn’t see its overall shape. Very funny really. But do we think an ant can see us just before we tread on it? No. It feels the vibration. It sees the shadow. I suppose I must have seen a wall of grey.

This is close and huge. The reader must therefore take the helicopter up very high. But to see clearly one has to be dispassionate, and preferably, not care at all, or just enough and no more. That’s the nature of the human mind in oracular mode when otherwise one could just weep.

To open up the oracular mind, that’s sometimes a hard thing. To see or sense but to have such little power to avert. The reader does not get to write the story, nor the ending and must tell the truth as they see it, but at the same time, like a doctor, do no harm.

But Putin may find that Taurus the Bull is his nemesis. Why? In a previous reading published here, the appearance of the Hierophant reversed sitting on the near future timeline. Money, banks, breaking faith. Secular ‘excommunication.’ Possibly Taurus timing too, late April -;ate May, and watching for the eclipse in Taurus Sat 30 April.

Until next time:)

Introducing The Decans of Pisces

20 February 2023 the sun re-enters the zodiac territory of Pisces the Fishes until 20 March 2023, the date of spring equinox when we will move into the mythical sky territory of Aries the Ram.

‘Pisces’ is from the Latin plural for fish, and the zodiac sign is named after one of the largest constellations in the zodiac. The two fish are said to represent Venus and Cupid in Greco-Roman mythology after they turned themselves into fish to escape a terrible monster, a Titan called Typhon who was later imprisoned by Zeus, tricked and trapped under Mt Etna where he still roars to this day, seeking to escape.

The twin fishes of Pisces are often depicted as koi carp.

Pisces symbolizes the concept of The Flood. This time of year marked the rainy season in Mesopotamia -where western astrology originated.

This is also the time of the winter flood melt, when mountain streams swell the rivers and will sometimes flood the valleys below. This is the time of year for the earliest spawning of fresh water fish.

The spring equinox now occurs during the zodiac month of Pisces when the sun passes across the ecliptic, crossing the imaginary line of the cord joining the two fishes. This year, 2022, the spring equinox will occur on Sunday 20 March.

Once upon a time the equinox occurred during the time allotted to the zodiac timing of Aries, the first sign of the western zodiac, but this has changed over time owing to the wobble of the Earth; an effect known as the precession of the equinoxes.

Pisces is the 14th largest constellation overall covering a large V-shaped region of the northern hemisphere. While it is large, its stars are faint — none brighter than fourth magnitude — making it hard to see with the naked eye.

Pisces is seen as two fish swimming at right angles to each other, one to the north and one to the west, attached to one another by a cord of stars, just as life and death, and winter and spring are conjoined and cannot be separated.

Pisces is the twelfth and final sign of the zodiac year, and rules the twelfth house in a personal horoscope, representing hopes, dreams and fears- what lies beneath. It stands for the mystery of the unknowable. It operates outwith the boundaries. This is its power, its magic and its danger, in the meaning of the spaces between reality and illusion.

Planetary aspects: Jupiter and Neptune

Pisces is the constellation associated with watery Neptune in Modern astrology but this planet was not discovered until 1846, and optimistic Jupiter is the original ruler of Pisces in traditional (Hellenistic) astrology. Astrologers vary in respect of which of these rulers they use in their own work.

The Pisces Archetype

The zodiac signs represent archetypes, meaning something that is considered to be a perfect or typical example of a particular kind of person or thing.

The zodiac signs paint a portrait of a person born at a particular time of year, in a particular season. A baby born in summer arrives into a different physical environment from a winter baby; with differences of temperature, hours of daylight, maternal diet during pregnancy and so on, with potentially different effects on the baby’s physical makeup and constitution.

The major arcana Tarot card for Pisces is The Moon, The Moon: ebb and flow, cyclical shifts, intuition, dreams, visionary capabilities, fertility, difficulties with travel, uncertainties, shadow boxing, wild creatures, instinct v civilisation, genius, delusion, visions, and ghosts.

The full moon is a hunter’s moon. The crab, sometimes shown as a crayfish, lives between the sea and the land.

Pisces rules the liminal spaces.

*From The Gilded Tarot Royale, illustrator Ciro Marchetti*

Pisces is a mutable sign, marking the end of a season. The other mutable signs are Gemini and Sagittarius. Pisces marks the end of winter leading up to the spring/vernal equinox. Of all the zodiac signs, the mutable signs are traditionally considered as the most flexible and adaptable, the ones most at ease with endings and transitions and change.

Pisces is not only the last sign of winter as we are moving into spring; it is the last sign of the zodiac year, the culmination of all the signs that came before it. Pisces rules the feet and symbolically Pisces has one foot- in the death of the old year, and one foot in the new life of springtime.

Saturn transits into Pisces 7 March 2023 where it will stay for two and a half years. This planetary transit, for many of us, will feel like the end of an era.

I am writing this by the telephone, keeping vigil for my mother, a true Capricorn native ruled by Saturn, as disciplined and dutiful as she is brave and beautiful, with a keen intellect, and a wit that can bite but that is equally playful at times, even childlike. She is very poorly indeed at this time of writing, and is being treated in hospital for pneumonia and a suspected heart attack.

Pisces is famous for its emotional depths and visionary capabilities; sensitive, intuitive, psychic, artistically gifted but also competent or capable of scientific or technical brilliance.

But of course there is no such thing in reality as THE Pisces personality. You are a unique individual. Your zodiac sign (sun sign) is a major keynote, but it is nothing like the full picture in real life – or in astrology. There are many other factors in play, your rising sign, your Moon sign; the planets in your houses, your decan and the degree of the actual day you were born.

If you don’t feel like a ‘typical’ Pisces, perhaps you are a second or third decan Pisces, rather than a ‘most typical’ first decan Pisces.

Many years ago I painted this portrait of my parent’s venerable goldfish, Whizz. One of my sisters won him at a fair and that’s how he came to live with us. Perhaps not the greatest start for him, but he lived to be seventeen! One fish, two portraits in one in pen and watercolour.

What are the decans?

The decans (or decanates) are a way of marking time, breaking down each of the zodiac signs into three shorter blocks of roughly ten days each.

The Zodiac is a belt of sky we see from earth, tracking the path of the sun across the sky over the course of the year. We call this pathway of the sun ‘the ecliptic,’ The Greeks named the signs after twelve of the constellations appearing on, or crossing this zodiac belt: Aries, Taurus, Gemini Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and lastly, Pisces.

Each of these designated zodiac signs represents a 30 degree section of the zodiac belt. Each sign is then further sub-divided into three blocks of ten degrees, each about ten days in length, with slight variations. This gives us the ‘decans,’ from the Latin meaning ‘ten,’ or they may also be called decanates.

The decans are known as the ‘thirty-six faces of astrology’, adding extra depth and nuance to the stories of the signs of the zodiac, distinguishing between someone born at the start of their zodiac month from someone who is born during the middle or at the end of the zodiac month.

First Decan

Pisces- Pisces

Dates: 19 Feb-29 Feb

Planetary rulers: Traditional: Jupiter/ Modern: Neptune

Tarot card: Eight of Cups

Card meanings: Moving on, cutting ones losses, leaving something behind, disillusionment, regret.

But there is a sense of a push and pull going on here. Jupiter means they think big and step forward. Neptune means they swim round in circles or hide in the weeds. Neptune, planet of illusion, is their sub-ruler, which emphasize creativity and imagination. This Pisces native connects with other people on an unconscious level, almost hearing what they are thinking. Maybe they haven’t noticed this about themselves yet, or take telepathy for granted, but watch out for the signs.

This Pisces 1st decan double style has a tendency to go on a lot of detours before arriving at their final destination. While quiet, this Pisces has deep passions and their love life can be tempestuous. Their ideal partner is lively and communicative with a can-do approach.

They often look younger than their age, but they need to be especially beware unhealthy habits in order to protect their health; mood, and the chest, lungs and feet in particular. Pisces is extra-sensitive to the effects of overindulgence of alcohol or mind altering drugs.

A desire to do good for mankind is characteristic of the kindly first decan Pisces.

Second Decan

Pisces-Cancer

Dates: 1 -10 March (approx.)

Planetary rulers: Jupiter

Tarot card: Nine of Cups

Card Meanings: dreams come true, wishes granted, food and drink, the hospitality industry, overdoing things

The sub-influences for this decan are Cancer, ruled by The Moon. Cancer is the natural ruler of the fourth house of home, family and security. These Pisces subjects typically stay very close to birth family members. Pisces may struggle to loosen break parental ties and become independent, but must do so if they want to progress and develop and become the adult in the room, to provide for and parent their own children, building their own family unit.

These are the most elusive most watery of the fishes. Now you see them, now you don’t. Their zone of the sky from March 1 –10 houses the stars of the water of Aquarius, and Eridanus the river and the west fish of Pisces.

These Pisceans are masters of disguise and can blend into any environment effortlessly. Pisces decan 2 absorbs. It is sensitive and psychic, but for the same reason these people need to choose their company with care, and form healthy habits early on in life. These subjects are supremely susceptible to the influence of others in their environment, and this can work positively or negatively.

Third Decan

Pisces- Scorpio

Dates: 11 March-20 March

Planetary ruler: Mars

Tarot card– Ten of Cups

Card Meanings: contentment, completion, arrival, family life, a happy home

The sub-influences for this decan are Scorpio and its rulers, traditional Mars or modern Pluto.

Energetic Mars and Scorpio – natural ruler of the eighth house of desire, willpower, drive and determination – brings to this Pisces extra charisma, and the drive and determination to push forward where Pisces otherwise can tend to hold back, lacking that forcefulness. This Pisces has the artistic creativity of Pisces/Neptune; but has that extra sticking power to turn dreams into realities.

Pluto brings depth and Mars brings speed and energy of attack. This Pisces needs to stay busy, and needs plenty of energy outlets.

Pisces marks the completion of the zodiac wheel and this final decan marks, the point at which we move into Aries and a whole new circle starts over again. Aries too, is also ruled by energetic Mars.

These Pisces natives, just like the other decans, are enormously receptive to their environment, but they tend to stay more aloof and watchful and are less likely to blend in or fall under the influence of what is going on around them. They are highly observant, natural detectives, well suited to police or other kinds of investigative work. Pisces-Scorpio is an excellent listener, tuning in the wants and needs of others, listening between the lines to what is not being said.

The Cusps of Pisces

Aquarius-Pisces: February 15-21

Aquarius-Pisces: This is a Pisces native with Aquarius tendencies; a person of high principles, often rather quiet, refined, and with strong likes and dislikes. This Pisces is likely to travel a fair bit and has executive ability and can make money, but can become bored quite easily and needs to be extra careful not to get trapped, becoming committed too soon in a relationship that really doesn’t suit them

Pisces-Aries: March 17-23

Famous Pisces

Back soon 🙂

Psychic Skies; Mercury, Mars and the Moon this month

Mercury goes retrograde 27 September until it goes direct again 18 October for the last time in 2021. So what does this mean?

A Mercury retrograde is a regular event, no big deal, happening three or four times a year, and lasting about three weeks but with effects felt for up to two weeks ahead of the retrograde and up to two weeks after it.

Astronomically. a retrograde simply means that the planet in question seems to be moving on a backward trajectory, as seen from earth, due to differing speeds of orbit. It is merely an optical illusion. Mercury briefly overtaking Earth in its orbit round the sun

We have more Mercury retrogrades than any other. Mercury is the smallest planet, closest to the Sun with the shortest, fastest orbit round the sun, only 87.97 days. Let’s call it 88 days

Astrologically, any retrograde signifies a shift in the “tide in the affairs of men”- a new prevailing wind. The nature of it, how it manifests in real life depends on the planet in question.

Fast moving Mercury is the symbolic ruler of intellectual activities, trade and communications. So what’s the fuss? When it goes retrograde, and for a few days before and after this retrograde, during the so-called shadow, what can we expect?

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Public Domain via Wiki

Maybe nothing at all. Not every retrograde is the same. It could simply mean business as usual. But likewise, we could find ourselves noticing an unmistakable cluster of gremlins-things going wrong noticeably more than usual:-

-We have delays

-We mislay things

-We have personal misunderstandings, crossed wires

-We have travel problems

-The car needs attention or even breaks down

-Appliances malfunction.

-Deliveries go astray

-We have IT glitches

You get the picture.

It may turn out to be a total non-story, or just the odd bit of nuisance rather than any drama. But if you catch yourself saying things like, ‘I don’t believe this!’, and ‘oh no, not again’, or howling in utter exasperation, ‘what the f*** is this happening NOW?’ -then you know what and who to blame.

Mercury, facilitating mischief until around 18 October or even early November.

Astrologer’s advice for optimal working in this abstract(?) celestial weather.

They will tell you that a Mercury retrograde is optimal for reflection, reviewing, research and extra meticulous planning, but not for initiating or making major purchases and acquisitions, particularly if these are electronic items. Double-check important paperwork. No. Triple-check it. Do read the small print.

But as mentioned before, not every Mercury retrograde is the same. This one is in Libra, affecting relationships, alliances and partnerships in particular, and what’s more, energetic Mars invaded peaceable Libra 14 September.

Mars, planet of fire, action and potentially war. Mars gets things done. This can be just what’s needed, or it can be combustible.

This will be why I have drawn the fiery Page of Wands. Fireworks. Trade salvos for now. Growlings and mutterings in respect of a new deal between Australia, UK and the US, and the loss to France of a major submarine contract. China does not like it of course, having banned Australian coal imports in retaliation for the Australian call for an independent investigation into the origins of the Covid pandemic in Wuhan. But China’s coal alternatives are coming with their own costs.

Things are only hotting up in the Indian Ocean, and also the Straits of Hormuz.

We say peaceable Libra. Well, that depends. This is the sign of marriage and domestic partnerships, as well as wider global partnerships of all kinds. Libra is outwardly suave, savvy, debonair even, and charming. It may seem peaceful, ruled by Venus, Mars’ opposite number.

But it is contractual in dealings. It may be the zodiac sign of diplomacy, but in the real world, especially geo-politics, this diplomacy or compromise is generally liable to mean “either you scratch our back, we’ll scratch yours”, or the “iron fist in a velvet glove”. Either way. soft, it isn’t.

Also to note, the autumn equinox 22 September as we enter the zodiac sign territory Libra, sign of the scales, day and night in balance. Uranus in Taurus (upheaval of tradition) goes head to head with Saturn in Aquarius (Fundamentalism, group-think collectives)

Extinction Rebellion could be viewed as an example of a collective ruled by Saturn in Aquarius. The Taliban too. Ugh. But hang on on a minute. Am I seriously making a comparison here? What could they possibly have in common?

What is in common is their motivation and their characterizing Saturn in Aquarius spirit. It is about the exercise of control by an non elected group, justified in the name of some holy grail- however that is to be defined.

It is a fundamentalist way of doing things. Secular or religious. In the end, it makes little difference. Fundamentalism says the ends always justify the means. It is this way, their way, the only right way – the way of the righteous. They are the self-declared sole arbiters of truth.

Saturn in Aquarius is always right. It is righteous. It is their way or the highway. Except that right now in the UK, with Insulate Britain blocking motorways, it is a question of them having their way but NO highway either for ‘the others’.

Meanwhile steadfast Taurus won’t be bullied, doesn’t budge, but Uranus sets it off at a charge, or turns it topsy-turvy. Saturn when in cool, remote, cerebral Aquarius won’t flow, won’t adjust, but sets like ice while preaching whatever is its own form of gospel. What does this bode for public order round this time? We’ll soon see.

Warning: Unpopular opinion: I have sympathy with certain of the aims of Extinction Rebellion, as with its objections to the risks of fracking on the marshy Fylde in Lancashire for instance. But there is an elephant in the room Extinction Rebellion won’t acknowledge, the poison chalice, the kiss of death to honesty; what we can do about global overpopulation and the inevitable resulting environmental pressure on landscapes and resources this inevitably creates.

Will they go ‘there’? Utter one peep? No way! Anymore than they would dare to block roads in China.

Our best efforts to reduce our footprint will be too little to mitigate the mess we can’t help making, so long as we are so many. But what is to be done? China tried but the experiment had to be abandoned. It was simply too dreadful; tragic, socially and economically damaging.

We may just possibly mine the Moon some day, or Mars, but we shall find no other home. We need Gaia. Who does not need us at all. Unless, yes, to get rid of us as she has done many times before with countless other species. How many species went extinct before we were even here? The likes of a thousand Extinction Rebellion won’t prevent it, if it’s going to happen, and to paraphrase Dr Malcolm in Jurassic Park, sooner or later, ‘Life finds a way’.

Meanwhile, what can we do but tread lightly where we can.

The Full Moon this month is the Harvest Moon in Pisces on 21 September. Deep of feeling. Fathomless. Beware of accidents and scammers. Muggers. Keep your wits about you. Il Matrimonio had a dodgy encounter only this morning 21 Sept) but pre-empted and saw it off, if that’s where the guy was heading.

The Age of Pisces

The Age of Pisces is the age of the rise of Monotheism, two thousand years ago, and we are still in the Age of Pisces. We are not in the Age of Aquarius yet, and what it represents – technology and collectivism (ugh)

But when we are, give it another 2 millennia and we shall return to a new Age of Capricorn, and that would be a very different beast again.

Read here for more about the so-called ‘Ages’ of Aquarius and Pisces.

No, we are just having a little taster. But a Pisces Moon, now, there is a moon to dream on. Or pray upon.

This month’s New Moon in Pisces, 20 September is actually considered a happy, lucky Moon in astrology, occurring an hour after Mercury is trine the big beast, optimistic, expansive Jupiter. Around this time, if one was inclined to take notice of such things, would perhaps be September’s most promising window for going for a new job or signing a contract, and doing anything really, thumbing our noses at any small beer Mercury retrograde stuff.

Mercury, or Hermes as he was to the Greeks, is very big beer, actually. Tiny planet. Big beer supernatural entity. Not only is he the messenger of the gods, arbiter of trade and travel, he is a psycho pomp, who escorts the souls of the newly dead to the banks of the river Acheron, or Styx if you prefer, to wait for the crossing with Charon the Ferryman to the Resting Isles- the Isle of the Dead.

Here he is, winged helmet, caduceus, looking distinctly mischievous, and Puckish, rather elf-like- perhaps even a touch of Loki, Norse lord of misrule.

Quicksilver.

*Painting by Hendrick Goltzius, 1558-1617, Public Domain*

Libra is about the rule of reason, fairness, keeping a cool head, not losing our balance. Libra suggests, if Mercury retrograde does rub us up the wrong way, or Mars gets uppity and rattles the cage, we take a deep breath, count to ten, walk away, zoom out the lens, keep our powder dry. It isn’t personal, even when it feels personal.

You can always get them later, if you really must. The devil is in the detail.

Till next time 🙂

Pisces the Heavenly Fishes, the seasons in the stars, the reasons in the signs

Chartres cathedral window, early 13 th century, photo by Vassil

Most of us know our zodiac sign but what does it look like in the night sky, and what’s the story behind it? Let’s get better acquainted with Pisces.

Common associations

Symbol:

Zodiac Sign placement: 12th and last sign, completing the wheel of the zodiac year

Date of Birth: 18/19 Feb to 20/21 March. Variable cusp depending on the leap year cycle

Ruling planet: Neptune (before Neptune’s official discovery in 1846 it was Jupiter)

Element: Water

Quality: Mutable – versatile, the ending of one season and the beginning of another

Lucky Days: Monday and Thursday

Energy: Yin -receptive

Key phrase: I believe (as in the ‘Fishers of men’, early Christianity adopted a fish as its symbol)

Body: Feet, eyes, bladder

Birth Stone: Aquamarine especially, but also amethyst, ruby, bloodstone and jasper. Brazil is one of the best sources for this stone. Aquamarine (meaning ‘the water of the sea’) is a blue variety of beryl where Emerald is a green beryl. The aquamarine is a hexagonal crystal structure, sometimes confused with blue topaz, and was traditionally believed to enhance foresight and clairvoyance, and a sense of happiness, with the power to repel evil – or help you talk to the Devil (I wouldn’t give the bugger the time of day, personally)

Tarot card: The Moon

Meanings: The Moon, literally, Mondays, tides, cycles, ebb and flow, feminine cycles, fertility, instinct, wildlife, walking on the wild side, hunting, fishing, visionary capabilities, psychics, ghosts, visions, dreams, delusions, madness, contamination, fever, food poisoning, uncertainty, danger, confusions with documentation, risks in travel.

The Gilded Tarot Royale, artist Ciro Marchetti

Note the wolves, hunting and howling by the light of the full moon, and the spawning crab, though this is often depicted as a crayfish instead, as in the Rider -Waite decks.

The minor arcana cards associated with Pisces are the 8, 9 and 10 Cups, ranging in interpretation from the melancholy to the sublime.

The 8 of Cups says you were ready to offer devotion. A door stayed shut, but you have learned something of value, not least about where you belong. Do not wait overlong outside any door that fails to open. The world is wide, new horizons beckon. Walk away, not looking back in anger.

The 9 of Cups is truth, grace, happiness-the Grail, and heart-felt wishes may be granted

The 10 of Cups is home sweet home, arrival.

The Astronomy

There are 88 constellations registered with NASA. The 12 of these that have given their names to the zodiac signs in Western ( Tropical astrology) have their earliest known origins in the ancient Indo-European civilizations located at the latitude 36 degrees north and 30 minutes.

Other constellations were named later, many of these later ones by Greek navigators.

Pisces, the Latin plural of fish, is a large but rather faint constellation, the 14th largest constellation overall, covering a large V shaped region in the part of the sky known as The Sea or The Water, possibly named by the Mesopotamians because they had learned to associate the appearance overhead of these heavenly bodies with their rainy seasons; Aquarius, Capricornus (the Mer-Goat).

Capricorn signifies the ibex and its mating season which starts in December, but it also has an ancient Sumerian origin story associated with it, where the goats came out of the sea to climb to the mountains, leaving behind the father of all the goats, a solitary mer-goat who was promoted to the skies.

So these three zodiac signs, Capricorn Aquarius and Pisces may have come to represent predictive seasonal co-ordinates for the rainy months at the thirty sixth Parallel, 36 and half degrees north.

The vernal equinox currently occurs during Pisces, 19-21 March, the astronomical marker of the start of spring.

Pisces is represented as two fish swimming at right angles to each other, one to the north and one to the west and attached by a cord and are usually depicted as koi.

Its stars are faint — none brighter than fourth magnitude — and hard to see with the naked eye. But its brightest star, Eta Piscium, also known as Alpherg or Kullat Nunu, is a bright giant star (G class) 294 light-years from Earth and has a luminosity 316 times greater that of the sun.

Kullat Nunu is its Babylonian name. ‘Nunu’ means ‘fish’ and ‘kullat’ is a bucket.

Pisces second brightest star is a yellow giant about 130 light-years from Earth, Gamma Piscium. Alpha Piscium is the third brightest star in Pisces, and is made up of a pair of white dwarf stars in close proximity. Its other name is Alrescha (“the cord.”) and marks the spot where it appears that the tails of the two fish are joined or tied together.

The best time to see Pisces in the Northern Hemisphere is 9 PM between 6-9 November looking below the Square of Pegasus.

History and Mythology

The first spawning of most freshwater fish starts in the spring, from late March onward, but, depending on latitude and therefore temperature, some species may spawn from as soon as late February onward, and in the warmer Indus, this surely played its part in the rationale for the astronomical calendar slot historically allocated to Pisces the heavenly fish.

Pisces represents the principle of THE THAW, THE MELT. Fish may rise again to the top to feed. Frogs and Toads will spawn.

If you want to insult a Pisces subject, call them a MELT (but first, ask yourself if you are really sure about this.)

The fish of Pisces are attached by a cord of stars, just as life and death are conjoined and cannot be separated. Pisces is not only the last sign of winter, moving into spring; it is the last sign of the whole zodiac year, the culmination of all the signs that came before it.

The western signs of the zodiac are thought to origin from about 2900-2700 BC, emerging among the peoples living at 36 and a half degrees latitude. The 36th Parallel.

Click here to see the regions involved.

This latitude was the cradle of Indo-European civilization (you will also see that the 36 Parallel was of key symbolic significance to the American Civil War) Younger, later constellations that were not adopted as zodiac signs were often named for maritime navigational purposes, many of them by the Greeks.

The Egyptians

“It (Pisces) is one of the earliest zodiac signs on record, with the two fish appearing as far back as c. 2300 BC on an Egyptian coffin lid ” -(Wiki)

The two fish of the constellation Pisces were the offspring of the Great Fish. In Egyptian mythology, this fish saved the life of the Egyptian goddess Isis and she placed this fish and its descendants into the heavens as a star constellation.

India

Vishnu is the second god in the Hindu holy trinity (Trimurti) This triumvirate consists of three gods who are responsible for the creation, upkeep and destruction of the world, Brahma was the Maker,god of creation and passion, Vishnu, the face of light and preservation, and Shiva, the face of the dark, and destruction.

Greece

Pisces is often represented as a pair of koi carp. and the reason for this comes from Greek mythology. To the ancient Greeks, the fish were the goddess Aphrodite and her son, Eros, who were out walking by the Euphrates one day when a terrible monster, Typhon, suddenly rose up out of the water.

This monster had been terrorizing the gods of Olympus ever since the war with the Titans. Typhon was a Titan, a son of Gaia, and he hated the gods of Olympus as invaders and upstarts, the new kids of the block who had overthrown and dispossessed his own, more ancient race of Titans. He was as tall as the heavens and his eyes shot flames. Instead of fingers, he had 100 dragon’s heads sprouting from his hands -for which one could read ‘flames’ or magma.

None of the Olympians had the power to destroy Typhon, or confront him, not alone. For a time, all they could do was avoid him or flee for their lives, which they often did by transforming themselves into animals, and Aphrodite and Eros, in this case, transformed themselves into two fish (koi) and swam away.

Ultimately, Zeus imprisoned the terrible Typhon beneath Mount Etna…but Zeus didn’t deal with him for good. He couldn’t, not even Zeus, and Typhon is still very alive down there and pretty disgruntled. A deeply alarming spectacle, as we have seen on the news these last few days, as of 16 February 2021 and there have been a number of related astrological and psychic prognostications, talking about such seismic activity as a potentially major global influence in 2021.

Rome and Early Christianity

Early Christians used the Fish as a symbol of their faith…and called the TWELVE apostles of Christ the Fishers of Men (Pisces as the twelfth sign.

The secret code name for Jesus- Yeshua Ben Joseph- was Ichthys

The so- called Age of Pisces began 1 AD and- depending on your source, will end in 2150 when we enter the so-called Age of Aquarius, though some astrologers say we are already in that Age. The Age of Pisces saw the rise of the Monotheistic religions, Christianity and Islam. The Age of Aquarius is supposedly a secular age, all about technology and collectivism.

Read more about the astrological ages HERE

But religion shows no sign of going away. Islam is currently on the rise in the west, Christianity on the wane, with vacuums filled by socio-political ideological transmutations of the religious instinct, and in another two thousand or so years, it will be succeeded by another ‘earthy’ chapter – a new Age of Capricorn. (This thing works ‘retrograde’, working backwards through the zodiac signs)

Pisces: The Astrological Personality

In Tarot, whether the subject is male of female, Pisces is embodied as The Knight of Cups. In Arthurian legend this would be Sir Percival or in later versions of the legend, Sir Galahad. This knight is a champion of the underdog, a protector, a lover, a bearer of grace and the healing chalice.

In a Tarot reading this generally translates as a happy situation, a new friend, an admirer, possibly a marriage proposal, news of a baby on the way, or a job offer or other good news is coming soon, and your cup ‘runneth over’.

Of course there is no such thing in reality as THE Pisces personality and the same goes for all the zodiac sun signs. Your sun sign is an archetype, a keynote, but of course it is not, and never could be the whole story, least of all in astrology. There is far more than just the sun sign in your own personal chart. You can find this out for yourself by looking up your own chart free online (obviously just be careful re spam etc).

Pisces combines imagination with the determination of a salmon fighting upriver, although, depending on the decanate, there may a certain quite marked passivity, even inertia. This may actually serve them very well at times, but could in some cases degenerate into darkness involving depression, alcohol or other substance misuse.

These individuals are talented natural artists, writers or musicians. They are famously loyal once committed, compassionate and sensitive. They adapt with ease, are spontaneous and full of surprises, but while their steel may be hidden, all the same, it is there. Not much is said about this scaly Pisces steel. They can be tough, even hard in a quiet way. They may not say much but watch the face harden, and cross the line once too often, you are gone, and that is it.

Where they demonstrate a lack of proper consideration for others, or undue stubbornness, it is not due to lack of goodwill, but they are not paying attention, too focused on their inner preoccupations.

Pisces needs variety, and structure must allow them room for a degree of autonomy. Desk based work, although Pisces can certainly do it, is not really their thing.

Pisces can make excellent and approachable team leaders with a reputation for loyalty to their staff. Passing the buck is not their style. They will take on injustice, take on those senior in status, but Pisces, unlike, say Aquarius, acts on an individual basis. Group actions, campaigns or crusades do not sit with their temperament, except just possibly for early Pisces, born on the Aquarius cusp. Later subjects, born close to the Aries cusp 20/21 April, are very much the ‘doers’ of Pisces.

Pisces is as brave as it is kind but these water sign denizens need to guard their physical energy. It can be erratic, and once depleted, is not always easily restored. If they are prone to headaches at the back of the head, there may be related bladder infections or other issues.

The Decans of Pisces

Each zodiac sign contains three decans, blocks of ten days or so, each with a different planetary ruler.

Pisces Decan 1 February 19 to February 28 (approximately) is ruled by Neptune. Those born within this decan will present as typical Pisces. Seldom aggressive or offensive, they conduct themselves with kindness and courtesy and very reasonably expect the same in return. Neptune, planet of illusion, is both their ruler and sub-ruler, emphasizing their imaginative capabilities. Pisces-Pisces readily connects with other people on an unconscious level, almost as if hearing what they are thinking, and able to anticipate their next moves, but they are likely to take a lot of detours before finding their own sense of direction. Tarot card: The Eight of Cups

Pisces Decan 2 March 1 to March 10 (approximately) The sub-influences for this decan are Cancer/MOON. Cancer – natural ruler of the fourth house of home base, family, and security – may keep them very close to family members, whether this is a positive or negative influence. They often bear a striking physical resemblance to a parent and may struggle to loosen break parental ties and become independent, but they must, if they are to develop their own potential, and often they are warm, well- balanced emotionally, cultured, artistically gifted, with charm and a keen sense of humour, from the zany to the dark or possible ingenious. They need plenty of quiet time alone. Tarot card: The Nine of Cups

Pisces Decan 3 March 11-March 20. A thinker, possibly even a visionary, the very last decan of all in the wheel of the zodiac year is a FINISHER. They are energetic, symbolized by the Mars influence on Scorpio.Pisces-Scorpio has an intensely practical side and often well-developed technical or scientific skills. They need activities, outlets for their physical energy and it matters a lot to them helping other people. This decan is considered fated to an unusual degree, and one day a calling may come to them in the form of a great challenge. Tarot card: The Ten of Cups