Pisces

PY-seez

greek: Ἰχθύες (Ikhthyes) · latin: Pisces · sanskrit: Meena

Definition

Pisces is the twelfth sign of the zodiac, covering 330 to 360 degrees of the ecliptic — the great circle the Sun appears to follow over a year. It is a mutable water sign, traditionally ruled by Jupiter; modern Western astrology often adds Neptune as a co-ruler. Venus is exalted (especially strong) at 27 degrees Pisces, while Mercury is both in detriment and in fall here. The Sun moves through Pisces from roughly February 19 to March 20. Pisces reads as feminine in the odd/even polarity, and belongs to the water triplicity. Hellenistic astrology called mutable signs disoma, "double-bodied."

In Tradition

Astrologers in the Western tradition link Pisces with sensitivity, empathy, imagination, and a softening of boundaries. The sign is traditionally tied to themes of transcendence, compassion, and the blending of the individual into something larger.

In Practice

In a birth chart, astrologers read Pisces placements when looking at imaginative range, emotional sensitivity, and a pull toward what cannot be seen. Venus's exaltation at 27 degrees Pisces is a key dignity — a marker of strength — used when judging Venus's condition. With Jupiter as its traditional ruler, Pisces placements connect to themes of faith, expansion, and meaning. Mercury in detriment and fall in Pisces is read for difficulty with linear, fact-by-fact thinking. As planets transit, or pass through, Pisces, they tend to soften boundaries and bring out compassion, surrender, and imagination.

Historical Origin

Pisces appears as one of the twelve zodiacal signs in the earliest Hellenistic texts. Hellenistic sources record Pisces as a double-bodied (disoma) sign of the water triplicity. Jupiter's rulership of Pisces follows the symmetrical scheme that assigns each planet the signs it rules. In medical astrology, the body region matched to Pisces is the feet.

Definition

In Tradition

In Practice

Historical Origin

Further Reading