The Sun in astrology symbolizes the core essence of who you are -- your individuality and sense of self. It describes what is likely to motivate you, and why. The Sun Sign describes the prime focal point within the personality structure, and is of major importance. Understanding and developing these aspects of the self will help you to develop and expand your sense of being the authentic self you truly wish to be. Understanding the house in which your Sun is found will give even greater detail. If you do not feel much like your Sun Sign, then consider: Are giving yourself permission to be who you truly need to be?

Pisces: Mutable Water          

Ruler: Jupiter and Neptune

Keywords: Service, Sacrifice, Compassion, Redemption, Mysticism

Positive Expression: Great empathy, intuition, sensitivity, service to others and to God, giving, unselfish, imaginative, extremely creative, universal, deeply devotional, pure

Negative Expression: Ungrounded, victim consciousness, suffering through sacrifice, addictive, controlling through giving, critical, afraid, obsessively organized, sacrilegious, profane, paranoid, lost, deeply sensual without limits or boundaries.

Pisces, as the final and perhaps least understood sign of the Zodiac, presents many mysteries. Here the individual is often motivated by the need to experience the self as something greater than the self. Pisces need to be in the world, but not of the world, and Piscean individuals are often highly imaginative, sensitive and impressionable individuals who struggle with a dual nature- one side attempting to chart a course through life, the other side very attracted to ways of escaping it.

As mentioned, this is a sign of duality, and the challenge when born into the sign of Pisces is how to develop a clear sense of individuality when part of you wants to transcend the limitations of this mortal coil. Thus, there is likely to be a part of you that has its’ foot on the ground. On this level you are likely to be “world-wary”, with a sense that nothing anyone can do could surprise you. As the final sign of the zodiac, you have integrated every facet of the human experience, and so, you can relate to almost anyone. Your empathy and compassion means that you can sense where others are at and are likely to be able to relate to them on whatever level they present. You can forgive and understand. You may not like what you see, but staying grounded means dealing with what it is that is in front of you, and you can be a friend to anyone.

Yet on the other hand, there is likely to be a part of you that is not really connected to the humdrum and the everyday. This side of your nature is likely to be constantly swimming in more pleasant or fantastical seas- off elsewhere, travelling through realms that you may not even be aware of yourself. Your challenge is to allow for both dimensions of the self to exist side by side, and find a way of channeling these qualities into the here and now.

To achieve this, there are usually three key dimensions of experience that the Piscean will express themselves through- the mundane where you constantly face overcoming the temptation to become a victim of circumstances, the creative or imaginal, and the domain of service and spirituality. As is the nature of your sign, you may operate at all three from time to time, and even all at once! On the everyday level, Pisceans need to find a way of working with their acute sensitivities. You are likely to be gifted with incredible insight and intuition around people and circumstances, if you are willing to see clearly. Pisces can be almost prophetic in their sensibilities, but this level of clarity requires constant self-awareness and discipline. You may be one step ahead at every turn, always pre-empting what others need and how they will respond. Thus you can succeed at almost anything.

Yet more often, you can easily become confused by the bombardment of impressions registering on your sensitive emotional body. Then you have trouble discerning between what is influencing you from outside yourself, and what is rising up from within, most often from the imagination. Suddenly, you face becoming overwhelmed by others’ needs versus your inability to maintain a clear sense of self. Paranoia and phobias can start to take hold, and you find yourself reacting to the impending chaos by trying to adopt rigourous forms of control- an obsessive preoccupation with cleaning could be one such manifestation. Your inability to discern between what is your and not yours to take on means that you can become easily overwhelmed. Then the only apparent route open to you is to escape, either into some kind of sensual or addictive experience (drugs, alcohol, romance) or into victimhood. A special mention must be made here of addictive behaviours, for this is one of Pisces preferred means of escape. The temptation to lose oneself in the haze of addiction is often lurking just beneath the surface.

Pisces is the sign connected with states of victim consciousness, and the Piscean individual needs to constantly monitor when they might be allowing themselves to become a victim of some external influence as a way of opting out. Falling victim to someone or something else means that I can give in to my sense of not being able to cope with life, and inner need to be taken care of- which is a way of escaping from the rigours of life. Being in the world, but not of the world has its challenges!

At the creative and imaginal level, Pisces tends to have more success. Here, you are in your element, and able to swim through the rich and vivid waters of your own imagination. Many Pisceans have strong creative leanings, and a need to find an expression for their inspirations. In many ways, this is a way of finding an outlet for all the impressions you constantly feel. Anything with a strong visual and emotional component is a natural vehicle for the Piscean imagination including film, photography, dance, drama, music and fluid forms of painting. It is highly therapeutic for Pisceans to spend time in creative pursuits, as this is a way to leave the everyday yet keep the self contained. Time alone is vital for the Piscean well-being. It is also an excellent means of having time out- or achieving a state of contemplation. This is also often necessary, and food for the Piscean soul.

The next level of expression involves avenues of service. Pisceans are often gifted with a high degree of compassion, as well as a strong urge to be of service to others. Here you bring very special gifts, able to offer the salve to others physical, emotional and spiritual wounds through your inner connection to the source of life itself. Pisces is a highly mystical and psychic sign, and your abilities here may spill over into powerful healing or clairvoyant abilities. A deep sense of devotion, and heightened spirituality is often present within the Piscean at this level, so that service is offered not only to the individual or group but to the Divine. Many Pisceans will find within themselves a calling or vocation to be of service to others in some way that cannot be ignored. You can do this in your everyday life by helping those less fortunate than yourself, in your working life by becoming involved with hospitals and institutions where people are taken away from society to recuperate and heal, or through volunteering your time and service to community groups.

As ever though, the Piscean temperament means you need to be on guard against tendencies to give the self away. Many Pisceans seem to have the inner conviction that in order to be of service, they must suffer in some way. There is a potent belief structure that says it is more noble suffer in the act of service- a cultural hangover from 2000 years of convoluted and misinterpreted Christian theology. The willingness to sacrifice is a highly commendable virtue, but the idea that I need to be suffering if I am to be of true service is slightly displaced. You will be more effective, and inspiring to others, if you can maintain and serve yourself. You yourself can be the example of radiant well-being you wish to instill in them. Your compassionate nature means that there is no question where you allegiance lies- you are here to serve and facilitate a connection to the divine. But you do not need to give yourself away in the process, and should watch for this Piscean temptation to once more seek escape by becoming unable to deal with the everyday.

With the Sun in Pisces, you have powerful and mysterious gifts of sensitivity, insight, imagination, creativity and service. Your challenge is to find a way of bringing your other-worldly self into harmony with your physical world, and so become a self-contained source of love, inspiration, insight and practical wisdom for all the world to share. You do this by taking care of your own sensitive nature, and nurturing your imaginative and spiritual gifts.