As we wind down to the end of the zodiacal cycle we find the mutable water of Pisces waiting there. Pisces prepares us for spring and helps us say goodbye to winter. When the already fluid and quite changeable water is put in a mutable modality, it creates a myriad of possibilities; perhaps this is why Pisces characteristics are so hard to pin down.

Pisces is like a sponge, a psychic sponge, absorbing all that is around them. They see the world almost like it was a surreal movie, or a video game with interactive characters that have real problems. They have the gift of seeing life as a metaphor; one big reflection, a classic way of living the philosophy "the inner reflects the outer." For example, a Pisces may look out at the weather and make a decision about buying a car based on that alone. Their process works for them but would drive many an Air sign mad.

Pisces natives feel you, its automatic and unconscious, in fact, not much of their process is conscious. A Pisces individual can enter a bus feeling perfectly fine and leave the bus with a headache and a low level anxiety and have no idea why. That's another "problem" with Pisces; they are all too willing to accept what they are dealt when in reality it is very likely that the headache and anxiety isn't even theirs but literally "picked up" from other passengers on the bus. It's a gift and a curse, this ability to absorb, to feel the energies around you. It's what makes them healers when it's conscious and constantly sick when it isn't.

This unconscious component in each Pisces isn't always a negative trait. The absorption that they are known for applies to their minds as well; acting as psychic conduits that account for the brilliance of Einstein, Galileo, Alexander Graham Bell, Edgar Cayce and Michelangelo. The Pisces mind works in a less linear fashion thereby allowing the native to capture the essence of thought that most of us would never imagine.

They both misplace and find everything; a testament to their easily distracted nature. Most Pisces will not win Martha Stewart's award for neatness but could easily capture the Erma Bombeck (a fellow Pisces) prize for ingenuity. Some of the greatest mechanics in the world are Pisces

Who you meet, when you meet a Pisces, depends on a myriad of factors each with no common denominator but definitely influenced by things like; who they are living with, what their thoughts are when they awaken, what television show they watched the night before, …ad infinitum. All water signs change according to their surroundings but none of them are as fluid about it as Pisces. They are comfortable with themselves and because they feel things on a much different frequency they are prone to have compassion for a large and diverse group of people. If you have ever been to a Pisces party you can witness their eclectic tastes first hand. The homeless man on the street where they live may be there along with the mayor, democrats, republicans, atheists, or Unabombers; it doesn't matter because Pisces people guide their lives with their feelings. They enter your reality effortlessly, making it theirs for the time they are with you.

Because of this type of one foot in one reality and one foot in another reality, it's not uncommon for Pisces individuals to find companionship with drugs or alcohol. Pisces men have a particular problem here (though the women are far from immune) because of the cultural stereotypes aimed at men to not deal with feelings, so medication of any kind helps to release the grip they use to hold on to their macho image. The addictions can take other forms as well. Many Pisces natives find themselves continuing a specific pattern of relationships that involve extreme care-giving with seemingly little if no return. Addiction is nothing more than a way for them to keep at least one of their many realities consistent or familiar to them.

Their glyph is two intertwining fish and of all the water signs the fish is most at home in the water element navigating through a sea of feelings. The sea is filled with a mix of beautiful and menacing creatures, a good metaphor to remember when you think that Piscses are just whimpy softies. If you have a part of you that feels defenseless you are likely to build a savvy defense to protect yourself from a cruel world. There is a part of the Pisces psyche that can hurt you and it can emerge seemingly out of nowhere. It's the shadow part inside all of us but in a Pisces the shadow seems more strongly cast.

The surreal life of Pisces is often started at birth. There is a close tie to the mother who often finds the connection with the child to be deep. The child has a reciprocal bond with the mother and will feel deeply all of the mother's inner feelings of isolation, insecurity, and unhappiness and conversely her joys, celebrations and intimacies. There is a constant battle inside of the Pisces individual to stay connected with the self, but the fluidity that exists within them can be overwhelming and they compensate by turning on the mental mind and identifying with thoughts just to avoid the chaos inside of them. Of course, this kind of denial will backfire and eventually the native will find themselves drawn to an individual or circumstance that pulls them into their feelings again and often not in a friendly way.

On a deep level the Pisces native lives with 2 opposite parts of themselves (all mutable signs have a duality) one side feels divine and connected to all that is holy and the other side feels conniving, mean and connected to all that is bad. The symbol of the yin and yang symbolizes the opposing yet similar forces at work inside this complex sign, both are needed to exist.

Regardless of their identification with those components, they feel the battle inside and must make an effort every day to flex the muscle of discipline so they can create appropriate boundaries for themselves. The Pisces natives have difficulty with boundaries because they can so easily float into your reality and see life from your window without ever knowing they were doing it. Without a boundary or a center they have no way to know where their home is.

It's important for Pisces natives (this includes Sun, Moon and Risings) to take the time to release the absorptions of the day; whether it's a shower, a bath, some time in the office, or a long walk, they need to find the inner part of themselves that is connected to their source.

Pisces has the potential to experience a connection to their spiritual side unlike any other sign. A challenge most of us would find difficult to make.

What makes a Pisces Awesome?

• Their lush inner world
  
• Their ability to see the heart of others and completely ignore the package
  
• Their compassion and depth of feeling
  
• Their ability to understand your emotional side
  
• Their simple honesty in the midst of a complex reality
  
• Their ability to maneuver in a culture that typically hates emotional people.
  
• A timeless spiritual connection.
  
• Faith