the fishes

     `-.    .-'
        |  |
      --+--+--
        |  |
     .-'    `-.

quality: mutable
element: water
ruled by: neptune

Pisces
(February 19th to March 20th)
The Fish
Colours: Violet, White and blue-grey. Blue is the colour of Jupiter, ruler of Pisces.
Stones: Amethyst, chrysolite and topaz..
Metal: Tin
Trees: Fig, peaches and malus.
Flowers: water-lilies, delphinium and dahlias.
Countries: Portugal, the Sahara and the Sudan.
Cities: San Francisco, Alexandria and Seville.

Pisces is one of the mutable signs, each of which is known for a duality of personality. Pisces was thought to be Aphrodite and Eros in Greek mythology, and Venus and Cupid in Roman mythology.

According to the Greeks, when Typhon attacked the gods, Aphrodite and Eros jumped into a river, turned into fish and swam in opposite directions, to confuse Typhon and get away.

In astrology, Pisces manifests this separation as two sides of a Piscean personality. One is Aphrodite, the dreamer, gatherer of wisdom, gentle, feminine, and is the one who makes plans, has desires and wishes for things. The other is Eros, the agressive, masculine, single-minded executor of Aphrodite's will.

This is why a Pisces frequently gives the impression of a slack daydreamer with many goals and no achievements. They are in Aphrodite mode at this point. The spiritual lesson of Pisces in this life is to realise and develop the Eros side, to take advantage of opportunities and actually achieve their goals.

Pis"ces (?), n. pl. [L. piscis a fish.]

1. Astron. (a)

The twelfth sign of the zodiac, marked &pisces; in almanacs.

A zodiacal constellation, including the first point of Aries, which is the vernal equinoctial point; the Fish.

2. Zool.

The class of Vertebrata that includes the fishes. The principal divisions are Elasmobranchii, Ganoidei, and Teleostei.

© Webster 1913.