Understanding pisces

With saturn in pisces and also in the 12. house (which is corresponding) - and Neptune (ruler of pisces) in square with my sun and in conjunction with my south node (where I come from) - I have a great interest in understanding Pisces. It's the last sign in the zodiac, and probably one of the most difficult to understand.
In my experience as a astrologer, I can often tell which sign people are influenced by, but Pisces' qualities seems to be more hidden.
The sign has a symbol with two fish - in many pictures they are connected with a string and are svimming in opposite directions.
Based on my own private experience and dreams, I have some thoughts about Pisces. And since I have seen you discuss the age og Pisces - which we are leaving soon, I will relate to the times vi are living in.
We've heard that Pisces was a symbol for christianity, but why? Well - in the bible we can read that man will be like God and know good and evil. The bible, Jesus and all christianity are based on the thoughts of the good fighting the evil. It's about the loving God and the terrible Devil.
This is in my opinion typically for Pisces, with the two fish svimming in opposite directions. It's the sign for duality. From other cultures we have the sign for yin and yang - which represents the same thing.
So when Pisces are said to be a sign for empathy, care and higher love, then it's because it's in the contrasts we can tell right from wrong, and Pisces is a great teacher for that.
The bible also tell about the judgement day, and in Pisces we have to lay our earlier carma on the table and from the inside the divine judge will force it's way to our mind and soul.
It's in the contact with both God and The devil we can learn higher love, since only one force can't make any development.
It's like a computer, where everything is based on power on and power off - or the two numbers 0 and 1. With two opposite elements, there is no limit to what we can achieve.
So in Pisces we meet God and it's a sign for transformation on a higher level. In Scorpio (another water sign) we get the transformation by death and sexuality, but in Pisces it seems to be more of a spiritual kind.
So you understand that Pisces as a personal sign is difficult to understand, cause it's more about our higher self and our soul.
Also in science they talk about that all materia has it's anti-materia - the opposite. So when we enter the age of aquarius in these days, with science as a significant, it will be as a extension of Pisces and what we've learned there.
I had a dream that told me that the future are endless, and that we through science will be able to create ourself. Man and machine will grow together.
Well, this was some thoughts of Pisces. I hope I have managed to express my thoughts correctly, cause english is not my first language.

I thoroughly enjoyed this post. (I rarely come into this section because I do not have time to study astrology.)

I have printed it out for my files.

Thank you, Balder, for contributing such a great post. I'm looking forward to your future ones, on this subject and on others.

I agree Balder that Pisces is one of the more difficult signs to interepret and ditto for the twelfth House. One of the problems with this is not only Neptune - the planet associated not only with dreams but also with deception.

I tend to use traditional sign rulers unless I see good reason to use the modern ones. So I suppose one Neptunian deception is hiding Jupiter, the traditional ruler of Pisces. In traditional Astrology the twelfth House was seen more as the pits of the Horoscope - Manilius linked it with ill-omen, misery and toil, Al-Burini linked it with misery, slaves, prison, debt and Lilly with sorrow, self undoing and secret enemies.

In modern times much of the negative meanings have been swept under the carpet (hidden is a twelfth House characteristic) and attempts made to give some spriitual meaning to the House, with many astrologers placing mysticism, dreams and sprirituality in the House. I think this is in large part due to the modern tendency to say Neptune = Pisces = Twelfth House. When historically, things were never that simple. However making this link transfers the strong spiritual aspirations and unselfishness of Pisces into the twelfth

I'm not sure I go along with all of Balder's biblical interpretations, the Good v Evil concept is more dualist and has its roots in religions such as Zoroastrianism and the Devil is very much a Christian rather than Jewish invention. Indeed Satan is a rather different character for Jews and for Muslims. However Jung did see the use of the fish by early Christians as symbolising the individual's submerging in a sea of faith, the sacrifice of self to God, just as the individual fish submerges itself in the Ocean.

In the Gospel accounts, the writers often have Jesus using a fish as a symbol - for example in the loaves and fishes miracle. To first century people the fish reminded them of the saving of Aphrodite and Typhon from a terrifying monster (the fish as saviour) and bread was instantly connected with Virgo and the Corn goddess. Jesus was using images that had a cosmic and 'religious' element to them.

Minderwiz

Hi Balder,

Pisces is a beautiful sign and the most compassionate. It has been said and written that the Pisces' people have lived all the eleven other signs and now (being born with the Sun in Pisces) are here to give back, through empathy, compassion and kindness. That's the good part....however,

For some Pisces, being a Pisces is very difficult and they choose to "escape" reality through addictions and self punishment (12th house). We can look at two examples of Pisces:

Anthony Robbins, the motivational guru, who through his tapes, books and personal appearances is telling everyone how to find their "personal power", certainly not a term associated with Pisces. He's been immensely successful (as he states, beyond his wildest dream) and has used his Pisces Sun to help people attain a better life.

Then we have...

Liza Minelli, daughter of movie star Judy Garland, who by all accounts, until recently, has had a miserable life of addictions (drugs, alcohol and food). Fame and fortune did nothing to help her self-esteem (which most Pisces lack.) It's been a very rough road for Liza, but it seems she has finally found happiness (and perhaps rid herself of the demons) with her new husband/new life.

Pisces and the dual fish, do represent both sides of the fence, so to speak. Whether it's choices we make, or karma, foretelling the type of life we'll have, I'm still not certain, but I am certain that Pisces' people have the most to offer the world.

Light and Laughter,
AG