The Incredible Dualism of the Pisces Psyche

In the Western Zodiac, there are three dual signs: Gemini, Libra and Pisces and, while Gemini is usually given the most "press" over its dualism, it is those born under the watery, mutable sign of Pisces who wrestle daily with this condition on the most profound levels...

The sign of Pisces is represented by two fish, each going in an opposite direction, while their tails are tied together by a ribbon or cord. One of the mythologies associated with this vignette is the plight of Eros and his mother, Aphrodite, who, being pursued by the monster Typhon, decided to change themselves into fish so that they could hide in the water and, to keep from becoming separated, they tied their tails together. (1)

Another is the birth of the Syrian goddess Ashtarte of whom it was said "fell from the heavens" in the form of an egg into the Euphrates River. Fish rolled the egg to the bank where doves hatched it, thus leading to the Syrians scorn of either fish or doves as food. (2)

There is another reference to a grotto in the Euphrates -- sacred to the goddess Ashtarte -- where an altar was placed for her worship and it was said that, within the grotto, were fish tied together with golden ribbons.

Astrologers generally agree that Pisces natives are compelled by either the inclination of one of their fishes to "swim upstream" by constantly striving against opposition or by the other to "go with the flow" and drift through life.

Least you immediately seize upon the former as the most desirable, you should keep in mind that those Pisces who do choose the "upward battle" are the ones who commonly lose virtually all of the empathy and sense of self-sacrifice for which the sign is usually known to become manipulators of the first order...

Being the last of the 12 signs of the Zodiac, the sign of Pisces takes a bit from each of the 11 preceeding signs. For this reason, its house is known as that of "Karma" and, by association, "Self-Undoing". For this reason, it is also known to have generally the most psychic powers of all of the signs along with incredible powers of perception. It is often said that Pisces need only "touch the cover of a book to know what is contained inside".

The "downstream swimmer" type of Pisces often attach themselves to other, stronger and more abitious people in order to save themselves from having to take on those roles. Don't grieve for those to whom they become attached in this manner, though, because very often these stronger partners become stronger by reaping the benefit of their Pisces counterparts' aforementioned gifts.

In addition to their considerable gifts of perception, some of the other common traits attributed to people born under the sign of Pisces are their creativity, imagination, compassion, spontaneity, tolerance and other-worldliness.

In fact, most Pisces live only half of their lives in our world... The rest of their time is spent within the world of their considerable imaginations thus leading many to call them "hopeless dreamers" and "idealists"; although, it has been pointed out more than once that those who say this may do so simply because they lack the ability to understand or appreciate how the deep minds of the Fish work.

This lack of understanding on the part of most of the world often leads Pisces people into regular bouts with depression and apathy causing them to feel isolated and lonely but it is this same "unworldly" quality that has produced some of the most celebrated artists, performers, writers and scientists in the history of mankind: (3)

Albert Einstein - Scientist & Mathematician - March 14, 1879
Michaelangelo - Artist - March 15, 1475
Nicolaus Copernicus - Astronomer - February 28, 1473
Pierre Renoir - Artist - February 25, 1841
Alexander G. Bell - Inventor - March 3, 1903
John Updike - Writer - March 18, 1932
Vaslav Nijinsky - Ballet Dancer - February 28, 1890
Rudolf Nureyev - Ballet Dancer - March 17, 1938
Luther Burbank - Horticulturist - March 7, 1849
Joanne Woodward - Actress - February 27, 1930
Elizabeth Taylor - Actress - February 27, 1932
Jane Goodall - Anthropologist - March 4, 1934
Bobby Fischer - Chess Champion - March 9, 1943
Elizabeth Barrett Browning - Poetess - March 6, 1806
Jack Kerouac - Writer - March 12, 1922
Percival Lowell - Astronomer - March 13, 1855
Buffalo Bill Cody - Showman - February 26, 1846
Ralph Nader - Activist - February 27, 1934
Tom Wolfe - Writer - March 2, 1931
Maurice Ravel - Composer - March 7, 1875
Dr. Suess - Children's Writer - March 2, 1904
Andrew Young - Ambassador - March 12, 1932
Nat King Cole - Singer - March 17, 1919
Oliver Wendell Holmes - US Supreme Court Justice - March 8, 1841
Joseph Pulitzer - Industrialist - March 10, 1887
Holly Hunter - Actress - March 20, 1958
Philip Roth - Writer - March 19, 1933
Spike Lee - Director - March 20, 1957
William Jennings Bryant - Statesman - March 19, 1860
Neville Chamberlain - UK Prime Minister - March 18, 1869
Ron Howard - Director - March 1, 1954
James Taylor - Singer - March 12, 1948
Shri Baba Meher - Guru - February 25, 1894
Sidney Poitier - Actor - February 20, 1927
Anais Nin - Writer - February 21, 1903
George Harrison - Beatle - February 24, 1943
N. Rimsky-Korsakov - Composer - March 18, 1844

Conversely, the inherent dualism of the sign of Pisces has also produced:

Patty Hearst - Celebrity - February 20, 1954
Ivana Trump - Celebrity - February 20, 1949
Bugsy Siegal - Criminal - February 28, 1906
James Earl Ray - Assassin of Dr. Martin Luther King -  March 10, 1928
Jean Harlow - Actress - March 3, 1911
Marion Barry - Politician - March 6, 1936
Tammy Faye Baker - Religious Figure - March 7, 1942
Rupert Murdoch - Publisher - March 11, 1931
Albert Speer - Nazi - March 19, 1905
George Plimpton - Celebrity - March 18, 1927
Jimmy Swaggart - Evangelist - March 15, 1935
Pat Nixon - First Lady - March 16, 1912
Liza Minnelli - Singer - March 12, 1936
(and, as is often pointed out, "your nearest neighborhood drunk/bum")

Indeed, Pisces often seeks to escape the "slings and arrows" of the real world by escaping into the use of alcohol or drugs which is a sore temptation for one who lives with "one foot in this world and the other in the next".

Acknowledgments:

(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pisces_(astrology)

(2) http://www.theoi.com/Ther/Ikhthyes.html

(3) http://free-horoscopes.typepad.com/fam12.htm