Pisces I: How do you contain the ocean?
by Janessa
To know Pisces is to know you will never really know Pisces. Ephemeral, fleeting, intangible. How do you describe in words the place where Mercury falls?
How do you grasp a vapor? Or hold water for more than a few moments in your hands? How do you contain the ocean?
Saturn as the ruler of the first decan of Pisces poses exactly this question. Here we pair the vastness of Jupiter with the confines of Saturn and enter a very mist-filled stretch in our journey around the zodiac. This portion of our trip requires us to wander, step into the void and immerse ourselves in the contradiction, confusion, and doubt.
A thick fog is created when we merge hot and moist Jupiter with cold and dry Saturn. And though we may not be able to see very clearly, we are still compelled to move forward. This is the first decan, after all, and despite it being in a mutable sign, the first decan always carries a bit of that initiatory cardinal energy. So forward we will move, but not without occasionally glancing over our shoulder to see where we have been. It is not easy to leave the known behind in these hazy conditions.
In the corresponding tarot card, the 8 of Cups, a hooded figure has turned their back on a reasonably comfortable scene, a bountiful and tidy stack of 8 golden cups near the shoreline, shimmering in the moonlight. Surely, there are worse places to be! Should we not choose to stay in this familiar comfort over some unknown outcome on the rocky and perilous path before us?
And yet, the hooded figure has already been chosen. Their back is turned and they have set off for some unseen calling with nothing more than the red cloak on their back and a walking stick in hand. As the cloak catches the breeze of the mystical character’s brisk departure, a sense of urgency is present. This is no leisurely leave-taking. Once the choice has been made, there is no time to waste. The impulse is pressing.
The Moon lights this scene and indicates the choice has been made from the mystic’s intuition. It is not logical to abandon the golden cups, but it must be done nonetheless. This luminary bodes a nonlinear, perhaps even circuitous journey ahead, with ebbs and flows, just like the lunar cycle.
As is often the case with our intuition, there is no clear end goal or destination here. Only the knowing that we must change course or explore other possibilities. To be platitudinal, the journey is the destination.
How many times has this red-cloaked mystic visited this seaside bar? Is this their first time? Tenth? Regardless, at some point, we all reach that little beach shack, imbibe in mysterious elixirs, and eventually conclude, “Well, time to go now.” The day is over. The drunken glow of the warm sun has faded, and the cool evening prods us to move along. The cycle continues once again.
Pisces I is the place of my ascendant and is core to my being. At 36, in this third (fully conscious) first-house year, I can see my life’s story reflected in this decan. Patterns of searching for truth and ultimately walking away from any conclusions I come to. Knowing there are no conclusions but seeking them anyway. Not having a solid “why” but proceeding despite it.
I have traveled the world only to find everything is right here, all the time. I have deserted spirituality only to be confronted with dogmatic materialism. I have abandoned myself only to learn that self-honor is required in helping others. A life of full circle moments and pendulum swings and often finding myself right back where I started, refreshed, anew, and ready to start the fool’s journey once again. Sometimes it is dramatic and profound and magical and synchronistic. And sometimes it just very simply looks like learning the hard way. I would like to think that at this point in my life, it is more like the former, but the Fates are still weaving what is to come.
At the risk of reaching yet another soon-to-be-sidelined conclusion, what I have found comforting in this spin around the wheel is to radically embrace the meandering and to be present in its gifts along the way. To laugh when I say something definitive, knowing the opposite is equally as true. To make a choice, even when it feels like it doesn’t matter.
There is instant and infinite levity and compassion to be found in this space. With each new stretch of the journey, a new speck of wisdom is gained. Maybe adding up to something. Maybe, probably, not. Ultimately, though, to know that I don’t know anything is mad and divine.
About the Author
Janessa is an artist, astrologer, yogi, nature lover, mom of 3 married to the love of her life and based in MN. As a student and practitioner of Hellenistic astrology within the context of our modern world, Janessa is passionate about connecting people to their own beauty through the gift of astrology. She finds so much inspiration, freedom, and love through the lens of astrology and experiences so much joy by sharing this illumination with others. When Janessa is not reading charts or studying astrology, you can find her working the old 9-5, momming, and probably either cooking or eating something. Or you know, just vibing and daydreaming as a true Piscean does...
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Lovely lovely lovely. As a Pisces I Mars person, thank you. 🩵 So resonant.