Keywords & Pisces in a Nutshell (including a bit of technical stuff)
Pisces is the sign of the dreamer and the mystic. On the positive side, this zodiacal archetype is visionary. On the negative or shadow side, Piscean individuals can get rather lost and confused with their heads in the clouds. They might wonder if something really happened to them or if they dreamt it. But, it could be argued that life is a dream anyway, right? That’s probably something about which a Pisces would philosophize.
This is the final sign of the zodiac, which some associate with source consciousness, Jung’s collective unconsciousness, and the cosmic womb from which Aries (the baby of the zodiac) emerges shortly on the spring equinox. In traditional/Hellenistic astrology, the planet Jupiter, rules Pisces lending the sign its grandiosity and expansiveness. From a modern perspective Neptune rules Pisces. Neptune represents the ineffable: the nebulous, numinous world beyond the limits of the material world. Also from a technical perspective, Pisces is a mutable water sign. Mutable in the sense that it is a changeable sign (a season in between seasons…the end of winter leading into spring). It is a water sign alongside Cancer and Scorpio. The water element is all about diving into feelings and/or emotions (pun intended). Finally, if an artistic/philosophical movement could be associated with Pisces, it would be Romanticism. (Also, Transcendentalism – here in New England, no less! – and the rise of Spiritualism in the mid nineteenth century).
Were you born during Pisces season (February 19th-March 20th)? If not, do you have other prominent Pisces placements, besides the Sun, in your chart? Take a look at your Moon, Ascendant/Rising Sign, and Ascendant Ruler (the planet ruling your rising sign). For instance, if you were born with Libra or Taurus rising, both of these signs fall under Venus’ domain. Perhaps Venus in your birth chart is in Pisces. See if this archetype really speaks to you!
Don’t know which planets rule which signs? Check out this chart (also captured below) which enumerates planetary rulerships, both ancient and modern:
Positive attributes:
- Empathic
- Imaginative
- Sensitive
Negative attributes (the shadow side of Pisces…aka, the martyrdom complex):
- Confused
- Escapist
- Moody
For more keywords, see here.
6 Renowned Pisces Writers (Fiction)
For more Pisces writers, both fiction and nonfiction, check out this list.
- Alice Hoffman (born March 16, 1952)
- John Irving (born March 2, 1942)
- Jack Kerouac (born March 12, 1922, died in 1969)
- Sally Rooney (born February 20, 1991)
- Vita Sackville-West (born March 9, 1892, died in 1962)
- David Foster Wallace (born February 21, 1962, died in 2008)
6 Fiction Recommendations
| TITLE | AUTHOR | Call No./# of Minerva copies | Why is this a Pisces read? |
About Grace (2015) |
Doerr, Anthony | DOE | An introspective and character-driven book about a father and daughter’s relationship after the daughter’s death by drowning (a very Piscean theme, sadly a very dark one).
It involves:
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Murakami, Haruki (in translation from the original Japanese) | MUR | This fantastic description of Murakami’s latest novel captures its Piscean qualities very well!
“Th[is] long-awaited new novel …revisits a Town [Murakami’s] readers will remember, a place where a Dream Reader reviews dreams and where our shadows become untethered from ourselves. The City and Its Uncertain Walls is a love story, a quest, an ode to books and to the libraries that house them, and a parable for these strange post-pandemic times” (see here). This Piscean book is:
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Chokshi, Roshani (another Pisces author, born on February 14, 1991)
* Fun fact, this book was actually published on her birthday (also Valentine’s Day) in 2023. 🙂 |
CHO | If you like dark and haunting fairy-tale inspired novels, this one’s for you!
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The London Séance Society (2023) |
Penner, Sarah | MYS PEN | The title alone says it all. The birth of Spiritualism roughly coincided with the discovery of Neptune, the modern ruler of Pisces. So, a book about séances, in this case a sapphic historical mystery, would be a perfect read for Pisces season.
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The Starless Sea (2019) |
Morgenstern, Erin | MOR | This book (about books) and a mysterious underground library abounds with strange symbolism (very Pisces!) and elusive characters including an LGBTQ+ protagonist.
FUN Fact: The author illustrated a tarot deck inspired by her earlier book, The Night Circus. |
The World That We Knew (2019) |
Hoffman, Alice
(another Pisces author, born on March 16, 1952) |
HOF | If you like witchy fiction you’ll likely love Hoffman’s extensive output in this niche. You may be familiar with her already thanks to Practical Magic (the book and/or the popular film adaptation).
This title is:
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6 Renowned Pisces Writers (Nonfiction & Poetry)
For more Pisces writers, both fiction and nonfiction, check out this list.
- Elizabeth Barrett Browning (born March 6, 1806, died in 1861)
- Judith Butler (born February 24, 1956)
- Susan Cain (born March 20, 1968)
- W.E.B. Du Bois (born February 23, 1868, died in 1963)
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (born February 27, 1807 in Maine!, died in 1882)
- Edna St. Vincent Millay (born February 22, 1892 in Maine!, died in 1950)
6 Nonfiction Recommendations (including Poetry)
| TITLE | AUTHOR | Call No./# of Minerva copies | Why is this a Pisces read? |
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Cain, Susan
(another Pisces author, born March 20, 1968) |
155.2 CAI | The title alone says it all! 🙂
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Blue Nights (2011) |
Didion, Joan | 92 DID | The late Joan Didion (1934-2021) is known for her pair of haunting grief memoirs. The first one from 2005, The Year of Magical Thinking, unpacks the sudden death of her husband and explores widowhood. This later memoir delves into the pain following the death of her beloved daughter.
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Scales, Helen Ph.D. | 20 Minerva copies | This title could be read alongside Canadian science journalist Susan Casey’s 2024 book, The Underworld: Journeys to the Depths of the Ocean. I didn’t put the latter on this list mainly because of how dense the writing style is. It’s not inaccessibly dense, but it’s not very Piscean in its tone. To be fair, I haven’t read Dr. Scales’ book and it may be similar, but both explore the mysteries of the deep ocean: the birthplace of all life on earth. So, in sum, while perhaps not Piscean in style, it’s definitely in terms of theme. 🙂 |
The In-Between: Unforgettable Encounters During Life’s Final Moments (2023) |
Vlahos, Hadley R.N. | 616.02 VLA | A profound and extremely readable memoir by a young hospice nurse who shares moving and bittersweet encounters with a wide range of patients.
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The Last Ocean: A Journey Through Memory and Forgetting (2019) |
Gerrard, Nicci | 616.831 GER | A recurring theme in this guide to Piscean reads is the ocean and nautical references (both metaphorical and literal).
This book is by a well-known British writer (of nonfiction and fiction alike). It is a deeply moving memoir of her late father’s journey with dementia.
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Hirsch, Edward | STUDY 808.81 HIR | Once again, the title pretty much captures the Piscean essence of this poetry anthology by a highly acclaimed Chicago-based poet.
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Genre-Specific
Which literary genres are inherently Piscean? To name just a few: fantasy, poetry, spirituality & religion (especially mysticism, dreams or dreaming), memoirs (especially grief memoirs or otherwise melancholy tales), mindfulness and meditation guides, psychology (especially transpersonal or depth psychology – think Jung not Freud). Books about the ocean, especially its mysterious depths and magnetic pull of the ocean on our collective imagination would be fantastic, as long as they aren’t too dry or academic in style (like The Underworld by Susan Casey, which is a fantastic read, but not very Piscean in style). There’s nothing wrong with that, but it would only fit Pisces by theme NOT style. 🙂
Enjoy, and stay tuned for Aries season reading recommendations which commences on the spring equinox towards the end of March.
