A Tiny Universe

PISCES: Mutable Water: Ruled by JUPITER The mutable sign of Pisces is perhaps the most versatile of all twelve signs. Its element is water, its modality is mutable and its lord is Jupiter, the planet with most expansive and exploratory nature of all seven planets. Water is the stuff of life. Nothing can exist without it, and of all the water signs, Pisces exemplifies rain washing down on the earth, causing tiny rivulets to form if only for a few moments, gutters to fill and overflow, and water droplets like tears to wash away care, sadness and fatigue. Pisces identifies with the transcendent nature of falling rain, as Jupiter reminds us that in spite of the vastness of the universe, still no two drops of rain are identical. For this reason, just like the raindrops, people need to be celebrated and deserve in equal measure to receive the benefits of love, praise and acceptance from the world. Pisces may be the dreamer who retreats into the phlegmatic temperament in order to find their own Jupiterian kingdom within, but there exists a pragmatism to Pisces which tolerates a world gone mad with greed and hate. The nature of rain is that whilst it is cold, it also has a cascading flow that captures every available surface, moving everywhere at once, searching for cracks to run through and filling every dry nook and cranny with moisture. Pisces knows that the world is not perfect, but like the rain, its sees opportunity everywhere and seeks to fill parched spaces, if only for a moment, with its own life essence. A planet with the cold qualities of Pisces may sometimes hold back from adventure, and may hesitate, while another in the sign of its co-ruled Sagittarius (perhaps in the aspect of square) might tear ahead without fear. Both planets must still look to Jupiter to direct them, and for the planet in Pisces, part of this search involves having the courage to look within its own essence to find its potential, and to bring forth its unique characteristics. Whilst human nature is drawn to the fiery enthusiasm of Jupiter’s masculine sign, and Sagittarius’ enthusiasm for life is certainly contagious, it should be remembered that for the planet in Pisces, the journey within often requires far more intestinal fortitude to search with kindness, and to accept the truth when it becomes evident, even if that truth results in exposure to raw emotions. J.R.R.Tolkien created many brave wanderers and truth searchers in his fictional trilogy The Lord of the Rings, many of which are fine examples which display the admirable qualities of both signs belonging to Jupiter. The main character is the hobbit Frodo Baggins, who is visited by Gandalf the Grey, a wizard who tells Frodo that he must destroy the Ring and return peace and harmony to all the kingdoms of Middle Earth. Frodo is aided in his quest by Samwise “Sam” Gamgee, his gardener and faithful friend, Legolas the elf, Gimli the dwarf and Boromir of Gondor, but perhaps the closest friendship which Frodo experiences (apart from Gandalf) is his relationship with the complicated and endearingly human character, Strider, a Ranger of the North. The enigmatic and mysterious Strider is on a quest of his own making, as it is revealed that his true identity is that of the deposed king, Aragorn II. Tolkien’s trilogy is as much about Aragorn’s journey to reclaim his throne as it is about the infamous Ring, so much so, that his third book is titled The Return of the King, and Aragorn is worth a special mention here, as he displays many of the characteristics which are reminiscent of Jupiter’s sign of Pisces. Tolkien’s poem in his first book The Fellowship of the Rings is referring to Aragorn who hides not only his identity, but also his inner strength and his true value behind his quiet demeanour. The title and first line of the poem is a clever reversal of Shakespeare’s famous line from The Merchant of Venice (1596): “All that glitters is not gold.” The first verse of Tolkien’s poem “All that is gold does not glitter” reads: “All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost.” J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings Aragorn perpetually embodies the phlegmatic temperament, as he is often described as emotionally withdrawn or undemonstrative, sometimes grim or sad, but with unexpected moments of levity. In the trilogy, Aragorn has acquired otherworldly gifts from his childhood with the elves, a subtle reminder of the invisible link between a mundane world and the ethereal world which Pisces often seems to stand astride with a foot in both camps. Like Aragorn, who has a repository of Elven wisdom and owns the gift of foresight, a planet in Pisces possesses a level of intuition and an uncanny access to knowledge from an unknown source, which is information that goes far beyond the usual standards of wet thinking mode. Aragorn is both wise and strong, yet suffers from crushing self-doubt in several episodes in Tolkien’s books, especially when the group’s mentor and protector Gandalf appears to lose his life in the battle with the supernatural being Balrog. Aragorn’s grief at the loss of his friend is real and is not diminished until the wizard returns as an elevation of his former self with the title of Gandalf the White. It is not hard to imagine that any planet situated in Pisces might share a certain rapport with both Tolkien’s characters, as Pisces is a water sign which, when aligned with a planet, finds the necessary impetus from its ruler Jupiter to drive the planet to explore its motivations, and to doubt the wisdom of its decisions. Gandalf’s transformation from Grey Wizard to White Wizard is synonymous with Jupiter (Pisces’ dispositor) and its ability to demand any planet finding itself in Pisces to ‘up the ante’ by making more of an effort to do Jupiter’s bidding. The borrower planet can feel as though Jupiter is asking for far too many favours from a planet in its sign, and Jupiter’s increasing demands on a planet in Pisces can reverberate throughout the chart. Like Gandalf and his fluctuating powers against his evil nemesis, the condition of Jupiter will be critical as to whether Jupiter can deliver the promises it makes, when the planet does its bidding as unexpected or diminished results can be distressing for both the planet and the chart’s owner.