Listen to the Pisces Sun / Virgo Moon Playlist
For best effect, put some fade between the tracks and play on shuffle.
Dearest reader,
Welcome to the guidebook for the remainder of Pisces season 2023. Most of Pisces season is still on the horizon, so we haven't missed much. I decided to do this guidebook after Pisces season started, and I have to say... it's probably for the best that the timing worked out for the best. I don't think I accomplished anything for those couple of days that the Moon was in Pisces. Despite my numerous water placements, I'm not especially equipped to deal with water seasons. Water seasons just feed off the worst qualities of my water placements, and dampen my fire placements into a messy, tired, puddle. Thus, I'm writing this during an Aries moon, a day before it's to be released to you. Timing is a construct, but it's always divine.
This month we'll be exploring the themes of Pisces, with a special focus on the Full Moon in Virgo. Plus, I'm including a mini guide on surviving Pisces season if you're a fire sign.
Let's dive in and swim in the empathetic, dreamy, waters of Pisces.
Love and magick,
LT (the witch CRUCIFIXVI)
An Aries' Guide To Surviving Pisces Season (or any water season if you're a Fire sign)
If you're a fire sign, you might dread every water season that comes around. I know I do. Fire signs tend to not exactly thrive during water seasons, more so than other type of sign. We get kind of rained out. The fuel that drives us gets washed away by watery energy. We tend to feel tired, and, personally, I feel a bit annoyed at how tired and emotional I feel.
You. Can. Get. Through. This. You've done it before, and you'll do it again. Here are some tips I find helpful to get through any water season (heck- even when the Moon is in a water sign, especially during Waning or Dark Moons!).
Lean into the days the Moon is in a fire sign. If you try to live with the lunar cycle (scheduling your days around the moon phases and placements) you might already notice that you naturally feel better on days that the moon is in a fire sign. If you're not completely aware of the moon's affect on you (and believe me, that Lesbian Mom in the sky is affecting you, whether you realize it or not), use a lunar calendar to keep track of what days the Moon is in certain signs. Avoid doing anything too heavy or difficult on water days, and schedule more important things for the days the Moon is in a fire sign. Obviously not everything can be scheduled based on this (I wish), but with this information you can at least prepare yourself emotionally for what days might be more challenging. Example; I mentioned in the intro that I'm writing this when the Moon is in Aries. It's kind of by accident, but I'm really glad that it worked out. I have a lot more energy than I did yesterday or the day before, when I wasn't convinced that I'd be able to have anything done by Friday. But here I am, already feeling like my work load is a lot more manageable.
Conjure your own fire energy using magical supports and allies. Burn candles. Wear red, yellow, or orange (I like to wear red or yellow undergarments under my black clothing. In some ways it feels more supportive energetically than wearing a full outfit of bright colours. I need that protective black!). Utilize fiery stones like carnelian. There are a lot of great stones that conjure fire energy, but carnelian is honestly my favourite. There's something about carnelian that just feels like uncut fire energy. It feels like a warm flame in the palm of my hand. Other options include citrine, pyrite, garnet. Anything with yellow, orange, or red is going to be a safe bet, and different stones will have different qualities that might beneficial for your individual needs. For example, garnet is really protective and grounding without being heavy. It's a more buoyant and fiery stone for protection, as opposed to something like black tourmaline (which is a ride or die of mine, but sometimes it's just too heavy).
Light shit on fire. Journal and burn it. Make sigils and burn them. Start a fire outside and stare into the flames. Obviously don't do anything overly dangerous and don't burn your house down. But let's be real- if you need some raw and uncut fire energy to ignite your own fire... Literal flames are going to be the most efficient way of making that happen.
Be aware of your own feelings and boundaries. Don't push your boundaries during water seasons, and don't let others push your boundaries. A lot of fire signs are outgoing, but a lot of us really need our space to recharge. Maybe you're not an introvert or an extrovert- you're simply a fire sign whose fire is depleted down to embers. Give yourself space to rekindle that flame.
Pisces Season 101
This is section is going to be an overview of Pisces season on a whole, including correspondences. But remember: everyone relates to every sign and season differently. Your own correspondences are valid, and you should lean into your intuitive responses first. That's why we're going to start with some journaling! Answer the prompts below, recording your answers and thoughts in a notebook or journal (or use some scrap paper). Use as much space you need. Spend at least five minutes on every prompt. You can also draw or collage (which might feel like a better choice during this dreamy and intuitive sign's season).
Pisces season makes me think of:
Pisces season makes me feel:
The element of water makes me feel:
Pisces (February 19-March 20, give or take a day depending on the year) is a mutable water sign. This means that as a sign is disperses information, allowing flow from one thing to another (including seasons). Pisces is a season is that invites us to let go and release. It's the last sign in the zodiac, so it allows us some space and opportunity to let go of what doesn't serve us in order to make room for what kinds of lessons we might pick up during the rest of the year. Because it's the last sign in the zodiac, Pisces holds a lot of wisdom and knowledge. Pisces can let go, but there's also an opportunity to remember and transmute information for future uses.
Pisces is ruled by Neptune. Traditionally the sign is ruled by Jupiter, but I feel like Neptune makes a lot more sense for this deeply intuitive and dreamy water sign. Let's be real- just because old white dudes of yore didn't know about a planet's existence doesn't mean it wasn't affecting our ancestors. Just because people can't see something doesn't mean it's not there influencing our bodies, our minds, our energies. Honestly, I think upholding the ideas of "traditional" planetary rulings just kind of feeds colonizer rhetoric. I digress. PISCES IS RULED BY NEPTUNE.
Pisces plants: Seaweed, lettuce, cabbage, cucumber, Irish moss, lily, lotus. Any watery plant, or any plant that takes a lot of water can be Piscean.
Pisces crystals: seashells, pearl, mother of pearl, selenite, celestite, any type of clear quartz.
Other correspondences: Fish, aquatic creatures, The Moon, Neptune, art (especially sculpture, watercolour), dreams, sea green, all shades of blue, light purple, white, silver, intuition, psychic abilities, memory, flowing fabrics and movement, rivers, oceans, sea salt.
Correspondences are cool, but what do I do with them??
Correspondences are basically a way to perform sympathetic magic, working off of the idea that like attracts like. The idea is that if you want to conjure something or someone, you use something that represents it. While you can't literally hold Pisces season in the palm of your hand, you can put together a combination of items that feel like it. Perhaps for you that means making a bath with sea salt, sea shells, surrounded by imagery of aquatic creatures. Maybe it means making a salad of lunar/Piscean foods, and eating it from a blue bowl. Maybe it's just holding a piece of celestite in your hand. It can be anything. Correspondences allow you to invoke the energy of whatever it is you're trying to work with. It's like having a statue of a deity; working with physical correspondences allow you to interact with energy in a tangible way. Earlier you answered the journal prompt of "Pisces season makes me think of-". Whatever you wrote about are likely things you can use to conjure Piscean energy, whether it's Pisces season or not.
The above Aries' Guide To Surviving Pisces Season is full of correspondences. Using correspondence magic allows you to tap into sources of strength and helpful magic at any time, not just when the timing is right. Just as a fire sign might conjure more fire energy to combat a water season, a water sign may feel the need to conjure extra water energy during fire seasons.
Physical correspondences and physical things really aren't necessary for a magical practice, but they're really helpful. These are tools that help us get into the right mindset in order to do the work we need to work. Correspondences are like any tools. They just make the work easier. Yes, you could build a house without using any tools, but it'll probably be easier and longer lasting if you use a hammer and saw. Magic is the same way.
What do you think of when you think of Pisces energy? Record those for future use. Those are your own personal correspondences.
Pisces + The Tarot + This Month's Full Moon
In tarot, Pisces corresponds to the Moon card, but I think there's also a lot of High Priestess energy in Pisces. Lately I can't see a sign as just one tarot card, because signs are so nuanced and diverse. Why try to paint within corners and confine meaning and understanding to just one thing?
The Moon: Change, deception, intuition, dreams, unfolding of powers, psychic imagination.
High Priestess: Intuition, hidden influences, unconscious, depth, mysteries.
This month the Full Moon is in Virgo, which conjures some Queen of Cups energy. Queen of Cups and the High Priestess have a lot in common with the intuitive and psychic aspects, but Queen of Cups is more nurturing and caring. The energy of using one's energy and gifts to support others, while still respecting one's own boundaries and energy. The Queen of Cups is tender, inviting in time for self-care and introspection.
The Full Moon is on March 7th. Piscean energy will still be prominent during this time, so we consider the Pisces + Virgo energy. What does that look like? Virgo is also a mutable sign, so the energy of flow and disbursement might be magnified during this Full Moon. Full Moons are usually a time for harvest; the time you take in the growth that has occurred since the New Moon, when you see the results of your manifesting. The upcoming Virgo Full Moon doesn't feel like that. It feels like this Full Moon is the opportunity to channel the full moon energy into skill development and rituals that will keep you on track, and keep you inspired and motivated. Embrace the Virgo Full Moon on the 7th to spend some time in practice with the skills you've been trying to build, whether it's tangible or spiritual. The keyword for this Full Moon is PRACTICE.
The March 7th Full Moon is the last Full Moon before the Spring equinox. It's an opportunity to plant those seeds for what you wish to grow and harvest in the summer. It's getting to the time to plant literal seeds; to start any seedlings that you wish to plant in the soil come spring. How can you embody this in yourself? The last few weeks of winter are really not about harvest. It's all about planting and planning, baby.
Affirmations for Pisces Season
I am allowed to rest. I invite rest.
Everything I do is a form of creation.
I let go of what no longer serves me.
I transmute my feelings into action.
I release anything unwanted, anything unneeded, anything uninvited. I call back my energy, renewed.
Journal Prompts for Pisces Season
If you were a water creature, what would you be and why?
What did you dream about last night, and how did it make you feel?
If you were a type of water, what would you be? Why?
Draw, paint, collage, scribble, instead of writing. Maybe try water colour!
Write whatever comes to mind for 20 minutes. Don't stop writing. Let the thoughts flow.
Activities for Pisces Season
Enjoy time in water, whether it's taking a bath, going to an indoor swimming pool, having a shower, or resting your feet in a foot bath. You could even consider making yourself a version of the water tables that toddlers play with! Engage with water on a sensory level.
Devote time to creative practices.
Drink lots of water (it's always good advice. It has little to do with what season it is).
Learn about aquatic creatures.
Donate time or money to causes that help ocean life, aquatic wildlife, and/or people who rely on the ocean for survival.
Dream journal. Experiment with lucid dreaming.