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Pisces

Pisces is the twelfth and final sign of the tropical zodiac, spanning February 19 to March 20, before the cycle restarts at Aries. It is a Water sign, Mutable in modality, traditionally ruled by the planet Jupiter.

Last reviewed: 2026-07-21

Historical fact

Already in Babylonian astronomy, the sky sector now known as Pisces was depicted as two connected fish, tied to fertility associations. The Greeks reattributed the figure to Aphrodite and Eros (in Roman versions, Venus and Cupid), who, fleeing the monster Typhon, are said to have transformed into fish and tied themselves together with a cord so as not to lose each other while escaping into the Euphrates. Ptolemy systematized Pisces as the twelfth and final sign in the sequence in the Tetrabiblos, around 150 CE.

Interpretation — Western Astrology (Tropical)

In modern Western astrology, Pisces is read as the sign of dissolution and sensitivity: Mutable energy (fluid, adaptable) combined with the element Water (emotion, intuition) under the traditional rulership of Jupiter, the planet associated with expansion and transcendence — Western astrology from the 20th century onward has also assigned Neptune as a co-ruler, following its 1846 discovery, reinforcing readings of imagination and spirituality (it's worth noting Neptune is a modern addition, not part of the classical seven-planet system). Commonly associated traits: empathy, a rich imagination, and artistic and spiritual sensitivity. The shadow side commonly includes escapism and difficulty setting clear boundaries with others.

Interpretation — Vedic Astrology (Sidereal)

In the Vedic system (Jyotish), the corresponding sign is Meena, also ruled by Jupiter (Guru/Brihaspati) and likewise the twelfth and final of the twelve rashis. Because it uses the sidereal zodiac, which accounts for the precession of the equinoxes, Meena's date window is currently shifted relative to tropical Pisces — today falling roughly from mid-March to mid-April, varying by the ayanamsa (calculation method) used. Classical texts such as the Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra describe Meena natives as compassionate, spiritually inclined and imaginative, with strong emotional sensitivity — a characterization broadly convergent with the Western reading, despite the two systems developing independently. Meena is also associated with the twelfth and final Bhava (house) of the natural horoscope, tied to the unconscious, seclusion and spirituality.

Curiosities

  • Because of the precession of the equinoxes, the March equinox point currently sits within the astronomical boundaries of the constellation Pisces — which fueled the popularization of the 'transitioning to the Age of Aquarius' concept in later decades.
  • The image of two fish connected by a cord already appears on Mesopotamian cylinder seals predating the systematization of the twelve-sign zodiac, suggesting an origin older than the symbol's strictly zodiacal reading.
  • Pisces has no first-magnitude stars, making it one of the more understated constellations in the zodiac, despite its prominent symbolic position as the cycle's final sign.
  • Because it's the last sign listed in the traditional sequence, medieval and Renaissance zodiac depictions sometimes visually marked the 'seam' between Pisces and Aries to indicate the cycle's restart point.

For researchers

Historians of religious symbolism caution against a common but historically shaky association: that the early Christian fish symbol (the ichthys) derives from the zodiac symbol Pisces. In reality, the ichthys is more directly traced to the Greek acrostic 'Iesous Christos Theou Yios Soter' ('Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior') and to Gospel episodes involving fish, with no documented link to the Babylonian-Hellenistic zodiac tradition — an example cited by historians of religion as a case where superficial resemblance between two symbols doesn't imply direct historical derivation, reinforcing the importance of not assuming causal connections between traditions based on image coincidence alone.

This section presents one tradition's interpretation, not a verifiable fact.

Frequently asked questions

Why is Pisces the last sign of the zodiac?
Because the tropical zodiac follows the sequence fixed by Ptolemy in the Tetrabiblos, around 150 CE, which begins at Aries (at the March equinox) and ends at Pisces, immediately before the cycle restarts.
Where does the two-fish symbol come from?
It already existed in Babylonian astronomy, depicting two connected fish with fertility associations. The Greeks later reinterpreted the image as Aphrodite and Eros (or Venus and Cupid), who turned into fish tied together by a cord to escape the monster Typhon.
Is Pisces ruled by Jupiter or Neptune?
Traditionally, by Jupiter. Since Neptune was discovered in 1846, modern Western astrology has also assigned that planet as a co-ruler of Pisces, but that is a 20th-century-onward addition — Vedic astrology keeps only Jupiter (Guru) as the ruler of Meena.
What is Pisces's element and modality?
Pisces is a Water sign (an element associated with emotion and intuition) of Mutable modality (a modality associated with fluidity and adaptation), traditionally ruled by Jupiter.
Does the Christian fish symbol (ichthys) come from the sign Pisces?
There is no documented relationship between the two. The ichthys derives from the Greek acrostic for 'Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior' and from Gospel episodes involving fish — a distinct origin, independent of the Babylonian-Hellenistic zodiac tradition.

Sources

  1. Nicholas Campion. A History of Western Astrology (2009).
  2. Claudius Ptolemy. Tetrabiblos (c. 150).
  3. Maharishi Parashara (trans. R. Santhanam). Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra (1984).
  4. David Pingree. From Astral Omens to Astrology: From Babylon to Bīkāner (1997).

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