The principle duality of Pisces is reflected in its symbol and glyph respectively: two semicircles and a line drawn between them, and two Fish connected by a silvery cord. Both of these representations speak about the essential passion, suffering, and redemption of Man caused by the simultaneous attraction and separation of the Soul and the personality. It is in this archetypical setting that we find the evolutionary frame of reference, not only for the humanity of the Piscean Age, but for that of the Age of Aquarius, as well. The difference, and a quintessential difference it is indeed, is in the form through which the resolution of this cosmic duality is achieved.

In the Piscean Age, such liberation came from the crucifixion. It was in this most painful way that the lower ego sacrificed itself for the Higher Self. This act led to a mystical union with the Universal Source, and a consequent resurrection, resurgence, and rebirth of the potency of that essential Love for the betterment of all humanity. This is one explanation why in esoteric, Soul-Centered astrology, we view Pluto as the ruler of the Fish in terms of its activity on the Higher Self. In the New Age, individual evolutionary progress will occur as a result of the conscious merging of a fully individualized self within a transcendental group collective. This "initiation" will lead to a tremendous increase in the availability of the powers latent in human intuition. This results in a channeling of the positive currents of Uranus and the energies of the Heart Chakra that releases that intuition.

Pisces expresses the fact that no matter what the Age, the struggle to fuse the lower and the Higher selves is always at work. The nature of this duality, as it expresses particularly through the Fish, is taught in the Works of the Tibetan Master, Djwhal Khul through three pairs of keynotes:

Bondage or captivity: The Soul is imprisoned, due to its connection to the form life. It is not free to experience totally the nature contained within its own dimension of experience as it is bound to the lower self in incarnation. This bondage of the Soul to the lower self and the battles that ensue are consistent over many lifetimes. At a more advanced stage of evolution, the person increasingly attunes him or herself to the magnetic control of the Soul and awakens with ever greater perception to the Voice of the Silence. On the other hand, the lower-self is in bondage to the Soul, which is in effect, its path of redemption.

Renunciation or detachment: People who are born with either the Sun or rising sign in Pisces (or who for that matter, have Neptune very strongly placed in their natal chart), are often victims of self-induced acts of personal sabotage. They frequently creat those sets of circumstances that give rise to theneed for detachment, renunciation, and a turning away from those non-regenerative habit patterns. Many such people seek to annihilate the "burden" of the lower self through addictive substances and behaviors, only to find that they have even further disintegrated the three bodies of the personality: the physical, the emotional, and the rational mind. Once the Pisces/Neptunian personality has incorporated the more mentally oriented energies of Virgo/Mercury, discrimination and objective ideation are added to his or her attempts at the transformation and liberation of the lower self. On still a further turn of the karmic wheel, the Pisces/Neptunian individual takes "refuge in the dharma," finds their true spiritual Path, thus incorporating detachment from and renunciation of the form life.

Self-sacrifice and death: The Ancient Wisdom Teachings tell us that there is no such thing as death, i.e. utter and absolute annihilation. There is only the mutation and transformation of matter, and the subsequent release of consciousness. Pisces teaches the lesson that when the lower self is sacrificed to the higher, even when it is given up through physical death, there is a continuum of life by which our elevated consciousness carries us into the transcendental life stream of immortality (and the implication of other incarnations). It is this understanding and attunement to the One Life Universal, that is inherent in the mystical awareness of the more advanced Piscean brothers and sisters among us.

In summary, we can say that the intent underlying the evolution of a Pisces-influenced individual is to find a universal sense of self in any given social context. This requires developing a sense of universal compassion, an empathetic response to life that allows the individual he capacity for total inclusivity. The conflict that often occurs along the Way has a lot to do with maintaining a clear sense of personal identity while obtaining this global awareness. The Fish who swims downstream is usually self-annihilating, often in the form of substance or relationship abuse. The upstream, higher nature of the Fish tends more to Self-recognition, most often through service to others, and the consistent integration with those practices and activities that support the growth of love/consciousness both in self and others.

Aries and Aries Rising in the Natal Chart

One of the most important characteristics inherent in the Ram is the creation and exploration of any new experiences that implement and awaken self-awareness. The Sun in Aries or Aries rising stimulations the consistent testing of one's personal strengths and weaknesses through an approach to life that is very confrontational in nature. The dynamic urge of the personality is to project oneself outward and forward towards the accomplishment of one's immediate goals. As a rule, little thought is given to the consequences of such actions. Boldness, courage, and a piercing drive either win or lose the day. Discrimination in the nature and manner of one's self-assertion must be cultivated and achieved. Aggressive behavior must be transmuted from an instinctive urge to an objectified conscious ability to integrate personal objectives into the larger structure of life. Social opposition occurs when Aries overstep their boundaries and move consciously or unconsciously into other people's physical or psychic territory without their permission.

Given these generalized statements about our Aries brothers and sisters, let us no proceed to see how the development of consciousness affects the Ram's behavior and life out-look. We shall explore this in three stages:

The purely personality-centered Aries: This is a Ram who is quite unconscious of him or herself. The urge to project the desires of the lower self is much more related to instinct that to any form of objective self-awareness. This is a Ram who moves through life with a definite "me first" disposition that is usually devoid of other-oriented, mutually relating awareness. This doesn't make for a "bad" person as much as it does for one who is simply naive and unaware. The gathering of the knowledge the one derives from life is accomplished confrontationally. Thus the lessons in life are learned through physical and emotional victories and defeats. Mars rules very strongly and the urge for territoriality predominates. Aries at this stage declares, "I am my urges." Unpredictable impulsivity is very definitely a major way of functioning in the world.

The developing Aries awakening to the Soul: As the relationship between the Soul and the personality becomes more evident, the life energies of Aires take on a much more consciously directed orientation. The effects of Mars become focused as the individual begins to fight for those causes that involve not only his own well-being, but that of the social collective in which he lives. The anger and self-righteous moral outrage that is often seen in the "ordinary" Ram, now changes into a fighting spirit for causes that are humanitarian in nature and increasingly impersonal in scope. This is no longer an Aries who will strike out blindly at any an all opponents, this is instead, a person with a clear course of action. Instead of fighting as an instinctive response to territorial infringement, Aries now views himself as an instrument to correct injustices and if necessary, as a vehicle of self-sacrifice for some higher ideal.

The Soul-Centered Aries individual: This is a Ram who can arouse, stimulate, and infuse new spiritual awareness into any social setting or creative activity. His is the fire of conscious impulse that can penetrate into any person or idea and bring forth a greater spiritual quality of life. Aries now has the vision and the will to help transform the lower into the higher and to take on the banner of the fight for the Greater Good. It is the intuitively connected mind that is the true "weapon of war" for this individual and it is a weapon that Aries uses to uplift, enlighten, and show the Way.