Grab Your Pet and Cue the Waterworks—It’s Pisces Season

Pisces is a vibe. It’s a poem, a song, a spontaneous nap, a subtle shift in the ether. It’s Rihanna rolling a blunt on her bodyguard’s head at Coachella, the tenderness of Kumail Nanjiani cradling kittens like they are his babies, or your dog knowing exactly when you need a reassuring lick. Words do no justice to this sign. And yet, because we’re not all equipped with the psychic capabilities of a Pisces, I’ll have to use them here. 

The last sign in the zodiac, Pisces is both an ending and a beginning — at once atavistic and futuristic. Like Rihanna’s red jump-suited Super Bowl baby bump last year, this sign is connected to the primordial waters of the womb, a state of pure potential and interconnectedness. Pisces is the only water sign depicted by a creature without an exoskeleton. Unlike the armored crab (Cancer) or scorpion (Scorpio), the sign of the fish is alive with the ecstasy and agony of navigating life without a protective shell. 

All about the vibe

Pisces are our vibe barometers, soulful empaths, and psychic sponges. They are our hopeless romantics with a Jesus complex, spiritual sisters, and transcendent artists. Whether human or animal, anyone with a Pisces in their life will have experienced their soothing brand of compassionate acceptance: They love you for being exactly you, without judgment. 

Co-ruled by the expansive planet Jupiter and the enchanting planet Neptune, Pisces governs glamour, romance, fantasy, and all things Hollywood. It is the realm of child stars, including Dakota Fanning, Millie Bobby Brown, and Drew Barrymore. Barrymore started her acting career as an 11-month-old baby in a dog food commercial and has remained a dog lover, having adopted nine different rescue dogs since she was 19. In the characteristic style of the Piscean savior, the self-described “dog rescuer” told about the symbiotic gratitude she shares with her animal companions: “Because you do save each other, and that is important.” The mom to three cats and two dogs (featured here in Parade), she even once published a pets-themed issue of her magazine, DREW.

In Pisces, we see the convergence of faith and fantasy, art and creation, the aesthetic and the experiential. Look no further than the variety show extravaganza of a Savage x Fenty fashion launch for an example of their visionary artistic capacity and ability to create a fully immersive experience. Rihanna is the ultimate Piscean mascot for chillin’ in the vibe, recently reconfirmed by the nonchalant star power of her hugely anticipated Super Bowl performance. Striding seafront on the March cover of British Vogue for Pisces season, she appears as an archetypal feminine manifestation of the powerful sea god Neptune. No surprise that this proud Piscean found her dog, Pepe, in the toilets of a Hollywood club; this is the sign of destiny.

Watery emotion vs. toxic masculinity

Another less-discussed aspect of the emotional orientation of this sign is that it can present challenges for Pisces men facing traditional expectations about masculinity that prioritize emotional stoicism and rationality. Nanjiani has publicly addressed this disconnect by openly discussing his struggles with body image and thoughts on toxic masculinity.

He shared his feelings in an interview with : “A lot of times, we are taught to be useful by using physical strength or our brain in an aggressive, competitive way. Not in an empathetic way. Not in an open, collaborative way.” A model for a new Piscean paradigm of masculinity, Nanjiani has not only advocated for vulnerability and emotional expression among men but also for inter-species education, sharing a picture of himself reading to his cat, Bagel, on Instagram.

Because their sensory impressions are so strong, Pisceans may need to seek refuge to separate their own feelings from the suffering and chaos of the world. Nature, art, music, baths, swimming, or any other water-related activity are all soothing balms to a Pisces soul. If you need more proof, look no further than the childlike joy of Barrymore’s famous “Whenever you can, go into the rain” TikTok. 

While the Pisces orientation toward escapism and fantasy is often emphasized, couldn’t the world use a little re-enchantment? A little less cynicism? A little more universal compassion? Pisces teaches us to dream big and to disregard some of our deepest assumptions and imagine a new version of the world. With such lofty ambitions, how can we be mad that they can never make it to lunch on time?