Pisces seems to have a natural gift for happiness, instinctively relaxing and going where the river flows instead of fighting against the currents. Where Pisces lives in your chart, you may get farther by not trying so hard – by relaxing and floating instead of struggling to move in a particular direction.
Sometimes, we’re so focused on details that we miss the big picture altogether. In an episode of the TV series Seinfeld, Elaine’s boss, Mr. Pitt, has become fascinating – and frustrated – by a 3D art poster, struggling to find the “hidden” image he has been told lies within its seemingly random pattern of squares. Finally, he hits on a winning strategy: “You said keep your eyes out of focus, which is misleading,” he tells Elaine, his eyes staring wide and unblinking at the poster. “You want deep focus!”
Mr. Pitt had it exactly right. What sometimes looks to the rest of the world like a lack of focus is actually Pisces looking deeply, unblinkingly, at something the rest of us just can’t see.
At this über-Piscean New Moon, with every single personal planet (Sun through Mars, plus a bonus outer planet, Neptune) in the sign of the fishes, this is a good strategy for seeking happiness, as well. Don’t look too hard in a particular direction. Even the matters “ruled” by the Pisces houses in your chart (not sure which ones they are? Here’s a video to help you figure it out) will benefit from an indirect approach.
Sometimes we need to back away to get more perspective. Recently I decided to change my habit of marathon work sessions after reading an article by author Tony Schwartz in the New York Times. Schwartz describes writing a book in just a few months, and relatively painlessly, by breaking his workday into 90-minute segments for a total of about four and a half hours out of each workday. He came up with the approach after learning about research that found that humans move progressively from alertness to physiological fatigue about every 90 minutes. At Florida State University, researchers observed that top performers in music, athletics, acting, and chess practiced their craft in sessions of no more than 90 minutes, and no more than four and a half hours in a given day.
While I’d noticed that that working at my desk for hours at a time seemed to result in less productivity and extra weight, I had a work ethic that was based on years of working in office jobs for 40 hours a week. Other than two grudging, 15- minute breaks and an hour for lunch, one was expected to sit in a chair and work nonstop. Naturally, my coworkers and I spent at least a couple of extra hours each day expanding our coffee breaks, taking a longer lunch, or getting “lost” coming back from a trip to the restroom.
So for the past couple of weeks, I’ve been experimenting with Tony Schwartz’s model. During my 90-minute work stretches, I close my email program and switch the internet offline. During my breaks, I spend at least 30 minutes moving – running errands, washing dishes, taking a walk – and the rest of the time checking email or returning phone calls. And it really does seem to be the case that when I sit down again to work, the writing flows a lot easier than before.
With so many planets in Pisces, some vision is trying to make itself apparent to us… but to see it, we have to focus deeply, like Mr. Pitt looking for a spaceship in a 3D poster. We have to break up tasks into manageable segments and rest as much as we work. We need to look at the big picture instead of obsessing over the fine print. With the whole sky singing a song of Pisces, it’s time to learn to swim with the fishes. We’ll get farther faster – and enjoy the journey much more!
© 2013 April Elliott Kent
