Mars in Pisces: or How to Manage Inertia

Hello my fishy friends!

Whether you’ve stumbled upon this article by chance or you’re a Pisces person and just want to know a little more about yourself – this is the place for you.

Whether you’re a Sun in Pisces, a triple Pisces, a quadruple Pisces, have your Chiron, or North Node or just an empty house governed by it – we all have Pisces in our chart somewhere. Some of us just have a little more than we sometimes know what to do with.

This article is the Pisces astro-bible I wish I’d had. I know this energy well, as a Pisces Sun/Mars/Jupiter.

I know the ups and downs of riding those waves, of how easy it is to get lost in that sea and – I know very well- how sometimes you just want to avoid everything altogether.

I also know how hard it can be to have your Mars in Pisces (or MIP for short), an astrological placement that is not always the easiest to have in the world we live in today.

Along the way I’ve gathered some tools that have helped me to navigate my Piscean energy when it comes to productivity specifically (keep reading, I’ll elaborate on that later) and thought I’d put together a little guide for anyone else who may need it – because I know I sure did ha!

So dear reader, this article is for anyone out there struggling with their Pisces placements but especially for those blessed few with their Mars in Pisces.

~ a quick run-down on Pisces energy ~

Pisces is the mutable water sign of the zodiac. Ruled by Neptune in modern astrology, Jupiter in traditional astrology, it is associated with the 12th house and is recognised by the emblem of two fish.

Pisces has a chameleon quality to it, comfortable with change and ‘going with the flow’.

It is in Pisces very nature to ‘move with the tides’. Piscean’s have an intuitive understanding of timing and of what feels ‘right’ to do in every moment.

Although the flip side to this is that sometimes Piscean’s can fall prey to meandering and procrastinating, while the energy waits to ‘feel into it’ before taking action.

~ what it means to have your Mars in Pisces ~

Now, wherever Mars is in your chart is where your drive lives. Our Mars placement gives us an insight into the ways that we take action and pursue our goals. It also governs our sex drive, our desires, our passions and how we get angry.

So when Mars is in Pisces it means that the planet of action and drive is moving through the sign of intuition and feeling.

This makes for a somewhat indirect and passive astrological placement, as any action a MIP takes must come from a place of feeling.

What this means is that we MIP’s get strong intuitive sensations within us that tell us to action something. However, this can make it hard for us to muster the energy to take on a task when it doesn’t feel right to do in that moment. As a result we can swing from what looks like sudden bursts of activity, to complete inertia – aka ‘riding those Piscean waves’.

This placement is hard to relate to if you don’t have it, it may seem unconventional/wishy-washy/lazy/moody/or unfocused. It is also especially oppositional to modern capitalism; a system that pushes for constant productivity and has high expectations of everyone confined within its ‘9-5 grind’. Mars in Pisces is naturally an anti-capitalist (apologies for the slight political statement); we are the true artist type, the period-drama-stare-out-of-your-window-and-wait-for-inspiration-type.

But unlucky for us, we are not in a pre-industrial-revolution world anymore. We cannot escape the reality of living under a system that thrives on time pressures, paying bills, meeting quotas, working jobs you hate, etc etc etc. A system that ultimately only suits a driven few (Aries and Capricorn Mars I’m looking at you), and largely doesn’t really suit anyone at all.

So instead we MIP try to fit into the mould; we push our poor Pisces to exhaustion, it gets completely overwhelmed and then we chastise it for not keeping up.

Or alternatively we simply do not attempt completing our tasks at all because it all just seems too hard. Cue more self-flagellation.

But don’t despair, we are certainly not doomed to this placement and we are definitely not as incapable of being focused or driven as we may think of ourselves. We just have our own unique way of approaching productivity.

So, how can the soft Pisces in us not just survive but thrive in this crazy and not-so-soft world?

Here are my three tips on managing Piscean energy, to help you ride those waves and float more gracefully through it all.

The Three Steps – Managing Inertia

Make time to rest.

As Mars in Pisces people we need a lot of recharge time, as we actually expend a lot of energy on the tasks that we apply ourselves to. But if we over-commit ourselves and don’t allow the time to wind-down after our activities – we will burnout quickly.

Ideally I would say, ‘be your own boss’, ‘work your own hours’ and ‘give yourself all the time you need to relax and rejuvenate’ but we all know this is not a likely option, if it is – please go forth and continue living your best life for all us pining Pisceans.

But if you’re like me and don’t have the privilege of that option – I would recommend instead: making as much time as you can within your schedule to rest when you feel you need to.

Indulge the Piscean in you. The part of you that wants to take a bath, go for a walk, do some art or cooking, do some journaling, read a book or stare out that stain glass window.

Do whatever activities make you feel relaxed and do not demand a lot of your energy. Make time for these activities at some point in the day, everyday. This will ensure that afterwards you are fully recharged to take on life’s tasks with more vitality. A lot of the Piscean overwhelm is just depleted energy, this step is a way to recharge it.

Make time for your creativity.

Creativity will manifest differently in each MIP, based on what other placements are in the chart and which house your Mars is in specifically. However it is highly likely that with your Mars in Pisces, you are a creative soul in some way.

And to be creative, you are inevitably also emotionally in-tune. Creativity is always an expression of something, no matter the modality – it is a conduit for feelings and ideas.

Mars in Pisces is a placement that asks you to action your creativity.

Your creativity is an accessible way for you to safely express your emotions and thoughts.

I have found that if I do not express myself creatively – my mental health will very quickly take a sudden plummet downwards. This is because the energy will have nowhere to go and if not given creative direction, it will instead turn inwards and wreak all sorts of havoc on the mind.

Not fun, BUT very easily resolved!

If you make regular time for your creativity, whether it is your main vocation or a hobby you indulge – you will be offering that sweet Pisces a moment to process and let it all out.

It will also act as a recharge for your energy reserves. Huzzah! Two birds with one stone, two fishies with one stream.

The A-D-B-C Method.

As we all know – Pisces are prone to overwhelm. Whenever we feel overloaded by our schedule or any expectations that life may put on us, we MIP turn to inertia instead of having to face the heavy load. Exhausted and calling it quits just to preserve our energy. But this isn’t always a sustainable coping method, nor does it get a lot done in a day.

Now, each astrological sign has an opposite. The two share similar values but just go about getting them in different ways.

Because of this it can be helpful to call in qualities of the other, to help out whatever sign your struggling with. Here, the opposite sign to Pisces is Virgo.

So, the first thing to do when you’re in your Piscean overwhelm is to utilize some Virgo traits to help order the chaos: create a clean work environment before you begin your study, take regular care of your body and nutrition, create to-do lists and tick those boxes!

However whilst these Virgo-tricks do ‘order the chaos’, your Mars in Pisces will still be the part of you that has to action ‘dealing with the chaos’. And MIP will not complete anything under pressure or in a conventional ordered way – it will still want to action from feeling.

And this is where the A-D-B-C Method comes in.

Once you’ve written out your to do list and gotten clear on all that you need to do (you good not-Virgo you), you now know that you have to get from A-D done (of course it’s more likely to be from A – L, but don’t freak out – I got you!). For example, let’s say your list looks like:

A – write job application letter

B – do my weekly house chores

C – finish an assignment

D – get your car serviced

Now this is where we cater to the Pisces: do not expect to get from A-D done in order as other people would – that is not the Pisces way. Your Piscean energy will still always be ultimately ruled by the fluctuating tides of energy and inspiration.

So instead of completing A-D in perfect (perhaps Virgo) order, choose to take on your tasks as it feels right to – most likely out of order.

Try applying yourself to one task for the time you’re engaged with it (you don’t have to complete it straight away), take a rest, then try another task, take a rest, come back to the task from before and so on and so forth. You will find by the end of the day you have completed all that you have to, but in a way that makes sense for you and your astrological makeup.

It sounds simple, but it honestly revolutionised my work ethic.

I also highly recommend taking regular breaks between tasks for recharging, even a 10minute break for a walk/stretch/or doodle in your journal will make all the difference. Allowing you to bounce back renewed and ready for your next task.

This A-D-B-C method allows for feeling-based actioning (choosing tasks to complete as it feels right to) and also encourages you to take it one task at a time. Slowing it all down and soothing the Pisces overwhelm.

So to sum it all up: by understanding your need for recharge, by making regular time for your creativity and by honouring your Piscean need for feeling-based actioning – you will be able to handle all of life’s pressures far more easily, will not fall victim to productivity-overwhelm and will maintain your energy levels without depletion.

And if you’re ever feeling down about your output and begin cursing your MIP, remember: you just do things differently to other placements and if you honour that – you will save yourself a load of self-criticism and find your feet in a world that just wasn’t made with fishies in mind.

A little quote for some Mars inspiration:

“Expressing who you are is taking action. You can have many great ideas in your head, but what makes the difference is the action…. Taking action is being alive. It’s taking the risk to go out and express your dream.” 

•  ‘The Four Agreements’ Don Miguel Ruiz

P.S – Here is a list of some hugely driven and accomplished people that also have their Mars in Pisces, to inspire you and remind you – you’re not alone and you got this fellow fishy friends!

P.P.S – Just so y’all know, in true Piscean fashion this article took me months to write and I’m not mad about it x