Each sign of the Zodiac rules over specific parts of the body. The feet and the lymphatic system fall under the rulership of Pisces. The feet are also affectionately known as trotters, dogs and in the wacky, musical Cockney rhyming slang- plates of meat. The lymphatic system is a complex web of vessels that moves and drains fluids, and forms a part of the immune system. Feet need no further introduction, we’ve been intimately familiar with them since infancy, as they were our very first chew toys.
Perhaps as babies, our tiny trotters made for such great chomping because they were composed of soft cartilage. It takes a few years for ossification, the process of cartilage turning into bone, to kick in. By three years old, except for some bones at toes and heels, the process is nearly done. At age 21, we’re good to go, finally reaching the very end of the ossification process.
Approximately 250,000 sweat glands grace our plates of meat. This is the highest amount of sweat glands per inch, anywhere on the human body. We need every last one of them to keep our dogs cool, moist and soft.
The soles of the feet are very porous, easily absorbing any substances in contact with them. Pisces is well known for being very sensitive, possessing a lack of personal boundaries and gifted with a strong intuition. In essence, they easily absorb the vibrations, sensations and emotions in the environment.
There’s also a high volume of nerve endings in the feet. Acting as little antennae, they stay in constant contact with the brain, sending and receiving messages regarding the positioning of joints and movement. This enables the human body to stay balanced through what is called proprioception.
Proprioception is also known as kinesthesia, or the kinesthetic sense. It is defined as awareness of the position and movement of the parts of the body by means of sensory organs (proprioceptors) in the muscles and joints. It is almost a magical sense, allowing us freedom of movement with grace and confidence.
Feet carry and distribute our entire weight, so we can enjoy balance, stability and motility. Although deeply emotional, Pisces is far from being a frail, weeping, weak sign. They actually carry a tremendous burden that is more spiritual in nature than physical. It might not look like much is happening outwardly with Pisces, but inwardly, on every step on their journey, they bear the burden of the collective sum of all human knowledge. They are the last sign of the Zodiac, and bear witness to all the good and evil of our kind.
Somehow in spite of the accumulation of so much wisdom from the collective experience of mankind, Pisceans maintain an innocence and at times, even a naivete. As the grandfathers and grandmothers of the Zodiac, they are always ready with compassion, understanding and forgiveness. How can grandparents feel anger when their four year old grandchild screams and says mean things to them- because they’re not allowed to stay up late eating ice cream and cake?
The type of awareness Pisces represents is Universal consciousness- an interconnectedness between all living things in the Universe. Quite mysteriously, the experience of transcending the personal comes through feeling the unity that binds all sentient creatures. Do you paradoxically have to be aware of first being an individual in order to experience the whole?
If so, it’s quite funny because individuation requires separation from the whole, yet it’s also what is required to feel the oneness of the Universe. Pisces are who they are, due to the mixing and merging of all the previous signs. Yet, they must be painfully aware of who they originally are, in order to dissolve what they are. Talk about a spiritual conundrum!
Maybe it’s more important that they feel their way through life, guided by the souls of their feet, than think their way through it. Their natural, in-born sense of proprioception guides them, without the interference from conscious thought. They have the potential to live out Universal Consciousness without ever studying it formally. Some things are beyond description, and can best be expressed through abstract or artistic means, talents Pisces excels at.
The word foot also means the foundation, base and bottom. Most of the time our only direct connection with terra firma comes through our feet, and then only a small portion of them actually touches ground. Would we lose our foundation, our reason to be, without Pisces conscious? As soulless creatures, would we still qualify as human? Yearning for union with the Divine realm is both wondrous and painful, and always a motivating force.
Coming down from the clouds and once again entering the physical body, we come to the subject of the lymphatic system. Its main functions include balancing the fluids in the body, filtering and cleaning body fluids, and providing immune system support.
The lymph system transports and distributes nutrients taken from our cells and pushes them into the bloodstream, by way of the lymphatic vessels. It also does some internal cleansing by throwing out metabolic waste and potentially harmful material. These feats are accomplished by draining excess interstitial fluid from body tissue. This fluid then undergoes a process of purification, at the site of the lymph nodes, and then transforms into a precious, clear substance called lymph, which is then returned to the bloodstream.
Interestingly, the lymph system operates in a similar manner as the cardiovascular system, but with some big key differences. The heart acts as a pump to keep blood circulation flowing in a continuous loop. Veins carry deoxygenated blood to the heart where it picks up oxygen, and then this nutrient-rich blood is taken to other parts of the body via the arteries. Whereas the lymph system has no pump, nor does it flow in a continuous loop.
Rather it is propelled by rhythmic contraction from its vessels, and by way of a complex arrangement of high and low pressure systems. One way mini-valves in the lymphatic vessels force lymph to keep fluid moving in the same direction- always toward the heart. It’s a one-way ticket with only one destination, and no possibility of ever returning. The pace is much slower as well, in comparison to the lightning fast speed of the cardiovascular system.
The lymphatic system is akin to flushing the toilet, taking out the garbage, and airing out the house. Old, useless or harmful stuff leaves the body. Likewise, Pisces releases what is no longer necessary. This is on a subtle level, one that affects the soul. It’s about setting the soul free so it’s able to move onto, whatever it is we experience after death. Whether you believe it is the soul reincarnating into another body, going to Heaven, going to Valhalla, merging with the Cosmos or becoming food for fungi.
There are a few lymph nodes in the body, located from behind the ears, to the groin, and all the way down to the knees. No matter the location however, lymph only flows in one direction- toward the heart. This ties neatly in with the direction that Pisces takes, being the last sign of the Zodiac.
For Pisces there’s no going back, there’s only one shot, it is the last act, the finale. A time of redemption, accompanied with a sense of urgency to act humanely because you have acquired the totality of human experience. In essence, all the earthly lessons are finished, and now it is only the spirit which needs care and attention. The next stop is the heart, or the great Hereafter, and it’s best not to have poison in your soul.
The archaic definition of redemption is the action of buying one’s freedom. Pisceans pay for their liberation with spiritual currency. For some, it is their most earnest wish to release their soul from the bonds of the material world. This means leaving your heavy psychic garbage behind, and being the example that inspires others to do the same. Psychic abilities and spiritual connections prove to be valuable companions for our busy, logical minds, elevating us to the ideal world that Pisces swims in.
