The final sign of the zodiac is Pisces, the mutable water sign, ruled traditionally by jovial Jupiter, and modernly by dreamy Neptune. With Pisces we have come to the end of the human life cycle, and almost back around to the beginning again.  

Pisces, as the 12th sign, represents the unknown, the dream world between death and life; the psychedelic, dreamy womb waters where consciousness goes when it terminates and then germinates. 

As such, Pisces can be seen as a sign that holds dual natures within it – wise, and yet naïve, old and young at once; the places where the physical and spiritual blend and meld. As for the Pisces spirit animal, which animals could possibly embody these ephemeral traits? 

Keep reading, and find out!  

What Is a Spirit Animal? 

Zodiac spirit animals are animals that hold the wisdom and guidance that those with strong placements in a sign – such as sun, moon, rising, or a stellium – could stand to take with them on their life journey as they embody that sign.

For those who have a deficit of a certain type of element or zodiac energy in their chart, a zodiac spirit animal can be a helpful symbol for the wisdom of the sign. 

The animals don’t always exactly align with the sign, but rather hold a lesson within their symbolism that those who tend to get bogged down in certain signs’ challenges may use to their advantage when they find themselves in need of a little animal nature to guide them. 

What Are the Pisces Spirit Animals? 

Pisces is known as a sign that can be rather mysterious and enigmatic. Sometimes it can be hard to know what they are thinking, while other times, they have no qualms about telling you.

They are very sensitive, both to their own emotions and to the emotions of those around them. Since Pisces can have a hard time recognizing boundaries, they tend to project their own emotional state onto others, finding themselves the victim of their own insecurities. 

Pisces are also generous and wise, with an almost psychic intuition, as with fellow water signs Cancer and Scorpio.

They tend to go with the flow, like their symbolic animal, the 2 fish, rely on their gut instincts, like the gentle deer, show uncanny mysteriousness and wisdom, like the octopus, have almost magical abilities, like the enigmatic crow, and are rather misunderstood, like the sensitive skunk. 

These animals are by no means the exhaustive list of Pisces spirit animals, but we think this gives a good idea of the traits that make Pisces so special.  

1. The Fish 

Of course, Pisces is represented by two fish, and the fish is the first Pisces spirit animal. The two fish symbolize Pisces’ division between fantasy and reality. In Greek mythology, the fish are Aphrodite and her son, Eros (transposed into Roman as Venus and Cupid) who were turned into fish in order to escape the monster Typhon. 

For this reason, the planet Venus is exalted in Pisces, meaning it isn’t its home sign, but it is its favorite place to reside besides Taurus and Libra, where it is at home.  

Where You End and I Begin 

As for Pisces traits, fish represent Pisces because of their easy-going, people-pleasing, go-with-the-flow nature. As a sign that spends a lot of time in the dream world where the boundaries between the physical and spiritual body can be unclear, Pisces often has trouble asserting their own personality in favor of disappearing into their community, like a school of fish. 

Oftentimes, this works just fine for Pisces. They’d rather be protected, cocooned and cradled within the womb of their community than forced to face the cruel ocean of uncertainty they could encounter out in the world alone. Pisces has a tendency to become codependent because of this; whether in a parental relationship growing up, close friendships, or romantic relationships. 

While being a part of a community is a wonderful thing, Pisces’ goal is to find out who they are, as well. This can be hard for a sign that seems to already have one foot in the spirit world, but when Pisces is able to ground themselves, they can work wonders for themselves, and their community.  

2. The Deer 

As with all water signs, one of Pisces’ hallmark traits is sensitivity and intuition. Water is the element of the imagination, creativity, and feelings; and nobody has more feelings than Pisces. 

While deer flee when they sense danger, even if there is none, when they are actually face to face with it, they freeze.

We know that they have the ability to flee, and yet they become, well, a deer in the headlights. To say Pisces has a victim mentality wouldn’t be quite accurate, but their relationship to conflict is similar to the deer’s. 

It’s Not Me, It’s You 

Often, Pisces will sense trouble when there is none, and make themselves the victims of their own projections and insecurities, whether or not it is founded in reality.

The difficult thing is, they are so often correct about their intuition that they mistakenly let themselves believe they know what other people are thinking all of the time. 

Pisces can learn from the deer’s dilemma by tapping into another of their innate strengths: curiosity. When they are curious about where certain feelings are coming from, and investigate these feelings, starting with themselves, they can learn the truth and the source, and make an informed decision about whether to flee, or fawn.  

3. The Octopus 

The octopus is our third Pisces spirit animal – appropriately, another ocean dwelling friend. The octopus is a creature that is often thought of as a mystery, with its 8 limbs, all equipped with their own nervous system, heart, and agenda. 

The octopus has a lot to teach us about the nature of consciousness and who else on this planet of ours possesses it. Pisces is a sign that loves to delve into questions of consciousness and subconsciousness, elegantly floating between the two.  

Octopuses – not octopi, for octopus is a Greek, not a Latin word – are also very curious animals. No creature perhaps represents the mutable energy of water better than an octopus.

If there is a hole in an aquarium octopus’ tank, no matter how small, and no matter what danger awaits them outside of it, they will squeeze through.  

The Soul of an Octopus 

The octopus is also an extremely sensitive creature. Each of their suckers is used to explore the world around them and has feeling and nerve endings. They use their suckers to explore their environment for tools, to suss out water currents and temperatures, and to discern what is friend or food.

Octopuses are known to be cannibalistic, so often the answer to that question to an octopus is, “why not both?” More of that Pisces dichotomy action, where two things can be true at the same time 

Once thought to be monsters, we are learning more and more about octopuses as time goes on. They are amazing creatures with a range of personalities we wouldn’t think to ascribe to non-mammalian ocean-dwellers, and yet they have captured the hearts and imaginations of all who work with them. 

The octopus, as well as being a talented escape artist, is a master of camouflage. If they don’t want to be seen, you will not find them.

Pisces shares the dual nature of fellow mutable sign Gemini in the way that they can camouflage themselves, but rather than becoming what is needed to whoever they happen to be interfacing with at the moment, they tend, instead, to become one with one community, rather than several, and lose themselves as part of the whole – as discussed with the school of fish.  

As a symbol, the octopus represents wisdom, kindness, and generosity; all traits that Pisces has to share, as well. In our opinion, the octopus is perhaps the truest and most ultimate of all of the Pisces spirit animals; it embodies all that makes Pisces so special and unique, and it is not hard to imagine the platonic ideal of Pisces floating along in the ocean embodied as an octopus.  

3. The Crow 

The mystical crow is our second to last Pisces spirit animal. Any corvid, such as the rook and the raven, share the same traits as well.  

The crow is seen as an enigmatic, yet mystical and magical animal, steeped in myth and lore. They have a huge part to play in the mythology of every culture where they are native species. Crows are known as tricksters, telling riddles at crossroads and speaking portents of doom, and they are, among other animals like black cats, frogs, goats, and rabbits, popularly depicted as witch’s familiars.  

As the 12th sign of the zodiac, Pisces is often seen as the sign of the witch, a mystical and magical sign; the sign of soothsaying, divination, and spiritual practices. Having absorbed all of the lessons of the zodiac signs that came before it, Pisces now has the wisdom to perceive the future – although they should be wary of believing that they can actually predict it.  

A Murder of Crows 

It is true that, when marching into battle, armies would notice crows begin to gather and fly overhead with them, as if they already knew of the battle and bloodshed to come; and thus, they got the reputation for being harbingers of doom.   

Really, the humans were the harbingers of doom, to the crows. And, to the crows, human doom meant one thing: Food! Lots and lots of food!

Crows have excellent memories, even lasting for generations, and they will tell their families about the things they have seen and what tricks they have picked up. This is why people who have been cruel to crows find themselves being attacked by that crow’s progeny years and years later. 

That’s right, crows hold a grudge – and so does Pisces. They will not easily forget a wrong done to them, even if they eventually find it in their heart to forgive. This can lead to trouble, especially when the grudge in question is based on a perceived transgression against Pisces – as we talked about with the Deer spirit – rather than an actual one. 

Crows also hold good will – the opposite of a grudge – towards those who show them kindness, and have been observed leaving trinkets, feathers, and more for humans they have formed a bond with. It’s always a good idea to be kind to crows – and to Pisces – for the rewards you will reap are well worth the time it takes to get them on your side. 

4. The Skunk 

Our final Pisces spirit animal is one who is very misunderstood: the skunk. The skunk is one animal that Pisces can learn a lot from – talk about having boundaries! 

We all know the skunk’s defense mechanism: if they sense danger, their powerful scent glands will blast the offender in the face, leaving behind a disgusting smell. As a result, the skunk, otherwise an adorable, fluffy little guy, wields arguably the most power in the forest.  

Every animal who knows what the skunk is capable of knows better than to mess with it, because they don’t want to be blasted with the stink and end up telegraphing its scent to every other animal for miles around as a result. The skunk shares this quality, then, with Pisces – don’t mistake its sensitivity for weakness! 

Raising a Stink

Pisces knows that you don’t have to be the toughest, the meanest, the pointiest, or the strongest, in order to show that you have strength and aren’t afraid to use it.

When Pisces are able to ground themselves and hold and honor their own boundaries, they become a force to behold, and can truly accomplish anything they put their minds to.  

The skunk also symbolizes creativity, sweetness, and wisdom; more Pisces qualities. We would all do well to remember the skunk when we find ourselves lost at sea in conflict, perhaps feeling a bit wishy washy or leaning towards the Piscean tendency to people please.

When you hold and honor your boundaries with the same odorsome ferocity as the skunk, people will think twice before trying to take advantage of your kind heart again! 

Which Pisces Spirit Animal Are You? 

Pisces is a mystical, generous, dreamy, sensitive water sign. We’ve looked at some of the animal spirits that embody the traits and characteristics of this sign, and some of the lessons and wisdom that they have to teach Pisces placements and those wishing to embody the energy of Pisces. 

Which Pisces spirit animal resonates with you? Are you the wondering 8-legged octopus, the shy, gentle deer, the sensitive yet strong skunk, the dreamy, community-focused fish, or the mystical, crafty crow?  

What other animals do you think embody the spirit of Pisces, and what lessons do they have to give the rest of the zodiac? 

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