Pisces is classically associated with the feet and Saturn corresponds with – amongst other things – vexations, slow-resolving complaints and delays.
I sometimes scoff at the medieval medical astrology attributions as they can seem quite trite yet foot fuqery is on the rise since Saturn in Pisces. Searches along the line of “what is a metatarsal?” or “alternative remedy for plantar facist (sic)” are trending up and it’s not only because of post-lockdown over-clocked fitness regimes.
We now have more work-from-homers and as Amanda Hull wrote in the Atlantic last year, orthopedic and so-called ‘health shoes’ have become cool with Millennials.
Yes, it’s ancedotal but every second person I know or encounter – of all ages – is working away at weird Achilles Tendonitis inflammation and re-embracing toe separators or the decades-old foot exercises where you pick up marbles with your toes and so forth.
In fact, the mid-1960s Saturn in Pisces phase was the making of the original ‘fitness sandal’ Birkenstock.* That was when it went from kooky German gymnastics shoe to counter-cultural hipster hoof-wear – the obvious match with mung-beans and tantric meditation for people like Cybil Shepherd or Steve Jobs.
The shoe brand apparently gave customers hand-printed instructions for cold springwater footbaths with pine-needles which frankly, sound fantastic. But then again, I have Saturn on cruise control gliding toward my Sun.
Since Saturn arrived in Pisces this time around, we’ve also seen the mildly menacing Time magazine take – Why You Shouldn’t Walk Barefoot At Home and a broad trend away from feet as something best left ‘au naturel’ to the benefits of more ‘architectural’ solutions.
We can go even deeper and think about how the South Node in Libra exaggarates postural and relationship imbalances to the extent that your gait could reflect internal conditions. So many feet problems come from micro imbalances over time, right?
Hippocrates, who apparently invented the scalpel because he wanted to remove corns from his feet, agreed with the ‘best foot forward’ philosophy of the Ancient Egyptians: the ‘best’ foot is the left, in this philosophy, because it is the heart side of the body. It’s metaphysically complex of course but it gives the ‘favoring one foot or side’ syndrome new depth.
So, how about you? Are feet more of a thing for you since Saturn in Pisces?
I also love these words from the Nobel-prize winning Polish omni-Aquarian Olga Tokarczuk:
“I have always regarded the feet as the most intimate and personal part of our bodies, and not the genitals, not the heart, or even the brain, organs of no great significance that are too highly valued. It is in the feet that all knowledge of Mankind lies hidden; the body sends them a weighty sense of who we really are and how we relate to the earth. It’s in the touch of the earth, at its point of contact with the body that the whole mystery is located – the fact that we’re built of elements of matter, while also being alien to it, separated from it. The feet – those are our plugs into the socket.”
― Olga Tokarczuk, Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead
*The mid-90s Saturn in Pisces saw another Birkies surge via Kate Moss, Gwyneth and Co but their IPO last October flopped – they selected the worst day for it astrologically: Saturn Retrograde and opposing Venus, Mars and Lilith on a Dark Moon pre-Eclipse.
So vital to balance, are the feet properly planted in footwear.
Feet are the earth touch foundation and I am so happy to know the new gen is focused on healthy footwear … women especially have suffered vastly in this arena.
I love to walk barefoot on soft sand at the beach. The local beach — the sand is pulverized quartz crystal — a foot to earth necessity and oh I love footwear that allows me to fan my toes and … no arch support. I have high arches and to keep them fit they need exercising and arch “support” is detrimental to my feet fitness.
i have an at home ‘spa night’ once a week with an epsom salt footbath soak, followed by bunion abrasion, nail care & moisturizing then cotton socks overnight. Very relaxing & rejuvenating.
I have Saturn Feet…. and over the past few years i have done some unintended damage to an ankle, knee and a toe joint. They have mostly been ok for a while until about 2 weeks ago when all kinds of strange things have been happening. Like last night, get up from the couch. and go to take a step with my left foot and for some reason the ankle tenant gives backwards??? So have spent about 24 hours sort of hobbling so i don’t put my full weight on the heel…. mmmm. Tonight, it’s fine again? And as for the trends of wearing shoes, even inside, forget it….. bare feet always feel better than any shoe, indoors, on grass, anywhere i don’t have to walk on to rough surfaces. The best is walking around old wooden houses in bare feet, it makes my feet feel so good, just like grass.
So after doing the same class for many years several times a week I rolled my ankle and with physio and chiro opinions differing I am still following the course of all of their ‘therapies’ to get back to ‘free running’ etc but it’s taking weeks and weeks AND I have never had so many clients coming in with ‘foot and ankle injuries’ since I rolled mine! Even an interstate man booking in starts telling me all about his moon boot issues from his recent foot injury just after seeing a regular of mine who had cracked her ankle! Definitley makes so much sense now Mystic! I couldn’t understand why I was suddenly hearing all about feet and ankles ALL the time. 😂🦶x
Ankles are ruled by Aquarius – and we all know what’s in Aquarius now! Any hard transits of Pluto to natal planets or points could be creating ankle issues. I rolled my ankle once, a dozen or so years ago, right when the Sun was in Aquarius conjunct my IC (it happened at home), opposite my Saturn-MC, and squared to both my Moon in Taurus and Uranus in Scorpio. (In other words, it made the fourth point of a Grand Cross). Can’t recall what other planets were transiting that point but it’s become a weakness as it was not dealt to properly by the medical establishment at the time (unsurprising given my chart!). Now it clicks to remind me to be careful where i step…
I love Duckfeet, but Ooooph they are pricey. I takes a generous tax refund high to commit to pay now.
Hubby dislocated shoulder on 24/3/24 must check his transit chart.
Last weekend I splurged on pricy (for me) running shoes as a local shop. They had a scanner that recorded my stride and footfall mechanics and provided suggestions for shoe type and whatnot. Very high tech and miles away from a salesperson prodding the end of the shoe to see where my toes were. They were doing brisk business on a Saturday morning, even with half our college town away on spring break. So I can totally see a Saturn in Pisces moment in play.
The shoes feel amazing, too. The scan may or may not be messing with my feet’s lymphatic flow, but they sure helped me get some comfy shoes.
This makes so much sense. I sprained my left foot last year after sitting half cross-legged on the couch doing work, in the zone, and my foot fell asleep, unbeknownst to me. When i got up and tried to walk on it it crunched under me…! 😩 I was glad that it was only sprained and not broken tho; it made a mighty scary *snap* sound…
I’ve been having unrelated feet issues since, and it makes me feel unstable on the earth… which tbh i think i am at the moment anyway. So that’s a bit of ‘as above, so below’. I’ve been meaning to do a foot bath with epsom salts & rainwater and tend to them… *task rockets up the list*
Footwear-wise – i bought a pair of sneakers late last year. Sneakers! I haven’t worn sneakers since the 1980s. You’d think that they’d be easy to wear but i’m finding it hard to adjust from my past selection of kitten-heeled 50s shoes or heeled boots. I feel like i’m wearing duck feet, even tho objectively they look fairly normally, if not slimly, proportioned. I’m still not sure if they’re for me but thought a pair of ‘sensible shoes’ would be a good idea as all of me ages… But i feel like my feet are fumbling trying to make contact with the earth in them, and i keep tripping up on myself… it’s daft 🤷🏻♀️🐥
Oh yes! Last year around February I got an Achilles tendon injury from running, which is ongoing still. I was assuming this was Saturn in the sixth sign from my Libra ascendant, but didn’t think about the Pisces connection to feet!
I miss my carefree running so much. 😭
Anyone who has had foot reflexology knows the importance of our carriers & how a peppermint foot massage with a nourishing moisturiser can have us walking on air and beyond.
Our fate.. those things on the end of our legs our fate. (Said with an English accent).
Someone once said ‘if you wear nail polish on your toes it means you want them kissed’.
Think it’s because you like looking down at colour.
As a dedicated Birkenstocks wearer I also embrace walking in soft sand (for strength and conditioning of small tendons ligaments and muscles in feet).. an acupuncturist recommend this to me when I was talking about post-healing from a sprained ankle. Also yoga poses on feet, and practising picking things up with one’s toes/feet. That’s all I have though. Wierdly I prefer driving with bare feet too.
What is a ‘bare foot shoe’ or is it jargon for…..bare feet. Is it a type of shoe with just uppers & nothing underneath?
It is the ugliest footwear known to mankind, Pegasus: think of it as a neoprene toe-sock for your feet. I guess it keeps footpath grime and glass shards away from tender soles, but allows natural movement of the foot. In that way it is “good” but by golly they burn my retinas.
Heya Sam….NEOPRENE? Oh forget it then.
Whenst residing in Tahiti the locals taught me how walk on the reef on coral barefoot. They said tourists were damaging them with sandals sandshoes or maybe those neoprene uglies.
The key in the placement of foot squarely down gently not toes or heels first. They are known for their spaced out toes and toughened soles.
Not all barefoot shoes look like these, though they were the beginning of the trend 15yrs ago and I agree, they are hideous. But even back then, the majority of people who agreed with the idea of a ‘barefoot’ shoe still wanted a shoe that didn’t make you look like a neon frog-alien cosplayer. There are now hundreds of styles of barefoot shoe. Essentially the idea is the shoe has a zero drop, which means no added cushioning on the heel or arch support which change your gait vs. walking with no shoes. As well, the toe bed is roomy enough to allow your toes to spread and flex as if they weren’t confined in a shoe.
This was a huge trend that evolved alongside of the paleo diet trend and it fizzled out as people jumped on the trend and found their feet and legs hurt, understandably counterintuitive. But what most companies and proponents of the shoes failed to explain is that switching to barefoot shoes requires your foot to learn to strengthen and support itself. This requires time to build the muscles in the feet and to let your ankles, knees, hips etc. to adjust as your feet and body relearn to walk in a gait that that is more natural and not impeded by cushioned heels and arch support. They are basically workout equipment for your feet and so like any equipment, you need to start slowly and work your way up to wearing them all day, everyday let alone running marathons in them.
Lol, not a barefoot shoe salesperson here but I was very keen on barefoot walking when it came on the scene 15 or so years ago but as a Pisces, cute shoes have always been a must for me. So I spent a lot of time looking for brands that looked good and it took several months of sore arch muscles and calf muscles to get used to but eventually I got to the point of being able to stand on a moving bus without clinging to something in order to stay upright. I have always been pretty ungrounded and disconnected to my body and I’m also just re-emerging from several years of sedentary depression and weight gain, but my feet can still stand their ground pretty solidly at least.
Thank you for the useful update Kri. Definitely see how they’d help after a prolonged sedentary phase.. & you’re not the only one.
Pegs, reef walking does seem like a highly specialised skill. Strong feet indeed .
Talk about MY LEFT FOOT! Scans & Xrays can’t figure what’s happening now waiting on Podiatrist appointment, all physio said was stretch the Achilles Tendon.
That’s where it started from stationary bike use in bare footed instead of supportive shoes 18 months ago. Did it set off a trend?
Then it changed to #5 metatarsal along the side of the foot, then #3 toe, then underneath….basically the whole damn foot/hoofe resulting in poring over maps of the foot & how many bones & bits that can go wrong, trying to trace the source to name it claim it & tame it.
And new shodding not the answer. Must look what house Pisces in as must be the house of WTF.
Certainly agree with Olga about the foot being the most intimate part of the body, for me the most sensitive part perhaps from a lifetime of looking after them. My Chiropodist & Podiatrist is rich. Chiro yes from Chiron. Will look up my CHiron as well 🙂
Started respiratory rehab gym for strength 2 weeks ago twice a week for 6 weeks & had to miss a couple due to foot swelling from hot weather. Feet are weather beacons!
Timely post Mystic.
Fascinating! Since Saturn in Pisces has been opposing my Sun, Asc and Mercury in Virgo, I’ve had tightness and pain in my right Achilles tendon. My dad ruptured his Achilles tendon when he was younger and has always said it was the worst pain he ever experienced so I’ve been prioritizing stretching exercises to help the situation.
Don’t forget Vibrams, lol
Gaaaah. I tried a pair on once, and then quickly took them off. Too weird. And I like weird, especially in shoes. It is possible to get minimalist/zero drop/barefoot shoes that aesthetically pleasing.
One of the reasons old people fall over a lot is after a lifetime of wearing shoes, the connection to the sensory pads in one’s feet isn’t strong, causing balance and proprioception issues. I been wearing barefoot shoes along with toe separators since 2020 when plague ennui sent me down a research rabbit hole as to how best to deal with the bunions I inherited from grandma. I love the sensation of barefoot shoes, it’s nice to feel rocks and sticks under your feet, but you don’t stub your toes on everything and you don’t get hobbit feet.
So that is one of the causes of elderly falls, how interesting being an elder who keeps being offered shower stools hand rails etc etc that are totally unnecessary as my balance is excellent due to barefoot time yoga & pilates.
And ballet in youth which is punishing on the feet, toes rubbed with methylated spirits of a night to harden them for points and many visits to chiropodists, watching them intensely to learn so as to care for them later in life.
Bunions are annoying was told from family members who had them and passed them on, with operations being considered. Rather radical solution!
Got into the barefoot shoe trend 15 ish yrs ago around my Saturn return and it has served my feet well although I own about equal number of barefoot and regular shoes these days. I also stopped wearing heels around the same time as I started working for a chiropractor and he advised me to pay attention to the posture of women in high heels some time. One lunch break observing in the food court of the office building I was working in at the time convinced me that heels were about as healthy as smoking cigarettes plus all those women looked uncomfortable and had mincing, weird, tottering gaits. Not a single confident runway stride amongst them.
Saturn in Pisces, just passed my Sun, has brought gout in my big toes and several small accidents resulting in cuts and bruises on my feet eg. last weekend dropping a box of office supplies on my foot. Also, somehow, all of my shoes seem to have worn out all at once going into spring so I am trying to assess what I need vs what I can afford. Usually I rarely need to purchase more than one pair per season, 2-3 pairs per year. Now I need a work shoe, a walking shoe, something dressier and even my flip flops for summer have bit it.
Have noticed not many women know how to walk in heels, it is something that has to be taught, like how to try on brassiers, you know bend over to move boobies into cups. This brings me to no one i know knows how to stuff shoes after wearing them when warm to keep shape so they look new for every wear.
Walking in heels is an art & only meant to go from car to restaurant or show not for walking distances.
(Or for arrival at lover’s abode then home:-)
Anyone want 8 pairs of as new heels?
I agree that heels are meant for show. I spent my 20s wearing them 8hrs a day in retail jobs! So I can’t even bring myself to put my feet into a pair now. But I do have a few pairs of sparkly flats for the moments when cuteness is the main goal. 🙂
This tracks.
I sprained my right ankle at the start of the week
OOOPs. Moon boots are the latest fashionista item, Bella.
Yesterday I must have had an astro-flash and went and bought a pair of Birkenstocks! lol
In a less kindly mode, my Saturn in Pisces return is kicking my a$$ with a spiked boot.
And here I was thinking my neck or teeth would have trouble with this Saturn transit! (It’s transiting my 6th house.) I’ve had plantar fasciitis in my right foot since late December…last time I had this was 10+ years ago. Luckily I have a great physical therapist but nonetheless it’s completely derailed my walking routine the past few months. Hoping I can get back on track soon.
Podiatrist said a little teardrop shaped pad on sole of shoe eases it. It’s an ‘ouch’ underfoot.
Thanks Pegasus for the tip, will try that. Fascinating to see so many people in the comments all dealing with plantar fasciitis now.
I love my feet and walk five miles a day … they’ve been serving me well. I use Yoga Toes to keep my toes flexible, and regularly roll a self-massage therapy ball under my feet. That always feels great. Pluto is coming up on a square to my Neptune in Scorp, kicking off a series of squares to a whole scorp stellium for years to come, so I’ll take extra care with them. And time to get back to my pre-pandemic routine of regular pedicures for beautification.
Yes yes yes yes yes yes.
Late last year my plantar fasciitis suddenly flared up terribly in my left foot. I have eventually found my way to a fantastic physio who uses a systemic approach. Turns out it’s NOT plantar fasciitis at all, but a nerve injury somehow connected with my ribs / posture. Finally started getting improvements in the form of pain reduction, greater strength, stamina and mobility from that foot. I know this sounds totally out there but it is actually based in science!
It all makes sooooo much sense now! My poor Pisces peds, I have a nasty case f plantar fasciitis on my Right foot! Sigh, maybe I’ll give that Goldwater pine needle soak a try.
Love Birkis 💕👣
We treat our feet as slaves culturally, carrying us hither and thither, boxed in tiny compartments “to boot!” (bad pun intended). I leave a pretty foot cream by bed side and give them a mini deluxe massage, a pillow between them, as im a side sleeper. Sleep comes well then.