Pisces II and the Nine of Cups
Happiness is an Inside Job
What does it take to make you happy? Do your wishes come easily? Do you believe you must work for/make your own luck?
These are the questions the Sun’s journey through Pisces II: The Lord of Happiness invites us to explore over the next ten days.
As the Sun moves into Pisces II on February 28, the Nine of Cups, often dubbed the “wish card,” seems to promise satisfaction and fulfillment. With Jupiter ruling both Pisces and this decan, benevolence should be flowing. Right? Especially after the decanic journey we’ve been on since the start of 2025:
Capricorn II – Work
Capricorn III – Power
Aquarius I – Defeat
Aquarius II – Science
Aquarius III – Futility
Pisces I – Indolence
…and now, finally, Pisces II arrives. We want the happiness! Let thy nine cups floweth over for the love of the cosmos already. Wishes, be granted!
Casting the Chart
When I cast the chart from Annapolis, Maryland, Capricorn was rising, placing Pisces in the third house—the realm of communication, local environments, short journeys, and daily exchanges. Over the next ten days, expect a flurry of conversations, errands, texts, and neighborhood interactions. Happiness could emerge from these everyday moments—or, conversely, get drowned out by the noise.
Curious about what’s steering this decan, I looked to the ruler: Jupiter. There he was- at the feet of the figure in the Nine of Cups card. We find Jupiter in Gemini in the 6th house. No, not the house of daily toil, routine, and service—sometimes bluntly called the house of misfortune! How ironic: the Wheel of Fortune (Jupiter) spins in the house of misfortune as we enter the "Lord of Happiness" decan.
But maybe that’s the reminder: happiness isn’t received by a stroke of luck.
The Work of Being Happy
Jupiter symbolizes law, philosophy, growth, and governance—systems designed to support us but often require daily toil.
Hail to all the workers—chopping wood, carrying water—finding fulfillment in the labor itself. May your Wheel of Fortune spin upward!
That includes me. I write these posts in real-ish time. Just ask our editor at Astrum Opus. She gets drafts just in time to work her part of the craft—chopping words and carrying the emotional flow of each post to completion. Like the square between the third and sixth houses, blocks happen. I can’t force flow; I need to feel it—especially during Pisces season. My writing only emerges when I show up, butt in my seat, heart open. Otherwise? The words won’t wash.
Whether we work as writers/editors, actual wood-chopping lumberjacks, or for governments, every one of us has an area on the wheel that involves service, work, or health. And we show up for it because that is the nature of this house.
Jupiter Squares the Sun: Happiness vs. Expectation
On March 2nd, Jupiter in Gemini squares the Sun in Pisces II, creating tension between our yearning Piscean hearts and overactive minds. With Jupiter in Gemini, information swirls—stimulating, enlightening, yet overwhelming. We seek meaning but risk the burden of overwork. Under this square, we might overthink, over-promise, or chase fleeting distractions to pursue happiness.
Ever feel like happiness is just out of reach? Like water slipping through the fingers of these Piscean fish?
We cannot teach people anything; we can only help them discover it within themselves. - Galileo
Maybe that’s what Jupiter, ruler of Pisces II, is hinting at: The happiness we’re chasing is already inside us.
The Nine of Cups: Material Happiness... Or Is It?
The Nine of Cups shows a figure seated before nine golden cups. Arms crossed, face content—but is it satisfaction? Are those crossed arms holding happiness close... or keeping it out? Is he open to the benevolence flowing from Pisces to its decan ruler in Gemini... or hoarding it?
Godfrey Dawson, in the Hermetic Tarot, describes the card and its meanings as follows:
At the bottom of the card a hand emerges from the clouds and grasps the stems of the lotuses. One flower overhangs each cup from which water pours. All the cups are full and running over. Above and below are the symbols of Jupiter and Pisces.
Complete realization of pleasure and happiness. Self-praise. Vanity. Conceit. Much talking of the self, yet kind and lovable. High-minded. Not easily satisfied by small and limited ideas. Apt to be maligned through too much self-assumption. Good. Generous, but foolish nature.
And reversed: Mistakes. Material loss. Imperfections. The wish card can feel fulfilling... until it doesn’t. Even when we get what we want, that nagging question may arise: Is this all?
Happiness, But Make It a Job
With Jupiter ruling from the 6th house, happiness isn’t found in grand gestures or cosmic windfalls—it’s disseminated daily. The universe isn’t handing out freebies. We—the workers, villagers, and quiet servants—earn our nine cups through presence and routine.
Meanwhile, certain lords sip from overflowing chalices, still craving more.
I came across a social media post (fitting for the third-house theme) proposing a 2% billionaire tax:
A 2% tax of billionaires would cover ending homelessness and hunger, providing tuition-free public college (JUPITER!), universal childcare, and replacing all the lead pipes in the U.S. - and it wouldn’t affect how the billionaires live their lives at all. -
Happiness, redistributed. Fulfillment, not spilled but shared.
But beyond the numbers, let’s zoom back in: your neighborhood, your work, your happiness.
The Invitation: Happiness is an Inside Job
Pisces II asks: Who, what, where serves your happiness? Or shall you serve it to yourself?
This decan invites us to reclaim an internal sense of abundance by:
Finding joy in the mundane: Making coffee, folding laundry, walking the dog—these simple acts can fill us up if we let them.
Minding our expectations: Wishing is wonderful—until unfulfilled hopes curdle into resentment.
Letting go of the wheel: Sometimes, in chasing happiness, we miss the quiet joy already present.
Jupiter’s benevolence invites us to dream big. But first, uncross your arms, open them wide, and breathe. Let the mundane air of happiness flow during these ten days and beyond.
Tarot Activity: Reflect & Draw
Take out your Nine of Cups card. Sit with it. What details draw your attention? How does it make you feel?
Shuffle your deck and pull three cards to explore those questions from the top:
The wish card reminds us that happiness is an inside job—less about chasing what we want and more about noticing what’s already filling us.
Wishing you nine cups full of humble happiness— and the wisdom to let them overflow when you’re full!
Heather Marie Morse is an esoteric writer and yoga teacher who blends the wisdom of lunar astrology with the practice of yoga through her Substack newsletter, The Light Today. Her work mainly focuses on the subtle influences of light and the moon's phases on our daily lives, aiming to harmonize our inner rhythms with the universe's natural cycles.