12th House Pisces, Escapism & Substance Abuse!

Pisces represents the hazy and dream state of blurring reality. It is a final watery sign which longs for peace and tranquility. Being the last Jupiter ruled sign, this sign can be quite idealistic and emotional. 

The planet of pleasure and romance Venus is exalted in this sign. Hence they long for a loving, blissful, and ideal life. Unfortunately, it can't always be achieved in this practical world. Most of the time are disillusioned with life and reality. Their compassionate nature is often taken advantage of and their fantastical expectations let down.

The planet of intuition Ketu is also the co-ruler of this sign. Being the final water sign, people with strong Pisces are visionary and far-sighted. They are aware of a world beyond reality. While this grants them heightened mental powers at the same time, they are disengaged from society as others can't relate to their state.  They often feel isolated and hence they seek escapism through hallucinatory substances which allows them to be in trance.

The whole hippie culture has been derived and inspired by this kind of idealism and escapism. The tendency to stay long in this intoxicated condition could be high in astrology charts where a stellium or south node is placed here. 

Pisces also represents bedroom life and sleeping habits. So the presence of a malefic is going to make your chances of having a peaceful sleep disturbing. I have seen many people with Saturn or Rahu in this sign suffer from sleeping disorders. As they can't let go and relax, they have difficulty falling asleep. 

This also holds true for the last few moments you spend thinking before you doze off. It is the sign of unconditional faith as there are darkness and a lack of control just like your sleep.  This is correlated to death as sleeping is considered a virtual version of death where you lack consciousness or logic. You delve into a surreal world or the astral realm. 

Tamas guna is also associated with this sign as it represents darkness and a sleepy state when you lack energy. Certain Piscean foods make you more drowsy. Investing too much time in this sign will make you give away your precious time and energy. That is why it is 12th from the ascendant or rising sign where you lose your consciousness and fail to make concrete use of this wonderful opportunity called life. Somewhere Pisces also teaches us to give away our worries to have a good sleep or peaceful death. 

That is why it is also the house of donations or loss. But you have the choice to decide whether you want to give happily or with sorrow because eventually, you have to let go of everything. So it represents moksha or salvation from the cycle of birth. So that you let go of yourself, your ego, and desire. In the end, you happily become a part of this existence by being nothing or space.