What happens when psychic empath Pisces (February 19 to March 20) merges with fast-paced Aries (March 20 to April 19?)  When your birthday falls at either the tail end or the very beginning of your sun sign’s season, your personality may be influenced by your cosmic neighbor, say Stefanie Iris Weiss, a professional astrologer, author, and clinical sexologist, and astrologer and therapist Lauren Donelson, MA, LMFTA.

What is the Pisces Aries cusp, and what does it represent?

Are cusps in astrology real? Donelson says yes, in the sense that you can be born at the very end of one sign and close to another sign. However, she adds, the misconception is that if you’re born on the cusp you’re a combination of the two signs, which isn’t true.

So even if you’re born close to the edge of your sun sign’s cut off, you are still always one sign or another, just with traits influenced by your cosmic neighbor. This also means that cusps, including the Pisces Aries cusp, are not rare. “Everyone born on the day a sign changes will be considered ‘on the cusp’—so this happens each month for every sign,” Weiss says.

The Pisces Aries cusp, in particular, is one of rest and rebirth; the twin-fish sign Pisces ends the astrological year, while Aries leads the charge of the next one. The  shift between these two signs also marks the transition from winter to spring, which can be a confusing time, but often poetic. As such, it’s worth noting this very apt pairing marks the final combination for the On the Cusp series (but you can check out all the others here).

We have two very different figures at war today: Pisces is calm, empathetic, and psychic—the mystic by the river. Aries is the knight who charges into action, someone who doesn’t feel, rarely thinks, and instead just acts. So will their combined energy be explosive? “It’s kind of confusing to feel the Piscean urge to merge mixed in with the Arian need to joust, but there’s a way to balance it out and embrace both sides of you,” Weiss says.

And with that, check out Weiss and Donelson’s breakdown of what it means to be born on the Pisces Aries cusp.

Pisces Traits

Pisces Strengths

The main gift of a Pisces is their sensitivity. They’re able to read another person’s energy with expert precision, and feel those feelings empathetically. They’re compassionate and artistic, idealistic and gentle. When you’re feeling down, they always have the perfect playlist to reflect what you’re going through.

Another Pisces personality trait worth noting: “Pisces has a great appreciation for beauty and the arts,” Donelson says.

Pisces Weaknesses

A Pisces’ sensitivity, though, can be a double-edged sword; you cannot call a Pisces out on their flakier tendencies, because they may well burst into tears and play the victim. Donelson adds that Pisces can also have a hard time with boundaries. “It can be hard for Pisces to know where they end and someone else begins,” Donelson says. “They can be noncommittal and dreamy to the point where nothing gets done.”Still, you can’t help but adore a Pisces, even if the twin fish is always flip-flopping in two different directions.

Pisces Compatibility

As for compatibility, Weiss and Donelson say Pisces plays well with fellow water signs Cancer and Scorpio. And Virgo, their opposite sign of the zodiac, makes an interesting pairing too. “When Pisces and Virgos date, mate, and relate, they’re seeing the parts of themselves that they usually don’t acknowledge,” Weiss says, which can be intimidating. Donelson adds, “Virgo is detail oriented and analytical, which can help to ground Pisces’ flowy energy.”

Aries Traits

Aries Strengths

A ram, on the other hand, has no problem with direction, specifically the one direction in which it wants to travel: forward. Thanks to cardinal-sign energy, Aries are self-starters with the headstrong qualities common to leaders. People are drawn to these Aries personality traits like a moth to the flame (ahem, total fire-sign quality) and will follow them anywhere.

Aries Weaknesses

Aries’ firstborn quality also makes them exceptionally selfish, meaning they may not think of someone else before making a decision. They can also be brash, impulsive, and act first and think later, Donelson adds. Despite this, these amazing and loyal friends are highly forgivable.

Aries Compatibility

In terms of which signs Aries is most compatible with, “Aries generally vibes well with other fire signs—Leo and Sagittarius,” Weiss says. “This is where they’re at their most passionate and alive.”

And, Aries’ opposite sign, Libra, can also be a good match. “Libra’s love of beauty, justice, and socializing can be a good match for Aries,” Donelson says. However, Weiss notes that because they are opposites, this pairing can be both super hot but also super frustrating.

So what does it mean to be born on the Pisces Aries cusp?

Pisces Aries Cusp Strengths

“The soft water of Piscean intuition mixed with the Aries fire instinct” is an amazing combo, Weiss says. “The Pisces inner wisdom and knowing is there, and with the Aries flavor built in, they can dive immediately in and take a risk without getting lost or confused.”

If you’re a late-degrees Pisces, your telepathic abilities are actually fine-tuned by Aries energy. According to Weiss, you feel all your feels and then everybody else’s feels without words. Seriously, you’re that psychic.

“By the time we get to the end of this sign, you’ve so finely attuned to your ESP signals that you’re less apt to suddenly cry on a whim and not understand why, as mid-season Pisces can sometimes do. You’ve evolved—been there and done that—and at the very end of the zodiac, you’re ready to start again. Aries cusp Pisces contain all the wisdom of all the signs in one—that’s what it means to be last, at least in this case.”

You also have a little spark in you—a determined ability to fight for your rights that other Pisces don’t have. That’s because you’re cozied up with Aries, who basically doesn’t take anyone’s BS.

“Early-degree rams are surely fierce like their later-degree sisters, however they’re just a bit softer around the edges from that compassionate Pisces influence,” says Weiss. “They will stand up for what they believe in, but sometimes falteringly, because there’s a Piscean voice floating around their heads, saying ‘Don’t go too hard this time.'”

Pisces Aries Cusp Weaknesses

All that said, Weiss adds that Pisces Aries cuspers can also come off as selfish when they waffle emotionally. “If they contemplate a situation for too long, they can end up so frustrated with themselves that they isolate, rather than pursue something that they desire,” she says.

Pisces Aries Cusp Compatibility

Cuspers have the most chemistry with other fellow cuspers of their compatible signs. For instance, Weiss says, a very late Pisces and a very late Virgo would react similarly to each other than those at mid-sign. That said, as a reminder, Weiss notes that compatibility is a complex topic that takes into account various elements of two people’s charts. So consider this super simplified sun sign compatibility.