The Fig & The Wasp

Mars (Taurus) sextile Jupiter (Cancer); Mars Enters Gemini

On Sunday,Mars is incredibly active. First, Mars in Taurus makes its final aspect before leaving the sign—Mars sextiles Jupiter in Cancer at 29°, the anuretic degree, the last degree of Taurus. This is a threshold moment. After this, Mars shifts into Gemini, where the pace quickens, the mind sharpens, and our actions take on a more curious, restless, and mentally driven quality.

Mars sextile Jupiter in Cancer brings an influx of energy and motivation. This aspect blends Mars’ steady, grounded determination in Taurus with Jupiter’s emotional generosity and expansive optimism in Cancer. It becomes easier to act on opportunities that feel aligned with your values and emotional truth. You may feel inspired to take practical steps toward goals connected to home, family, creativity, or anything that nurtures you. Mars in Taurus isn’t impulsive, but this sextile opens the door to calculated risks—especially because Mars is approaching Uranus, the planet of the unexpected. This could look like investing in something you trust, starting a home‑based project, or deepening a personal endeavor that feels meaningful.

However, Jupiter in Cancer can amplify emotional idealism, so it’s important to stay realistic about expectations. Mars in Taurus can also resist change, digging in its heels when flexibility is needed. The sextile helps soften this, encouraging patient, emotionally aware action. This is a calm, steady push toward growth—success comes through purpose, patience, and alignment with what truly matters to you.

Hours later, Mars enters Gemini, shifting the energy dramatically. Mars is the planet of action, drive, and assertiveness. In Gemini, an air sign, Mars becomes mentally active, curious, communicative, and quick. This brings sharp mental energy, verbal agility, and a desire to explore multiple ideas at once. The mind speeds up. Conversations become more dynamic. Curiosity becomes a driving force. And because Mars is immediately influenced by Uranus once entering Gemini, the shift feels sudden, electric, and unpredictable. Ideas spark quickly. Decisions may come fast. The desire for freedom, stimulation, and new experiences intensifies.

Mars will remain in Gemini until August 11th, and during this time it will make several significant aspects:

July 2: Mars square the Nodes of Fate: A turning‑point moment that pushes you to choose a new direction, forcing action that aligns with your growth rather than your past patterns.

July 4: Mars conjunct Uranus: A sudden, electric burst of change that brings breakthroughs, surprises, and impulsive shifts in direction or desire.

July 5: Mars sextile Neptune in Aries + trine Pluto Rx in Aquarius: Inspired action flows easily, helping you act on intuition while tapping into deep inner power and transformative motivation.

July 19: Mars sextile Saturn in Aries: Steady, disciplined effort supports real progress, helping you take focused action with confidence and maturity.

July 29: Mars square Venus in Virgo: Tension between desire and practicality creates friction in relationships, motivation, or values, urging you to rebalance effort and expectation.

This is a mentally charged, fast‑moving Mars cycle—one that brings breakthroughs, shifts in direction, new ideas, and a desire to act on curiosity.

What it feels like: A turning point. A shift from slow, steady movement to quick, agile momentum. You may feel grounded and purposeful early in the day, then mentally activated, curious, or restless once Mars enters Gemini. There’s a sense of transition—like the energy is picking up speed.

Positive expressions: Practical action. Emotional motivation. Inspired ideas. Mental clarity. Productive conversations. Creative problem‑solving. Taking meaningful steps toward growth. Feeling energized and curious.

Shadow expressions: Over‑idealizing. Acting too quickly. Scattered energy. Restlessness. Emotional impulsivity. Taking on too many ideas at once. Resistance to change followed by sudden overcorrection.

The invitation: Use the Mars–Jupiter sextile to take grounded, emotionally aligned action. Then let Mars in Gemini open your mind, spark new ideas, and help you explore fresh possibilities. This is a day of transition—one that blends stability with movement, patience with curiosity, and grounded effort with mental expansion.

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Healing opportunity & Actionable Step: Taking Grounded Action Before the Shift

Aligned with Mars sextile Jupiter at the anuretic degree — a threshold moment of emotionally aligned action.

Positive Expression: Practical action, emotional motivation, inspired ideas, taking meaningful steps toward growth, feeling energized and purposeful.

Shadow Expression: Over-idealizing, resisting change, digging in heels when flexibility is needed, emotional impulsivity.

Actionable Step: Complete a “Threshold Action.” Before Mars shifts into Gemini (the energy quickens), identify one small, grounded action you can take toward something that matters—something steady, practical, aligned with what you value. Do it today, with intention. Journal: “I took this step before the shift. It was grounded in ________. I am ready for what’s next.”

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Journal Prompt:

The Step I’m Ready to Take Before the Shift Mars-Jupiter at the anuretic degree offers a final moment of grounded, emotionally aligned action. What is one small, tangible step you’ve been wanting to take—something that feels aligned with your values, your growth, or your emotional truth? Not the whole thing, just a step. What’s been holding you back? What would it feel like to take that step today, not because you’re ready, but because you’re willing? And what do you sense is waiting for you on the other side of it?

The Question I’m Ready to Follow Mars in Gemini sparks curiosity, mental energy, and a desire to explore. What is one question you’ve been curious about—not one you should ask, but one that genuinely interests you? What would happen if you followed that thread without needing to find an answer, just to see where it leads? What might you discover by letting curiosity, not certainty, be your guide?

*This is from my weekly astrological breakdowns; I hope you find it helpful in exploring the energy for the day. Sending much love!

~Amanda~

Here it is, a little bit late, a Summer masterpost of cottage witchcraft from yours truly - it's mostly recipes because when the harvest is coming in, you mostly have time to you know...cook, preserve, and eat!

Midsummer 2022 - Midsummer is, of course, our first summer holiday, and it's one of my favorites! Solstice everything!

By far my most popular summer post is my long-form lemonade - a way to really get that cleansing inside of you, if you get my drift.

I've also got a killer recipe for Cilantro Pesto if that's your thing, as well as posts about making Sour Cherry Jam and Blueberry Pie filling.

I go into detail about how I set up my altar and celebrate the first harvests here:

Tomatoes

You can't have summer without tomatoes! (At least not in my neck of the woods). I consider tomatoes to represent the pure abundance of the summer harvest. Here are a few ways you can cook them:

Farmshare Lasagna Tomato Soup Tomato Confit Tomato Pie Mac'N'Chees & Tomato

Because I like being in the kitchen, some of these recipes are pretty complicated (or at least time-consuming); check out the mac'n'cheese recipe for a much more low-energy way to use the abundance of tomatoes in your craft!

I've also strongly enjoyed working with Rose hips - you can check out this post for a rose hip jelly recipe and a recipe for Sweet Protection Cookies made out of rosehips:

I don't tend to do as much physical crafting in the summer, but I have done a few longform infusions, including my jewelweed salve:

When life gives you jewelweed

Of course, this is just a starting point. I'll add more recipes and crafts as I try them out and share them!

I hope you enjoy!

Neptune through the houses: the part of your life that feels magical, confusing and impossible to explain according to my observations

disclaimer: neptune isn’t automatically positive or negative. it’s where we dream, escape, idealise, fantasise and struggle to see things clearly. this is also one of the most spiritual and intuitive parts of the chart. your whole chart matters, aspects matter and not every observation will apply to everyone. take what resonates and leave what doesn’t 🤍

✨ click here to see reviews from my readings and have a look through my page if you’d like a reading of your own 🤍

🌊 neptune in the 1st house

i genuinely think this is one of the placements that gets misunderstood the most because people project onto you constantly. complete strangers can feel like they know you after one interaction and somehow all come away with a completely different version of who you are. you may have had experiences where people called you shy when you felt confident, intimidating when you were nervous or sweet when you were actually in a bad mood 😭. there can be moments where you genuinely question who you are because you’ve spent so much of your life adapting to different people and environments. your appearance can also change a lot throughout your life. different aesthetics, different hair, different styles and even different personalities depending on the chapter of your life. i also notice people with this placement are naturally empathetic and absorb energy very easily. if you’re around stressed people for too long, you start feeling stressed too. if you’re around happy people, you become lighter. people also tend to remember your eyes or your energy more than any specific physical feature.

🌊 neptune in the 2nd house

your relationship with money and self-worth can feel like a complete mystery sometimes. there may be periods where money seems to flow in easily and periods where it seems to disappear for no reason. i also notice this placement often underestimates their own talents and doesn’t realise how valuable they actually are. you may undercharge, settle for less than you deserve or struggle to put a price on your work because part of you feels uncomfortable attaching value to yourself. there can also be emotional spending here. buying something because it made you feel good in the moment and then wondering why you bought it later 😭. i also notice people with this placement become incredibly sentimental about objects. old clothes, gifts, notes and random items become impossible to throw away because every object feels like it carries memories.

🌊 neptune in the 3rd house

your mind works through feelings and intuition rather than strict logic. you remember random details, vibes and impressions that other people completely forget. you may walk away from a conversation remembering someone’s facial expression more than what they actually said. i also notice this placement daydreams constantly. there can be times where you completely zone out while someone is talking and then suddenly remember everything later. your imagination is huge and you’re probably someone who creates stories in your head without even realising it. i also notice people with this placement are incredible writers because they know how to describe emotions and make people feel something through words. relationships with siblings can feel confusing or there may be times where you and your siblings remember your childhood completely differently.

🌊 neptune in the 4th house

there is usually something hard to explain about your childhood or family life. some people with this placement grew up idealising one parent only to later realise they weren’t who they thought they were. others feel like certain childhood memories are blurry or difficult to understand. there can also be a feeling of never fully belonging anywhere because you’re always searching for emotional safety. i notice this placement becomes deeply nostalgic. songs, smells and certain places can completely transport you back in time. you also need a peaceful home environment because tension affects you deeply. even if you don’t show it, your emotional environment impacts you more than people realise.

🌊 neptune in the 5th house

you romanticise everything 😭. crushes become stories, simple interactions become memories and you can attach meaning to the smallest things. this placement often falls in love with potential and sees beauty where other people don’t. there can be experiences where you stayed interested in someone because of who they could become rather than who they actually were. creatively, though, this placement is incredible. you have a vivid imagination and probably escape into films, books, music or fictional worlds. i also notice these people become nostalgic over old crushes and memories. there can be someone from years ago that you randomly think about because they represent a certain chapter of your life.

🌊 neptune in the 6th house

your energy levels and routines can feel unpredictable. there may be days where you’re incredibly productive and days where even simple tasks feel exhausting. i also notice this placement absorbs stress physically. when you’re overwhelmed emotionally, your body often knows before your mind does. you need work that feels meaningful because doing something you hate can drain you quickly. there can also be a tendency to neglect your own needs while helping everyone else. people with this placement often need more rest and alone time than they realise because they’re constantly absorbing the emotions and energy around them.

🌊 neptune in the 7th house

you genuinely want to believe the best in people. there can be a tendency to overlook red flags because you understand why someone behaves the way they do. relationships often teach you lessons about boundaries because you’re naturally compassionate and understanding. i also notice people with this placement attract relationships that feel confusing or difficult to define. situationships, mixed signals and people who seem different once you get to know them are very common with this placement. you can fall in love with emotional connection and potential very quickly because you’re drawn to the idea of soul connections.

🌊 neptune in the 8th house

your intuition is honestly scary 😭. you know when something is wrong before anyone says anything. you pick up on lies, hidden emotions and unspoken tension incredibly quickly. i also notice people with this placement become fascinated with psychology, spirituality and understanding why people behave the way they do. there can be a deep interest in the things other people avoid talking about. you’re also the type of person that strangers open up to for no reason. people tell you secrets because your energy feels safe. emotionally, you go through periods of complete transformation and often emerge from difficult experiences as a completely different person.

🌊 neptune in the 9th house

you are constantly searching for meaning. there can be a deep fascination with spirituality, philosophy, religion or different cultures because you’re trying to understand the bigger picture of life. i also notice people with this placement question everything. you’re probably someone who has changed your beliefs multiple times because your understanding of life keeps evolving. there can also be a strange pull towards certain places you’ve never been before, almost as if they feel familiar.

🌊 neptune in the 10th house

people don’t always see the real you publicly. there can be confusion around your career path because you need work that feels meaningful and emotionally fulfilling. i also notice people with this placement go through several different dreams about what they want to do because their goals evolve as they grow. people may project things onto you professionally too and assume you have everything together when you actually feel lost sometimes. there can also be hidden creative talents here that you don’t fully appreciate.

🌊 neptune in the 11th house

friendships can feel beautiful and disappointing all at once. there can be periods where you feel deeply connected to your friends and other times where you feel misunderstood or let down. i also notice people with this placement become the therapist friend 😭. everyone seems to open up to you and tell you their life story. online, people can become very attached to you because your energy feels comforting and dreamy. there can also be experiences where you idealise friendships and later realise people weren’t exactly who you thought they were.

🌊 neptune in the 12th house

this placement honestly feels psychic sometimes. your dreams can be weirdly accurate, your intuition is incredibly strong and you often know things without knowing how you know them. you’re highly sensitive to energy and probably need much more alone time than people realise because being around people for too long can feel draining. i also notice this placement has an incredibly rich inner world. you probably spend a lot of time thinking, imagining and processing things privately. there can also be moments where you feel deeply connected to music, films, art or spirituality because these things help you understand emotions that are difficult to put into words.

✨ one thing i’ve noticed about neptune placements is that they’re often the parts of ourselves that don’t make logical sense. they’re the dreams we can’t explain, the feelings we can’t put into words and the things we somehow know deep down without ever being taught them 🤍