I love the clickity-clack pride other women take in showing off their polished claws…yet, I just never really thought that was for me.
No, I'm a warrior! A soldier! A doer!
I get my hands dirty often, pretty nails are not for someone like me.
I told myself this story for a long time.
(17 years actually!)
And for some parts of my life, that was true. I was a soldier. And long before that, I was a warrior, emotionally stiff-arming my way through life. Takin' care of business.
But I’m in an era where I’m ready to change that story. So this weekend, for the first time in 17 years…I got my nails done!
Then I *immediately* smudged them. Like, I hadn’t even made it out the door and they were smudged! 😭
(No, I didn’t ask them to fix it! I was embarrassed and overwhelmed—and I could feel a breakdown crawling up my throat. I was tryna get out of there!)
My first thought was 😭 “OMG, I DON’T KNOW HOW TO BE A GIRL!”
Which, I realized, even then, is ridiculous.
But the truth is…it wasn’t about the smudge.
It was about how in a split-second, I was stung by 17 years of my dad’s barbed comments towards my mom (and by association, me).
My dad would always—always—hate on the things my mom did to take care of herself. He’d talk shit about her getting her nails done, about touching up her blonde highlights, about how she chose to joyfully dress herself.
At the time, I thought maybe that was just his preference? But what I didn’t understand then that I do now… is that he wasn’t critiquing her style—he was rejecting the way she expressed her femininity.
With every comment, I could only catalogue all the things I shouldn't be as a woman. Or even just a girl.
Like when my parents finished our home at the beginning of my 2nd grade year, and I was so excited to decorate my room. As a Barbie loving gal, I had my heart set on pink -- until my father adamantly proclaimed that pink was too girly, and that simply couldn't be allowed.
Which was confusing because I was a girl...how can you be too much of yourself?
And so it became with everything I loved to the point I didn't want to share at the risk of coming across as "too girly" (translation: weak, less than).
Britney Spears.
My Bratz dolls
Backstreet Boys.
Dancing.
Poetry.
There is a part of me that wonders if my father equated femininity with weakness.
Maybe he was trying to protect me from what he perceived as a threat to my own survival.
Needless to say, I exiled myself from my own feminine expression for a long time in a quest for approval. I left my nails naked, rejected my intuitive senses, and opted for overt logic rather than my innate emotional intelligence to win battles.
My parents have long since divorced, but the shame against my girlhood branded itself into place and I stopped allowing myself to be feminine in the ways I had always yearned to.
But here’s what I know now: Femininity isn’t one-size-fits-all.
There is no one way to be woman or express femininity. Drag queens, trans women, non-binary babes, and hardworking Rosie Riveters from all walks of life express femininity and womanhood in a multitude of ways.
Which means that even when I smudge my nails, I'm still a woman.
Also? Real talk? Getting your nails done is MORE than just femininity...or rather that's NOT exactly what femininity is.
Practical Astrology Tip |
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Taurus season is the epitome of feminine but let’s talk about what that is:
- Taurus season is an Earth sign, grounded in the here and now.
- Taurus is a fixed modality, focused on making steady progress rather than starting anything new (or wrapping things up). You can always count on Taurus to keep things moving.
- Most relevantly, Taurus is ruled by Venus, goddess of love and beauty!
Venus/Aphrodite actually rules over a lot of things but each zodiac sign is going to embody a different epithet of hers. In Taurus, Venus takes on the earth-based, process-oriented aspects of pleasure, delighted presence, and receiving.
Venus does not chase. She attracts.
She has a destination in mind, yes, but she also has full faith that she’ll be delivered there without worry or needing to overdo it. 💁♀️ Taurus is alllllll about enjoying the sensual pleasures of the journey and looking damn good doing it.
Basically, Taurus is a passenger princess.
Passenger Princesses just hop in the car. They’ve got their emotional support water bottle in one hand, fresh ordered iced coffee in the other. Funky fit has already been checked (and cleared) and her cat-eye sunglasses are shining. Oh, and her favorite snacks are in her purse, too.
Consider this your Passenger Princess season.
Taurus is asking you to ENJOY yourself, to express BEAUTY. To live in each delicious moment that comes to you, that happens FOR YOU. Let yourself be delivered, you just worry about looking good, okay?
And if that means walking into a salon to sit there and let someone hold your hand while they paint it for you, SO BE IT! That’s the queen-type, receiving energy we’re talking about!
THAT’S following the desire to exist in a certain frequency of beauty. That's some Venus shit. That's feminine!
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✨ Reconsidering Femininity Through Your Taurus House
Taurus by House –
Where You're Invited to Receive
Look at what house Taurus rules in your birth chart. This house shows where you’re being invited to reconnect with pleasure, beauty, presence, and receiving.
What might femininity look like there? What story are you ready to rewrite?
1st House – Self, Body, Identity
You are the art. This is about reclaiming your right to be beautiful for you. To walk through the world in a body you’re present in, not at war with. To know that your softness doesn’t cancel out your strength.
→ Reclaim the mirror. Choose outfits, movements, and daily rituals that help you feel at home in your skin—not performative, but embodied.
2nd House – Money, Worth, Security
Do you believe you're allowed to enjoy what you've earned? Or do you hoard, overwork, or prove? This is about letting comfort, pleasure, and ease be part of your worth—financial or otherwise.
→ Treat your values like treasures. Spend your money and time on what nourishes you deeply, not just what “makes sense.”
3rd House – Communication, Learning, Daily Exchange
You’re allowed to speak beautifully. To write poetically. To take your time. Your thoughts don’t have to be efficient or edited for someone else’s comfort. They can be felt. Allow them to take up space!
→ Write love letters. Romanticize your texts. Let your voice slow down and say what you need to.
4th House – Home, Roots, Inner Sanctuary
What does your nervous system call “home”? This is about making space—emotionally and physically—for the kind of femininity that soothes you. Safety and softness must coexist.
→ Surround yourself with textures, colors, and care practices that nourish your inner world. Make your home a place your body can trust.
5th House – Joy, Romance, Expression, Play
Your creativity wants to be touched, tasted, held. Taurus here brings sensuality into self-expression—it’s grounded, embodied, and often beauty-driven. You don’t have to perform; you get to enjoy. Art, romance, and play don’t need an audience to be worthy.
→ Cook for the pleasure of it. Garden for the joy of your hands in the soil. Make beauty for your own delight.
6th House – Work, Routines, Wellness, Service
This is where “divine feminine” becomes functional. Your life isn’t meant to be beautiful only on special occasions. Let your daily life be romantic. Let your routines support you like you're the main character.
→ Ask: how can I make everyday tasks more pleasurable? More grounded? More ME? Let your daily rhythms serve your softness.
7th House – Relationships, Reflection, Intimacy
This is the sacred container of mutual devotion. It’s not just romance—it’s deep friendships, soul contracts, chosen family. Taurus here craves and cultivates relationships rooted in trust, loyalty, and shared growth over time. You are not meant to go it alone.
→ Reflect on the partnerships you’ve tended like a garden. Where is your energy best invested—and how can you let those bonds nourish you back?
8th House – Intimacy, Power, Depth, Transformation
This is grounded shadow work. Taurus here doesn’t rush catharsis—it seeks stability through deep change. You are your own anchor. Transformation doesn’t have to be dramatic to be sacred.
→ Build safety in your body. Root your healing in rituals that restore trust. Let the slow work count as real work.
9th House – Beliefs, Exploration, Truth-Seeking
This is your permission slip to believe in beauty. To let your body, your joy, and your feminine expression be part of your personal philosophy. You don’t need to intellectualize everything to be taken seriously.
→ What if your femininity was spiritual? What if seeking pleasure was part of your truth-telling?
10th House – Career, Reputation, Legacy
You’re allowed to be a public figure and live in softness. You don’t have to hustle your way to worth. You can build a legacy on beauty, connection, sustainability, and rest.
→ Show up in your work with softness that’s grounded, not fragile. Trust that sustainability is its own form of power.
11th House – Community, Friendship, Future Visions
Your dream team is built on loyalty. You don’t need a million people—you need a few real ones who have stood beside you and will continue to. Taurus here asks you to invest in shared visions that are rooted in mutual respect and real history.
→ How can you deepen the bonds in your network? What community do you want to grow alongside over time?
12th House – Dreams, Healing, Inner Mysticism
This is grounded spirituality. Taurus here draws on ancient, earth-based practices, ancestral wisdom, and intuitive care. You’re able to move slowly through the unseen and bring it forward with compassion. This is the soft power that helps others remember what really matters.
→ Honor your inner world through simple, sacred rituals. Let quiet knowing guide you. There is nothing “woo” about your wisdom—it’s bone-deep.
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From Ash's Corner
Let’s be real: I was expected to “be feminine” in all the ways that never actually served me.
Be accommodating—even if it broke my boundaries.
Be polite—even when someone was rude AF.
Be understanding—even if they refused to offer me the same grace.
Basically? Swallow the fire. Bite your tongue. Close your legs. Smile prettier.
Because God forbid you be too much of a woman.
This is the fight of what it is to be a woman, is it not?
Beautiful enough to be objectified—but not so beautiful that you become threatening.
Even our womanhood does not belong to us. It’s policed, packaged, and paraded—so long as it serves the ever-watchful, domineering eye of patriarchy.
FUCK THAT BRO.
You can paint your nails and be fierce.
You don’t have to be kind to assholes.
Your softness is not submission.
Your beauty is not for barter.
Your intuition is not irrational—it’s divine.
That’s femininity, too.
And I’m claiming all of it.
Even with my smudged nails 💁♀️
Actually, I didn't even get to tell you!! My nails were pink! All that and I was so proud that I let myself paint my nails pink. And they looked damned good, too. 💅
And speaking of pink…
While we’re moving rooms around for the boys and remodeling the whole house (catch the progress on my shenanigans account 👀), I’m finally claiming a space of my own.
Not an office. Not a productivity chamber. Not a Babe Cave (cute name, but I'm ditching the performative girlboss vibes in every bucket of my life).
No, this is going to be a ~sanctuary~!
She’s already got a name—The Damsel Den (because obviously).
There will be a library wall.
There will be a ladder (hello, Belle dreams coming true!!!).
And yes, we’re color drenching the whole thing pink.
Because this time, nobody gets to tell me it’s “too girly.”
P.s...I'm a 6th House Taurus...do you think this counts as making my daily life more soft + romantic? lmaoooooo
DO YOU KNOW HOW TO READ THE PRACTICAL ASTRO TIP FOR YOURSELF?
Because I had a conversation recently (two, actually. Once? A fluke. Twice? Something’s up. 👀) — and it seems like some people are still reading their horoscope / my Practical Astro Tip insights for their sun sign. 🙈
And while I’M TOTALLY NOT JUDGING, I *am* cringing because, GIRL… that won’t tell you anything!
My insights are based on your Rising Sign (that’s how your figure out what House you have Taurus in by the way — you start at your Rising sign, which is your first house and count counterclockwise from there).
And if ^^ that confuses you more, you’re exactly who I made Big 3 Breakdown for!
Because your Big 3 (your sun + moon + rising sign) is the foundation for learning how to read your own chart (or even just the insights I send) in a way that actually matters!
If you’re ready to stop skimming the surface, come meet your Big 3. 👇
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In cosmic camaraderie,
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One Last Sip
for June 15-30, 2025
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CURRENT ASTRO SEASON 🪐
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UPCOMING BIG SKY EVENTS 🌛
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It's CANCER SEASON aka baby gurl season aka feel your feeeeeeels season!!! We've immersed ourselves in the womb-like waters of Cancer, the archetype of the Divine Mother, family roots, sacred passage, and intuitive protection. Cancer season is ruled by the moon so we're gonna be following that glowing orb real close this next season because she has a lot to teach us right now.
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TWO BIG SKY EVENTS HAPPENING! We have Uranus entering Gemini Monday, July 7th! Uranus symbolizes disruption, innovation, and evolution. It's one of our slow rollers so entering a new sign is a big deal because he'll hang out here for the next 7 YEARS! Since Gemini is about communication and tech, we can expect shake-ups and massive innovative leaps forward here over the next 7 years. ALSO HAPPENING: Full Moon in Capricorn happening Thursday, July 10th! This is a fab moon to do some reflection on what stands in the way of your devotion to your own path and vision.
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WHAT I’M WORKING ON 🤓
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK 📚
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HOLY SHIZ DUDE, my creativity is flowingggggg. So much good stuff coming! Including a new workshop on how to work with the moon (happening this month!), a snazzy sales page for Sacred Aftermath as I get more beta feedback roll in (only 2 beta pricing spots left!), and some fun projects like reviving an old IG by bringing my unhinged sparkle into the limelight.
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It is a serious thing
just to be alive
on this fresh morning
in this broken world. — Mary Oliver
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