Commonsense Almanac By Ben Commons | April 2025

Tips for almanac use: All the aspects can be felt in advance. It is good policy to view these as due dates for various energies and prepare accordingly for your context. It’s akin to bringing an umbrella with you when rain is expected, but it also helps us to not take the weather personally. When we proactively manifest these symbols then the world doesn’t have to do it for us. Choose to be con(with)-siderate(the stars). Reach out to me for personal explorations of these times.

Wow, April, where d’you come from? It’s not as hardcore as March, but it is still super-duper deep and profound if we work with it. This month is somewhat easily divided. The first half is still about cleaning, purging, and unraveling various internal dilemmas about our pasts and how we respond to and integrate the happenings of our worlds as well as the world out there. This crescendos with the Full Moon on the 12^th. Then we lurch into resolution central to see how we can begin to tie up loose ends and put the remaining work in towards figuring out how to be a newer version of our old selves amidst a quickly changing landscape of reality. It is going to be a lot of balancing acts and even more integration. But we can make it through wiser and wholier.

Saturn sextiles Uranus on Friday 4/4 at 9:20 am pacific. This is a delicate combination. Part of us wants to rebel and ditch all the old ways. Meanwhile, our inner adults are urging us towards caution. Infusing some innovation into our standard protocol is supported here, but so is working out a trimmer budget, streamlining our kitchen and closet functionality, and shifting our food preparation and consumption protocol. Greater complexity done with wise planning could still be simple, or at least better.

Mars sextiles Uranus on Friday 4/4 at 4:04 pm pacific, throwing some sparks into the underbrush of our worlds. This is round three of a trilogy that has pushed us to make our own way through life as is most appropriate to ourselves. The challenge here is the same as before—reacting to others and diffusing our energies instead of breaking free of external influences. We know what we need for ourselves and are best served by following through on those plans, as long they aren’t overly wild.

Mars trines Saturn on Friday 4/4 at 6:07 pm pacific. This is also round three of a long trilogy that has focused on distinguishing ourselves from ancestral, societal, and family patterns. Ideally, we find ourselves ready to separate from all the accumulation that doesn’t have to be our burden. If not, hop on board, quickly. If others have not been on board, or you have felt pressured to take blame; (re-)establish boundaries. Assert your own stance on life.

Sun sextiles Jupiter on Sunday 4/6 at 2:44 am pacific, throwing some levity into the mix. This is a nice break-in-the-clouds moment meant to keep us inspired and motivated to keep going. Reach out to friends and reinforce the connections, brainstorm, catch-up, and laugh. A sense of humor goes a super long way to keep us fresh and motivated.

Venus trines Mars on Sunday 4/6 at 5:13 am pacific, for the revisionary round two of this trilogy. This is where we should be editing and reconsidering our wish lists for various pursuits in life. It centers on whether we have outdated desires for things that we would no longer really enjoy, especially if we have to pay for it. This also applies to people. The simple way is to update it all, but especially to cancel old orders for which we don’t have as much room, need, or appreciation.

Venus conjoins Saturn on Monday 4/7 at 4:00 am pacific, another round two in a trilogy. This is largely about energy output versus reward. Do we still want to maintain relationships where we do the majority of the upkeep? Maybe we should shift some people into a wider orbit lest we develop resentment. The choice is ours, but these issues are definitely up for review. It’s also about appreciating our alone time.

Mercury stations direct on Monday 4/7 at 4:08 am pacific. Now we begin the resolution phase of this mind unwind. It’s been a lot about with whom we keep our company, how much we distract ourselves from our internal processes with this, how much we share, and so much more. This was all supposed to remind us that in the end we are stuck more with ourselves than anybody else, and that caring for our relationship with ourselves is the utmost.

Venus sextiles Uranus on Monday 4/7 at 9:47 pm pacific, finding us itching for radical breakthroughs. This is challenging because we are all so deep in our subsurface ruminations that other people could be annoyingly distracting. Which is to say, our tolerance will be very low. On the other hand, it’s comforting to know that we are not alone in this liminal space between the old and the possibilities of new growth. Yet we should still be cleaning and readying the seeds, not quite planting.

The Full Moon in Libra on Saturday 4/12 at 5:21 pm pacific. This is a deceptively simple looking lunation. By itself, the focus is clearly on all our relationships, past and present, and how often we take authentic action versus reacting to vulnerability issues, our emotional histories, childhood trauma, people’s sensitivities or lack thereof, and almost anything else. Okay, not that simple. Yet it is further complicated by all sorts of other relatively invisible layers beneath everyone’s behavior around this time. It will also restimulate any issues that were floating around the time of last year’s total solar eclipse on 4/8/24. Be resolute, but flexible.

Venus stations direct on Saturday 4/12 at 6:02 pm pacific, commencing the resolution phase of an intricately patterned retrograde. Hopefully, our aspirations have been distilled to a purer state. Now we begin to implement this revised resource allocation strategy: Step-by-step while paying attention to your gut instincts. In the end this has all been about reinforcing the deepest meaning of self-love so that we can then relate to everything else from a refreshed place.

Mercury enters Aries on Tuesday 4/15 at 11:25 pm pacific, until 5/12/25. This could be a slight jolt to the system. It’s like the starting gun firing when we weren’t sure we were at the starting line. Anyways, now we bring this revised mental configuration into the prototype trials. Which is to say, we may have a lot to share, but our under-brains are still integrating, so let’s be consistent and steady, but not rushed in implementation.

Mercury conjoins Neptune on Wednesday 4/16 at 9:10 pm pacific, finishing a trilogy begun at the beginning of March. This is another one that requires cautious awareness. We could be tempted to blast people with our truths about how they have shown up in our lives, but that could come out too raw. Ideally, we should be releasing as many mental hangups as possible around everybody that we would want to give a piece of our mind. For this, mindfulness, mantras, and breathing practices are best practices.

Mars enters Leo on Thursday 4/17 at 9:21 pm pacific, until 6/17/25. This period is about recuperating our innocence with the wisdom of not wanting to redo all the lessons. There has been a strong push for the last four months to separate ourselves from the traumas and dramas of the past, and now we can move forward with a freshness once mostly forgotten. It doesn’t have to be rushed, and there still may be some lingering refuse in the early parts of this. Look forward.

Sun enters Taurus on Saturday 4/19 at 12:56 pm pacific. Normal Taurus stuff remains; taking care of the practicalities of life, planning ahead for safety and stability, etc. But this Taurus season brings a more esoteric emphasis. It’s about embodying more and more of the interstitial, liminal, and subsurface processes that we’ve been undergoing. Embodying this in our actual bodies, but also homes, relationships, and everything else. It’s about the deep core essentials, not just sustenance and shelter, but the existential layers below.

Mars trines Neptune on Saturday 4/19 at 3:52 pm pacific. This is the conclusion of a confusing trilogy begun in October of ’24. This one centers on removing more layers of anger and resentment in order to bring back that much needed innocence and motivation. It’s about severing our identification with identities that were projected onto us by others and adopted by us. It’s about not needing to know how to express the fullness of who we are. It’s just about allowing our fullness.

Venus sextiles Uranus on Sunday 4/20 at 11:20 am pacific. This is another conclusion of a trilogy. This one started in late January. The previous chapters were meant to clear space. And now we should start realizing new facets of our internal selves and figuring how to have these reflected in our sanctuaries, home and natural spaces we visit. It’s all unique; some should maybe de-clutter, while others should place reminders of this self-love journey out to further the inner-peace process. Love all of you and see it reflected in beauty.

Mercury sextiles Pluto on Sunday 4/20 at 2:39 pm pacific. Yet another third of a trilogy: This one starting in early March. This should find us more balanced and poised around the main theme of how much we share, how fast, with whom, etc. It is definitely safer to share at this point, but it’s still delicate as we are all in this same timeline. Which means listening is as important as sharing and that if someone is too rushed, it may be a warning sign. Be realistic, with a lean towards openness, not disillusioned.

Sun squares Mars on Sunday 4/20 at 6:33 pm pacific. This may add some spice and feist to the mix, which could be challenging for some, but rather exciting for others. It’s about getting back to enjoying the little things while still being willing to stand up for what we cherish and value. The main thrust is that we shouldn’t be in fight or flight constantly because our systems aren’t designed to sustain it. Work on tempering the fires and finding that rest and digest glow.

Sun squares Pluto on Wednesday 4/23 at 10:10 am pacific, stirring up more to excavate, process, and discard or integrate. This is fundamentally about tending to our worlds and our loved ones versus worrying about the collective beyond what change we can affect. We should show up for our communities and our ideals, but we should also tend to the gardens of normalcy. Find the balance.

Venus conjoins Saturn on Thursday 4/24 at 5:01 pm pacific. This concludes a trilogy begun in mid-January. Overall, this has been and is about boundaries, boundaries, and boundaries: With people, ideologies, our pasts, our dreams, and more. Everything belongs in its place, but it is up to us to keep things in their appointed places within our lives. And the emphasis here is still on our inner spaces being for us; about removing things that live rent-free inside us. Easily said, but worth the effort

Mars opposes Pluto on Saturday 4/26 at 6:05 pm pacific. This concludes a dramatic trilogy that began on 11/3/24. This is our last chance to quell the fires of reaction to the world at large, our unrealized ideals, and our disillusionment. This is not to say that we shouldn’t stand up for what we think is just, but that the inner drain on our life-force should be cauterized. Reframe your aspirations and ideals in a more realistic framework and push forth.

The New Moon in Taurus is on Sunday 4/27 at 12:30 pm pacific. This is an ultra-portentous lunation rich with growth-potential if we navigate its obstacle course. We could all be feeling a strange mix of sustained emotional rawness coupled with a sense of steadiness and readiness. Both are appropriate. But the main theme is, again, about shaping and caring for our personal worlds and those we love, while still pushing our visions into the collective spaces, but without putting ourselves in undo danger. And it is still way too easy to get distracted by the noise when it is a better idea to focus on what grace we receive and the richness of the little things.

Venus enters Aries on Wednesday 4/30 at 10:16 am pacific, until 6/5/25. This sojourn is about bringing all the under-processes—the fermentation, the distillation, and the germination of self—out into the light of consciousness and being. Which is to say, that we may start to become aware of what really has been brewing in our inner depths and we may start embodying this freshness in surprising manners. Let it come forth and let us honor and appreciate the wisdom that comes through.

So, April, hopefully we have all learned your lessons with grace and acceptance along with increased drive and resilience. This month, along with the last few, will take quite some time to fully integrate and gain greater perspective on what was actually happening, but all in due time, right? So, let’s keep pushing because the clock never stops.

‍

  Ben Commons

ASTROLOGER | Ben has been studying astrology since 1994 and started doing readings professionally in 2002. He is also a practicing Reiki master, and works with stones for healing. He uses astrology as a strategic tool and calls himself an Astro-strategist.

Book an in-shop reading with Ben on March 30, 1-5pm! 

Call (805) 564-3573 to book an appointment

‍

or Book a Remote Reading with Ben!

Follow Ben @astro_strategist on Instagram for more astrological wisdom