Commonsense Almanac By Ben Commons | January 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.

January, wow, already? Well, this month has a rather frenetic rhythm to it as it jumps back and forth from depth-work and challenge, to rest and recuperation, and then back and forth over and over. The middle of the month has some very strong aspect patterns which will tend to create specific and clustered unfoldings for us all. But it is wise to remember that everyone else is on that same rollercoaster even if not as directly affected. The end of the month does bring some more lightness, but we could still just be processing, digesting, and trying to sort out what actually happened; particularly how we feel about it. May we all keep step with the varied rhythms.

Venus enters Pisces on Thursday 1/2 at 7:24 pm pacific, until 2/3/25. This time period asks us to refresh our private, spiritual, and emotional selves. It’s perfect for prayer, meditation, mantras, enjoying comfort music, and generally refreshing our spirits. There are also themes of honoring the past troubles and seeking to move forward by clearing space for new experiences. Find peace within.

Mars opposes Pluto on Thursday 1/2 at 11:21 pm pacific, for round two of this cathartic trilogy; the first on 11/3/24 and the third on 4/26/25. This is a very powerful, deep, and gnarly aspect. It could bring up all sorts of reactionary tendencies, trauma response patterns, old grievances and anger, and all sorts of other detritus. The ideal here is to stay relatively calm, poised, and work on cleansing ourselves of old patterns. Think of it as a self-training course geared towards forging a refreshed version of ourselves. Steady is the way.

Sun sextiles Saturn on Saturday 1/4 at 2:35 pm pacific, opening the door for release of old wounds. The trick here is that we need to work on finding the baggage that we would like to leave behind, but the grace is that we probably won’t be forced into this cleansing. Set goals and start putting them into concrete plans that are unburdened by an excess of memories of times gone by. Feel it, honor it, release it.

Mars re-enters Cancer on Monday 1/6 at 2:44 am pacific, until 4/17/25. This is going to be a long journey of confronting unhealthy emotional proclivities, family patterns, societal expectations, and many other issues. The dangers will primarily be taking things too personally, the potential to lash out, and hyper-reactivity in nearly any form. We do need to keep the pressure releasing though, so keeping it moving is important. This could mean exercise, whether physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual. But definitely be aware of your surroundings and avoid devolving situations into unneeded drama. Trust the body.

Mercury squares Neptune on Monday 1/6 at 5:55 pm pacific, throwing us all a curveball. It can be very challenging to figure out exactly what is happening at this juncture, particularly regarding issues about which we really care. The idea is to allow for the unknowing and give the mind a break instead. Certain things will be revealed in time, but not through direct effort. Step carefully.

Mercury enters Capricorn on Wednesday 1/8 at 2:30 am pacific, until 1/27/25. This time period will focus on functionality, functionality, and functionality. There’s been a lot of tumult and growth potential since Mercury entered Sagittarius on 10/17/24. Now we can start making definitive choices to implement these revelations into our standard protocol. Consistency is key.

Mars trines Neptune on Sunday 1/12 at 1:15 pm pacific, prompting some recuperation of our energies. Basically, we may find ourselves tired and in need of some space and time to recover physically and emotionally. We got to get the hamster off the wheel and focus on the simple sustenance of life, good sleep, nourishing food, and drinking enough water. If the fog on the road is this thick, we should probably slow down.

Sun trines Uranus on Monday 1/13 12:13 am pacific, giving us a chance to focus on working to further our aspirations and generally get things done. The challenge is having a lower tolerance for distractions and the urge to tell off those who get on our nerves. It will hopefully be more productive than troublesome, but definitely take caution.

The Full Moon is in Cancer on Monday 1/13 at 2:26 pm pacific. This lunation is rather portentous in both possibility and in danger. It is best used for focusing on our inner circles of people and all the other activities and pursuits that nurture our souls. Ultimately, it’s the amalgam of little things that keeps us going and makes us feel part of a greater whole. But beware of people, ourselves included, lashing out over accumulated feelings. Clear the air where it is needed, but with respect and calm that facilitates growth in the relationship. Let us navigate beautifully. And ritual up!

Venus squares Jupiter on Tuesday 1/14 at 11:47 am pacific, frothing us all up. Ideally, this could be used for refreshing our optimism and giving us deeper appreciation for how life’s graces keep us in flow. The trap would be idealizing the past over the present, which is an easy temptation due to life’s ongoing complexity. Instead, celebrate the now, which we will also look back on sentimentally, and express appreciation to loved ones.

Sun opposes Mars on Wednesday 1/15 at 6:38 pm pacific. Lots of different things could be said about the intensity promised here. The real focus is on who we want to be right here, right now, and moving forward; hopefully still freeing, or at least loosening the bonds, of deadwood and emotional hang ups. But nothing is really simple here; it’s always about that elusive and delicate middle place, in congruent motion with the meanderings of life and in cooperation. If only it was as easily done as said. So, let us be flexible as stable selves.

Sun sextiles Neptune on Friday 1/17 at 3:19 am pacific, prompting us to take some space to rest and digest. There’s been a lot of life going on, as usual, but it has been extra. So, we need to process all the developments, which sometimes means taking the focus off of trying to figure it all out and just sit in it. Spiritual practices are recommended and pay attention to your dreams.

Venus conjoins Saturn on Saturday 1/18 at 5:26 pm pacific. This is about honoring our internal spaces and working on consistency with whatever spiritual/emotional support practices suit you. Consistent effort can go a long way. The hang up here would be judging ourselves and our worlds for a measured lack versus previous expectations. We are not perfect  and often set the goal posts too high and without enough room for our humanity. Give everything some slack and stick to your private practices.

Mercury sextiles Saturn on Saturday 1/18 at 11:37 pm pacific, highlighting the role we allow the mind to play in our worlds. We will all want to figure things out beyond their capacity to be understood in conventional ways. Which means that we could also indulge in harsh judgments of various situations. Better to give the mind affirmation mantras and generally work on reprogramming the brain through consistent editing practices. Ritual doesn’t hurt either.

Mercury sextiles Venus on Sunday 1/19 at 8:31 am pacific, promoting a lightening of the mood by connecting with, and maybe confiding in, loved ones. It doesn’t have to be heavy, but processing things in front of others does sponsor a different level of reflection, from ourselves as well. So, once again, pay attention to how things come out of you in the act of sharing and explore what lessons can be learned by simply listening to ourselves.

The Sun enters Aquarius on Sunday 1/19 at 12:00 pm pacific. This Aquarius season supports connecting with like-minded people, as per usual. But there’s a huge emphasis on nurturing relationships in which we can share the super private and internal stuff, our processes with our life’s narratives, and/or spiritual shared space. It’s great to have people, but if we can’t let our freak flags fly, then it can still be lonely. Share your inner light.

The Sun conjoins Pluto on Tuesday 1/21 at 4:28 am pacific. The momentum set here is massively important. The idea now is to begin fully embodying a newer refreshed version of ourselves, which could easily mean the need to purge more outdated self-identifications and internalized narratives from others. The question is how to write our stories that allow us to be fully participatory with life and people and still be true to ourselves. Be true to the depth of your uniqueness.

Mars sextiles Uranus on Thursday 1/23 at 7:07 am pacific, throwing sparks into quite a show, if properly channeled. This aspect could definitely be fraught with emotional reactivity if we aren’t careful and respond to the current lack of tolerance. There’s definitely a push to cleanse our emotional bodies by feeling through and letting go of old frustrations. A super safe way to process this energy is to get the body moving and have some living room dance sessions.

Mercury opposes Mars on Thursday 1/23 at 12:48 pm pacific, splashing all sorts of emotionally laden thoughts up to the surface. Again, this could be quite dangerous where flippant mouths are involved, but it would also be an excellent time to carefully, selectively, and gently share with those we truly trust. It is relatively guaranteed that the mental energies will be very strong and tidal here, so just keep in rhythm with the flow and don’t step on anybody’s toes. Measure closely and choose wisely.

Mercury trines Uranus on Thursday 1/23 at 2:07 pm pacific. This could be fabulous for brainstorming and experimenting with new ways to conquer longstanding conundrums along with our modus operandi in general. Basically, a mind open to inspiration and testing could make better and more constructive use of our limited resources. This also means rebelling from our own repetitive narratives. Flexibility is good.

Venus trines Mars on Saturday 1/25 at 3:53 pm pacific, facilitating a recalibration of how we ask for what we would like and what we need. This is generally about clarity in mutual understanding by being open and relatively straight-forward. This still involves revisiting and revising what we do want and like and not basing our inclinations on outdated versions. Update the wishlist in general and share it where appropriate. And dance.

Mercury sextiles Neptune on Sunday 1/26 at 10:32 am pacific. This suggests mental softening and, again, taking time and space to integrate. Integration may be the slowest process despite how much our minds like to imagine otherwise. This difficulty is that this version of integration is done more unconsciously, or at least by taking the mind’s eye off task. Float in the indefinite.

Venus sextiles Uranus on Sunday 1/26 at 3:11 pm pacific, promoting some letting down of the hair. It’s already been a busy and varied month. Now we should be letting our attention settle on enjoyment and the freeing benefits of all that other stuff, the growth work and learning. Enjoy and affirm the progress that has been made and keep the openness to more goodness, but skip the attachment to outcomes.

Mercury enters Aquarius on Monday 1/27 at 6:53 pm pacific, until 3/14/25. This brings more themes of being social and fostering those connective interactions. It is, once again, about bringing more of our current self online, especially where people still hold outdated views of our beings. The past was it was, clarify where necessary, but more importantly share from the present and what futures you contemplate.

Mercury conjoins Pluto on Tuesday 1/28 at 11:52 pm pacific, bringing the urge the purge the mind into center stage. Now, this is miles away from straightforward, but does demand a mental refresh, deep-cleanse, and cathartic release. Easily said, right? The trick may be that it doesn’t have to be a dramatic watershed event, it could actually be more like a solid commitment to changing tact and shifting our focus towards more fundamental topics. Unthink what you can.

The New Moon in Aquarius is on Wednesday 1/29 at 4:35 am pacific. Well, this could be a powerfully regenerative lunation if we have already been on task with the astrological syllabus. The crux here is yet more of bringing the most recent self-updates out into the light of day with minimal attachment to how quickly people understand and play along. But there’s no point in growing if we aren’t open to showing. It’s important that we keep people current with our beings, lest we get upset that they aren’t on the same page when we have even named the book. Let the sunshine in.

Uranus stations direct on Thursday 1/30 at 8:22 am pacific, gearing us up for another resolution period after five months of a lot. This process will emphasize openness to the goodness of what’s to come over the sentimentality of times gone by. And there is a lot to work out details-wise regarding how we would like to craft and tend to our future developments. But very importantly, our visions are best if flexible and have enough wiggle room to account for shared reality.

Sun trines Jupiter on Thursday 1/30 at 2:58 pm pacific, facilitating various meetings of the minds. However, this would tend towards big ideas, grandiose visions, and intellectual wanderings. In other words, not as much small talk. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t simply have a good time connecting and putting all the rest on the backburner. Enjoy the stories.

Well, January¸ you were a lot. Hopefully we have moved on from some big themes that dominated late 2024 and have put ourselves into better positioning for our future selves. But definitely keep integrating and digesting all the shifts, don’t take it too personally, and stay open to amelioration in all varieties.

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  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..

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