Commonsense Almanac By Ben Commons | November 2024
“I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.” ~Douglas Adams
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 does not have to do it for us. Choose to be con(with)-siderate(the stars). Reach out to me for personal explorations of these times.
Okay, November is here. Like most times, it’s a little here and all over there, and everywhere in between, somewhere, and back again. Whatever that may mean. The first half of the month is certainly centered around letting go of the past and outdated modalities of life-participation as best we can muster. It does have little glimmers of grace and moments of respite, but the tasks at hand will surely have a strong presence. Then it’s off to the races as we start a new era of being ourselves within the collective construct and all the mundane issues that come with it. And, time keeps on rolling, let’s roll with it or we may fall off the log. Also, humor is golden—we have to laugh at it all.
The New Moon is in Scorpio at 9 degrees on Friday the 1st at 5:46 am pacific. This lunation is another heavy one. It features lots of narratives around home, safety, finances, and emotional well-being. The story is still about sticking to and tending to the basics of life. If it’s not serving us, what can we do to move past, or at least relegate certain conundrums to a less cumbersome position. We must feel into it to get out of it.
Mercury trines Mars on Saturday the 2nd at 1:21 am pacific. This does facilitate some deep truth seeking, but will not come without effort. Again, it’s a good time to let go of old narratives and emotion-based story-lines about which we still fantasize magical resolution scenarios. The burden of release is usually on us and rehashing ancient wounds can be like continually picking at scabs. Wash it off.
Mercury sextiles Pluto on Saturday the 2nd at 8:02 am pacific. This allows us to further clean the emotional closets of our minds. Sometimes we should just let go and let live and move forward with our lives and practice forgiveness. Forgetfulness may be too much to ask, but we can at least try to take the hamster off the wheel of repeating could-have-been fantasies. Open to the potentials of now.
Mercury enters Sagittarius on Saturday the 2nd at 12:18 pm pacific, where it will be until January 8th. This version will help us stretch the vistas of our narratives, so long as we choose something new. We do need to keep ourselves brainstorming and step out of the ruts of routine. Acknowledge how you got here and then choose your next adventures.
Mars opposes Pluto on Sunday the 3rd at 3:37 am pacific, pushing us all to dismantle and deep-clean some of our most core issues. That will show up a billion different ways for us all, but the fundamentals are still the same: We must nurture our inner circles and craft our bubble of being, especially in contrast to the worldly issues that tempt us into reactivity. Be home with yourself and in yourself.
Venus opposes Jupiter on Sunday the 3rd at 7:24 am pacific, sponsoring levity, high hopes, and the need to appreciate our corners of this whacky world. This is deeply contrasting to the last few days of profundity, and points to the eternal requisite for connection, optimism, adventure, and, what was that word, oh, fun. Nurture the body, get out into nature, reward yourself, and dance. Appreciate how small all of this is in the long run, but enjoy it.
Mars enters Leo on Sunday the 3rd at 8:10 pm pacific, where it will be until January 6th. This period shifts the focus rather dramatically towards joy, happiness, contentment, fun, playfulness, and all those adorable words. However, it’s still something we must seize on at every moment lest they slip by us as we brood. What are we without our passions and pursuits? Make offerings in your inner sanctum and commit to re-growing the innocence from the inside out.
The Sun trines Saturn on Monday the 4th at 9:35 am pacific, enabling a deep tempering of our beings. This will manifest yet more uniquely than normal depending on the person, but the lessons are still universal; wisdom, maturity, respect, and boundaries, while still being willing to shine our lights and dance to the beat of our own drum. It could feel generally isolationist, or we could realize how much togetherness has been lurking just out of sight. Either way, honor the processes.
Venus squares Neptune on Saturday the 9th at 5:15 am pacific, pushing us out into the ethers, or at least uncharted territory. The easiest manifestation is to do something ritualistic appropriate to you; meditate, pray, burn incense, dance, do mantras, et cetera. It’s about our personal relationship to the All and finding peace, or at least solace, in that which is beyond us. Step outside the known.
Venus enters Capricorn on Monday the 11th at 10:26 am pacific, where it will be until December 6th. This period is about getting things done and catching up on our to do lists. But there are caveats about how we handle the feeling of obligation versus the satisfaction of accomplishment. Reality does have requirements, but these are best approached with an eye towards improvement instead of duty. Step by step.
Mercury squares Saturn on Tuesday the 12th at 5:21 am pacific, nudging us forcefully to harness the mind towards growth. How do we get something under control but still foster its inherent wildness? We need to wriggle into new perspectives on all the ongoing difficulties and somehow make the eternal load lighter. Let us allow for genius where the tedium of physicality often dwells.
Saturn stations direct on Friday the 15th at 6:21 am pacific, lurching into a long resolution period for all that has transpired since late June, but especially the internal developments. This means all sorts of issues around guilt or allowance, forgiveness or grudges, growth or regret, and so much more. None of the conundrums are simple or easy, but it is ultra beneficial to process through them as much as possible. Affirm the unseen.
The Full Moon is in Taurus at 24 degrees on Friday the 15th at 1:28 pm pacific. This lunation is intense because of how much we are over the intensity of it all. It will bring out our rebelliousness, lower our tolerances, and demand either excitement, which is preferable, or anxiousness around our lack of knowing and control. The best tactic is to raise our perspectives and somehow relate to our very personal mythology with less attachment. It’s easy to see the beauty when flying high above it.
The Sun opposes Uranus on Saturday the 16th at 6:44 pm pacific, doubling down on the Full Moon meanings. The temptations could be pronounced; telling people to screw off, wanting to ditch out on situations, and just generally blow our tops. The safer, and more challenging channel is to will ourselves into anticipatory excitement, balanced with trust, or at least giving the benefit of the doubt. Break on through.
Mercury opposes Jupiter on Monday the 18th at 12:54 am pacific, putting the mental spin mode at max speed. Now is the time to do all the brainstorming, rethink and reimagine, chart fresh trajectories, keep the launch pad highly attuned and poised. Yet, there are still stories here about emotionality and tending to our tenderness. Let’s weave it all into a big and sprawling awareness.
The Sun trines Neptune on Monday the 18th at 6:07 pm pacific, requesting that we put aside time for self-care and ritual affirmations. Rest, recharge, recuperate, and remediate what you can. Simple and sweet is good policy here—taking a bath, drinking plenty of water, getting some alone time, musical therapy, or whatever suits you. There is sanctity in release.
Pluto re-enters Aquarius on Tuesday the 19th at 12:41 pm pacific, where it will be until January of 2044! This is obviously a huge transition and sets the tone for a long time to come. The general themes are around collectivism and whether the ‘We’ chooses growth and awareness, or wacky whatever. For our parts, we should be working always on ourselves and being generous within reason to our fellows. It’s uncharted territory for all alive, so we’ll have to wing it as best we can. We are in this boat together, hopefully we act like it.
The Sun enters Sagittarius on Thursday the 21st at 11:57 am pacific. This Sag season centers on higher visions and inventive understandings. How do we rewrite the scripts even though this story has most of the same characters? How do we move past our old tropes and repetitive lessons into new chapters of The Quest? The answers are ours to find, but we must search high and low, inside and out, above and below.
The Sun sextiles Pluto on Thursday the 21nd at 12:49 pm pacific, offering new pieces to the puzzle of how we are supposed to fit in with the ‘them,’ meaning our communities and beyond. The momentum set now is important, so let’s imagine we know more than we do, without putting in ‘final answers.’ We are all freshly getting situated into a new phase of being ourselves in contrast and communion with everybody else. Don’t hinder others, but be all you and willing to express when and where you choose.
Venus sextiles Saturn on Friday the 22nd at 3:54 am pacific, bringing us pack to standard worldly themes with a focus on integration. Finances, relationships, food, hydration, health, and mature boundaries are up for review and reconfiguration. Tending to our physical vessels is required to allow a flourishing in other areas of development. Spend time connecting with nature, within and without, and honor the speed of unfolding with some relaxing rituals.
Mercury stations retrograde on Monday the 25th at 6:42 pm pacific. This review period is mostly about our big ideas, visions, plans, et cetera. However, there is a pronounced factor around connecting with others to get a better perspective on it all. This is not only from what we get reflected back to us, but also what we notice in ourselves as we put the more amorphous ideas into the form of spoken or written word. Watch what comes to you and out of you.
The Sun trines Mars on Wednesday the 27th at 12:06 am pacific, stoking the fires towards more truth in being oneself. Our patience for others could be low here because the emphasis is firmly on our shimmering aspirations. It’s complicated because everything now will be up for revisiting and may not fully come into being until late spring. Nevertheless, we should dream the impossible dream through ourselves.
The New Moon is in Sagittarius at 9 degrees on Saturday the 30th at 10:21 pm pacific. This lunation by itself could be a lot of fun, with revelry and a lightness of being. There’s always more changing weather on the way, but for now, let us enjoy the warmth of connections, the fascination of minds twirling and sharing, and the possibility of more. We should also be giving ourselves credit for surviving, striving, and hopefully thriving down the road. We’ve made it this far, let’s push on.
So, okay, November, where did you drop us off? Ideally, we are all feeling more embodied in our truest selves and living that with and through our interactions and pursuits. Whatever tumult goes on in the world does not change the need to tend to ours and still bridge the gaps towards others, and even the greater goodness of existence. May we all digest thoroughly and well.
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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