Commonsense Almanac By Ben Commons | October 2024
“We accept the love we think we deserve.” ~Stephen Chbosky
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.
And surprise, it’s October. We may have seen it coming, but it has been a busy time. This month seems to have more straightforward themes, rich in the complexity of the necessities. Keeping things simple is actually a vast conundrum of undulating life needs. But clearly, we are supposed to be working towards some massive essentialization, streamlining, and optimizing of our lives to better support the parts that are simple in their sweetness—or is it sweet in their simplicity? This will require lots of flexibility and a calm readiness to maximize the incoming waves of opportunity.
The New Moon is at 10 degrees Libra on Tuesday the 1st at 11:49 am pacific. This Annular Solar Eclipse is almost mellow compared to recent times. The central theme is a refresh of the space between ourselves and others. Don’t indulge in harsh speech, but do speak your truths, gently. The most important thing is to avoid making up for lost time and venting the grievances of times gone by. Start now to keep things more balanced, clear, and open. Politeness is the good grease for togetherness.
Venus trines Saturn on Friday the 4th at 10:03 am pacific, asking us to harmonize what we would like, with what we want, and how to manifest these things practically. Patience is required, but so is open dialogue and respect for the perspective of others. As much as we would like it, people are not mind readers and we are best off when making requests. Find what makes the heart sing.
Mercury squares Mars on Saturday the 5th 11:36 pm pacific, asking us, again, to state what we need now and moving forward. The temptation will be to poke at people from a place of unrealistic expectations. Work towards making your needs known and ask gentle questions of those who can’t seem to do the same for themselves. Allow for vulnerability.
Venus trines Mars on Tuesday the 8th at 3:21 am pacific, asking for patience as the garden grows. We are all feeling eager to see results of our efforts and in our relationships, but it takes time. Let us celebrate every bit of progress, every harvest, and every one along the way. Affirm that which grows towards its potential and let’s help it get there. Make allowances.
Mercury trines Jupiter on Tuesday the 8th at 5:22 am pacific, sending ideas to and fro like a murmuration. This is perfect for brainstorming and exploring with close friends. Work on fleshing out the ideas that have been simmering in your mind by giving them voice. Free your mind and the rest will follow.
Jupiter stations retrograde on Wednesday the 9th at 12:04 am pacific. This starts us off on another revise and revisit period for four months. It’s never simple, but the idea is to edit, trim the fat, and streamline the big ideas towards more specific outcomes. Let intuition guide us through the excess of mind.
Pluto stations direct on Friday the 11th at 5:32 pm pacific. This begins the final resolution period of what began back in 2008. So, a LOT. The goal is to clean up as much of the mess that we inherited from society and to keep building our own world that reflects our personal moral compass. So, a lot. Then we will start figuring out how to connect to community as our updated selves. Clean up your space, even if you didn’t create the mess.
Mercury squares Pluto on Friday the 11th at 7:02 am pacific, dredging even more ancient detritus up for processing, integration, and release. The trap here is frustration, regret, and blame. The way out is through, along with difficult to maintain maturity levels. Milk gets spilled, plans get changed, and it’s up to us to meet these alterations with flexibility and wisdom.
Mercury moves into Scorpio on Sunday the 13th at 12:24 pm pacific, where it will be until November 2nd. This period will ask us to integrate our vulnerabilities into our decision making and communication. Meaning to care for them, not advertise them. On the other hand, we need to maintain allegiance to our unique spark and not take it personally when others don’t fully understand. Let it shine.
The Sun trines Jupiter on Sunday the 13th at 10:51 pm pacific, prompting some surprisingly profound self-reflection. Ideally, we should be releasing emotional baggage, outdated desires, fears of exposure, and more: Then joining together in a renewed now with everyone around us. Throw out the tragic scripts and envision awesomeness. Let us pretend we are unblemished innocence.
The Sun squares Mars on Monday the 14th at 1:15 am pacific, demanding we stay true to ourselves despite how uncomfortable it may make people. I’m not saying we should be imposing ourselves onto others, but it’s no life to live when we constantly make ourselves small and meek to appease others, especially when they didn’t ask for that. Honor all the beings.
Venus opposes Uranus on Monday the 14th at 3:21 pm pacific, urging us to appreciate our idiosyncrasies while appreciating those of others. We must always plant and tend to the garden of our beings, especially the parts that fuel our passions and specializations. The path less traveled is highly specific to us individually, and a wondrous thing. Let your ethereal hair down.
Venus trines Neptune on Tuesday the 15th at 5:48 pm pacific, giving us space to reframe our goals around connection, emotions, and spirituality. However much we yearn to share the journey with others, it’s always a personal journey of growth and renewal. This can be used to envision outcomes less influenced by the tribulations of the past. Imagine fabulousness.
The Full Moon is at Aries at 24 degrees on Thursday the 17th at 4:26 am pacific. This is a spicy lunation that will enhance the flavor fabulously for those ready to dig in. It is dangerous for those who have been floundering, so watch out for those who would pull you into unnecessary drama. The lesson is about radical authenticity and connecting with people from the newest you. Solidify and focus on the essentials of what nourishes you. Let the distractions float by.
Venus sextiles Pluto on Thursday the 17th at 5:30 am pacific, giving space to process more fears and essentialize what we are striving towards. There’s so much in life that is out of our control. We can choose to honor that by spending our energy and resources towards our personal well-being and those in our figurative tribe. Worry about yourself.
Venus moves into Sagittarius on Thursday the 17th at 12:29 pm pacific, where it will be until November 11th. This time centers on finding new quests and adventures to fulfill our core selves more fully. That sounds confusing, but we need to keep ourselves stimulated with new vistas while not indulging in side-quests of distraction. Eye on the prize: Seek out what fulfills you.
Mercury trines Saturn on Monday the 21st at 11:34 pm pacific, allowing us to take measure of our progress while further releasing outdated narratives. The danger is in projecting the problems of the past into the future. Well, now we can redact the doubts and envision greater connectivity and support within our worlds. Reframe the plans and give credit where it is due.
The Sun squares Pluto on Tuesday the 22nd at 7:15 am pacific, pushing us to further streamline our existence. Instead of reacting to the big crazy world out there, work on building your world and relationships to be cleaner and less cluttered. It’s sort of one thing at a time, except you are the main and forever project. Clear the air and clean out the closets and focus on the connections that sustain us.
The Sun moves into Scorpio on Tuesday the 22nd at 3:15 pm pacific. This Scorpio season is firmly about the essentials. Good food, good people, good sleep, and other basics. We are all still animals, but at least we use spices in our cooking and can enjoy the comforts of a warm shower and soft bed. Everything else is ultimately a distraction from the full flowering of animalism in a human context. Evolve into simplicity.
Mars sextiles Uranus on Thursday the 24th at 5:12 pm pacific, sending sparks of excitement and anticipation a flutter. Embrace the spontaneous and wild, if it is harm free. Again, this could be as simple as trying some recipe outside of our norm, or this could be a much grander adventure. The point is about rewarding ourselves for making it this far.
Mars trines Neptune on Monday the 28th at 5:30 am pacific, sponsoring some inward searching and deep relaxation. A main danger these days is anxiety, but we must continually choose to relax the wounded structures in our mental patterns. Mindfulness practices, or anything that can soothe the nervous system is super recommended. Constant course correction towards peace is the way.
Venus squares Saturn on Monday the 28th at 6:34 am pacific. Ideally, this will find us recognizing all the growth and better understandings and perspectives on life’s tribulations. The temptation will be to find minor faults to distract from reinforcing progress in all its forms. A higher perspective on things would help mitigate this, whether it be philosophical, spiritual, or through sheer not caring. If it works, it works.
Mercury opposes Uranus on Wednesday the 30th at 3:14 pm pacific, strongly lessening any tolerance of other people’s issues distracting from your own experiences. However, the choice is usually ours to pay attention to our processes and strongly suggest that others go do the same. There is no need for rebellion if we maintain independence.
Mercury trines Neptune on Thursday the 31st at 5:33 pm pacific, offering us some much-needed rest and recuperation. However, we must choose to find solace where we can and carve out relief where we can find it. Focus on calming the waters of the mind and don’t look for problems where they may not exist. Ponder the mystery of being.
So, October: Hopefully we made it through unscathed with increased centeredness, calm, and composure. And, however much progress has or hasn’t been made, we always have the choice to affirm the good and release the difficult, which is the main way to dance with the ongoing music of life. The Sun will come out tomorrow…
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 a Remote Reading with Ben
Ben will be offering in person readings at Paradise Found October 17, 1-5pm
