Planetarium

Michael Lutin advises Aries to try a little tenderness

ARIES

MARCH 21 -APRIL 19

A typical Aries was recently heard shouting in the office, “Out of my way! I’m coming through. Don’t mess with me, because I’m in no mood to roll over. Try to stop me and—no offense—I’ll flatten you like a pancake.” Since Mars, the planetary ruler of Aries, is conjoining Saturn in your sign these days, such a self-assertive outburst should come as no surprise. Although nothing will dampen your manic determination to achieve the impossible, a simultaneous show of loving-kindness from Jupiter in Pisces could soften your affect considerably.

TAURUS

APRIL 20-MAY 20

Oh, the existential angst that comes with a Mars-Saturn conjunction in your 12th house! That’s what is causing you to bite your lip and grind your teeth at night. Luckily, though, Jupiter in your 11th house will provide you with spiritually minded friends who won’t let you indulge in too much self-flagellation. No matter how hard they try, though, it may be difficult for you to accept their support or encouragement. And it won’t be any easier for you to silence that inner voice that murmurs so cruelly, “If they only knew.”

GEMINI

MAY 21-JUNE 21

Talk about too little too late. After the way you’ve been kicked around and whacked back and forth like a Wiffle Ball, suddenly the very people who had the moxie to insult you and unload you like a hot potato are dying just to have the chance to butter you up. Jupiter in your midheaven is opening up wonderful career opportunities, but get real. How can you let yourself turn gooey for anything or anyone right now if the price for such adulation is a long-term commitment, which you are in absolutely no shape to make?

CANCER

JUNE 22-JULY 22

If you believe that God, the universe, and the Force are watching out for you (and with Jupiter in your 9th house that’s almost certainly what you do believe), public scrutiny can never disturb you, so let your critics examine your comings and goings. Jupiter should also help to protect you from controlling and unscrupulous individuals who may be out to get you. Be honest, though. If you are playing the same game they are, even a visit to the ruins at Machu Picchu and an offering to the gods won’t help all that much.

LEO

JULY 23-AUG. 22

At times your fantasies have led you into areas where nice people don’t go, so by now you know how dangerous dreams can be. If it weren’t for illusions, though, there would be no candlelight dinners or romance of any kind. People wouldn’t fall in love, and heaven only knows how babies would get bom. As the ruler of your 5th house enters your 8th, maybe it won’t be a federal offense if you indulge a little. A note of caution, however: that annoying little guide, Jiminy Cricket, will be right beside you whispering in your ear.

VIRGO

AUG. 23-SEPT. 22

Even if financial deals seem almost impossible to tie up these days, business-minded Virgos are steaming full ahead, gathering support for their latest projects. No matter how unceremoniously you got dissed last year, now that Jupiter is in your 7th house you are feeling secure again. If you’ve been praying for a caring mate, this is the time one could drop right onto your living-room rug. Your sex life is still not exactly right, though, because, with Saturn in your 8th house, timing and preference are likely to interfere with your dreams of perfection.

LIBRA

SEPT. 23-OCT. 23

A solar eclipse in your 6th house promises a whole new positive work cycle, provided you are not one of those Libras who coast along on childish notions of false entitlement. And while that may sound like an unduly harsh statement, you should be aware that a Mars-Saturn conjunction always invites wicked criticism from a cold, unyielding world. The people toughest on you are forcing you to act in a mature and productive way that could actually save your butt in the long run. So, please, no whining about injustice. This is justice.

SCORPIO

OCT. 24-NOV. 21

Work. Health. Love. Does anybody ever think about anything else? All three are certainly at the top of every Scorpio's list these days, especially the first. We all know how hard you’re working. You don’t have to wave your sweat-soaked bandanna around to prove it. With Mars conjunct Saturn in your 6th house, you’re exhibiting all the stamina of a Trojan. Don’t forget about your heart, though. If you’re fertile and up for it, start painting the nursery. If you’ve already got kids, they’re not creating any crises right now. And the love thing? Yes, definitely.

SAGITTARIUS

NOV. 22-DEC. 21

Your family has not been exactly a bastion of moral support over the past year, but you and many other Sadges have been pretending that everything was peachy at home. It wasn’t. A coming solar eclipse in your 4th house should usher in genuine positive feelings toward your loved ones. It also signals a year of expansion, possibly even a move. While you may feel closer to your family, you are still trying to be more independent, in an effort to break the spell of depression you feel looming over you. It’s Pluto, and it’s going to take time.

CAPRICORN

DEC. 22-JAN. 19

No matter how often astrologers tell us that a new moon with Jupiter brings good luck, the average Capricorn will read this forecast as no more than a futile attempt to mask the real news. Capricorns generally tend to accept only bad news as real news. While there are major crises occurring in your family that will have you coming and going like crazy, the fortunate aspect of the solar eclipse taking place in your 3rd house could—with a healthy change of attitude on your part—solve most of your problems. If you can accept this, that is real news.

AQUARIUS

JAN. 20-FEB. 18

When your horoscope predicts that money will flow in and prosperity will be yours, you treat it about as seriously as you would a fortune cookie. But that is what you can expect to hear now that Jupiter is passing through your 2nd house. With so many things going wacky in your mind and body, money doesn’t seem to matter much. Isn’t that the kicker, though? The minute you get over your fear of losing it, you don’t have to give it away. P.S. Though screaming is not your style, it might just help you breathe better. But drive carefully.

PISCES

FEB. 19-MARCH 20

Only a Pisces can feel smaller than an ant one minute and bigger than life the next. The recent transit of the south node through your sign has been productive for many Pisceans, but destructive for others. Many of you have felt lousy and unresponsive. If people complimented you, you lost respect for them. All you wanted to do was prove you didn’t need anybody. Now comes the reward for all your conflicts: Jupiter in Pisces. It’s a blessing. A miracle. Perform a mitzvah now. And if you don’t know what a mitzvah is, call a rabbi immediately.

To hear Michael Lutin read your weekly horoscope, call 1-900-28V-FAIR on a Touch-Tone phone. Cost: $1.95 per minute. If you are under 18, you need parental permission.