PLANETARIUM

Michael Lutin tells Libras to stay near the phone

LIBRA SEPT. 2 3 - OCT. 23

Make an effort to buck up and smile even if your best-laid travel plans should go awry this month. And you can bet they will as the ruler of your 4th house appears to stop moving on the cusp of your 9th. Crises never cease in a family full of characters who could depress even Eugene O'Neill, but undue worry over unresolved domestic issues will serve only to add to your fear of abandonment. Until April, when the current mess should finally clear up, stay close to home and live as you always have—somewhere between reality and denial.

SCORPIO OCT. 24-NOV. 21

You've done a wonderful job caring—or pretending to care—about people who, because of their limitations, will never be able to repay you emotionally or financially for all the time and effort you've put into them. Although you are probably burned out at this point and would like to move on, you still have your 7th house to contend with. There are relationships that need to be resolved, commitments that must be met, and contracts that have to be honored. Just keep telling yourself that all this is making you a better, deeper person. Don't laugh—it's true.

SAGITTARIUS NOV. 22-DEC. 21

Once the planetary ruler of your 2nd house reaches the western horizon of your solar chart next spring, your hibernating days will be over, and you will probably be out in the public eye a lot more than you have been in a long time. Already you can feel the stirrings of a huge life change: you are eager to fly to new heights professionally and to dig to deeper levels in personal relationships. But even if the menial work you have been doing becomes impossibly tedious, wait until your big break comes before you quit your day job.

CAPRICORN DEC. 22 -JAN. 19

Bear in mind that your poor, tired heart is still ruling your head as Saturn, your planetary ruler, begins its five-month retrograde motion in your solar 5th house. Remember also that Saturn is the planet that allows you to take a five-minute coffee break only once every 28 years, and that you have to hang in there long after normal people would have gathered up their marbles and gone home. Even if you are the toughest old rooster in the barnyard, though, doesn't there have to be a limit to how long you can go on loving before you finally give up and chicken out?

AQUARIUS JAN.20-FEB.I8

One would think that a freewheeling, progressive, and utterly independent individual like you could blow a friendly good-bye kiss to family, co-workers, and friends and simply sail happily off on a one-way cruise to Valhalla, with no remorse, no tears, no thoughts of anything other than the new adventure that awaits you. With the ruler of your solar 12th house about to re-enter your 4th, however, don't be surprised to learn that you are much more emotionally connected to people than your breezy manner would imply. Dare we use the word "needy"?

PISCES FEB. 19-MARCH 20

If only you could settle down and be tranquil. Then the idyllic refuge you have been seeking for so long could be yours at last. You would finally be able to turn your back on all that frivolous getting and spending and once and for all block your ears against the noise of this mad, mad world. But you can't. Over the next seven months your 3rd house will be much too active for you to let yourself get too cozy. Your mind is too agitated. You're too restless. And on top of it all, the issues of siblings and money are still burning you.

ARIES MARCH 21-APRIL 19

You can't bear to be fenced in, especially since it's dawning on you that there are still many places in this world you haven't seen, and that you're not going to pack it in until you're damned good and ready. But if freedom and mobility mean so much to you, then you'll have to do whatever it takes to keep your options open and your tires full of air. That means that, no matter where you fit within the financial spectrum, you've got to start thinking prudently about how to earn more and—more important—spend less. If you want to go anywhere from now on, you're going to need money for gas.

TAURUS APRIL 20-MAY 20

You know you are approaching maturity when you begin to realize that success cannot be measured by the number of flashbulbs that pop when a person steps out of a limousine. Success depends instead on one's ability to withstand enormous pressure and focus solely on one's passion. As you have certainly learned over the last year, the price of power and position is responsibility. Because you have been on such a work-and-survival kick, you have missed out on a lot of fun. Guess what: you still have miles to go before you sleep.

GEMINI MAY 21-JUNE 21

You've already seen how refreshing it can be to hang your laundry out to dry and not give a damn what the neighbors say about the color of your pajamas. True liberation is not far away when you can tell the truth about yourself and cast out the demons of guilt, shame, and fear that have been enslaving you. Once you do that, you will no longer have to tear your hair out in secret. Saturn is about to move back into your 12th house for a while, however, so remain spiritual and try not to scream if you find yourself stuck for the moment in the same old trap.

CANCER JUNE 22-JULY 22

Your fear of starvation notwithstanding, there are moments, such as now, when you need to be philosophical about the future and accept the fact that uncertainty is a part of life. Back when Pluto was in your 4th house and Uranus was below the horizon, you may have been bored out of your skull, but at least you knew—or thought you knew—what tomorrow would bring. This is an edgy, iffy time, and if you want to sleep at night, you're going to have to adopt a more flexible attitude. You simply cannot make long-range plans now. Live with it.

LEO JULY 23-AUG. 22

It's natural and healthy to want to lead a normal, peaceful life again. You've been under more pressure than a canary with a shotgun pointed at its little head: you're forced to sing, and if you don't—bam! There's no question that you've had it up to here with politics and bureaucracy, and that you're tired of living wrapped up like a mummy in red tape. But cool it. With the return of the ruler of your 6th house to your midheaven, don't think you can just blow off all the people who put you where you are. That would be very, very stupid.

VIRGO AUG. 23-SEPT. 22

If you've been doing your homework and incorporating some revolutionary new tricks and methods of communication into your job, you should soon be enjoying the fruits of all your labors over the past 10 or 15 years. Before you start broadcasting the gospel according to you, however, it might be smart to remember that you do not know everything and that you are not the final arbiter of truth. Also keep in mind that it is divine to forgive others for erring and that there is no shame in admitting that you err yourself once in a while. You are human, after all.

To hear more about what's happening in your horoscope—and everyone else's—listen to Michael Lutin weekly by calling 1-900-28V-FAIR on a Touch-Tone phone. Cost: $1.95 per minute. If you are under 18, you need parental permission.