PLANETARIUM

Michael Lutin tells Aries to forget the past and forge ahead

ARIES MARCH 21-APRIL 19

Now that you have figured out that there is no such thing as security in this world, you're tempted to cling to illusions of what might have been. But look at it this way: life is an adventure, and you've got nothing to lose by charging ahead. The only thing you can do when Mars and Jupiter are in your sign is whip out the old machete and start cutting a swath through a new jungle. Watch where you swing that thing, though. With Pluto and Chiron going retrograde in your 9th house, every one of your actions will have long-term repercussions.

TAURUS A P R I L 2 0 - M AY 2 0

Over the next several weeks, you may feel as if you're speeding down a road and rounding corners on two wheels, with tires that are balder than eight balls. That's what you get when a Jupiter-Saturn conjunction nears culmination in the middle of Taurus as Pluto goes retrograde in your 8th house and Mars and Jupiter meet in your 12th. So beware to any jokers who dare try to calm you down by telling you that your problems are not really life-ordeath. You're liable to punch them in the nose and mutter, "Oh, yeah? Try walking in these shoes for a while."

GEMINI MAY 21-JUNE 21

You certainly could use a healthy dose of divine intervention now that your 7th house of relationships is undergoing an intense and painful transformation. It would be great if you had a soul mate who could protect and nurture and take care of you. In all honesty, you seem to be fighting for your very survival. The whole experience could be quite liberating and enlightening, however: this is your big chance to see how profoundly your parents' marriage has influenced your relationships with others. Thank God you've still got friends.

CANCER J U N E 2 2 - J U LY 2 2

In the office you may be as aggressive as a swarm of killer bees, now that Mars and Jupiter are culminating in your solar chart, but the new moon in your 9th house tells a different story. In fact, you'd probably be more comfortable walking along a beach than banging your head against a corporate wall right now. Nevertheless, because your 6th house of work and health is so active, you are still as job-obsessed as ever. Speaking of health, why is it that so many Cancers are worrying hysterically about their spleens and yet go on excessively eating, drinking, and being merry?

LEO JULY 23-AUG. 22

If your heart is heavy these days, it could be more than just the cholesterol. You may as well blame it on the retrograde motion of Pluto and Chiron in your solar 5th house. Unless you are totally unconscious, you are bound to experience emotional pain when those two bodies transit your horoscope. Fortunately, the presence of Jupiter in your 9th house allows you to think of life's unpleasant episodes as great opportunities for learning and growth. Creative Leos will find this a stimulating if traumatizing experience. Not unlike childbirth.

VIRGO AUG. 23-SEPT. 22

Although you may have spent your life yearning to be part of one big happy family, you'd better wake up now. Thanks to Chiron in your solar 4th house, that dream is over. It is certainly not the end of the story, however. At the very least you are becoming aware of some of the lies you were fed when you were a child. Even if it takes years to repair the damage and get over the fact that certain bonds have been severed forever, from now on you should see major improvements in your most intimate relationships. As far as boo-boos go, though, this was a big one.

LIBRA SEPT. 23-OCT. 23

How can you possibly say you are bored, given the MarsJupiter conjunction taking place in your solar 7th house? You're certainly not alone, and you are receiving plenty of external stimulation (your favorite thing). Although people are calling on the phone, knocking at your door, and confronting you left and right, you still seem distracted and restless. The retrograde of Pluto and Chiron could be partly responsible for your current sense of detachment. On a human level, though, could there be some sibling issue that's gnawing at you like a rat through a wall?

SCORPIO OCT. 24-NOV. 21

^ / Whether you are a regular person, a member of the clergy, or a sweaty artist going crazy in your garret, as a Scorpio you are now obliged to immerse yourself more heavily than ever in games of budgeting, marketing, and financial manipulation. Since your ruling planet will be retrograde in your 2nd house for the next five months, try to curb your sense of entitlement and get a grip whenever you hear yourself moaning about how your needs are not being met. With competition as keen as it is, you could get bumped. Just work hard and pretend to be humble.

SAGITTARIUS NOV. 22-DEC. 21

Anyone who really knows you realizes how tired you are. And no wonder. With the double retrograde of Pluto and Chiron in your sign, all you want to do is stay in bed, pull the covers up over your head, and lick all the wounds you've sustained over the years. Lots of luck. With Mars and Jupiter in your 5th house, you'll still be out there laughing it up, kissing babies, and desperately trying to prove you're very much alive. At this moment you should be feeling empathy for all those trained seals balancing beach balls on their noses.

CAPRICORN D E C . 2 2 - J A N . I 9

L For some reason you need more privacy and downtime than you ever did in the old days, before Pluto entered your 12th house. It's probably just that you are already sick of the rat race and have begun seeking solace and meaning, two things most people in this crazy dog-eat-dog world neither know nor care anything about. Since you have plenty to cope with at home right now, with Mars and Jupiter transiting your 4th house, the corporate nine-to-five scene must seem terribly alien to you. Good luck trying not to live by bread alone.

AQUARIUS JAN.20-FEB.I8

Although you've never been one for Hallmark sentiment (is that an understatement or what?), you'd be surprised at what a few kind words can do for your head. The transit of Jupiter in your 3rd house can raise your mind from the depths of darkness back into the light. No matter how withdrawn you have been, a quick visit, phone call, E-mail, or greeting card can do wonders to reunite friends who have drifted apart and who, for some reason, no longer seem to have anything in common. Never underestimate the power of communication.

PISCES FEB. 19-MARCH 20

From an astrological standpoint, it's no mystery why you experience feelings of grandiose entitlement and personal worthlessness at the same time. For one thing, if you weren't able to live out both extremes simultaneously, you wouldn't be a Pisces. But these days, vibrations occurring in your 10th and 12th houses are intensifying both your narcissistic need to be recognized, respected, and even obeyed and your secret wish to crawl into the woodwork and disappear so that nobody will notice how embarrassed you are to be alive. The good news is, you're rich.

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.