PLANETARIUM MICHAEL LUTIN

LEO JULY 23-AUG. 22

Only those closest to you will ever guess your secret this month. Whether you're male or female, it's your unflinchingly macho bravado that's carrying you through a period that could otherwise be awfully dark and confusing. With Saturn in your solar 12th house, even a day at the beach is no day at the beach: wherever you go, your main objective is to keep from screaming. Thank God for Mars in Leo. It keeps your fans happy and secure in the illusion that you're still in charge and driving the bus.

VIRGO AUG. 23-SEPT. 22

Because of a pesky lOth-house retrograde, the women who have been trying to give you a major career boost are having a devil of a time doing so. It's not usually your style to tell them to you-knowwhat or get off the pot, but a benefic planet culminating at the top of your solar chart should help you release your frustration.

Meanwhile, your personal life is looking less like a soap opera and more like a thriller—one whose ending hasn't yet been written.

LIBRA SEPT. 23-OCT. 23

My, how mobile you've become. You're traveling, maybe even seeking out new life and cultures, certainly going where you've never gone before. Some folks might say you're just up to your old tricks: avoiding commitment, fleeing responsibility, and resisting a crystallized adult identity. At moments such as these, astrology can be useful. Just tell your critics that Venus is currently in your 9th house, and that as soon as this transit is over you'll start behaving again. Let's hope they buy it.

SCORPIO OCT. 24-NOV. 21

Although you've been feeling pretty lousy lately, your public self is alive and active. No matter what internal problems you're wrestling with, getting onstage and doing a few high kicks helps you realize that the sources of your angst are mostly in your head. Here's a twist: One voice in your interior dialogue belongs to your passionate, hungry, androgynous id, which seeks gratification wherever it exists. But you've also become quite a philosopher of late, and that side of you knows what a ridiculous illusion desire is.

Bush SAGITTARIUS NOV. 22-DEC. 21

You've got options, which is the perk of having benefic planets transit your solar 7th house. Supporters appear out of nowhere to fulfill your fantasies, and if you happen to be running for office you'll think you have it in the bag. This can give a jolt to any Sadge whose love life has been sagging. There is always a hitch, however, and in this case it's Saturn in the 8th house. No matter how many gorgeous possibilities show up on the horizon, you've got major' issues with fidelity and sexuality that can keep you from going all the way.

CAPRICORN DEC. 22-JAN. 19

Some people insist that sexual energy is sexual energy, and that it is unwise, if not impossible, to sublimate it into creative expression or channel it into work. Madly splashing paint onto a canvas or scrubbing the tub till the porcelain wears off just doesn't cut it. With Saturn transiting your 7th house and Mars in your 8th, however, if you're not involved in a relationship where the physical intensity rivals that of the Burt Lancaster-Deborah Kerr beach scene in From Here to Eternity, what's a body to do? Don't answer that.

AQUARIUS JAN. 20-FEB. 18

Aquarians are in such a goofy, Neptunian place right now that it's difficult to pinpoint your state of mind without immediately stumbling across a contradiction. One minute, thanks to Venus in your solar 5th house and Mars in your 7th, you're running around the living room in your underwear singing "I Feel Pretty." Five minutes later, you turn around and decide that you're way too preoccupied to begin a long-term commitment and that, in any case, good health and fulfilling work are sweeter than a kiss on the cheek.

PISCES FEB. 19-MARCH 20

Are you working hard and finding comfort where and when you can? That's how it goes when Mars crosses your 6th house and Venus sits in your 4th, giving a lift to those heavyhearted Pisceans who believe love is only for the very young or the very idiotic. Jupiter is still in your 7th house, so even if you're not in the throes of early passion, there should be someone nearby to remind you that, although in the end we may all be alone, at the moment you are not.

ARIES MARCH 21-APRIL 19

Isn't it fabulous to be able to get outside and breathe the fresh air for a change? Your planetary ruler in your solar 5th house is encouraging you to indulge in some lighthearted messing around. You can even be flirtatious. The seemingly endless passage of Mars through Cancer this past spring almost buried you under family and home responsibilities. Fortunately, you will never be completely domesticated, because you have the uniquely Arian capacity to forget the past as soon as it's over. At least that's what you'd like people to think.

TAURUS APRIL 20-MAY 20

Take comfort in the fact that you are not the only Taurus in the world who has been going through fiscal contortions. Whether you are a freelance entrepreneur or the ruler of your own country, you still have people who audit you. What you do not want to do at this juncture, however, is spread yourself too thin in an effort to cover your butt. No matter how you've juggled your finances or even cooked the books, when your planetary significator goes forward, as it's doing now, the picture always looks brighter.

GEMINI MAY 21-JUNE 21

Socially speaking, the last three months have been as tough as hell for many members of your sign. Situations and circumstances have twisted your brain almost beyond repair, and the 163 relationship flip-flops you've had to execute have nearly exhausted you. Only a Gemini could have performed such mental acrobatics without crumpling on the floor in a heap. Although money still poses a problem, Venus has mercifully changed from retrograde to direct at last. If nothing else, at least your hair looks better.

CANCER JUNE 22-JULY 22

If you are at a party or a barbecue and glasses are clinking and everyone is laughing and having a ball, don't be surprised to find yourself unable to completely join in the fun. You're too preoccupied to enjoy the sunshine, the hot dogs, or even the good wine. Luckily, two personal planets are flanking your sign this month like a pair of hospital orderlies gently escorting a post-op patient out of bed. For now, however, you are far too absorbed in unraveling the mystery of life to notice who's there to help.