Planetarium

Michael Lutin tells Libras they're going to have to grin and bear it

LIBRA

SEPT. 23OCT. 23

It may seem horribly unfair that other people get to come and go as they please while you have to sit at home darning socks and saying your prayers. However, that just happens to be the way the heavens are set up right now. So although your heart may be bursting with needs that can be fulfilled only by complete emotional and creative freedom, as long as your ruling planet remains in the 12th house and Saturn is retrograde, you are simply going to have to be as patient as Job and as silent as a cloistered nun. And no grumbling!

SCORPIO

OCT. 24-NOV. 21

As heartwarming as it would be for you to help friends in need and make contributions to humanity, Pluto, the planet that rules your sign, is currently squaring your solar 11th house from your 2nd. That usually means that everything in your life now, including friendship, carries a big fat price tag. Since business is bound to affect all your relationships, you may as well face the fact that for the foreseeable future you are in marketing. And since commercialism is at odds with altruism, just be thankful you're not living in Soviet Russia in the 50s.

SAGITTARIUS

NOV. 22-DEC. 21

You're a driven creature, and for the moment there is no way to slow down the frantic pace. Although there are certainly mornings when the idea of wolfing down the breakfast of champions, filling up on caffeine, and heading out to face the public has got to be absolutely nauseating, somehow you still manage to get it together and whack the ball over the fence. Thank your 10th house for that. Since there is no relief in sight, you'll just have to smile for the birdie and look forward to the time when you can once again crawl into bed and relax.

CAPRICORN

DEC. 22-JAN. 19

Fluctuating markets and fickle corporate tastes being what they are, even the most astute Capricorn has to throw up his or her hands and be mystified by the current economic situation. The reason you are not freaking out over your inability to control fiscal matters is that Pluto is now in your 12th house. This raises you to a high level of consciousness and allows you to treat the whole thing lightly. Therefore, you can afford to be philosophical, keeping in mind that God loves not only saints but also sinners and even anxiety-ridden Capricorns.

AQUARIUS

JAN. 20-FEB. 18

When you think about your life, do you feel like a ghost peeking through the window at a scene that took place in the distant past? That's because part of you doesn't belong back there anymore. With Pluto squaring your 8th house, you're almost ready to move on to the next stage of your existence. Hold it, though. As long as there is one planet left in an earth sign, you'll still be rooted to the people who love and need you. What's more, if you were to up and vanish—tempting as that might be—how could the credit-card companies ever carry on?

PISCES

FEB. 19-MARCH 20

With Jupiter in Pisces, you should be a happy camper, but as planets and nodes pile up in your solar 12th house, the whole world may start to seem more unjust and incomprehensible than ever. Even with the ruler of your 9th house overhead, it's a wonder you're still so intent on being a major player in such a ridiculous place. Nevertheless, thanks to a few solid, earthy associates who have been put in your life—to keep you grounded, apparently—you are unlikely at this moment to get strung out or disappear to never-never land. Sugar helps, too.

ARIES

MARCH 21-APRIL

Your ability to think big and dream even bigger is what makes you the magician you are, and when Jupiter enters your sign early next year, you'll be more incorrigible than ever. Right now, though, take some of your grandiose notions, soak them in hot water, and toss them into the dryer so that they shrink. You need to settle down, pay bills, and stay healthy enough to continue dreaming. When Saturn finally leaves Aries in March, you'll get your chance to try to make dreams come true. It may be a bad time for fooling the I.R.S., though, so keep records.

TAURUS

APRIL 20-MAY 20

If you have children, they're looking to you now for wisdom and guidance. Isn't that a riot? The transit of Saturn through your sign puts an added burden on you to be especially aware that everything you do and say, both in public and in private, is creating a template for their young, innocent minds. At the same time, with Pluto in your solar 8th house, you may be experiencing a preoccupation with sex or death, so be warned: the more you explore, the more honest and unguarded you become, until your secret thoughts are not as secret as you think.

GEMINI

MAY 21JUNE 21

Fortunately, brothers, sisters, cousins, and close friends are willing to provide a pillow for your head and a little sympathy for your soul. That's generally what you get when planets pass through the bottom of your solar chart. What nobody can do, however, is prevent you from habitually pursuing pretty far-out people as mates. When you are no longer compelled to make the same kind of strange choices, you'll be in much better shape. In any case, do you really believe for one second that you can still go home to Mother?

CANCER

JUNE 22-JULY 22

In the heavens right now, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto are forming what astrologers call the Finger of God, and it is pointed at all Cancers. If the term "Finger of God" gives you goose bumps, don't worry. In fact, it is actually a blessing. Whenever you are feeling nervous this month about your kids, unpaid bills, E. coli, or the mystery of life, just reach out and call on a Taurus, a Virgo, or a Capricorn. Any one of them should be able to help free you from your vivid and macabre imagination and bring you back to reality.

LEO

JULY 23-AUG. 22

If you want to know why you can't just do what comes naturally (especially if it isn't going to hurt anybody), why not ask the hypocrites out there who are running things? You're doing your best to behave in public and prove you're a hardworking professional, but your pent-up anger is beginning to surface. You've swallowed plenty of grief and held a lot in for months, and you didn't have much choice until Mars entered Leo. This is the time to hold your head high and stand up to all the bullies and madmen who want to see what you're made of.

VIRGO

AUG. 23-SEPT. 22

Every Virgo from Hong Kong to Hartford is being turned inside outtwisted, yanked, kneaded, cut open, restuffed, and sewn up again into a brand-new incarnation. If you're old enough to remember the 1960s, you'll realize that you haven't gone through a switcheroo like this since then. That's the effect the lower square of Pluto has on your sign. While late-August and early-September Virgos are in the thick of it, the change will come to all. Good-byes are sad, but as long as you surrender to the inexorable forces of destiny, they can be quite a kick.

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.