TODAY'S ASTROLOGICAL TIMETABLE

Positions of the planets and luminaries today at noon GMT (7 a.m. EST):

Sun............... 10th degree Capricorn

Moon.............. 22nd degree Leo

Mercury........... 17th degree Sagittarius

Venus............. 18th degree Sagittarius

Mars.............. 4th degree Sagittarius

Jupiter........... 18th degree Libra

Saturn............ 26th degree Cancer, retrograde

Uranus............ 4th degree Pisces

Neptune........... 14th degree Aquarius

Pluto............. 23rd degree Sagittarius

Lunar Node........ 30th degree Aries, retrograde

2004 Q2(Machholz). 28 h degree Taurus, retrograde

ZODIACTION POINTS FOR TODAY

ARIES (March 21-April 19): You have a larger view of issues today, which you can use to effect solutions. You can't always make people see things your way, but if you have influence, you can push events toward what you desire anyway.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You are ready to step in when the chips are down. A potentially bad situation works to your advantage if you are willing to step up instead of staying on the sidelines.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): You are very social today. When trying to impress people, you may slip into condescension. Show wisdom and carefully listen to things you don't already know.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): You can make an excellent performance at work today. You are feeling motivated and you want to make a difference. It seems nothing can stop you from meeting people's needs.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): This is a good day for finishing many little chores. Small projects may have built up; take some time for each, and you'll feel a sense of accomplishment. Make some progress on everything that needs work.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): You are able to utilize money to good effect. Purchases tend to be investments, if you put your mind to it. Think about obtaining necessary commodities and be sure you have spare items for the future.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Diverse intellectual interests preoccupy you now. You are able to bring together facts from many sources and disciplines. You draw connections and make important insights from previously unconnected ideas.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Circumstances around you are chaotic, but you can stay calm and efficient in the middle of the storm. For all the mishaps or conflicts going on around you, you tend to remain mostly unaffected.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Confidence generates success today. You can achieve almost anything you set your mind to today. Test yourself against conventionally believed limits, for you may be able to expand beyond them.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You may have too much idle time, or may otherwise have causes to lapse into bad habits. Keep a positive attitude even in temporarily bad situations, for you can help turning them around.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Be involved with societal and social issues today. Your knowledge must be applied to the general welfare, not kept as good intentions. Set aside any sectarian issues and focus on humanitarian welfare.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Your job benefits come into focus today. You may wish to review tax deductions, insurance coverage and retirement benefits. Some of you may be availing yourselves of health benefits now.

These interpretations are based on the aspects and positions of the planets in relation to each Sun-sign. They indicate the general mood and issues of the day as you experience them. Be creative in applying your forecast to the actual circumstances of your life.

For the next several months, the ephemeris features the position of comet 2004 Q2 Machholz, discovered Aug. 27. During this period, it makes a close approach to the Sun and Earth. It is now visible in the Northern Hemisphere under favorable conditions. Astrological lore about comets is unsystematic. Use this listing to correlate cometary positions with unexpected events and strange modifications of normal astrological influences. The longitudes are based on calculations of the JPL on-line HORIZONS ephemeris generator at http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/eph.