Michael Lutin

Astrology Camp

Starman: Michael Lutin is influenced by Tibet, although he's never been there.   (Photo: Andrew Brusso)

Michael Lutin is the den leader of New York’s astrologers: If you’re famous, he’s read you, and if you’re an astrologer, he probably trained you. This astral Mel Brooks not only writes a regular column in Vanity Fair but also pens campy musicals with names like I Was Nostradamus’ Girlfriend. “I’m funny” is how he explains it, waggling his hands. But he had perhaps his biggest moment during the 2000 election. “I was on the Judith Regan show one night, and I said we’re not going to know the results Wednesday morning because Mercury is retrograde! And I said that the winner’s going to be the loser and the loser’s going to be the winner. People thought I was this great genius, but that was the only time I’ve ever been right about an election.”

Philosophy: “Astrology is a way of feeling connected to the universe and to get reassurance in difficult times. I restore my clients’ confidence in their ability to make choices.”

What to expect: An hour spent curled up in a big leather chair opposite Lutin feels mostly like a visit to the shrink. Lutin expects a lot of give-and-take: He asks plenty of questions, and likes his clients to supply serious information about what aspects of their life they’re looking to work on. “The skeptics get nowhere,” he says of clients who wait for him to hand out answers plucked neatly from their charts. Though Lutin cryptically describes Tibet and the art of Roy Lichtenstein as his inspirations for becoming an astrologer while living in Paris in the sixties, he is quick to point out that his greatest mentor is, in fact, a psychotherapist.

39 Fifth Avenue (212-529-6464)

Cost: Rates on request.