Celestial events this month say I'm due to entertain with place settings of expensive linens, fine china, fancy crystal and sterling silver.

The alignment of Mars, Venus and the Sun don't explain how to keep the four kids in our single-family detached home from dragging the linen outside for a play tent or turning such valuable settings into clinking musical instruments.

I also have a condo home I use primarily to telecommute to work, but the planets' positions insist I invite guests from work to a picnic in my home. As a one-man operation, I supposed I could skip my deadlines and invite myself to an al fresco meal on my tiny 75-square-foot patio.

Forget feng shui, the art of balanced living.

Defrock St. Joseph, the patron saint of homes.

The stars and the planets rule the roost.

When it's time to make decisions about all aspects of home life including decor, decorating, gardening, party planning and remodeling, cast your gaze to the heavens.

Homestore.com, a home and real estate information portal now offers "HomeStrology," a star-gazing gateway to astrological readings devoted to down-to-earth matters of the hearth.

"Most people are unaware that the 12 zodiacal signs are very specific about our homes and how we live in them," says New York astrologer John Marchesella, who provides Homestore.com's astrological forecasts for home owners.

Scorpio? For June, the Sun's emergence into Cancer suggests a religious motif for your home. Try stained glass for some of your windows. Consider religious icons or paintings, or even a pew-like effect for a new seating arrangement. If your spirituality leans toward the East, consider Japanese pillows for a special tea ceremony. Even the deep, dark Scorpio needs a little spiritual sting now and then.

Taurus, the conjunction of Venus and Mars is taking place in the sign of Cancer, the sign of history and tradition. Add an antique piece to your living room. Try faux painting and murals. The key to this planetary conjunction is creativity. No bull.

Leo, don't be such a coward. Drama and extravagance are your watch words when the Sun enters Cancer. Add thick velvet curtains, sans Elvis, but a la "Gone With The Wind", to your bedroom decor. Consider the Bette Davis canopy bed from "Dark Victory". Or how about the dressing table from "The Women"? For glamor, it's a Jacuzzi for the master bath and a chaise lounge in the bedroom.

And finally, Sagittarius. Lighten up, Sag baby. You just need more space. Before the full moon you were supposed to rip out some walls and lift the roof to add on an extra room or to put in an attic apartment. If affordability was an issue, you should have hung some major mirrors to give the illusion of space. Lighter window treatments could have also hit the bullseye.

"Astrology is currently experiencing a renaissance in this country, with lots of new ways emerging for its use. HomeStrology is a perfect way for people to get more in touch with themselves and the places they live. Home really is a microcosm of the heavens," said Marchesella, certified by the National Council for Geocosmic Research.

HomeStrology also uses the cosmos to let you live vicariously through the home lives of earthbound stars.

At home, Regis Philbin, a Virgo, likely leans toward softer shades of tan, despite his dark TV quiz show host garb. He also prefers function over form -- millionaire or not. Oprah Winfrey's eclectic Aquarius style suggests a foyer featuring Spanish accents and a dining room in traditional Shaker decor -- but not Shaker food.

"At Homestore.com, we're determined to provide our customers with the most comprehensive information about the home available on the planet. And with the addition of "HomeStrology" we can now expand that to include the heavens," said Mike Buckman, president of Homestore.com, Inc. -- not the least bit tongue-in-cheek.

Published: June 23, 2000

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Broderick Perkins parlayed a career in old-school journalism into a contemporary digital news service that really hits home. The award-winning consumer journalist, originally from Wilmington, DE, is founder, publisher and executive editor of the bootstrap DeadlineNews Group, a Silicon Valley-based editorial content and consulting service specializing in residential real estate, consumer news and related editorial consulting services. The DeadlineNews Group includes the website, DeadlineNews.com, offering real estate editorial content and consulting services, and its back shop, the Deadline Newsroom, an open house on news that really hits home. Perkins obtained his formal journalism education from University of Delaware and a journalism boot camp, the Institute of Journalism Education at the University of California-Berkeley. He went on to 20 years of service as a daily newspaper journalist at the Wilmington, DE News Journal and San Jose, CA Mercury News. Perkins covered housing on the San Jose Mercury News reporting team which earned a General News Reporting Pulitzer Prize in 1989 for coverage of the Loma Prieta earthquake. He has also produced real estate, consumer and small business content for the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, RealtyTimes.com, Nolo.com, Better Homes and Gardens, the National Association of Realtors, Homestore/Move and Intuit/Quicken among more than three dozen publications. In addition to managing the DeadlineNews Group, Perkins most recently served as chief editorial consultant for Nolo's Essential Guide To Buying Your First Home, Nolo, and writes real estate television scripts for RealtyTimes.com.