What do Mona Lisa and Julia Roberts have in common? Mystery, an enchanting smile, spontaneity, and charm? Or the desire for both freedom and love?
What do Mona Lisa and Julia Roberts have in common?
Obviously, both women are women who believed in themselves. From Leonardo da Vinci’s portrait, the face of a browless beauty gazes out, her smile and eyes speaking volumes in an elusive feline manner: the ability to maneuver, playfulness, and a sense of superiority. Julia, also resembling a little fox, has a more democratic smile that suits the present time. What unites them is their mystery! Among modern astrologers, mystery is a relative concept: glance at the horoscope, and it becomes quite likely that Leonardo da Vinci could have uncovered the secrets of Mona Lisa—he was well-versed not only in sacred geometry but also in astrology, yet considered it sufficient to leave behind only the masterpieces of his art.
So, what is Julia Roberts’ mystery? She was born on October 28, 1967, in the small town of Smyrna, Georgia, USA. Her brother Eric was the first to break into the big screen: he made his film debut when Julia was just 11 years old. She followed her brother to New York right after school, but initially, her search for roles was unsuccessful, forcing her to work part-time in a small shop on Manhattan. Her situation changed when Eric helped her land a role in the film “Blood Brothers.” Though the film was completed in 1986, it only hit the screens two years later, by which time the actress had already appeared in several other pictures.
Julia gained recognition after starring in the romantic comedy “Mystic Pizza” (1988), where her charming smile, spontaneity, and the charm of her character captivated audiences.
Her success was solidified by the iconic “Pretty Woman” (1990), and Julia was beloved by audiences worldwide. This slightly naive love story between a prostitute and a wealthy businessman (played by Richard Gere), despite its banality and “Cinderella-like” simplicity, could not leave ordinary viewers indifferent, and Roy Orbison’s song “Pretty Woman” remains hugely popular to this day. However, her career then faced a lull, as a series of less successful films led Julia to lose her status as a megastar—until 1997’s “My Best Friend’s Wedding” revived her fortunes. The film’s box-office success proved to Hollywood producers that Julia could still shine in romantic comedies, and they were right: “Notting Hill” (1999) and “Runaway Bride” (1999) followed.
As for Julia’s personal life, it is far more complicated. Her first fiancé, Dylan McDermott, never made it to the altar with her (rumors suggest their breakup was due to the “warm feelings” Julia harbored for Richard Gere during the filming of “Pretty Woman”).
Her engagement to Kiefer Sutherland, who left his wife for Julia, also failed to reach the wedding day. Kiefer cheated on his fiancée with a dancer, but upon learning of it (from the newspapers), Julia did not merely break up with him—she sought revenge (in true Scorpio fashion). With preparations for the wedding already underway and all guests invited, Julia announced, just four days before the ceremony, that she had no intention of marrying. Yet, Julia did eventually tie the knot, albeit briefly. When her press secretary announced to journalists that Julia had married Lyle Lovett in a small town with practically no witnesses, everyone took it as a joke. After all, Lovett was one of the most handsome men America had ever known, and they had only known each other for a few weeks—or even less. What prompted the actress to commit to this man?
She was 26, perhaps fearing loneliness, fearing she would never marry, and second, she had stopped getting film offers… Their union lasted about two years—June 25, 1993, to March 22, 1995. On the wedding day—June 25—the Moon in Virgo conjoined Julia’s Venus but opposed the transiting Black Moon in Pisces; there was also a conjunction of the transiting Lilith with her natal one. Additionally, the transiting Moon opposed her natal Pisces— the outcome was predetermined. Julia, despite her image as a strong woman of the world, tries desperately to conceal behind her mysterious actions the vulnerability of her soul. She even refuses to appear nude on screen, joking: “I don’t know if my former algebra teacher needs to know what my ass looks like,” or another gem: “I will never appear nude when I’m being filmed in clothes—it’s a different kind of perception.”
Turning to the actress’s cosmogram, certain degrees stand out. Julia’s Mercury, though in Scorpio, is retrograde—14° Scorpio—excess, hysteria. The Sun at 5° Scorpio—an active mind without realization. Venus at 19° Virgo (in detriment)—indecisiveness, a lack of wonder in nature, a person who cannot find her place anywhere. Retrograde Saturn at 8° Aries—arbitrariness, rebelliousness (as she once said about George W. Bush: “He will never be my president; he’s a disgrace”), quarrelsomeness, and reckless adventures with unpleasant consequences. Jupiter at 2° Virgo brings fatalism and inertia; combined with the star Megrez, it points to juvenile psychopathy, with Megrez also pushing a person to become an astral guide.
Some representatives of the sign Scorpio are labeled with the stigma of the sign of death, and in many families, it manifests: Julia is no exception. When she was ten, her father died of cancer (a square from the Moon in Leo to the Sun in Scorpio; the Sun at 5° Scorpio in a direct opposition). This fact indicates certain psychological complexes in the girl who grew up without a father, and Lyle, who is 10 years older than Julia, unconsciously fulfilled the role of a strong shoulder, for he too was born under the sign of Scorpio—November 1, 1957. The Moon in Cancer in his cosmogram suggests understanding without words; he offered Julia not just marriage but psychological support, having experienced “Cyrano de Bergerac” himself, and he truly loved Julia. It was a marriage of two damaged, complex people: Julia already had a difficult experience with men and longed for stable relationships, and her birth year—1967, the Year of the Goat—speaks of her constant need for a strong male presence. With her distrustfulness, she dared to enter this union because she needed it. However, Fire women do not envision a life with a controlling or domineering man, nor do they see themselves in a traditional marriage—something that suited Lyle, a Scorpio-Rooster. Julia, with her Moon in Leo, craves not only passion but also excitement even within the home.
A complex creature—a Fire woman (1967 was a Fire year)—she desires adoration yet is burdened by it. Mental stimulation is what she needs, and after a long break from family life, the actress turns her attention to her “sword-bearer”—a cameraman who is always by her side, shaping her image on screen as she wishes. On July 4, 2002, at midnight, on her ranch in New Mexico, she married cameraman Daniel Moder (born January 31, 1969)—again a Rooster (on the cusp of Monkey), this time an earthy, sensual, and domestic one (with the Moon in Cancer).
At the time of the wedding, the transiting Moon in the last degree of Aries (“Imposing one’s line on others,” the 30th degree of Aries is considered malefic — life plays cruel jokes with a person, such a degree of the Sun in Hussein) was conjunct Julia’s North Node. What can be said about this marriage? It is temporary, first of all, judging by the natal Venuses of both: in Julia’s chart, Venus is in detriment in Virgo, conjunct Pluto and in opposition to Chiron in Pisces (which indicates the paradoxical nature of her marriages), while Dana’s Venus is connected to the star Scheat — “The extreme degree of misfortune in opposition to the Black Moon in the 26th Gemini.” (Venus governs the quality of family life.) Also unfavorable are the characteristics of his planets: the Sun in the 12th Aquarius — destruction, violence, exile for ideas, a vagrant life. Mercury retrograde in the 7th Aquarius — stubbornness, pedantry, rudeness, a desire to achieve everything for oneself, cynicism. Venus in the 29th Pisces — “dead fish” — a weak personality, may lead to suicide or insanity. Mars in the destructive degree of Scorpio at 19° — emotional breakdown, pessimism. The South Node and Uranus in Libra do not favor a strong union, and Uranus in the 4th Libra indicates a lack of calling and a life far from the city (Dana has a psychology degree but works as an operator, recently living in isolation on Julia’s ranch with his family). Saturn at 21° Aries is also in a critical degree. It should also be noted that Julia is a Scorpio with the Moon in Leo, and Dana is an Aquarius — a combination that is hardly harmonious. For some time, about 10 years, until the twins grow up, this marriage may hold, but the catalyst for divorce will be Julia (it is worth noting that Scorpios are often widows).
In the film “Mona Lisa Smile,” Julia plays the role of an art teacher at a university in 1950s America, a time when a woman was still dependent on her husband. Julia created the image of an independent woman seeking pure, equal love and was disappointed in it — perhaps she was torn between the desire for both freedom and love.
Valentina Wittrock
