What
Makes Julia Cook?
If
long life is synonymous with knowing how to enjoy oneself, then
we have a perfect example in Julia Child. At 87, the 6'2" Julia
Child is a bit stooped, but still cooking up a storm. She's just
published another book with her friend and colleague, Chef Jacques
Pepin, and they're hosting a new television series, Julia
and Jacques, Cooking at Home.
Leos
are natural entertainers, and Julia surely has her own sense of
style—a certain panache, we could say. Leos are right at home on
the stage, screen or televised across the nation, as Julia Child
was for many years with her successful show, The French
Chef.
Her
Sun (shine-ability) in Leo is located in the Fourth House, the part
of the birth chart corresponding to things domestic, nurturing and
home base. Now we can better understand how Julia became queen of
the French gourmet kitchen. In fact, her home, sporting the kitchen
of our dreams, was used as the set for most of her shows and interviews.
Julia
Peculiar
It's
quite obvious that Julia Child's life has been consumed with cooking,
talking and writing about food. Her Fourth House Mercury (planet
of communications) is retrograde (appearing to travel backward as
seen from the Earth) and therefore affects how she communicates.
The retrograde Mercury adds a twist of peculiar to Ms Child's mental
connections and fosters her unusual way of talking. It is reflected
in her high-pitched tone, as well as her attention to detail.
Julia
Child's special brand of uniqueness, her innovation and immense
popularity can be seen in her Uranus in its home sign of Aquarius
(originality, eccentricity). Julia took the seriousness out of cooking
for many of us while still maintaining the integrity of the recipe.
She enhanced our own enjoyment by embedding her message in humor,
another Aquarian trait.
Gemini
Rising: Explaining the Joys of Food
Not
only does Julia know how to whip up a mean soufflé and show a chicken
a thing or two about a mallet, but she has a particular knack for
teaching it to others. With Gemini, the sign of communication and
wit, rising, Julia kept up a running commentary that often made
us laugh to the point of tears. It's obvious that this woman truly
enjoys what she's doing.
Additionally,
she's willing to break down her recipes into step-by-step procedures
and then feed us the information in manageable pieces. Gemini is
great at giving small bits (sound-bites) of information with clarity
and a refreshing lightheartedness.
A Congenial Libra Moon
Julia's Moon, her public interface and day-to-day
habitual personality, is in the air sign Libra, meaning she never
loses sight of the fact that she is in partnership with her audience.
Air signs are very cognizant of others and their reactions or needs,
particularly Libra (the sign of relationships, balance and cooperation).
Julia also has planetary placements in air signs Gemini and Aquarius,
increasing her willingness to interact with others and contributing
to her desire to partner with people and share her knowledge of
cooking.
Coming
Full Circle
Presently,
the revolutionary planet Uranus is traveling through Aquarius, where
it was when Julia Child was born in 1912. In the spring of 1996,
Julia had what is called a Uranus return. This occurs
for everyone around age 84, the number of years Uranus takes to
orbit the Sun and return to its birth position.
The
Uranus return is about freedom. It's a reward of time that reminds
us that we are more than flesh and bone, and that our participation
in this world is voluntary. It is about freedom to play beyond the
boundaries of society's expectations, the freedom to be ourselves.
With
Uranus in Aquarius and the strong, proud Leo Sun, Julia certainly
has her own unique style. That's precisely what people have always
loved about her. Now, at 87, she has come more than full circle.
She was and is refreshingly different, and authentically Julia.
Mercury
retrograde: For
more, see The
Mercury Retrograde Story and Mercury
Retrograde: A Modern Look, both by Rick Levine.
Julia
Child's birth (natal) chart
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