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As Ashley Judd's mother and older step-sister, singing duo Naomi and Wynonna
Judd, signed record deals and set off in search of stardom touring the
country in a bus they called Dreamcatcher, the younger non-singing
Judd cleaned the vehicle and sat with her nose in a book. This latter
day Cinderella would go on to study French at the University of Kentucky,
graduating Phi Beta Kappa. Then, determined to become an actress, Ashley
Judd packed up a U-Haul, separated from her family and set off for Los
Angeles. Ultimately, acting classes and a string of notable performances
led to a staring role in the action thriller Double Jeopardy
and Ashley emerged from the shadow of the singing Judds to become a celebrity
in her own right and one of the hottest actresses in Hollywood.
 Born
April 19, 1968, in Los Angeles, California, just a glance at Ashley's
horoscope reveals that to appreciate Ashley is to appreciate the spunky
independence of the first sign of the zodiac, Aries.
An
Exaggerated Will to Be Me
Biography
magazine's recent article on Ashley Judd reads like a litany of Aries
catch phrases: strike out on her own, no time to waste, hyper-articulate,
breakneck speed, relentless self-improver, in command of her career, straightforward,
self-reliant, important to do things herself, in my personal best interest,
self-assured, sudden rise, action girl and more. But then, how else could
you write about a woman who has the Sun, Mercury, North Node, Saturn and
Venus all conjunct in Aries?
Aries is
an innocent, impulsive, me first, I-can-and-will-do-it-my-way sign. Its
gift is the ability to separate from family and friends in order to discover
one's self as an independent individual. When three or more planets are
conjunct one another in the same sign it is called a stellium, and when
that sign is Aries it describes an exaggerated sense of self-reliant independence
and a self-made, self-directed individualist who will instinctively take
charge of their own life and will not endure interference from others.
With her
Sun in Aries, the very essence of Ashley's life is to discover who she
is as a separate and unique individual. Flanked by Mercury, her solar
initiative is stimulated by an originality of thoughts and ideas, indicating
that Ashley is, without a doubt, an independent woman with a mind of her
own. Additionally, Saturn grounds Ashley's freewheeling Aries style in
accomplishment while Venus adds charm and artistry to her self-directed
initiatives. However, Saturn and Venus also say something about growing
up lonely and with limitations.
A
Gift in Disguise
When Saturn
is conjunct Venus in Aries there are often early feelings of loneliness
and lack in the areas of money, love and/or relationship. As a consequence,
these things become very serious matters in adult life. Ashley's parents
divorced when she was very young. After moving to Kentucky, the family
struggled to survive on welfare checks and the modest income from Naomi's
variety of jobs. They often lived without electricity, running water or
a phone and Ashley, who attended a dozen schools in as many years, had
to be independent and self-reliant from a very early age. Although these
early childhood circumstances seem harsh and sad, in actuality for young
Ashley, they may have been a gift in disguise. Left alone to follow her
own inclinations, Ashley was able to begin fulfilling her innate call
to self-definition and self-authority unhampered by usual parental expectations.
What
About Love?
Speaking
from the feeling of love denied, Saturn conjunct Venus, Ashley once confided
to a friend she would never find "the right guy." But that was
before she met Scottish racecar driver, Derio Franchitti. Although the
couple became quietly engaged in April of 2000, no date has been announced
for the wedding. However, from December of 2000 through November of 2001,
transiting Pluto, the great transformer, is moving in a trine aspect to
Ashley's Venus. The harmony indicated by this aspect will greatly enhance
Ashley's venusian ability to feel the depths and passions of love, and
it's likely that Ashley will finally find the courage to relinquish a
small part of her Aries independence to the man she says is the "greatest
person she has ever met."
And
for Her Fans?
Like all actors, Ashley's screen performances reveal innate qualities
of her personality. In action films like Double Jeopardy,
Kiss the Girls and Eye of the Beholder, Ashley
displayed Aries as the young warrior out to prove her courage by triumphing
over any obstacle, intimidation or doubt. But in other films, such as
Where the Heart Is and most recently, Someone Like
You, Ashley revealed her own Venus in Aries doubts and uncertainty
about love, commitment and relationship. However, Venus is not just the
planet of love and relationship, it is also the planet of art and artistic
endeavors, so the same harmonious Pluto trine that will bring profound
love can also add new depth and passion to Ashley's creative undertakings.
Ashley's
previous performances, as well as her biography, reveal that independence
and assertiveness are not strictly male prerogatives. A totally feminine
woman can still be defined and recognized for her self-sufficiency and
competitiveness as well as her courage to be who she is as a separate
and distinct individual. Having found love, and with her creative juices
now flowing as never before, it certainly seems that the best of Ashley
Judd is yet to come.
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