Jane Birkin – searching for herself

Jane Birkin, the elfin English-French actress, best known for her decade-long, often controversial, liaison with French singer Serge Gainsbourg, has published her diaries in the UK. She’s had a wild life, marrying at 19 to a much older John Barry, the composer, divorced at 22, scandalous years with Gainsbourg and then a relationship with Jacques Doillon, a French film director – with a child from each.

Born 14 December 1946 3pm London, England, she has a volatile Sun Mars in Sagittarius in her relationship 7^th opposition a rebellious 1^st house Uranus with a searching-for-her-identity Gemini North Node on her Ascendant.  She’d be attracted to adventurous and assertive men, even though her relationships meant suppressing her own individuality. She had a battened down Saturn Pluto in her 4^th house, a hint of her controlling naval father who appeared also to be a spy, though she talks of him in affectionate terms. Her Saturn Pluto square a seductive and sensual Venus Jupiter in Scorpio. A complicated mix of wanting to drown in passion and wanting the freedom to find herself. Her Neptune in the performing 5^th is creative but not so good at commitment. Her Virgo Moon square her North and South Node would arguably make her overly sensitive and disorganised emotionally. Better at relating to a public audience than one-on-one.

Her first husband, John Barry, 3 May 1933, had his Mars Venus in Sagittarius in her 7^th house conjunct her Sun Mars with his Scorpio Sun close to her Venus – so there would be a sizzle of attraction initially. Though the relationship chart was controlling, trapped and not mutually supportive. The daughter from that relationship Kate Barry, a photographer, committed suicide in 2013, having long struggled with addictions and depression, some of which was ascribed to her chaotic upbringing amongst the bohemian Paris set.

Serge Gainsbourg, 2 April 1928 4.55 am Paris, was an upfront and provocative Sun, Jupiter and Uranus in Aries in his 1^st house with his Sun Jupiter in a controlling and pushily confident square to Pluto in the attention-demanding 5^th house. His Saturn in Sagittarius fell in her 7^th conjunct her Sun Mars and opposition her Uranus, so a ratchety mix where he put her down a good deal though she stuck it out for 13 years.

Their relationship chart, like her first marriage, has a one-upmanship struggle Jupiter Pluto, a dominating Mars Pluto; Saturnine endurance; and Venus in an illusory trine to Neptune and a fun trine to Uranus. There would be a love-hate dynamic running under the surface. She never really got over him.

Together they released a song  – “Je t’aime… moi non plus” (“I love you … me neither”) which was deemed offensive and banned radio plays in various countries for its sexual explicitness in referring to sex without love; and it finished with what sounded like an orgasm. It became a hit.

Her third affair which produced a child, with film director Jacques Doillon, was no more astrologically well-matched than the others. His Pisces Sun square Mars Saturn in Gemini collided with her Sun Mars in Sagittarius opposition Uranus. Though his Jupiter in her 4^th would help.  That relationship chart had a power-struggling composite Sun opposition Pluto; with a defensive, chilly Venus Saturn and an idealistic, illusory Jupiter Neptune.

Not a dull life, for sure, though she could never reconcile her conflicting needs for sexual intensity and independence. Until now.