Today in 1922 Judy Garland was born in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, at 6 AM. A Gemini with her moon in Sagittarius, and her Mercury and Venus in Cancer (her rising sign), the great singer had the soul of a poet and the sensitivity of an eternal diva. If only there had been more Virgo in her chart, the girl who played Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz" might have had greater career endurance. The absence of earth signs doomed her to a nervous disposition and the likelihood of an early death.
Born Frances Ethel Gumm, Judy craved the approval of father figures, was easily bruised by criticism, sometimes affected a nonchalance but really cared very deeply about other people and wanted to be included in group activities. Her Saturn in Libra helps to explain her outstanding musical talent, and her will to succeed in motion pictures may be inferred from her midheaven in Pisces conjunct Uranus.
The death of Judy's father at age 13 stunned the young actress, who eventually broke off relations with her mother. The amphetamines helped in the short run. She had five husbands.
An old astrological adage: The stars favor the stars. From the moment the young Garland sang to Clark Gable's photograph ("You Made Me Love You"), her astonishing rise to the heights of Hollywood glory was in the cards (Queen of hearts high) as was, alas, the inevitability of internal conflicts and demons postponed but not resolved by the habitual use of narcotics. As a teen she danced with Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, and Bert Lahr and sang "Over the Rainbow," which was named the greatest song of the twentieth century in a survey conducted by the National Endowment for
the Arts and the Recording Industry Association of America in 2001.
In Chinese astrology, she was born in the year of the dog. Her element is water. This is consistent with her destiny. Her relation to Minnesota mirrors that of Dorothy to Kansas except that there was no home to go back to. The three farm hands in the dream were almost recognized when she awoke in Hollywood. She sang and danced with Gene Kelly and with Fred Astaire, and the saints of St. Louis marched in and sang "The Trolley Song" in unison on June 22, 1969, the day of her death. At Carnegie Hall in 1961, with composer Harold Arlen in the audience, she sang "Get Happy," "Stormy Weather," "The Man That Got Away," and "Come Rain or Come Shine" in 1961. Five Grammy awards! She was dead at 46.
Other folks of note born on this day include Saul Bellow, Hattie McDaniel, Gina Gershon, Frederick Loewe (who composed the music for "My fair Lady"), and Prince Philip of England.
If Judy and Frank Sinatra had been lovers, they would have scored very high in passion, high in intimacy, average in synergy, and below average in commitment.
— DL