“Jelena , the Woman Who Is Not...” Published: 11th September, 2017 I Author: Smiljana Gavrančić

 “Jelena , the Woman Who Is Not...”

Published: 11th September, 2017 I Author: Smiljana Gavrančić

It is well-known that Ascendant-Descendent axis (or 1-7 axis) represent the axis of partnership in one’s horoscope. But, there is another, maybe even more important axis through which relationships may be analyzed. It is the axis of lunar nodes, in which the real partnership lives. Unlike Ascendant and Descendant that describe the relationship that will develop, carry on and end in one life, lunar nodes axis depicts relationship with the partner at the level of three incarnations, so it is very important if some planet is in good aspect (trine, sextile) with this axis, because it describes the partner in the symbolism of the house and the sign of that planet in the natal chart.

Namely, there are three categories of aspects with lunar nodes axis: favorable (trine/sextile), unfavorable (square) and conjunctions with the North or South Node. Here we shall examine only the favorable aspect (trine/sextile) with the lunar nodes axis of the planet of love – Venus...

Happy love story…

When Venus is in good aspect with lunar nodes axis, it is probably about a happy love story from the previous life that must appear in this life in some moment as well. This is depiction of meeting the person we had always loved and with whom we share much more than physical attraction… Here two people feel they naturally belong to each other, everything goes their way and all is supportive when they are together…

Ivo Andrić i Milica Babić Ivanović

The first, and for now the only Nobel Prize laureate from former Yugoslavia – the writer Ivo Andric, has in his natal chart Venus (love) at 2º Virgo (the sign of Venus’ fall, often indicating solitude), but in a good aspect (trine/sextile) with lunar nodes axis (8º Taurus - 8º Scorpio). The Venus is in the 1^st house (him), and it carries the exalted Saturn from Libra (the ruler of 7), which emphasizes the importance of relationship for him. Also, Venus rules 3^rd house (writing), so in his literature we meet a series of female characters, village girls and city girls, ladies and countesses, but only one among them is “Jelena, the woman who is not”... – the story without a plot, a first-person narrative, in which Andric expressed feelings no one even guessed existed deep within him (Venus square Pluto).

Everybody thought that Jelena was only imaginary character, not knowing about the flood of feelings of the man who truly loved one woman for a long time, a woman that could not be his – so the woman who is not. Andric, known for his introvertness, kept his secret for years. Some thought he was a loner, not knowing he was in love with Milica Babic Jovanovic, a costume designer (Venus in Virgo), the wife of his friend Nenad Jovanovic, journalist and translator (Venus square Moon might be depiction of falling in love with somebody who already got family), the woman he did not expected, the woman he does not have, but who, in his imagination, often comes to him to different places, in different situations, who is distant, wonderful, unapproachable (Venus square Neptune)...

Only love that is pure and true, unconditional – is the real one, for the love is made of Uranus and Neptune. In his chart, Andric has a good relation of Venus (essential signifier of love, and Milica herself in this case) and Uranus (ruler of his 7 – relationships), which certainly gives him lightness, even in strange (Uranus) situations – when loving somebody else’s woman. Through disposition his Venus goes to trine with Mars at 15º Aquarius, and Mars carries exalted Uranus from Scorpio, so this man knows how to love, and not to limit the loved one. Also, Aquarius at Descendant gives him unusual situations in the area of relationships… He never tried to make a scandal, jeopardize her marriage and claim her love. He decided to love her quietly from afar – in trine with Neptune, Pluto and Moon, which solved original squares. Dispositor of his Venus in Virgo is Mercury in Libra in 3 (writing) – which brings Venus from fall to domicile, into the sign of Saturn’s exaltation, so he is able to wait for a long time… He wrote her letters and contacted her from all of his travels. Until the death of Nenad Jovanovic, he would start his letters with “Dear friends”, and sign them with the nickname Milica gave him before his travel to China once with the delegation of writers – Mandarin. She recognized his hidden intentions and accepted this way of “lovers play”, through letters… Not hoping for anything, Andric patiently waited…

Arrival to Berlin...

But, this story has its introduction, as any other… Namely, Andric has built his very successful career in diplomacy during his life – from Vatican, through Bucharest, Trieste, Graz, Marseilles, Paris, Madrid, Geneva to Berlin, where he fell in love with Milica Babic Jovanovic.

On April 12, 1939, couple of months before the World War II started, Andric presented his credentials on behalf of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia to Adolf Hitler and became officially the ambassador in Nazi Germany. Love happened to him in special, war circumstances, which is not strange for him since he has in his chart the square of Venus (Milica, love) and Pluto (war, danger). He met Jovanovic couple in Berlin, and that meeting changed and marked him for the rest of his life. He was 47 when he fell in love with Milica. She was the only woman he ever let in to his loner’s world. She was 17 years his junior, married to another man, but at the same time him great and life-long inspiration…

Venus at 13º Pisces – Love in Silence

It is interesting to take a look at Andric’s daily (diurnal) horoscope for Berlin on the day he arrived in this city, the city in which he would fall in love, for that chart certainly represents a shift in this man’s life.

The first I recognized as important is the position of Venus (love) at 13º Pisces, the degree of Mercury’s fall (words, letter...), all indicating some secret love, love that would not be discussed… Also, this was depiction of secret letters through which Andric courted Milica, but in which he was also incomplete, mysterious… Love is the most beautiful when it is only a presentiment, not spoken out loud, but in codes… I would say that Andric had correctly sensed the needs of Venus at 13º Pisces, for through the silence (Pisces) leads the road to love… Also interesting is the conjunction of Sun and Saturn at 21º Aries, the ruler of Andric’s natal axis 1 (him) - 7 (partner), which is also in conjunction with natal Jupiter (ruler of 5 – love) in 9 (affairs, but also the second marriage, which is important for Andric since Milica was already married). Was all this an indication that Berlin opens possibility for him to reach marriage through patience, waiting, silence? I would say so…

Wedding in 1958

Nenad Jovanovic died in 1957 and then started the period when Andric cannot and does not want to live any longer without his Milica. In the spring of 1958 he writes her a letter from one of his travels, starting it for the first time with “Dear Milica”, and admitting he was lonely… To his declaration of love Milica responded with – love...

On September 7, 1958 they got married. Andric was 66 then. He had waited for his love story with Milica for almost two decades! Only then he admitted that while writing the story “Jelena, the woman who is not” he thought of his wife. Confirming that his love for Milica was the real one, true and strong, the love that grows from morning to night, that is more today than it was yesterday, but much less than it would be tomorrow is the fact that while now married and in his seventies, Andric continued to write love letters in which, like a naughty boy, he still courted his wife. Until the end he wrote her letters starting them with “Dear Beautiful”, and signing them with “Gentle hugs from your Ivo Mandarin”.

Venus and lunar nodes axis

As an astrologist, I have to tell you something that will confirm all I said previously at the beginning of this story, and it refers to the significance of lunar nodes axis for a relationship. I believe you remember the story started with the fact that Andric’s Venus (love) is in good aspect with nodal axis. In the year of his marriage, his Venus in directions (moves 1º for 1 year) came at 8º Scorpio, i.e. at the South Node, and in opposition with the North Node, which automatically activated nodal axis and served as the sign of this story’s realization… It took all of 66 years (6 is the number we relate to Venus)...

Finally, Milica also had in her chart (DOB: September 2, 1909, Bosanski Samac, time of birth unknown) the Venus (love) at 12º Libra, depiction of secret love with a diplomat, i.e. Andric. It is interesting that her Venus, as well as Andric’s, was in a good aspect (trine/sextile) with nodal axis (12º Gemini - 12º Sagittarius), and an exact one!

Sun at 13º Virgo – The End of Silence

Andric’s diurnal (daily horoscope) for the wedding day show some interesting features. The Sun (ruler of his Ascendant in the natal chart, but also the natural representative of the series 5 - love) was at 13º Virgo, the degree of Mercury’s exaltation, right across 13º Pisces, where the Venus was on the day Andric became ambassador in Berlin in 1939, which announced some secret love story. This axis 13º Pisces (silence)/13º Virgo (talking) is something very special appearing in this love story, for Andric kept silent until he married Milica, and only then he revealed the truth about the story “Jelena, the woman who is not”… Also, there is conjunction of Mercury with Venus at 26º Leo (depiction of marital signature), touching Andric’s Ascendant at the same degree.

Nobel Prize

The news that the novel “The Bridge on the Drina” was proclaimed the masterpiece of Yugoslav literature and that his author was awarded a Nobel Prize, came soon after the wedding, in 1961. In that moment his loved one was beside him to share a toast. She is beside him, in lavish evening blue gown and with a huge black bow in her silver hair, entering the hall where Andric was presented with the reward.

After their mutual triumph started the long battle with Milica’s illness, a severe form of arthritis that will eventually kill her – the therapy weakened her heart which betrayed her – Andric’s Venus (Milica) is in conjunction with Chiron (wound) in Leo (heart), so this is depiction of the sick Milica…

The woman who was the greatest anchor, inspirational force and starry skies of Ivo Andric, Milica Babic Andric, died in 1968. They spent only 10 years together, while 20 were spent in silent waiting. Andric loved her even after her death… He died after 7 years, in 1975.

“Nothing happens before it should be happening”

If the love is real and true, then time is of no importance (Saturn)... Everything happens at just the right time for us… Love should be unconditional, silent, and even waiting should be enjoyed and given sense… If the waiting is a burden (Saturn), than it is not the real think… To have the easiest conditions possible, it is necessary to fill the inner universe with endless silence and faith…

“I see Jelena in my travels, I only meet her in these circumstances…, so that is one of reasons I like travelling…

I do not surrender, I expect her letter. She tells me something joyful in every letter. She suggests we meet somewhere or invites me to come for a day or two to the seaside where she spends her summer…

One spring day Jelena was standing behind me and she put a hand on my shoulder!

It is spring again. I am rich, calm and I can wait… I know that everywhere and anywhere Jelena, a woman who is not may appear… I just must not stop expecting her!”