Kate, played by Evangeline Lilly, is one of my favorite characters on Lost, the fabulous ABC-TV program. Aside from her obvious beauty, she has a lovely androgynous quality that combines toughness with a sweet vulnerability. In my article The Astrology of Lost Kate is represented as a Gemini, with Charlie (Dominic Monaghan’s character) as a Pisces. I was curious to see not only how their relationship worked, but also wondered how closely their actual birthcharts reflect their character’s personas and took a look at their charts.

Evangeline Lilly is Leo, and her Sun is conjunct Mercury (Gemini’s ruler) which adds the Gemini flavor to her personality that we have seen. Dominic Monaghan is a Sagittarius, and her Sun is conjunct Neptune (Pisces’ ruler), adding that misty Piscean flavor. Obviously on a television program we only get a view of the actor’s persona and rarely see behind the surface at their real personality. That is why astrology can be so much fun!

Evangeline Lilly was apparently married in 2003 when the Lost program began shooting, and separated from her husband during the last two years as her relationships with Dominic Monaghan intensified. Evi’s chart reveals her to be rather similar to her Lost character – she has an unaspected Mars in Gemini, adding to her mercurial qualities. Mars in Gemini doesn’t like to be pinned down to anything; Gemini needs a variety of experiences – the “experience guzzler” as described by my friend Steve Forrest. When Mars makes no major aspects to other planets in a chart, it shows someone who is more comfortable operating independently than in tandemn with others. Evi has four planets in Leo, including Jupiter, Sun, Mercury and Venus, so she is very playful with a great love for life. Leo loves sports as well, and pursuits of physical prowess. Evangeline’s chart also shows Uranus (independence, autonomy) in stressful aspect to her Sun/Jupiter conjunction, indicating that she has a fierce desire for independence and does not like to be tied down. Her chart is predominantly fire and air which provides inspiration and energy in a fairly combustible combination, and lacks the earth and water which would ground her and give her a practicality which she lacks. She also has Mercury retrograde in her chart, which can make it more difficult to communicate with others.

Dominic Monaghan (who also played a hobbit in the Lord of the Rings trilogy) also has a fair amount of fire and freedom in his chart: he’s a triple Sagittarius, with Sun, Neptune and Mars all in Sag. Sagittarians are famous for their need for the freedom required to stay on a perpetual quest for meaning in life. However, Dom is more grounded in his nature than Evi is – his chart shows Mercury and Venus both in responsible Capricorn, showing that he is a detailed and goal-oriented (Capricorn) thinker (Mercury) and committed (Capricorn) in his relationships (Venus). Saturn also makes a trine (harmonious) aspect to his Sagittarian planets, giving him a strong sense of achievement and grounding his naturally fiery nature. Additionally, Saturn is retrograde in his chart, showing someone who can be overly self-critical and excessively responsible. Chiron (wounded healer) in his chart is in conflict with Venus, showing that relationships in his life have caused him pain that necessitates healing and personal growth.

The overall impression that comes from these charts is that Evangeline is truly a free spirit and may have difficulty committing to personal relationships, whereas Dominic has what the Jungians call a “puer/senex” dilemma. In the Puer/Senex dilemma, there is a conflict between the senex, or old man (Capricorn and Saturn) –a part of ourselves that internalizes responsibility and lives within the limitations of daily life — and the puer, or young man–(in this case, Sagittarius) the part that wants to be free of those responsibilities and live a charmed and unlimited life.

Most of us have some conflict or another within us, and often we manage these conflicts by internalizing one side of the conflict and projecting the other. So with the Puer/Senex conflict, we may be the responsible one who is jealous of the free spirit partner, or we may be the one always fleeing in a relationship with someone who is more committed than we are. Commonly, we switch roles from one relationship to the next, but either way the relationship won’t function well until we internalize BOTH ends of the conflict that lies within us, and learn to play both roles ourselves.

Comparing the charts of the two, there is obviously a lot of fiery attraction with Dominic’s Mars trine Evangeline’s Leo stellium, and there are a number of positive Jupiter contacts between their chart that indicate good fortune and a general feeling of well-being between them. There are also several Uranus contacts that show lots of excitement and a powerful attraction that is nearly instantaneous. However, Dominic’s Saturn (responsibility) is square to Evangeline’s Uranus (freedom), showing that she is likely to feel constrained by him. For someone with her intense need for freedom, this could be difficult unless they are able to communicate their needs with each other and allow their differences to blossom within the relationship.

Evi has probably had a rough time over the past few months with the Grand Cross planets of this winter rolling over her Sun and Saturn in the process of retrograding to come back across her Sun later this year. During transits of Saturn we naturally seek stability and security, and it’s not surprising to hear an engagement announcement during times like this. For Dominic, Neptune is transiting Saturn in his chart, a time when we sometimes question (Neptune) the structures that we’ve built in our life (Saturn) and desire something more real.

The key to their relationship will be keeping it fresh and exciting, honoring each other’s differences and avoiding the tendency to slip into habits that breed boredom. I certainly wish them all the best!
Note: Lilly and Monaghan broke up after this article was written.