The Second Time Around- 'Confluence', Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio

We are going to explore the beginnings of their romance; their brief, disastrous marriage and their second chance, which was cut short by Marilyn's tragic death. I am going to shed a new light on the love life of the uber-famous Marilyn Monroe, using the brand new concept of 'Confluence', taken from the all-new 'Life Cycles' theory. I am going to show you what underlies their somewhat improbable romance and just why they were 'the loves of each others lives', even though Marilyn's behaviour did not always demonstrate this. Be in no doubt, they had a fated life as a couple and could have arguably grown old together.

Joseph Paul DiMaggio, born Nov.25th, 1914, was a legendary baseball hero in the US and in his age 36 'Year of Revolution', injuries and poor form forced his retirement. He saw some publicity shots of Marilyn Monroe (born Norma Jeane Mortensen Jun.1st, 1926), who had just had her career breakthrough moment in her age 24 'Year of Revolution', when she signed a seven year contract with 20th Century Fox, after successes in 'All About Eve' and 'The Asphalt Jungle'. She was now a recognised Hollywood star. Can you see the issue here? Their new age/directions, ushered in the year before had them going in opposite directions. There is no doubt that they shared over 7 months of 'Confluence' in every shared 'significant year' (ie. 24/12, 31/19, 36/24, 43/31). Neither of Marilyn's other two longer term relationships:- with her 'marriage of opposites' to Arthur Miller or her 'serious fling' with Frank Sinatra, featured any 'Confluence' whatsoever.

Marilyn was reportedly not keen on dating 'a jock', but they met at Villa Nova restaurant on Mar. 8th, 1952. She was two hours late and Joe hardly spoke at all. Still there was a spark and no denying his charisma. He managed, simply by being there, to command the whole room. They drove around for a couple of hours after this, finding each other fascinating. This perfectly describes the magic that can come when opposites, who have a good level of 'Confluence', get together. He wanted her to give up acting and become his wife in a traditional sense and Marilyn's friends advised her against this union. He was also jealous, because the attention she got was what he was used to getting. This was to become 'a short ride and a not so merry one' when they decided to marry.

He was advised by a friend, who was a Hollywood agent, to accept her career as being like his former career, when he was on top. However, he could not control his jealousy and quite a few accounts talk of him beating her. He said she brought out the worst in him. It all came unstuck when he beat her up in their hotel room, after seeing the filming of the sexy skirt-flying shoot for 'The Seven Year Itch'. She received an uncontested divorce on the grounds of mental cruelty. She went to live with her then friend, Frank Sinatra, who was separated from his wife, Ava Gardner. That really should have been it, pure and simple. This union was a big mistake.

But Joe, according to biographers, never stopped loving Marilyn and went on to become her close friend and ally, genuinely caring for her welfare. He spent time in therapy himself and came back into her life with the unwinding of her marriage to Arthur Miller. This is the friendship side of 'Confluence', as displayed with Elizabeth Taylor and Michael Wilding. After leaving Miller, Marilyn took up again with Sinatra, who undoubtedly was in love with her. However, she was now in a self-destructive phase, taking a variety of drugs and alcohol and ended up being admitted to the Payne Whitney Psychiatric clinic. Unable to check herself out she called her friend DiMaggio. Others did not help, but he did and interestingly claimed her as his wife.

During 1961 their relationship continued to grow and they enjoyed looking after each other. Her quote was :- "to know Joe is there is like having a lifeguard." When she was advised to buy a home and her finances weren't good, it was Joe who loaned her $10,000 for her place in Brentwood. She also was not constant during this time and when he was travelling with his job, she fell back in with Sinatra and the Kennedy's. Joe was enraged when he saw her sing at Kennedy's birthday on May 19th, 1962. We now enter her tumultuous and brief age 36 'Year of Revolution' on June 1st, which can see a major transformation in many, many different lives. Following an argument soon after, they then reconciled and she admitted Joe had been right about so many things. This marked her beginning of wisdom. He flew from New York to Los Angeles four times in July to be with her and quit his job, that had meant constant travel. Quite a few different sources said they were going to remarry. I'll quote from DiMaggio's niece, June:- " They had planned to remarry on the day that turned out to be her funeral. She had a dress and had picked out her china dishes. Joe had a ring for her and there was talk they might adopt a child. If she was remarrying Joe, the love of her life, is she going to take her own life four days before?".

This transcendent moment never happened, but ironically she knew who loved her the most and who was the true love of her life. Joe honoured his earlier promise, given during their first relationship, to ensure fresh flowers were placed on her grave three times a week for the next twenty years. He never remarried and would not allow friends or associates to utter the names of Sinatra, the Rat Pack or the Kennedy's in his presence. For a man with a difficult personality and who had fall-outs with his own family and many past friends, he gave of his very best for Marilyn. For a woman, who was so conflicted and capricious, who told Joe in Feb.1962, that she was buying furniture in Mexico, and returned with a handsome young Mexican screen writer instead, she finally managed to reach her deepest emotional level with him. Together they could have had a great life the second time around. This is the power of 'Confluence' that sometimes makes the impossible, possible. They tragically were never together for any of their past periods of 'Confluence' and their next period would have begun in late Nov.1962 when Joe turned 48. Their best story, unfortunately, lies unwritten. Till next month :- "May the cycles always bring you good fortune."