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Compatibility
Aquarius Tiger and Taurus Monkey

As combative and intense as any relationship under the sun—yet there may be critical benefits here, as firstwest and secondwest offer rare prospects for personal growth, and the firsteast and secondeast can provide extraordinary achievements and social impact.

Western Zodiac sign, Aquarius
Western Zodiac sign, Taurus

Western Zodiac

Aquarius and Taurus

Compatibility overview

The whirling, combustible match between firstwest and secondwest is one of the most powerful energies in the Western zodiac. Plain sailing this is almost certainly not, for on any given topic these two are probably more likely to disagree than agree. Yet conflicts here tend to be essentially constructive rather than destructive, meaning relationships have terrific potential for impact and personal growth.

Aquarius and Taurus - Relationship Horoscope

Read more about the AQUARIUS and TAURUS zodiac signs...

Read more about the AQUARIUS TIGER and TAURUS MONKEY combined zodiac signs...

Signs that are three steps apart around the Western zodiac wheel, like Aquarius and Taurus, form a Square interval, a hard angle of 90°. This is basically as much tension as it's possible to find in Western astrology. Challenges, contrasting opinions, or outright confrontations are likely to emerge fast.

Aquarius, an Air sign, is typically high-spirited, cerebral, and unconventional. Air may be generally the most adaptable of the elements, but it is still an uneasy mix with the solidity and determination of Taurus' Earth element. Hence Taurus often finds Aquarius to be disconcertingly changeable, abstract, or unpredictable. Aquarius, on the other hand, can consider Taurus something of an immoveable object, whose lack of flexibility stifles precious freedom of thought and action. Even seemingly innocuous topics can provoke opposing responses between these two.

Taurus likes to build a secure existence from the ground up, and they usually have resolute opinions about behaviors they think are desirable or not. Aquarius, however, is defined by a wide acceptance of viewpoints and people, and they are much more interested in universal concerns than local ones. These differences might be less conspicuous if Aquarius and Taurus did not share a Fixed modality, with its emphasis on achievement, implementation, and realization. Without the balancing influence of a different modality, neither sign will want to give an inch.

The success of the Aquarius/Taurus combination therefore depends more on how the signs' opposing instincts are managed, rather than trying to avoid them. For one thing, disagreements need not cause displeasure. Quite quickly, sources of potential tension can become so obvious that they contribute playfulness, humor, or flirtatiousness to the relationship. More importantly in the long term, sites of contestation can become invaluable for personal growth. Square energy is essentially both transformative and positive. Through this relationship, Taurus and Aquarius can crystallize what is most important to them: things that can be compromised, and things that cannot.

Square relationships like this may need to evolve or compartmentalize, in order to benefit rather than suffer from the intense energy at play. However, one way or another, the result is capable of being profoundly enriching and inspiring for this contrary astrological pairing.

Celebrity Aquarius/Taurus Pairings*

*Click on the names to see both Western and Chinese zodiac matches for that pairing.

George Lucas and John Williams
George Lucas and John Williams (click for attribution/s)

George Lucas (5/14/1944, Taurus Monkey), John Williams (2/8/1932, Aquarius Monkey) : The composer and film director/producer shared one of the most iconic collaborations of all time in the Star Wars movies. In a recent interview, Williams remembered that Lucas originally wanted to use pre-existing classical music for the film, but Williams convinced him to use original music that could be manipulated to suit the drama. Contacted for comment, Lucas' representative responded that the director "never intended to use extant music in the film."

Dennis Hopper (5/17/1936, Taurus Rat), Rip Torn (2/6/1931, Aquarius Horse) : The actor and actor/director were famously in discussions in 1969 for Torn to appear in the Hopper-directed film, Easy Rider. Years later, Hopper accused Torn of pulling a knife on him over a dinner, to which Torn responded that it was Hopper who had pulled the knife on him. Torn sued Hopper for slander, and in 1998 won almost $1 million in damages.

Robert and Leslie Zemeckis
Robert and Leslie Zemeckis (click for attribution/s)

Robert Zemeckis (5/14/1951, Taurus Rabbit), Leslie Zemeckis (2/5/1969, Aquarius Monkey) : The director and actor/filmmaker/author have been married since 2001 and have three children together. Robert Zemeckis described in 2018: "We are very supportive of each other when it comes to our individual endeavors and our endeavors together. We understand the ebb and flow of our careers and sometimes one person’s project takes priority over the other. It’s important to have individual, outside interests to fulfill oneself so as not to become dependent on the relationship for fulfillment."

Shirley MacLaine (4/24/1934, Taurus Dog), Steve Parker (2/6/1922, Aquarius Dog) : The actor and film producer were married from 1954 to 1982 and had a daughter together. Describing their unorthodox relationship, Maclaine has said: "I guess you would say 'practiced an open marriage' in 1954, which was another lifetime. No one understood it. We did. He lived in Japan basically, I lived in America working, and this and that. We'd meet up, always great friends, traveled sometimes together."

Valerie Bertinelli and Eddie Van Halen
Valerie Bertinelli and Eddie Van Halen (click for attribution/s)

Valerie Bertinelli (4/23/1960, Taurus Rat), Eddie Van Halen (1/26/1955, Aquarius Sheep) : The musician/founding member of the band Van Halen and actor were married from 1981 to 2007 and had one child (Wolfgang Van Halen) together. In her book Enough Already, Bertinelli described how the couple remained close after separating in 2001: "Ed and I grew even closer together. We couldn’t live with each other, but we found it impossible to live completely apart."

Cate Blanchett (5/14/1969, Taurus Rooster), Andrew Upton (2/1/1966, Aquarius Horse) : The actor and playwright have been married since 1997 and have four children together. Blanchett has described their courtship with characteristic irony: "I cooked him the worst meal. I somehow decided that to stuff a trout with walnuts and goat’s cheese would be a good idea. He ate it and then he asked me to marry him, so clearly he was, I don’t know, hallucinating."

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Chinese Zodiac sign, the Tiger
Chinese Zodiac sign, the Monkey

Chinese Zodiac

Tiger and Monkey

Compatibility overview

Chinese astrology is well known for severe judgements about potentially unstable energy. The match between firsteast and secondeast is considered one of the most seriously challenging, with a significant likelihood of tension, miscommunication, and outright conflict. There are counterbalancing positives—indeed, these two are capable of prodigious achievements and attracting extraordinary attention. Actually enjoying their time together, however, could require plenty of delicacy and effort.

Tiger and Monkey - Relationship Horoscope

Read more about the TIGER and MONKEY zodiac signs...

Read more about the AQUARIUS TIGER and TAURUS MONKEY combined zodiac signs...

Diametrically opposed across the Chinese zodiac wheel are six Opposite combinations. One of these is the Monkey and Tiger. This energy is said to be eternally difficult to reconcile.

Not only do these signs have little in common, but they often take great pride in those aspects of their character that are most repellent to their opposing sign. Brilliantly skilled and energetic, the Monkey is a born agitator, a spirited mischief-maker whose brand of extreme creativity emphasizes irreverence, wicked humor, and versatility. The Tiger, on the other hand, is serious-minded and self-reliant, deeply committed to their personal ethics of service and humanitarianism, and resolved to achieve greatness for themselves and their communities. Clashes are almost inevitable.

The Monkey tends to find the Tiger hilariously pompous and overbearing, and will find it difficult to resist any opportunity to poke fun or cut them down to size. Meanwhile, the Tiger may see the Monkey as interminably exhausting, wasting their talents on pointless game-playing or selfish acts of rebellion. This essential incompatibility tends to bring out the weaknesses of both signs. The Monkey can be manipulative or rude, and when confronted may experience profound rejection, disappointment, or isolation. The Tiger, on the other hand, is likely to become increasingly infuriated and rash, often exposing themselves to risks and dangers they would never countenance in a less disturbed state of mind.

Remarkably, all this troubled energy can yield some quite astounding benefits. Just as the separate yin and yang elements combine to form the symbol of a perfect circle, the contrasting personalities of the Monkey and Tiger together form a complete spectrum of energy. The result can be mesmerizing for others, and may compel the two signs to stunning achievements, separately or together. Collaborations, competitions, even feuds between these signs may prove spellbinding for their community, indeed the world at large.

It may be difficult for the two signs themselves to feel unqualified enjoyment about the outcomes of their relationship, such is the threatening nature of their connection. Yet with more harmonious energy on the Western side, or concerted sympathy and understanding, it may be possible to harness the potency of this match at least for a time, and to reap the extraordinary, if demanding, gifts it offers.

Celebrity Tiger/Monkey Pairings*

*Click on the names to see both Western and Chinese zodiac matches for that pairing.

Bill Murray and Harold Ramis
Bill Murray and Harold Ramis (click for attribution/s)

Bill Murray (9/21/1950, Virgo Tiger), Harold Ramis (11/21/1944, Scorpio Monkey) : The actor and actor/director collaborated on six classic films that have been called "extreme comedy", including Stripes, Ghostbusters, and Groundhog Day. After an altercation on the set of Groundhog Day, Landis and Murray did not speak for 21 years, until shortly before Landis' death Murray visited him in 2014. Landis described in 2004: "It’s a huge hole in my life, but there are so many pride issues about reaching out. [Murray] would give you his kidney if you needed it, but he wouldn’t necessarily return your phone calls."

Alec Guinness (4/2/1914, Aries Tiger), George Lucas (5/14/1944, Taurus Monkey) : The actor and director collaborated on the original Star Wars trilogy, with Guinness' Obi-Wan Kenobi becoming one of the most iconic characters in movie history. Guinness, however, was repeatedly critical of the project. While working on the first film, he described, "[N]ew rubbish dialogue reaches me every other day on wadges of pink paper—and none of it makes my character clear or even bearable." In his memoir, A Positively Final Appearance, Guinness wrote: "A refurbished Star Wars is on somewhere or everywhere. I have no intention of revisiting any galaxy. I shrivel inside each time it is mentioned...[A] sweet-faced boy of twelve told me proudly that he had seen Star Wars over a hundred times...Looking into the boy’s eyes I thought I detected little star-shells of madness beginning to form and I guessed that one day they would explode."

Bo and John Derek
Bo and John Derek (click for attribution/s)

John Derek (8/12/1926, Leo Tiger), Bo Derek (11/20/1956, Scorpio Monkey) : The actor and actor/writer/director were married from 1976 to 1998. Their relationship began when John Derek was married to actor Linda Evans, and Bo Derek was 17 years old—they lived in Germany to avoid prosecution in the US. They collaborated on films including Tarzan, the Ape Man (1981), Bolero (1984) and Ghosts Can't Do It (1989), which received negative reviews—Bo Derek received a Golden Raspberry award for Worst Actress for each of these films. Bo Derek has described: "That still breaks my heart, being part of breaking up a marriage is a horrible thing and I still can’t believe I was a part of it. I’ve said it before, but I’ll never forgive myself...I look back at that time in my life as a terrible mistake...Now, when I look back at the photos of me, I was young — 17 is young...There was no Me Too-ing with John. But yeah, I’m very conflicted about it when I look back on being 17 with a 46-year-old man. As I said, I thought I knew everything. It felt right at the time. I was so in love with him and we ended up together for 25 years. I’m just so grateful he was a good person."

Oliver Lynn (8/27/1926, Virgo Tiger), Loretta Lynn (4/14/1932, Aries Monkey) : The talent agent and country singer were married for 48 years and had six children together—three before she was 17. Their marriage was famously turbulent, inspiring songs by Lynn including "Fist City" and "Don't Come Home A-Drinkin' (With Lovin' on Your Mind)". Lynn's 2002 memoir, Still Woman Enough—referring to her husband by the nickname "Doolittle"—described: "Lots of women have asked me how in the world I stayed with a womanizin’ alcoholic who could get violent like he sometimes did...I got taught that there wasn't no such thing as divorce among decent folks...[but] there’s something else made me stick to Doo. He thought I was something special, more special than anybody else in the world, and never let me forget it."

Julius Erving and Larry Bird
Julius Erving and Larry Bird (click for attribution/s)

Julius Erving (2/22/1950, Pisces Tiger), Larry Bird (12/7/1956, Sagittarius Monkey) : The two basketball legends shared a famous rivalry, including an on-court fight in 1984 that resulted in both players being ejected. They also appeared together in the iconic 1980s video game, One on One: Dr. J vs. Larry Bird. Erving was quoted in 2021: "We have some great wars over the years. We'll match up in the playoffs four times between 1980 and 1986, with the winner going on to the finals every season...[W]hen Larry says, as he has, that Michael Jordan was the best player he ever faced, I find it a little disrespectful. We beat them up pretty bad in some playoffs, and they got the better of us in others, but those are the toughest matchups for both of us. I don't think it's fair for Larry to say Michael is the best based on one great playoff game, the 63-point performance in Boston Garden. But then, Larry is always playing mind games, so he's probably still trying to psych out Magic [Johnson] and me."


Combined Relationship Horoscope

Final Words

The Square combination of firstwest and secondwest may sometimes wonder if there is anything they agree about at all, yet this potent connection also offers rare opportunities for both signs to crystallize who they are and what they want out of life, and to cultivate greater self-awareness, patience and generosity in communicating. On the Chinese zodiac side, the energy between the firsteast and secondeast is similarly powerful and conflictive—though again there are countervailing positives, as few combinations can summon such a spectacular and impactful coalescence of energy. It may take a supreme effort to maintain this ferocious connection over the long term, but for as long as it endures, this is a recipe for a blazing, unforgettable relationship.

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