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Compatibility
Aries Horse and Cancer Snake

The famously combative firstwest and secondwest combination is capable of yielding profound benefits, even if the often caring and respectful match between the firsteast and secondeast is at times hesitant to provide complete support.

Western Zodiac sign, Aries
Western Zodiac sign, Cancer

Western Zodiac

Aries and Cancer

Compatibility overview

The pairing between firstwest and secondwest brings powerful, swirling energy. This is not a match for the faint of heart! The Square aspect—where signs are three steps, or 90 degrees, apart—is associated with combativeness and tension, but also potency and progress. This powder-keg, contentious yet productive potential of Square relationships is never more apparent than when these two signs encounter one another!

Aries and Cancer - Relationship Horoscope

Read more about the ARIES and CANCER zodiac signs...

Read more about the ARIES HORSE and CANCER SNAKE combined zodiac signs...

Chances are, the intense energy between Aries and Cancer will reveal itself immediately. For better or worse, these two find each other hard to ignore!

In the beginning, at least, mutual admiration or sexual chemistry is strongly indicated for these two signs. However, a rush of disputes, provocations, or clashes of wills is equally likely. Aries' element, Fire, is often said to be least compatible with Water signs like Cancer. Ambitious Fire souls can find themselves fizzling in disappointment, while normally more placid Water types may feel powerless to avoid boiling over. Aries and Cancer both represent the pure, initiating Cardinal modality of their respective elements, so there is none of the softening influence that complementary modalities can bring.

Surprising as it may seem at times, though, this relationship has real prospects for various successes. In a word, the secret for this highly-charged Square relationship is growth. The conflicting natures of Aries and Cancer can drive each party to assert themselves in ways that independently may well be impossible. Hence this is a fertile match for all manner of power couples, whether creative, professional, sporting, or romantic. Even feuds can yield invaluable life lessons. It may be trite to say, but whatever doesn't kill these two will almost certainly make them stronger.

Celebrity Aries/Cancer Pairings*

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

Gerald Ford and Betty Ford
Gerald Ford and Betty Ford (click for attribution/s)

Betty Ford (4/8/1918, Aries Horse), Gerald Ford (7/14/1913, Cancer Ox) : The 38th US President and First Lady were married from 1948 until Gerald Ford's death in 2006. They had four children. Betty Ford had been married previously, and Gerald postponed their wedding because he was unsure whether voters would accept him marrying a "divorced exdancer". They had a famously charged relationship, with Gerald a conservative Republican (at one time Richard Nixon's vice president) and Betty expressing liberal views about equal rights, abortion, gun control, marijuana, and premarital sex. After Betty gave an interview in which she described Roe v Wade (the now-overruled US Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion) as a "great, great decision", Gerald Ford wryly commented that she had probably cost him 20 million votes. Betty was also known for saying about them sleeping together in the White House, "I guess if you’re president, you’re supposed to become a eunuch." Later, Gerald led a family intervention about Betty's alcohol and drug dependence, which led to the Betty Ford Center for rehabilitation. At Ford's inauguration in 1974, he said: "I am indebted to no man, and only to one woman—my dear wife—as I begin this very difficult job."

Pharrell Williams (4/5/1973, Aries Ox), Helen Lasichanh (7/22/1980, Cancer Monkey) : The musician and fashion designer/model have been longtime partners and married in 2013. They have four children together, including triplets born in 2017. While the family has maintained their privacy, Williams said in 2018: "I’m in awe of women and my wife. To carry another heartbeat inside your body for nine months — in my wife’s case she had four heartbeats — is beyond anything a man can give back to the universe."

Emma Watson and Malala Yousafzai
Emma Watson and Malala Yousafzai (click for attribution/s)

Emma Watson (4/15/1990, Aries Horse), Malala Yousafzai (7/12/1997, Cancer Ox) : The actor/activist and education activist share a mutually admiring relationship. In a a high-profile interview with each other, organized to open the Into Film Festival in 2015, Yousafzai described how she had been influenced by Watson's 2014 speech to the UN launching the "He for She" campaign: "[T]his word feminism, it has been a very tricky word. And I had, when I heard it the first time I...heard some negative responses and some positive ones, and I hesitated in saying, am I a feminist or not? And then after hearing your speech when you said, if not now, when, if not me, who, I decided that there’s no way, and there’s nothing wrong by calling yourself a feminist. So, I am a feminist and you all should be feminist because feminism is another word for equality."

Jackie Chan (4/7/1954, Aries Horse), Joan Lin (6/30/1953, Cancer Snake) : The two actors have been married since 1982 and have one child together. Although their relationship has faced challenges, including Chan fathering a child with another woman in 1999, they have remained together. Chan wrote in his 2018 memoir, Never Grow Up, "When I started to empathize with [Joan Lin], I came to respect her more and more. She is a strong woman, stronger than I am in so many ways."

Nelson Mandela and Jacob Zuma
Nelson Mandela and Jacob Zuma (click for attribution/s)

Jacob Zuma (4/12/1942, Aries Horse), Nelson Mandela (7/18/1918, Cancer Horse) : The first and fourth Presidents of South Africa shared a close connection as anti-apartheid activists and one-time fellow political prisoners at the Robben Island prison. In 2012, it emerged that Mandela had paid debts accrued by Zuma, apparently as a way of improving Zuma's political prospects. The author William Gumede, who wrote Thabo Mbeki and the Battle for the Soul of the ANC (2007), described: "Nelson Mandela gave [Zuma] the money to pay off all his debts as a personal favour. It was in the hope that he would walk away from all those dubious benefactors. The idea was to say: 'You know what, I'm seeing and hearing all this stuff and it doesn't look good. There are no strings attached but I want you to clean up your act.'"

Akira Kurosawa and Ingmar Bergman
Akira Kurosawa and Ingmar Bergman (click for attribution/s)

Akira Kurosawa (3/23/1910, Aries Dog), Ingmar Bergman (7/14/1918, Cancer Horse) : These two legendary filmmakers shared a profound mutual admiration. In a letter celebrating Bergman's 70th birthday, Kurosawa wrote: "Your work deeply touches my heart every time I see it and I have learned a lot from your works and have been encouraged by them. I would like you to stay in good health to create more wonderful movies for us."

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Toni Morrison with decorative starry background

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Chinese Zodiac sign, the Horse
Chinese Zodiac sign, the Snake

Chinese Zodiac

Horse and Snake

Compatibility overview

Compatibility in Chinese astrology is often seen as fairly black and white. For firsteast and secondeast, however, the picture is more complicated. There is some underlying tension, which can lead to arguments, miscommunication, or sometimes a sense of isolation. Yet this match is equally conducive to admiration and warmth. With plenty of space and effective communication, a lasting, nourishing, and pleasurable bond is well within reach.

Horse and Snake - Relationship Horoscope

Read more about the HORSE and SNAKE zodiac signs...

Read more about the ARIES HORSE and CANCER SNAKE combined zodiac signs...

Similar to the elements in Western astrology, the Chinese zodiac depends on four Trine Families. The families of the Horse (with the Dog and Tiger) and Snake (with the Ox and Rooster) have a somewhat fractious relationship. Indeed, some of the combinations among this group are notoriously difficult (e.g., the Horse and Ox, or the Snake and Tiger). Fortunately for the Horse and Snake, they can avoid the most troubling aspects of this surrounding energy. This gives them plenty of scope to find common ground.

There is a good chance these two will appear together in public or have some element of performance involved in their relationship. The swashbuckling Horse is a quintessential entertainer, but the Snake too usually has powerful charisma, and sex appeal is one of their most defining characteristics. Mutual physical attraction is thus a hallmark of many Horse/Snake pairings. Abstract ideas and debates are also likely to figure prominently here. The Horse is an intrinsically ethical creature, at least in terms of their own personal standards, while the Snake is the most famously philosophical of all the Chinese signs. Where they agree, these two signs will make a formidable argumentative team.

Tensions are perhaps most likely to arise around aspirations and the demands of the relationship. The Horse is one of the most independent-minded signs, and may be unsympathetic to the Snake's desire for flattery, closeness, and occasional jealousy. The Snake's other-worldly ability to manoeuvre social situations may sometimes seem manipulative or morally dubious to the high-minded Horse, which the sensitive Snake may find quite soul-destroying. Overall, the Snake tends to be more pragmatic and business-oriented than the Horse, which can pose a risk to their mutual respect in intimate settings.

With sensitivity to the kinds of challenges this relationship will inevitably pose, there is a great deal of potential for warmth and support between these two signs, which can result in a lasting and impactful bond.

Celebrity Horse/Snake Pairings*

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

Gayle King and Oprah Winfrey
Gayle King and Oprah Winfrey (click for attribution/s)

Oprah Winfrey (1/29/1954, Aquarius Snake), Gayle King (12/28/1954, Capricorn Horse) : The iconic talk show host and television personality have been close friends since the mid-1970s. When Winfrey interviewed King for the first time in 2020, King described: "The secret to me is trust. I trust you totally, even if I disagree with you, I still trust you. I have this joke with Oprah where people say, I found my best friend with my husband...I say to Oprah, ‘If you ever walked in and caught me with Stedman, you should not be mad, you should take me to the mental institution. Don’t be mad, I need help!’ But I mean, we’re honest with each other and trust each other and actually are very like-minded."

Ron Eldard (2/20/1965, Pisces Snake), Julianna Margulies (6/8/1966, Gemini Horse) : After originally meeting at an acting class in the early 90s, the two actors reunited on the set of ER and were together for over 10 years. Margulies described their background and plans to work together in 2002: "Ron and I had met in acting class in 1991. We were great friends. Ron has seen me at my worst and most dejected...Doing movies together is a no-brainer, but the thought of acting opposite Ron on stage is intimidating...He's so breathtaking on stage, but I want to give it a try. Ron says he wants to direct me in a play."

Paul and Linda McCartney
Paul and Linda McCartney (click for attribution/s)

Linda McCartney (9/24/1941, Libra Snake), Paul McCartney (6/18/1942, Gemini Horse) : The musician and photographer were married from 1969 until Linda McCartney's death in 1998. They adopted Linda's child from a previous relationship and had three children together. They also played together in the band Wings. McCartney has described: "We were very up and down, quite funky compared to the eventual image of '25 years of married bliss! Aren't they lucky for people in showbiz?' But we are. You get this picture of us swanning along in a little rowboat managing to avoid the white water, but we were right in the middle of that white water, man, so it's even more miraculous that we made it. But we did."

Dina Eastwood (7/11/1965, Cancer Snake), Clint Eastwood (5/31/1930, Gemini Horse) : The celebrated actor/director and news anchor were married between 1996 and 2014. In a 2007 interview, Dina Eastwood described: "Being married to Clint is almost a full-time job, just trying to keep up with him...Breaks are great for every marriage. The longest we go [apart] is maybe 10 days. When you travel with Clint, it’s a one-week trip and three cities. He works from the second we arrive until the second we leave... I love that he’s so conscientious about nature...He’s one of those people who takes bugs outside....I wonder if it’s because he gets so much attention from humans, and I think he’s self-conscious about getting so much attention, that I wonder if he fixates on animals because he gets to give all the attention."

Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson
Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson (click for attribution/s)

Daniel Radcliffe (7/23/1989, Leo Snake), Emma Watson (4/15/1990, Aries Horse) : The two actors grew up together filming the Harry Potter series of films, and have compared their relationship to close siblings. Radcliffe described: "Oh, God. We used to argue about everything. Religion. Politics. I remember one of the big arguments we had on the fourth film – [Watson and I] didn’t speak to each other for a couple of days – was about… She was arguing about the Latin language, that nobody knows what it sounds like, what a Latin accent should be. And I was like, 'Yeah, but it’s still spoken a lot in the Catholic church.'...[It] got totally out of hand. She was furious; I was livid. I certainly would advise anyone, if you’re going to debate with her, know your [expletive."

Paul Simon (10/13/1941, Libra Snake), Edie Brickell (3/10/1966, Pisces Horse) : The two musicians wed in 1992 and have three children together. Brickell has described how she saw Simon watching her while she performed on Saturday Night Live: "Even though I'd performed the song hundreds of times in clubs, he made me forget how the song went when I looked at him. We can show the kids the tape and say, 'Look, that's when we first laid eyes on each other.'"

Chris Rock and Jerry Seinfeld
Chris Rock and Jerry Seinfeld (click for attribution/s)

Chris Rock (2/7/1965, Aquarius Snake), Jerry Seinfeld (4/29/1954, Taurus Horse) : The two comedians have famously been friends for decades. During a 2011 HBO comedy special, they debated how much new material comedians should use in their live shows. Rock said: "See, this is the eternal argument between [Seinfeld] and I. We've been having this discussion for literally our whole relationship...I like a whole new show...It's a completely new body of work. And that's the way I look at it. Here's the new stuff." Seinfeld countered: "When I go see somebody work, I don't want to see your new hour...I want to see the act... Every year I get rid of, I don't know, 10 or 20% percent and I add...So, every five years or four years... I don't know. I don't really keep track of it. But I do feel like there are those core things [that should be maintained over time]."


Combined Relationship Horoscope

Final Words

firstwest and secondwest share a Square aspect that represents some of the most challenging energy in the Western zodiac—yet even as they struggle to reach agreement together, they can reap far-reaching benefits in terms of individual priorities, growth and direction. Complicating matters here is the combination of the firsteast and secondeast, who may admire and care deeply for one another, but who can also feel instinctively somewhat nervous or distant when together for extended periods. Ultimately, the best aspects of this relationship have terrific potential, and with requisite independence and clear communication, these two may achieve lasting personal growth and solidarity.

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