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Compatibility
Cancer Pig and Aries Snake

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, Cancer
Western Zodiac sign, Aries

Western Zodiac

Cancer and Aries

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!

Cancer and Aries - Relationship Horoscope

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

Read more about the CANCER PIG and ARIES 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 Cancer/Aries 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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Chinese Zodiac sign, the Pig
Chinese Zodiac sign, the Snake

Chinese Zodiac

Pig and Snake

Compatibility overview

In contrast to the usually more equivocal teachings of the Western zodiac, Chinese astrology takes no prisoners when it comes to matches that are considered unfavourable. Sadly, the match between the firsteast and secondeast has a terrible reputation for causing conflict and stress to both parties. There is another side to the coin, however—for, unsettling as it may be, this match is also capable of producing some stunning benefits.

Pig and Snake - Relationship Horoscope

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

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

Facing each other across the Chinese zodiac wheel are six Opposite matches, one of which is the combination of the Pig and Snake. Typically for this oppositional energy, it is hard to imagine two personalities with less in common than the seductive Snake and the pure-hearted Pig.

The Snake, gloriously attractive and profoundly philosophical in outlook, can also be calculating and ethically flexible when it comes to advancing their own interests. The Pig, by contrast, is the most trusting and benevolent of all the signs—any form of guile or subterfuge typically causes them distress. Communications between these two thus tend to become inevitably fraught. The Snake may feel as if their sage advice is being ignored, their cherished talents being belittled or wasted. The Pig, on the other hand, may sense either that they are being humiliated or manipulated, or that they are powerless to protect the Snake from being wounded. The potential weaknesses of both signs may thus be magnified, with the Snake becoming envious, conniving, or judgemental, the Pig turning to self-sabotage, over-indulgence, or belligerence.

A particular site of discord for these two is finances, or really any kind of shared resources. Even when relaxed, the Snake tends to be jealously guarded about expenditure. Faced with the carefree indulgences of the Pig, the Snake may have conniptions! The poor stressed Pig, meanwhile, is apt to lose themselves to extravagance or guilt. As strange as it may seem, however, there are some powerful redeeming features to this relationship. Indeed, in terms of ultimate results, this connection can prove every bit as fruitful as the challenges are disturbing. Because each of these signs is so strong in those character traits where the other is weakest, their combined qualities as a duo forms a complete spectrum of energy. Hence any kind of collaboration or association between these two—as difficult as it may be for the Snake and Pig themselves—can be brilliantly impactful.

Even if these two signs struggle to take as much pleasure in the process as they would with other signs, joint enterprises between the Snake and Pig can prove truly, transformationally, life-changing.

Celebrity Pig/Snake Pairings*

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

David Letterman and Oprah Winfrey
David Letterman and Oprah Winfrey (click for attribution/s)

Oprah Winfrey (1/29/1954, Aquarius Snake), David Letterman (4/12/1947, Aries Pig) : The pair of legendary talk show hosts shared a long-running tension, beginning with Winfrey's appearance on Late Night with David Letterman (1982-1993). After the two later reconciled, and Letterman appeared on Oprah's Next Chapter (2012—),Winfrey described: "You had asked me before to do [your show] in Chicago...and it was a terrible experience for me. The guy in the audience started yelling, ‘Get her, Dave!’ You were sort of baiting the audience, and there were a bunch of drunk guys down the front. I was trying to like, you know, mitigate the whole thing, and it felt so uncomfortable to me. I didn't want to have that experience again." Also reportedly contributing to the unease between them was Letterman leaving Winfrey with the bill at a restaurant they both happened to be visiting at the same time, Oprah refusing to acknowledge Letterman when they were in the same place, Letterman making fun of Oprah's name when he presented the 2010 Academy Awards ("Oprah? Uma [Thurman]. Uma? Oprah.").

Matthew Weiner (6/29/1965, Cancer Snake), Jon Hamm (3/10/1971, Pisces Pig) : The actor and writer/producer/director established a memorable legacy through their collaboration on the acclaimed TV show, Mad Men (2007-2017). Studio executives at AMC were apparently loath to cast Hamm in the lead role, but Weiner was adamant that he was the best choice. Hamm described later, "I auditioned about seven or eight times and I was just thinking, God, at this point, I've pretty much read every single scene in the pilot to somebody. What do I have to do?" A former SVP at AMC, Christina Wayne, described: "We were like, 'Really? This is the guy you want?' Matt [Weiner] was telling us he just knew it in his gut and he could see it."

Christopher Plummer and Julie Andrews
Christopher Plummer and Julie Andrews (click for attribution/s)

Julie Andrews (10/1/1935, Libra Pig), Christopher Plummer (12/13/1929, Sagittarius Snake) : The two actors memorably appeared together in The Sound of Music (1965). However, Plummer was less than complimentary about both the film—which he famously called, "The Sound of Mucus"—and acting with his co-star, which he described as, "[L]ike getting hit over the head with a Valentine card."

Simon Cowell (10/7/1959, Libra Pig), Howard Stern (1/12/1954, Capricorn Snake) : The two outspoken media personalities became involved in a heated feud, after Cowell replaced Stern as a judge on America's Got Talent (2006- ) in 2015. When hackers subsequently released internal Sony emails, they apparently revealed that Cowell had lobbied to have Stern fired and to replace him. Stern reportedly said on his radio show in 2019, "Personally would I love to see Simon Cowell [expletive] suck one up his [expletive]. In other words, would I love to see him fall flat on his face...My only beef with [Cowell] is he had a campaign behind my back, which I wouldn't have known if the Koreans hadn't hacked Sony. They exposed these emails he had going, 'We can get rid of Stern and I'll work for so much cheaper.' And by the way, if I had really wanted that job, then I would've been pissed. But I just find him sleazy and he is a liar."

Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards
Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards (click for attribution/s)

Denise Richards (2/17/1971, Aquarius Pig), Charlie Sheen (9/3/1965, Virgo Snake) : The two actors were married from 2002 to 2006. They had two children. Their divorce was famously acrimonious, including court proceedings and a custody dispute. Interviewed in 2022, Richards described: "The behind-the-scenes stuff was way worse than what was out there. It was really bad...There is a lot that the public doesn’t know, and you never know what goes on behind closed doors. It was not a good situation...[I asked myself, ] [w]ould I want my daughters to be married to this man? No offense to him, but it’s true. And I think he would take that, he would understand what I’m saying. ... It was very toxic."


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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