Compatibility
Cancer Rat and Aries
Sheep
It may appear to be something of an energy minefield, but there is real potential here—provided the famously disagreeable combination of firstwest and secondwest fulfills its potential for life-changing personal growth, and the precarious firsteast and secondeast match is carefully controlled.
It may appear to be something of an energy minefield, but there is real potential here—provided the famously disagreeable combination of firstwest and secondwest fulfills its potential for life-changing personal growth, and the precarious firsteast and secondeast match is carefully controlled.
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 RAT and ARIES SHEEP 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.
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 (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."
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 (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."
Combined Zodiac
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Chinese Zodiac
Rat and Sheep
Compatibility overview
It's well known that the Chinese zodiac does not mince words about combinations that are deemed unfavorable. Unfortunately, the match between firsteast and secondeast has a harsh reputation for conflict, instability, and anxiety.
Rat and Sheep - Relationship Horoscope
Read more about the RAT and SHEEP zodiac signs...
Read more about the CANCER RAT and ARIES SHEEP combined zodiac signs...
Among all the combinations in the Chinese zodiac, the six Adversary matches along the fourth degree axis—among them the Rat and Sheep—are said to be the most troublesome. True, there can be some superficial similarities. Both of these signs, for example, possess strongly creative instincts, especially in connection with written and verbal expression. Sadly, any such affinity tends to be fleeting at best. For in this match, secrecy meets openness, thrift meets charity, and cunning meets innocence.
Where the Rat is a celebrated pragmatist, ever alive to opportunities for profit and advantage, the Sheep is a pure-hearted idealist. The instinctually cagey Rat tends to find the Sheep a blabbermouth, whose erraticism—especially in financial affairs—makes them difficult to trust with serious information. The Sheep, on the other hand, is likely to find the Rat's nature coldly calculating and manipulative, a constant threat to their need for benevolence and peace. The result can be a relationship where turmoil is the norm, and neither party is able to settle for long into a comfortable routine.
The turbulence of this Adversary energy is more indirect than direct, indicating that conflict is more likely to fester than explode. In this combination, secrecy may be weaponized in various forms, leading to deviousness, obfuscation, even betrayal. The respective language skills of the Rat and Sheep mean criticism from either party can be stunning and lead to lasting damage. Angst, particularly on the part of the Sheep, may lead to expensive debts or other kinds of profligacy.
In all, this is match that calls for great care. It will take strong countervailing energy on the Western side or two highly-evolved individuals to translate this energy into successful outcomes.
Celebrity Rat/Sheep Pairings*
*Click on the names to see both Western and Chinese zodiac matches for that pairing.
Liam Gallagher (9/21/1972, Virgo Rat), Noel Gallagher (5/29/1967, Gemini Sheep) : The brothers and founding members of the band Oasis share one of the most iconic feuds in rock music. In 1995, a fourteen-minute recording of them arguing and swearing at each other during an interview the previous year, entitled "Wibbling Rivalry", became the highest-charting interview release ever in the UK. In 2009, Noel famously said: "[Liam's] the angriest man you'll ever meet. He's like a man with a fork in a world of soup."
Carmen Electra (4/20/1972, Taurus Rat), Dave Navarro (6/7/1967, Gemini Sheep) : The actor/model and musician were married from 2003 to 2007. The lead-up to their wedding was televised in the reality show, 'Til Death Do Us Part: Carmen and Dave (2004). They have remained friendly since their break-up—in 2019, Electra posted to Instagram: "Happy Birthday @davenavarro my eternal love for u is beyond words . We had this strange understanding for each other that resulted in lots of laughter , fun & and understanding ! Ty 4 letting me be my true self and not judging my flaws . I mean .... the time out system really worked 😂🙌🏼 so grateful we are still friends ! I love u DN #happybirthday #tildeathdouspart."
Ayrton Senna (3/21/1960, Aries Rat), Alain Prost (2/24/1955, Pisces Sheep) : The intense rivalry between these two Formula 1 drivers is one of the most famous in sports history. In 1990, after Senna deliberately drove his McLaren into Prost's Ferrari to win the World Drivers' Championship, Prost said: "What he did was disgusting. He is a man without value."
Hugh Grant (9/9/1960), Virgo Rat), Julia Roberts (10/28/1967, Scorpio Sheep) : The two actors co-starred in the successful romantic comedy, Notting Hill (1999). Later, Grant famously made a less than complimentary joke, saying that, "[Roberts] had such a large mouth...I was aware of a faint echo as I was kissing her."
Spencer Tracy (4/5/1900, Aries Rat), Katharine Hepburn (5/12/1907, Taurus Sheep) : The two Hollywood icons famously had an affair that lasted 27 years, as Tracy was a Catholic who refused to consider divorcing his wife. According to reports, Tracy was known for his alcoholism and infidelity during the relationship. Hepburn once said: "What would be the point [of leaving Tracy]? I mean, I loved him. And I wanted to be with him. If I had left, we would both have been miserable." She wrote about his death: "[Tracy] looked so happy to be done with living, which for all his accomplishments had been a frightful burden for him."
Marlon Brando (4/3/1924, Aries Rat), John Wayne (5/26/1907, Gemini Sheep) : The two actors shared a famous conflict after Brando refused his Oscar for Best Actor for The Godfather (1973). Brando asked a Native American woman, Sacheen Littlefeather, to refuse the award on his behalf, to protest the treatment of Native Americans in films and on TV. Littlefeather later recalled that six security guards had to restrain Wayne from rushing the stage while she spoke. Wayne said in an interview: "I think it was sad that Brando did what he did. If he had something to say, he should have appeared that night and stated his views instead of taking some little unknown girl and dressing her up in an Indian outfit."
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Combined Relationship Horoscope
Final Words
The Square energy between firstwest and secondwest is perhaps as contrary as any in the Western zodiac. However, while it may sometimes feel as if there is nothing these two cannot disagree about, their disputations can yield great positives, offering rare insight into their individual identities, and producing lifelong benefits. In this case, the greater challenge may be navigating the disturbing energy of the firsteast and secondeast, one of the Chinese zodiac’s most notorious combinations. Clear communication, independent roles in the relationship, and encouraging sensitivity wherever possible may be important for these two, if they are to maximize the available prospects for successful collaboration and affection.
Also on Horizon Astrology...
Celebrity News Headlines
Celebrity News
and Feature Articles
Explore celebrity news and events through a lens of the Western and Chinese zodiacs .
Combined Zodiac
Sign Profiles
Explore sign profiles for combined Western and Chinese zodiac signs.
Match Any Celebrity with Anyone
Match a celebrity with any combined sign or birthdate.
Celebrity Combined Signs
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Your Most Favorable Celebrity Matches
Explore your Golden Nine most compatible combined signs - with celebrity examples.
Your Most Challenging Celebrity Matches
Explore the Four Challenges, your most challenging energy matches - with celebrity examples.