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Compatibility
Leo Rat and Virgo Horse

The firstwest and secondwest pairing contributes an initial wariness here—nevertheless, there is real potential for a long-term successful and close relationship, if these two can navigate the challenging intensity of the firsteast and secondeast.

Western Zodiac sign, Leo
Western Zodiac sign, Virgo

Western Zodiac

Leo and Virgo

Compatibility overview

Western signs that are next to each other, as firstwest and secondwest are, sometimes have a difficult reputation. Conventional wisdom says that, much like real-life neighbors, these two can be nervous about each other, and keenly aware of their differences. Over time, however, these two have the potential to develop a powerful bond, one especially well suited to creativity and emotional security.

Leo and Virgo - Relationship Horoscope

Read more about the LEO and VIRGO zodiac signs...

Read more about the LEO RAT and VIRGO HORSE combined zodiac signs...

Adjacent signs in the Western zodiac share a Semi-sextile aspect. This is one of only two minor aspects (with the Quincunx), which means that from the beginning the energy between these two is somewhat equivocal, offering both freedom and uncertainty.

Often Leo and Virgo keep their distance early in a relationship, their thoughts focused on how very different they are. After all, Leo is a true Fire sign, and their element typically endows them with extremes of burning enthusiasm and smoldering disappointment. Earth sign Virgo, on the other hand, tends to pride themselves on being much more middle-of-the-road: steady, dependable, and dutiful. Early interactions may well be awkward, even uncomfortable. Leo can find Virgo to be quite dour or boring, a threat to their prized freedom of thought and action. Virgo, meanwhile, may be destabilized by Leo's bold drive to action, which for Virgo could seem overly dramatic or attention-seeking. The passage of time can work wonders here, however.

Leo's Fixed modality motivates them to achieve visible, real-world outcomes, which is a lovely match with Virgo's more reflective Mutable nature, with its emphasis on consequences and implications. Collaborations that survive the initial standoffishness of this Semi-sextile combination can thus harness the contrasting elements of these signs into stunning results. Creative pursuits are especially favored, but any kind of work that gives both parties scope to pursue their individual direction may prove highly successful. What's more, although emotional stability between these two may be unexpected, and take a good deal of time to develop, it can prove durable and nourishing in the best way possible.

All in all, the Leo/Virgo combination is a true diamond in the rough, and may ultimately make an invaluable contribution to the lives of both signs.

Celebrity Leo/Virgo Pairings*

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

Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig
Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig (click for attribution/s)

Greta Gerwig (8/4/1983, Leo Pig), Noah Baumbach (9/3/1969, Virgo Rooster) : Actor/screenwriter/director Gerwig and director/screenwriter Baumbach worked together on the film, Greenberg (2010). They later became romantically involved, and have one child together. They continued to collaborate multiple times, including the films, Frances Ha (2013), Mistress America (2015), and White Noise (2022). They have also achieved notable independent successes during their relationship—at the 2020 Oscars, the films, Little Women (2019, written and directed by Gerwig) and Marriage Story (2019, written and directed by Baumbach) were each nominated for six awards. In 2019, Baumbach described, "I think the pleasure of writing for us is that it seeps into everything. I’d show [Gerwig] a cut of my movie, and then a few months later, I’m watching her movie. I don’t want to sound sickeningly happy, but it’s a truly great thing to watch someone you love make something and love the thing they make. I don’t know how else to say it without saying great a lot."

Audrey Tautou (8/9/1976, Leo Dragon), Jean-Pierre Jeunet (9/3/1953, Virgo Snake) : The actor Tatou and director Jeunet, both from France, memorably collaborated on the films, Amélie (2001), and A Very Long Engagement (2004). They have also worked together on a series of commercials for the perfume, Chanel No. 5. In 2018 joint interview, Tautou described: "[Jeunet and I] just need to look at each other on set and we understand. We always agree about a take." Jeunet said, "[Tautou is] the perfect actress because now we know she can do everything from drama to very light comedy. That’s pretty rare. She has a great sense of timing. And, of course, she’s very special with her face, like an elf...I made one or two mistakes on Amelie and she told me and I didn’t believe her but in the editing room I saw that she was right. Now I always listen to her."

Dustin Hoffman and Lisa Hoffman
Dustin Hoffman and Lisa Hoffman (click for attribution/s)

Dustin Hoffman (8/8/1937, Leo Ox), Lisa Hoffman (9/1/1954, Virgo Horse) : Celebrated actor Dustin Hoffman and businesswoman Lisa Hoffman have been married since 1980 and have four children. They have known each other for a lifetime—his mother is friends with her grandmother—and got together as a couple when he was 38 and she 22. Lisa Hoffman described in 2017: "We work hard at [our marriage]. I knew I was going to end up with Dusty, and that my life would be traveling around with him. I say in Hollywood it is like dog years, so you have to multiply [our 37 years together] by seven." In 2016, she said, "That was an obstacle to overcome, that this is not a celebrity brand. I am so far from a celebrity, I just happen to be married to an actor."

Salma Hayek and Antonio Banderas
Salma Hayek and Antonio Banderas (click for attribution/s)

Antonio Banderas (8/10/1960, Leo Rat), Salma Hayek (9/2/1966, Virgo Horse) : Mexican actor Hayek and Spanish actor Banderas have been friends for over 20 years. They have collaborated multiple times, including the films, Desperado (1995), Frida (2002), Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003), Puss in Boots (2011), and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022). Describing a love scene in their first movie together, Desperado, Hayek said in 2021: "One of the things I was afraid of was Antonio — he was an absolute gentleman and so nice, and we’re still super close friends — but he was very free. It scared me that for him, it was like nothing. I started crying, and he was like, ‘Oh my God. You’re making me feel terrible.’ And I was so embarrassed that I was crying." Banderas described in 2022: "[W]e practically started together in the industry here in America. We were coming from our own countries, so we met each other at the beginning of this road...[Hayek is] a real friend. Every time that we’ve been working together, immediately there is a chemistry that is very difficult to explain. I don’t want to intellectualize it. It just happens, and it’s great."

John McCain and Barack Obama
John McCain and Barack Obama (click for attribution/s)

Barack Obama (8/4/1961, Leo Ox), John McCain (8/29/1936, Virgo Rat) : The 44th US President and longstanding US Senator were opponents for the presidency in the 2008 US election. Months before he died in 2018, McCain invited Obama to speak at his funeral. In his eulogy, Obama described: "We didn’t advertise it, but every so often over the course of my presidency, John would come over to the White House, and we’d just sit and talk in the Oval Office, just the two of us – we’d talk about policy and we’d talk about family and we’d talk about the state of our politics. And our disagreements didn’t go away during these private conversations. Those were real, and they were often deep. But we enjoyed the time we shared away from the bright lights. And we laughed with each other, and we learned from each other. We never doubted the other man’s sincerity or the other man’s patriotism, or that when all was said and done, we were on the same team. We never doubted we were on the same team."

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Chinese Zodiac sign, the Rat
Chinese Zodiac sign, the Horse

Chinese Zodiac

Rat and Horse

Compatibility overview

Western astrology is generally more forgiving of potential discord than its Chinese counterpart. Unfortunately, the match between the firsteast and the secondeast has a reputation for seriously destabilizing energy. This can produce a myriad of conflicts. The prognosis is not all negative, however. For as unsettling as it can be for the parties themselves, this match-up is capable of generating some awesomely powerful impacts.

Rat and Horse - Relationship Horoscope

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

Read more about the LEO RAT and VIRGO HORSE combined zodiac signs...

Facing each other diametrically across the Chinese zodiac wheel are the six infamous Opposite combinations. Traditionally, these matches are understood to involve nearly constant and irreconcilable tension. In the case of the Horse and the Rat, the dashing independence of the former collides with the latter's calculating cleverness.

The Horse is perhaps the sign with the greatest need for freedom. It is almost impossible for them to feel comfortable if they sense they are being controlled. The Rat, on the other hand, is a profoundly social, romantic creature. Their inner fulfilment depends on closeness to others and being able to use their strategic skills to promote their own interests and those close to them. A combination of the Horse and Rat thus tends to produce a vicious circle where both are constantly on edge. The Horse can feel restricted and manipulated, where the Rat feels abandoned, vulnerable, and unappreciated.

Recurrent problems are especially a feature of love affairs. The old adage about opposites attracting can draw these two together initially, and strong sexual tension is not unexpected. But eventually the Horse's craving for independence is likely to lead to withdrawal or selfishness. The neglected Rat may become increasingly needy and could even turn to scheming against the distant, aloof Horse.

Characteristically for Opposite matches, however, the troublesome aspects of this energy can generate extraordinarily potent results. Imagine partner stand-ups, where the force of two people pushing backwards into each other propels them upward. Because the Horse and Rat have so little in common, any kind of collaboration, alliance, even feud, that brings them together benefits from a complete spectrum of energy. The potential for capturing attention or generating triumphs of innovation is virtually unlimited.

To be sure, the partnership may prove too combative for the parties themselves to really enjoy each other's successes. But with soothing influences on the Western side, or earnest mutual understanding, these two may be able to profit admirably from the powerful, if conflictive, energy that unites them.

Celebrity Rat/Horse Pairings*

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

Robin Wright and Sean Penn
Robin Wright and Sean Penn (click for attribution/s)

Sean Penn (8/17/1960, Leo Rat), Robin Wright (4/8/1966, Aries Horse) : The two actors shared an on-off relationship from 1989 to 1995 and had two children together. After separating in 1995, they reconciled and married in 1996. They filed for divorce in 2007, reconciled again for a time, and finally divorced in 2010. Penn said in 2018, "[We] don't have a lot of conversation...We don’t not get along. We have very separate relationships with our kids at this point and it seems to work better that way because they are making their own decisions. As it turned out she and I did not share the same ethical views on parenting, including the continuing parenting of adult children."

David Duchovny (8/7/1960, Leo Rat), Téa Leoni (2/25/1966, Pisces Horse) : The two actors married in 1997 and had two children together. They separated in 2008 before Duchovny received treatment for sex addiction. After reuniting for a time, they divorced in 2014. Leoni has described: "David gave me the two greatest gifts on the planet; I don't know how I could ever hate him...I'm not playing stupid—I understand feelings can get hurt and things can get icky. We've had our moments like that. But these kids are too important, and he feels the same way."

Carmelo Anthony and Kobe Bryant
Carmelo Anthony and Kobe Bryant (click for attribution/s)

Carmelo Anthony (5/29/1984, Gemini Rat), Kobe Bryant (8/23/1978, Virgo Horse) : These US basketball legends shared an amicable but heated on-court rivalry, especially during the 2009 Western Conference Finals. Anthony has described: "You know Kob, man, he going at your neck. He’s saying [expletive] to you, elbowing you. I had my braids back then too, so he’s touching my head. I’m like, 'What the [expletive] are you doing? Don’t touch my head.' You know what I’m saying? Like, 'Don’t touch me no more, dawg.'" When the pair faced each other, they would embrace and say, "It's war."

Jennifer Garner (4/17/1972, Aries Rat), Halle Berry (8/14/1966, Leo Horse) : The two actors testified together before a California State Assembly Committee about the need for their children to be legally protected from the paparazzi. Berry said at one point, "We're moms here, just trying to protect our children."

Sonia Sotomayor and Clarence Thomas
Sonia Sotomayor and Clarence Thomas (click for attribution/s)

Clarence Thomas (6/23/1948, Cancer Rat), Sonia Sotomayor (6/25/1954, Cancer Horse) : These US Supreme Court judges have starkly different reputations. However, while alluding to conflicts about judicial business, Sotomayor has spoken of the friendship between them: "I see in [Thomas] the basic caring about people that I have. We are both committed friends and committed family members. And so, in seeing that good in him, there is no reason for me to take our personal disputes and translate it into our personal interactions. We work together. We have to work together for the rest of our time on the court."

Marlon Brando (4/3/1924, Aries Rat), James Dean (2/8/1931, Aquarius Horse) : There have been rumours that these two actors shared a disturbing intimate relationship, with Brando attempting to dominate Dean in various ways. What is more certain is that Dean idolized Brando, copying his choices of motorcycle and bongo-playing hobby, while Brando made publicly disparaging comments about Dean. "Mr. Dean appears to be wearing my last year's wardrobe and using my last year's talent," is one quote attributed to Brando; "I gave [Dean] the name of a psycho-analyst and he went. At least his work improved," is another.


Combined Relationship Horoscope

Final Words

Early in their relationship, the adjacent semi-Sextile signs firstwest and secondwest will often be all too aware of their stark differences, though this energy can in fact prove hugely promising over time. In this case, however, the near-constant combustibility of the firsteast and secondeast Chinese zodiac match provides some serious obstacles. To build and fortify this relationship, these two may need to leverage the attention-grabbing thrust of the Chinese zodiac side for mutual gain, thereby accessing the more dependable solidarity and devotion of their semi-Sextile energy.

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