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Compatibility
Leo Snake and Pisces Rat

Not a headline-grabber, perhaps, but this combination of the delightfully puzzling firstwest and secondwest with the naturally harmonious firsteast and secondeast can be a true unsung hero.

Western Zodiac sign, Leo
Western Zodiac sign, Pisces

Western Zodiac

Leo and Pisces

Compatibility overview

This enigmatic pairing, as intense and inspiring as it is bewildering, can ultimately prove a wonderful blessing for both signs. firstwest and secondwest are in many respects polar opposites, and their different outlooks can sometimes make it seem as if confusion waits around every corner. Yet there is a strange magic about this connection that, given the right circumstances, offers compelling and lasting rewards.

Leo and Pisces - Relationship Horoscope

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

Read more about the LEO SNAKE and PISCES RAT combined zodiac signs...

An interval of five steps around the Western zodiac wheel, as between Leo and Pisces, produces a Quincunx (or inconjunct) aspect. This is one of only two minor aspects—along with the Semi-Sextile—which means the energy here is less determinative, more fluid, than other influences.

From the beginning, Leo and Pisces are likely to experience both an exhilarating sense of freedom to be themselves, and a disorienting absence of clear direction. The respective elements—Fire for Leo and Water for Pisces—have one of the worst reputations for compatibility in Western astrology. This is why, traditionally, astrologers tended to seem them as cosmic strangers, with next to nothing in common. It is true—especially in the beginning—that finding equilibrium may be a challenge. Feisty Leo may seem overbearing and dictatorial to gentle, mild-mannered Pisces, while Pisces can appear perpetually changeable and wishy-washy to the resolute, lion-like personality of Leo. Leo, a natural-born leader, tends to love the limelight as much as the limelight loves them, whereas Pisces is probably the shiest and most easily overawed of all the Western signs. Hence it can be quite difficult for these two to agree about essential matters like where to go, and what to do.

The great mystery of the Quincunx, however, means that these apparently serious incompatibilities are often not experienced as overly challenging. In fact, these opposite signs can share a great and lasting attraction, at a physical level certainly, but also intellectually and creatively. Leo's Fixed modality offers real-world achievement, actualization, and impact. This is a perfect complement to Pisces' Mutable energy, which emphasizes implications, consequences, and potential for the future. Shared projects between these signs may provoke all manner of disagreements, but they are destined to be both highly original and fully realized.

Leo and Pisces are likely to need plenty of room to move and work independently. Problems will also need to be dealt with quickly, for Quincunx energy is vulnerable to instability and resentment if wounds are left untreated. With sensitivity and effective strategies in place, however, the potential for personal and creative growth here is virtually unlimited. Ultimately, there is every chance of a lasting, warm, and deeply nourishing relationship.

Celebrity Leo/Pisces Pairings*

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

Elaine Anderson Steinbeck and John Steinbeck
Elaine Anderson Steinbeck and John Steinbeck (click for attribution/s)

Elaine Anderson Steinbeck (8/14/1914, Leo Tiger), John Steinbeck (2/27/1902, Pisces Tiger) : Celebrated author John Steinbeck and stage manager Elaine Steinbeck were married from 1950 until John's death in 1968. In a letter written shortly after they first met, John described: "I have the excited feeling of a storm. Something has changed of course—something I didn’t think ever could again and I am a little terrified but I surely would not have it any other way...Do you know, I am putting off ending this letter as though the end would be the end of something I want to hold on to."

Mila Kunis (8/14/1983, Leo Pig), Glenn Close (3/19/1947, Pisces Pig) : The two actors formed a close friendship when they co-starred together in the film, Four Good Days (2020). Close described: "I absolutely adore Mila. She’s really gifted, she leapt into this part, and for someone who is known for romantic comedy and for being so beautiful, she just really found a character very true to the character. From the very beginning we had great chemistry so she’s now a friend for life." Kunis said, "[Close is] just great to be around, energetically and otherwise, everything about her, her effortless nature, it’s infectious."

Gabriel García Márquez and Fidel Castro
Gabriel García Márquez and Fidel Castro (click for attribution/s)

Fidel Castro (8/13/1926, Leo Tiger), Gabriel García Márquez (3/6/1927, Pisces Rabbit) : The Cuban leader Castro and author Garcia Marquez shared a close friendship from around 1977 until Marquez' death in 2014. Among many connections, Marquez was known to send advance copies of his manuscripts to Castro for fact-checking, as documented in the book, Fidel & Gabo: A Portrait of the Legendary Friendship Between Fidel Castro and Gabriel Garcia Marquez (2009), by Angel Esteban and Stephanie Panichelli. In 2006, Marquez described: "When [Castro] talks with people in the street, his conversation regains the expressiveness and crude frankness of genuine affection...This is the Fidel Castro that I believe I know. A man of austere habits and insatiable illusions, with an old-fashioned formal education of cautious words and subdued tones, and incapable of conceiving any idea that is not colossal."

Pat Metheny (8/12/1954, Leo Horse), Ornette Coleman (3/9/1930, Pisces Horse) : The two celebrated jazz musicians—Coleman a saxophonist and Metheny a guitarist—joined together to record the album, Song X (1986). Metheny described later: "The weeks leading up to the making of [Song X] were really intense, and unbelievably inspiring. In our first meeting, we agreed that we should try to do something that was unlike anything that might be expected of either of us – and that we should try to develop a language and a way of playing together that was particular to this project...In addition to being one of the giants of modern music, Ornette is one of the most gentle and soulful human beings on the face of the earth. His humor, so evident in his music, informs all aspects of his off-the-bandstand behavior as well – his music being literally a perfect reflection of the man inside. And his in humility, in the face of his overwhelming accomplishments and abilities, we find a reserve of personal wisdom that matches his gift as a musician."

Kay Cannon and Camila Cabello
Kay Cannon and Camila Cabello (click for attribution/s)

Kay Cannon (8/22/1974, Leo Tiger), Camila Cabello (3/3/1997, Pisces Ox) : The director Cannon collaborated with Cabello on the movie musical, Cinderella (2021). Cannon described: "Well, it was amazing working with [Cabello]. I mean, really, truly. I felt like we were a perfect match. I think we both had a lot at stake. It was her first time acting. And then her first time acting, she's playing Cinderella, this iconic character. And it's a big movie for me, too. I had never directed a musical. So we really connected and we really trusted each other. We have very similar senses of humor, and I think what she brings to the table is this rawness. She's a really hard worker. She's very smart, so she sees the world through these young eyes, but they're informed young eyes, where she's always trying to learn."

Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner
Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner (click for attribution/s)

Joe Jonas (8/15/1989, Leo Snake), Sophie Turner (2/21/1996, Pisces Rat) : The singer/songwriter/actor Jonas and actor Turner began dating in 2016, and married in 2019. They have two children. Turner described about their first meeting: "I remember the two of us spending only a couple of minutes on the dance floor, and then we just found a space far in the corner and we just talked. We talked for hours, and hours, and hours. And I was, like, not bored. It wasn't contrived. It wasn't small talk — it was just so easy. And soon we were, like, inseparable. I went on tour with him."

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Chinese Zodiac sign, the Snake
Chinese Zodiac sign, the Rat

Chinese Zodiac

Snake and Rat

Compatibility overview

The combination of firsteast and secondeast is sometimes overlooked by devotees of the Chinese zodiac, but there are excellent prospects for any relationship between these kindred spirits. Not only are there some strong synergies between these personalities, but the lovely energy surrounding them lends itself to a close, supportive connection.

Snake and Rat - Relationship Horoscope

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

Read more about the LEO SNAKE and PISCES RAT combined zodiac signs...

Central to the Chinese zodiac is the concept of the four Trine Families, comparable to the elements in Western astrology. Among these four families, there are two compatible pairs, one of which consists of the Rat's family (with the Dragon and Monkey) and the Snake's family (with the Ox and Rooster). Among this inter-family group are some of the most famous of all Chinese zodiac matches. While the combination of the Rat and Snake is not singled out quite as often as some others, these two share in the same delightful surrounding energy.

Initial meetings are likely to be immediately blessed with friendliness and respect. These two signs are both celebrated for their great wisdom and insight—don't be surprised if they are making headway with the meaning of life before the main course has even arrived! The Snake tends to be impressed by the practical and financial direction of the Rat's intelligence, where the Rat can be similarly taken with the Snake's abstract, philosophical qualities. The Rat has a peerless way with words, and the Snake tends to be fabulously attractive, so compliments and attention can be expected to bring much mutual pleasure. As the relationship deepens, more profound gifts may well be revealed.

In other contexts, these signs can both lean towards supportive roles. Together, however, they can truly bring each other into the limelight, leveraging their significant abilities towards independent and combined successes. Neither of these signs has much of a reputation for hot-headed confrontation, so challenges are likely to be expressed in indirect or subdued fashion, even if quite unsettling. The Rat's secretiveness, invaluable in some contexts, can be problematic here, as the Snake is unusually prone to jealousy. If the Snake gives in to their weakness for vanity or self-indulgence, little will escape the notice of the shrewd Rat. Financially, these two make a formidable team but potentially difficult opponents. On balance, the relationship does need some space and understanding to diffuse potential tensions and make sure the abundant potential is realized.

Given favorable conditions, this can be a real gem of a connection, with terrific prospects for pleasure, nourishment, and warmth.

Celebrity Snake/Rat Pairings*

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

Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin
Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin (click for attribution/s)

Gwyneth Paltrow (9/27/1972, Libra Rat), Chris Martin (3/2/1977, Pisces Snake) : The actor and singer were married for 14 years from 2003, and had two children together. After their split, they introduced the phrase "conscious uncoupling" to the lexicon of contemporary relationships. Paltrow explained in 2021, "Chris is like my brother. You know, he's my family. I love him."

Jude Law (12/29/1972, Capricorn Rat), Sadie Frost (6/19/1965, Gemini Snake) : The actors were married between 1997 and 2003, and have three children together. Frost wrote about her relationship with Law in her 2010 autobiography, Crazy Days, saying: "The force of the love I felt for Jude and his intense ambition made me feel out of control."

Elizabeth Hurley and Hugh Grant
Elizabeth Hurley and Hugh Grant (click for attribution/s)

Hugh Grant (9/9/1960, Virgo Rat), Elizabeth Hurley (6/10/1965, Gemini Snake) : The two actors dated for 13 years before breaking up in 2000. They have remained close friends. Hurley explained in 2021 that: "We haven't been romantically involved for 20 years, I think, even though we have such a strong friendship. But we're always very aware that there are other people in our lives. There's partners, there's children. You can't just, sort of, live in a lovely, rosy, mist of the past. You have to move with the times and be very respectful of the present, which we are."

Antonio Banderas (8/10/1960, Leo Rat), Dakota Johnson (10/4/1989, Libra Snake) : The two actors were stepfather and stepdaughter during Banderas' marriage to Melanie Griffiths, with Johnson calling him, "Paponio," a mix of "papa" and "Antonio". At the 2019 Hollywood Film Awards, Johnson described: "I got a bonus dad who I realized that, over time, is actually one of the most influential people in my whole life. When I was six years old, my mother married a man who brought an unbelievably bright light and a whole new world of creativity and culture...[Banderas] was so vibrant and so fun and so funny and his English was abstract and we found it absolutely amazing. He loved my mother, and my siblings and I so big, and so fiercely and so loud, that it would change all of our lives together."

Dr. Dre and Eminem
Dr. Dre and Eminem (click for attribution/s)

Eminem (10/17/1972, Libra Rat), Dr. Dre (2/18/1965, Aquarius Snake) : The two rap legends have been close friends since the 1990s, when Eminem released his major-label debut through Dre's Aftermath imprint. Speaking at Eminem's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022, Dre described: "The first time I put on a beat, [Eminem] got on the mic and said, 'Hi, my name is Slim Shady.' That was it, and that was the beginning of what became an amazing creative collaboration. Then came the backlash. 'Look at him, Dre. This guy has blue eyes. We can’t sign him.' There was a massive amount of resistance from my whole team and people around me that didn’t want me to work with him simply because he was white...I knew that his gifts were undeniable. His raw, dark, humorous lyrics, coupled with an impeccable cadence, stood out from everything I had ever heard before. And he was humble. Both of us were. We were two artists in do-or-die situations. He was desperate to find a way to feed his family, and I was searching for something that I could sink my teeth into creatively. Each of us were exactly what the other one needed. And I was willing to bet my entire career on that. Facts."


Combined Relationship Horoscope

Final Words

The Quincunx may have its doubters, but the strange match of firstwest and secondwest often draws both signs into a pleasurable, inspiring, and dependable connection. Here, the relationship is further enhanced by the simpatico energy between the firsteast and secondeast, which may tend more towards mutual admiration than star-crossed lovers, but often provides a trustworthy bedrock for yearslong nourishment and pleasure.

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