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Compatibility
Scorpio Horse and Leo Ox

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 sign, Scorpio
Western Zodiac sign, Leo

Western Zodiac

Scorpio and Leo

Compatibility overview

Not for the faint-hearted! This combination of powerhouse Western zodiac signs firstwest and secondwest can be one of the most intense and combative of any under the Sun. Even apparently mundane subjects may provoke fierce or intractable confrontations. However, there is a clear upside to this explosive energy match, with excitement aplenty, and both sides—separately and together—likely to find unparalleled opportunities for positive personal transformation.

Scorpio and Leo - Relationship Horoscope

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

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The interval of three steps around the Western zodiac wheel forms a hard right-angle. This perpendicular, so-called Square energy is theoretically the most turbulent of any connection, for the natural trajectories of the signs cannot help but collide.

For Leo and Scorpio, the prospect of inevitable tension begins with the elements. Leo represents the dynamic, volcanic energy of Fire at its most stable, meaning they are typically natural leaders, noble and charismatic, their stunning performative and leadership skills ever propelling them towards light and glory. Water sign Scorpio may be no less forceful, but their essential direction is more emotional, sensitive, and directed to the great profundity of existence, encompassing both positive and negative standpoints. Hence these signs can each find the other unsettling. Leo may find Scorpio's brooding complexity weighs down their idealistic visions, while Scorpio can see Leo as simplistic, high-minded, and brash. Indeed, disputes over power are perhaps the most obvious threat to this relationship. These are both incredibly capable signs. Their shared Fixed modality emphasizes productivity and actualization, but in a head-on context like this, it also means there is barely any scope for compromise. On any given subject, Leo and Scorpio may find they have opposing instincts, and they each think their own should rule the day.

The gift of this Square energy connection rises out of its potential for conflict. For one thing, there is likely to be no shortage of excitement—creative and sexual chemistry, for example, are very likely here, at least in the short term. Also, while admiration may not always be easy to admit, these signs are too similarly impactful not to respect each other's prodigious talents, sometimes hugely. Most importantly, Leo and Scorpio can achieve unique self-knowledge through this relationship. Patterns of disagreement and resolution may reveal to these signs their true identities—values that are able to be compromised, and those that cannot. Nothing holds these signs' feet to the fire like this incendiary match.

Ultimately, long-term success as a partnership here is likely to require some work, but individual and mutual enrichment are strongly favored, and both Leo and Scorpio may be eternally grateful for the lessons they learn from each other.

Celebrity Scorpio/Leo Pairings*

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

Gale Anne Hurd and James Cameron
Gale Anne Hurd and James Cameron (click for attribution/s)

James Cameron (8/16/1954, Leo Horse), Gale Anne Hurd (10/25/1955, Scorpio Sheep) : Film director Cameron and producer Hurd shared a noteworthy collaborative relationship, and were married from 1985 to 1989. Before their marriage, they worked on The Terminator (1984), for which they also both wrote the script. They made Aliens (1986) while they were together, and The Abyss (1989) and Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) during and after their break-up. Cameron described in 1986: "We don’t always get along. There’s always creative dialog. I know this movie [Aliens] would not have been possible to do, as you saw it, within the budget parameters, if we hadn’t made such a good team. I never could have done it with another producer who wasn’t backing me 100%. And I don’t think Gale could have done it with another director, who was trying to achieve something at the expense of schedule and production costs."

Donnie Wahlberg (8/17/1969, Leo Rooster), Jenny McCarthy (11/1/1972, Scorpio Rat) : Singer/songwriter/actor/producer Wahlberg and actor/model/meda personality McCarthy have been married since 2014. McCarthy said in 2021, "Even Prince Charming and the fairy tale doesn’t come without work. I loved him so much as soon as I met him, I was like, ‘How do I not mess this up? I’m going to ask him, before we even have our first fight, if we can go to therapy together.'"

Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates
Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates (click for attribution/s)

Melinda French Gates (8/15/1964, Leo Dragon), Bill Gates (10/28/1955, Scorpio Sheep) : Microsoft founder Bill Gates and computer scientist/philanthropist Melinda Gates met in 1987, and were married from 1994 to 2021. They have three children. Their charitable foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, was the second largest charitable organization in the world in 2020. In 2019, Melinda Gates said, "I think people have a certain view of Bill, because he was a high-charging CEO running Microsoft. I think people must think, 'Oh well, Melinda must not really have equality with Bill.' Actually, I have total equality with Bill. But it took a while for us to get there." Around the same time, Bill was quoted as saying, "Working together as well as raising a family together, there’s a certain intensity to that. But we’re very lucky because we mostly see things the same way, the goals are very much the same."

Merritt Wever (8/11/1980, Leo Monkey), Toni Collette (11/1/1972, Scorpio Rat) : The two actors formed a close connection when they collaborated on the successful and award-winning miniseries, Unbelievable (2019). Collette described, "[Our rapport] was very easy and just felt natural, you know? We didn't have to reach too far to make it feel authentic...it is [a] really important story, and I think every human should watch it." Wever said, "[Collette is] someone whose body of work is part of my artistic makeup and DNA...I actually accidentally quoted Muriel’s Wedding to her face one day, and thought she was gonna think I was the biggest dork. Instead, she received it with like, great affection and forgiveness and patience. I got to tell Muriel, 'You’re terrible, Muriel.' And you know what? There aren’t too many people in the world who can say that, so I’ll take it..."

Neil Young and David Crosby
Neil Young and David Crosby (click for attribution/s)

David Crosby (8/14/1941, Leo Snake), Neil Young (11/12/1945, Scorpio Rooster) : The two musicians formed part of the on-again, off-again supergroup, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Their album, Déjà Vu (1970), remains the most successful for each of the four members. Young and Crosby shared a famously at times fraught relationship. In 2014, Crosby described Young's partner Daryl Hannah as, "a purely poisonous predator." Young responded, "I wish [Crosby] the best with his life. There’s love there. There’s just nothing else there." After Crosby died in early 2023, Young wrote: "David’s voice and energy were at the heart of our band. His great songs stood for what we believed in and it was always fun and exciting when we got to play together...We had so many great times, especially in the early years. Crosby was a very supportive friend in my early life, as we bit off big pieces of our experience together. David was the catalyst of many things."

Arnold Schwarzenegger (7/30/1947, Leo Pig), Lou Ferrigno (11/9/1951, Scorpio Rabbit) : The two bodybuilders shared an iconic rivalry, recorded in the cult classic documentary film, Pumping Iron (1977). The film is famous in part for showcasing Schwarzenegger's legendary "psych-out" tactics against Ferrigno. Ferrigno said later, "My only regret was that I was planning and hoped to reach my full potential and beat Arnold because he was five years older, but I never got that chance...The way I look at it, it didn’t matter if I won, [it] didn’t matter if I lost. It was all about reaching out to the mainstream and educating the public on what bodybuilding really is." Pumping Iron is generally credited with having springboarded both Ferrigno and Schwarzenegger to highly successful and lucrative careers in Hollywood.

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Chinese Zodiac sign, the Horse
Chinese Zodiac sign, the Ox

Chinese Zodiac

Horse and Ox

Compatibility overview

The Eastern zodiac has a reputation for not mincing words when it comes to combinations seen as unlucky. Unfortunately for the firsteast and secondeast, their shared energy has a troubling reputation for tension, conflict, and unhappiness.

Horse and Ox - Relationship Horoscope

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

Read more about the SCORPIO HORSE and LEO OX combined zodiac signs...

Across the whole Eastern zodiac, the most difficult combinations are said to be the six Adversary matches along the fourth degree axis, which include the Horse and Ox. The strain between these two can sometimes surprise others, because superficially they seem to have lots in common. Both the Horse and Ox tend to have a larger-than-life presence and are comfortable being the center of attention. And both can be relied on to get the job done, when tasked with physically or intellectually demanding projects.

However, these two signs have completely different instincts about control. The Horse is not a loner as such—in fact they can be one of the most devoted signs there is—but they are fiercely independent. They are at their happiest performing, competing, and loving, with as few outside limitations as possible. The Ox, by contrast, is a master of constraint. They have a paramount belief in structure and chains of command, and tend to inevitably rise up through the ranks to leadership. A pairing of the Horse and Ox is thus apt to stir destructive forces. The Ox will be forever trying to rein in the Horse. The Horse will be constantly trying to outrun the Ox. As the Ox is overtaken by stubborn bitterness, the Horse tends to poke fun and laugh at them. As the Horse escapes into skittish extravagance and selfishness, the Ox expresses ever more intense disappointment and criticism.

Unfortunately, conflicts here are more indirect than direct. Rather than a blaze of fury, mutual antagonism is likely to cause brooding discontent and unpleasantness. Problems may take forever to resolve, assuming they ever resolve at all.

Problematic energy like this need not be insurmountable, of course, and lots of relationships achieve success and understanding in spite of this potentially challenging connection. Strongly positive influences on the Western side, or clear strategies to facilitate mutual understanding, may be invaluable in achieving positive results.

Celebrity Horse/Ox Pairings*

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

Barack Obama and Joe Biden
Barack Obama and Joe Biden (click for attribution/s)

Barack Obama (8/4/1961, Leo Ox), Joe Biden (11/20/1942, Scorpio Horse) : Despite the much-publicised "bromance" between the 44th and 46th US Presidents, reports of rivalry and tension between Obama and Biden have also surfaced during their respective administrations. New York Times reporter Jonathan Martin described in 2022: "[F]or all the talk Biden and Obama do about being brothers and good friends, they’re actually not that close. They don’t talk super often today. There’s a rivalry there...Biden’s a prideful guy. And he knew he was looked down on in the White House when he was [Obama's] VP, and he loved the idea of being a bigger historic figure than Obama."

Dwight Howard (12/8/1985, Sagittarius Ox), Kobe Bryant (8/23/1978, Virgo Horse) : After the late basketball champion Bryant died tragically in 2020, his one-time Lakers teammate Howard told movingly, "A lot of people thought me and Kobe hated each other and stuff like that...There were times where we just didn’t understand each other and I didn’t get a chance to tell him how appreciative I was for our time together."

Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan
Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan (click for attribution/s)

Meg Ryan (11/19/1961, Scorpio Ox), Dennis Quaid (4/9/1954, Aries Horse) : Once one of the world's most famous celebrity couples, Ryan and Quaid divorced in 2001. In 2008, Ryan accused Quaid of serial infidelity during their marriage, to which he responded, "I find it unbelievable that Meg continues publicly to rehash and rewrite the story of our relationship."

Richard Gere (8/31/1949, Virgo Ox), Cindy Crawford (2/20/1966, Pisces Horse) : The actor and supermodel were married for four years in the early 1990s. Crawford said in 2016, "I don’t know if we were ever friends – like peers, because I was young, and he was Richard Gere. And then, as I started kind of growing up and growing into myself – it’s hard to change the nature of a relationship once you’re already in it."

Photo of Helmut Kohl and Margaret Thatcher
Photo of Helmut Kohl and Margaret Thatcher (click for attribution/s)

Margaret Thatcher (10/13/1925, Libra Ox), Helmut Kohl (4/3/1930, Aries Horse) : The former German Chancellor and British Prime Minister shared a famously hostile relationship. To quote the head of the UK National Archives in 2019, "They didn't get on at all."

Neil Patrick Harris (6/15/1973, Gemini Ox), Perez Hilton (3/23/1978, Aries Horse) : The actor, singer and writer Harris has suggested that celebrity blogger Hilton conducted a sustained campaign to out him as gay: "There was an interview [in 2006] that claimed that I was asked if I was gay and that my publicist had said that I was 'not of that persuasion.' That was the weird catalyst tipping point because that expression set Perez Hilton off. He was offended by that and then started posting about me and asking people to come forward with truths or stories. Then it became apparent that I needed to make some sort of decisive respectable move."

Paul Newman (1/26/1925, Aquarius Ox), Steve McQueen (3/24/1930, Aries Horse) : These two acting legends starred together in The Towering Inferno, and shared an equally famous love of motor racing, but seem to have brought the worst out in one another off-screen. It has been reported that Newman called McQueen "chicken s—" for counting the number of lines they both had in Inferno, and that the two competed over who was given top billing.


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.

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