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Compatibility
Scorpio Rat and Leo Horse

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, 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...

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

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 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 SCORPIO RAT and LEO 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

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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