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Compatibility
Taurus Horse and Libra Rat

The strange magic of the firstwest secondwest connection may soothe the spectacular yet combative combination of firsteast and secondeast.

Western Zodiac sign, Taurus
Western Zodiac sign, Libra

Western Zodiac

Taurus and Libra

Compatibility overview

There is a mysterious, yet enchanting, quality to this match. firstwest and secondwest are classically considered astrological strangers, with little connection between them at all. But this is often quite wrong. Sure, they may seem to be moving in different orbits, but these two can in fact form a harmonious and intensely inspiring relationship.

Taurus and Libra - Relationship Horoscope

Read more about the TAURUS and LIBRA zodiac signs...

Read more about the TAURUS HORSE and LIBRA RAT combined zodiac signs...

When Western signs are five steps apart, like Libra and Taurus, they share a Quincunx (or inconjunct) aspect. This 150° angle has been judged negatively in the past. Traditional astrology thought that the two signs were misaligned, and hence totally foreign to each other.

It is true that the respective elements are not very compatible. Libra's Air may be the least polarizing element of the four, but it is essentially about excitement, and complete freedom of thought and action. Taurus' Earth, by contrast, emphasizes stability, slow movement, and patient determination. Hence these two can struggle to find a happy medium between the conceptual and the practical. Libra's tendency to think about every question from every angle may overwhelm Taurus with choices, none of which speaks to the certain and gradual progress Taurus likes best. Taurus—truly the most resolute, earthiest, of all three Earth signs—may seem to Libra to be dispiritingly unshakeable in their opinions and routines. The more Libra's excitable brainstorming strikes Taurus as superficial or procrastinating, the more Libra will feel like their most interesting ideas are doomed to bounce back off a brick wall.

The weirdly magical quality of this Quincunx energy, however, is that this tension usually does not seem too serious to either party. Instead, there is often a light-hearted atmosphere of quizzical puzzlement about the differences here, which can be surprisingly delightful. Libra's Cardinal energy means they are born initiators, always beginning things with gusto, where Taurus' Fixed modality means they instinctively focus on actualizing potential into reality. Hence collaboration, at least in a hands-off way that provides plenty of freedom, can come naturally to these contrasting personalities. Creative strategies and enterprises that harness the different instincts of Libra and Taurus are especially favoured.

A measure of distance is usually important, and problems should definitely be dealt with as and when they arise. Leaving upsets unresolved can be especially destabilizing for Quincunx pairings. However, in the right circumstances, these apparently strange bedfellows can form a beautiful relationship, as pleasurable as it is encouraging and rewarding.

Celebrity Taurus/Libra Pairings*

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

Truman Capote and Harper Lee
Truman Capote and Harper Lee (click for attribution/s)

Harper Lee (4/28/1926, Taurus Horse), Truman Capote (9/30/1924, Libra Rat) : The celebrated authors were childhood friends and strongly influenced each other's work. Experts consider that, fulfilling a promise to each other, the character Dill in Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird is based on Capote, and the character Idabel in Capote's Other Voices, Other Rooms is based on Lee. Lee also carried out research for Capote's true-crime masterpiece, In Cold Blood, although it is thought that Lee was unhappy with Capote's scant acknowledgment of her work, which may have contributed to distance between them later in life.

Richard Donner (4/24/1930, Taurus Horse), Christopher Reeve (9/25/1952, Libra Dragon) : The director Donner memorably cast the then-unknown actor Reeves in 1978's smash-hit film Superman. Donner described: "I was brought up on Superman as a kid...When [Reeves] told his father, who was a professor at Princeton, that he was doing Superman, his father said, 'Man and Superman?' [George Bernard Shaw’s play]. That’s the world Chris came from. He came over, we did this test in costume...He was just wonderful as Clark Kent and as Superman. He really got the idea of a terribly pained individual living a dual life."

Julie Andrews and Audrey Hepburn
Julie Andrews and Audrey Hepburn (click for attribution/s)

Audrey Hepburn (5/4/1929, Taurus Snake), Julie Andrews (10/1/1935, Libra Pig) : The two famous actors began their relationship embroiled in controversy. Andrews had starred in the Broadway production of My Fair Lady but was overlooked for the film role in favour of Hepburn (whose voice was overdubbed by Marni Nixon for the singing parts). At the 1965 Academy Awards, they became friends. Andrews later described: "[Hepburn said] Julie, you should have done it, but I didn't have the guts to turn it down. We were friends from then on. I don't think there was a soul who didn't love her...And my husband [Blake Edwards, who directed Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's] adored her too. I think I can honestly say if I hadn't come into his life, she might have."

Debra Winger (5/16/1955, Taurus Sheep), Arliss Howard (10/18/1954, Libra Horse) : The two actors have been married since 1996. They have one child together and each has a child from a previous relationship. Winger has described: "Nothing escapes change. So why do we think we could create such a permanent institution as marriage? It just seems inorganic if looked at that way. The intention is to stay awake, stay alive, keep loving, keep lit up, keep being able to light up the other one. Those are the real tricks. That and some pixie dust."

Photo of Burt Bacharach and Angie Dickinson
Photo of Burt Bacharach and Angie Dickinson (click for attribution/s)

Burt Bacharach (5/12/1928, Taurus Dragon), Angie Dickinson (9/30/1931, Libra Sheep) : The two high-profile celebrities, actor and composer, were married from 1965 until 1980. They had one child together. Bacharach's 2013 autobiography, Anyone Who Had a Heart—which included lengthy passages written by Dickinson—described: "[T]o get the kind of adulation from a woman like [Angie] was really something. There was an intense physical attraction between us but I was also really in love with Angie. At the time, I think I was too insecure to believe that this gorgeous movie star could fall in love with me."

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

Chinese Zodiac

Horse and Rat

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.

Horse and Rat - Relationship Horoscope

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

Read more about the TAURUS HORSE and LIBRA RAT 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 Horse/Rat 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 Quincunx aspect between firstwest and secondwest is one of the Western zodiac’s most puzzling yet impressive influences, often spinning apparently irreconcilable differences into creative fulfillment and emotional security. The best qualities of this energy may be indispensable here, as the confrontational firsteast and secondeast match provides little calm or reassurance, instead driving both parties impatiently towards attention and success.

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