Taurus violinist and vanguard Yehudi Menuhin writes, “Music creates order out of chaos: for rhythm imposes unanimity upon the divergent, melody imposes continuity upon the disjointed, and harmony imposes compatibility upon the incongruous.”
So too does love and a fortunate congregation of stars create a kind of rhythm in relationships.
In truth, zodiac compatibility is a constellation of qualities and challenges, elemental energy, and ancestral trauma. It is a willingness to apologize and to unload the dishwasher, taking into account the whole of the birth chart, aspects formed, and houses occupied.
Within the birth chart, the placement of the moon, which serves as our emotional touchstone, Mars, the planet of sex and aggression, and Venus, the planet of love and attachment, help divine whether a relationship is rock steady or destined for certain ruin.
In my experience, anything can happen, anything can work and any manner of star soup between lovers can yield order out of chaos and harmony from cacophony. Here’s what works best.
ARIES (March 21 – April 19)
Scorpio
As cardinal fire, Aries needs constant stimulation and endless intrigue. In Scorpio, they find a well they’ll never get to the bottom of and a riddle they’ll never fully solve. In essence, Aries needs to live at 11, and Scorpio is allergic to chill. Both signs are ruled by war-mongering Mars lending the union an intense physicality. Mars relates to action, will and desire, and here the athletic sport f–ker meets the sex as death/rebirth shaman, and each lends the other their medicine. Scorpio is naturally suspicious, and Aries is blessedly too tactless to be shady. This pairing is oddly stable and cemented with trust and transparency, as much worthy opponents as tender lovers. We see this compatibility expressed in Aries Kourtney Kardashian and Scorpio Travis Barker.
TAURUS (April 20 – May 20)
Virgo
Taurus is an earth sign resistant to compromise or being cared for, and mutable Virgo provides the perfect pasture for the bull to become itself. Virgo deals in structure and the kind of subtle tending to that Taurus can accept without resentment. Both signs have their eye on the long game and go hard for ritualistic romance, outdoor sex and clean sheets. Case in point, Taurus dandy daddy Salvador Dalí and his wife, Virgo Gala Dalí. Gala gifted Dalí her inborn business acumen, helping to make him an art icon with the gumption to command cash payments consistent with his genius.
“It is mostly with your blood, Gala, that I paint my pictures.”
Salvador Dalí, a Taurus king
Speaking as a goth-hearted Taurus, I feel compelled to share that despite her being married to someone else when they met and continuing affairs throughout their half-century romance, Gala became and remained Dalí’s most enduring muse. So much so that he took to signing both of their names on his works, admitting, “It is mostly with your blood, Gala, that I paint my pictures.” When Gala died in 1982, Dali himself designed her final resting place, a chessboard crypt. Romance ain’t dead even when you die, dig?
GEMINI (May 21 – June 20)
Sagittarius
Zodiac opposites and mutable mates, there’s a real hype man, inner child on the run, “I dare you” energy between Gemini and Sagittarius. Air feeds fire, and this elemental combination keeps the sex hot and the conversation burning. The archer and the twins prefer a fevered pace, and both signs are seduced by spontaneity. In kind and in one another they find a co-conspirator that pushes them to go farther and live bolder.
Air feeds fire, and this elemental combination keeps the sex hot and the conversation burning.
Sagittarians worship at the altar of the truth, and true is a flexible concept to the twin, a tension that leads to many a midnight discourse. The union of Gemini Gena Rowlands and her Sagittarius husband, John Cassavetes, is emblematic of this fire/air relationship dynamic. Together until parted by death, the two communicated in Greek when they needed to trade secrets in public and collaborated as filmmaker and muse on 10 films during their nearly 40 years together.
CANCER (June 21 – July 22)
Pisces
Water sees water in the union of Cancer and Pisces; when two signs share an element, they share a certain fundamental understanding of one another. Water signs are unapologetically emo, psychically attuned, and willing to go head first and ocean-deep in pursuit of love. They are also the only element that earnestly cares about what another person’s dreams are made of. They will save the tears of their beloved and steep them into tea to be sipped under a leafless tree under a full moon in the full nude.
Water signs will save the tears of their beloved, steep them into tea to be sipped under a leafless tree under a full moon in the full nude.
They can’t out-weird or out-express each other, and both fear abandonment, meaning they’ll see it through and hope they die at the same time. We see this in the relationship of Cancer Courtney Love and Pisces priest Kurt Cobain. Further evidence can be found in the fated union of Cancer June Carter and Pisces Johnny Cash, which proved to be a source of inspiration and amelioration for both. A half-century ride-or-die romance, Johnny survived just four months after losing June. Swoon, swoon, swoon.
LEO (July 23 – August 22)
Aries
In Aries, Leo finds familiar fire and a kindred, kindling spirit. In this match, neither party has to apologize for being absolutely themselves, certifiably extra, or for always wanting more. Aries is happy to fan the flames of Leo’s ego, and Leo in turn is happy to indulge the toddler-on-amphetamines energy of Aries. Both signs are physically active, affectionate, and accident-prone with a deep need for their fire to find sexual expression. Tempers flare and boots knock, my babies, as both are more than willing to work through issues by volleying orgasms, compliments and high fives.
VIRGO (August 23 – September 22)
Cancer
In cardinal water, Virgo at long last finds someone as vested in caretaking as they are. Both signs are guarded, with Cancer finding it difficult to trust people with their feelings, and Virgo struggling to believe anyone is willing or capable of tending to them. When armor is dropped, deep devotion and flat-out good times align as they have with Cancer Priyanka Chopra and her Virgo husband, Nick Jonas. Cancer and Virgo struggle with feeling unlovable and unappreciated. Joining forces ensures needs are met, insecurities are assuaged, and tenderness reigns supreme.
LIBRA (September 23 – October 22)
Aquarius
Libra finds good company, high-vibe conversation, and uncontested acceptance in enigmatic outsider Aquarius. Libra often feels pressure to perform normalcy or instill ease, and Uranus-ruled Aquarius has no interest in the topical or the pedestrian. Libra needs to be activated, and Aquarius does so in the spirit of collaboration and for the betterment of the collective. Aquarius keeps Libra accountable, while Libra helps Aquarius discern the fine line between madness and genius and soften their sharper edges and avant-garde impulses into more palatable platforms— a balance struck by Libra John Lennon and Aquarius Yoko Ono. Other examples of air-on-air affairs include Sacha Baron Cohen (Libra) and Isla Fisher (Aquarius).
SCORPIO (October 23 – November 21)
Capricorn
In Capricorn, Scorpio finds a formidable match and a sexual equal. Ambition is an aphrodisiac for both. And while they harbor more trust issues than a geriatric shelter dog, they are ultimately interested in long-term investment, accumulated power and absolute security. Ruled by warmonger Mars and death daddy Pluto, Scorpio is the gathering storm, while Saturnian Capricorn is the sea wall that can withstand it. Scorpio wants to merge, and Capricorn wants to build — and one cannot conquer the other or without them. Trust, there is no pairing more suited to world domination than this.
There is no pairing more suited to world domination than this.
An enduring example of this dynamic is found in the relationship between the artists Georgia O’Keeffe (Scorpio) and Alfred Stieglitz (Capricorn). Mutual muses to each other, they kept their love alive across a continent and four decades. As rich as it was complex, and punctuated by miles of letters, O’Keeffe crystallized the essence of this pairing when she wrote, “Two bodies that have fused — have touched with completeness at both ends making a complete circuit — making them one — a circle that nothing can break.”
SAGITTARIUS (November 22 – December 21)
Leo
A union of unrepentant inner-child energy, Leo rules the fifth house of pleasure and play, and Sagittarius wants to have a good time all the time. Sagittarius is a sign that requires a quest, it is a real knight in skintight leather with a pocket full of ether energy, and Leo is regal AF, born to dispatch. Together they make for a supportive and reciprocal relationship, vested in play and united in purpose. Assertive and collaborative, together they find that love can be a kind of performance art, and done well, feels akin to getting away with something. This is the couple that keeps each other warm while honoring the wild between them. We see the beauty of this bond exhibited in the power pairing of dearly departed lion king Nipsey Hussle and his archer partner, Lauren London.
CAPRICORN (December 22 – January 19)
Taurus
Giving apex meaning to the term “going steady,” the amalgam of earth found in Taurus X Capricorn leads to deep roots and pockets and long-term love. There is a steadiness and sense of duty inherent to both sets of horns; Taurus is synonymous with wealth and worth, and Capricorn with ascent and legacy. Neither f—-s with the frivolous or the fleeting and both can be trusted to stick through and stay the course amid the swerves and potholes of fortune and failure.
Neither signs f— with the frivolous or the fleeting, and both can be trusted to stick through and stay the course amid the swerves and potholes of fortune and failure.
Not prone to emo outbursts or courting chaos, this pairing is one of quiet victory, equity, and forged futures, as exemplified by the decades-long pairings of Lance Bass (Taurus) and Michael Turchin (Capricorn), Tina Fey (Taurus) and Jeff Richmond (Capricorn), and Jessica Alba (Taurus) and Cash Warren (Capricorn). In the realm of film, the undeniable animal magnetism of these horned archetypes was played out in full by Taurus queen Cher and weird AF Cap daddy Nicolas Cage in the Oscar-winning “Moonstruck.”
AQUARIUS (January 20 – February 18)
Gemini
Gemini lends levity and humor to the genius in the remote tower energy of Aquarius. No party will fault the other for needing their freedom, their own living quarters or a relationship sabbatical. Both signs are refreshingly unconventional, Aquarius is ruled by Uranus, and you truly never know what a Gemini will say next. They value cerebral communion and together can create new paradigms within and beyond their relationship. Here lies the collision of brilliance and PR, the radical and the reachable, the kind of love that turns the tide of the collective and shows others what is possible when everything is negotiable.
PISCES (February 19 – March 20)
Libra
Love is the drug of choice for Pisces after bath bombs and opiates, and Libra is happy to deliver it in heady doses. The sign of the scales is ruled by velvet goldmine, romance as currency, charm as lubricant planet Venus, and is thusly practiced at the art of seduction. The ever-shifting moods and sad-yet-glamorous aesthetic of Libra keep Pisces hooked on a feeling and scribbling lowercase sonnets in their lavender dream journals.
The ever-shifting moods and sad-yet-glamorous aesthetic of Libra keep Pisces hooked on a feeling and scribbling lowercase sonnets in their lavender dream journals.
In turn, Pisces provides dopamine, inspiration, and enthusiasm to the melancholy, still mad-at-their-dad Libra. As a mutable water sign and a nimble negotiator, Pisces galvanizes, but never forces. The people of the fish are adept at getting Libras to wade into the deep end of the lived experience and sort through the feelings they pretend not to have. We see this energy of exchange and exaltation in the power coupling of Rihanna and A$AP Rocky.
Astrology 101: Your guide to the star
- The 12 zodiac signs
- What are the astrology houses
- Here’s what each planet represents
- Sun, moon and rising signs: Get to know your Big 3
Astrologer Reda Wigle researches and irreverently reports back on planetary configurations and their effect on each zodiac sign. Her horoscopes integrate history, poetry, pop culture and personal experience. She is also an accomplished writer who has profiled a variety of artists and performers, as well as extensively chronicled her experiences while traveling. Among the many intriguing topics she has tackled are cemetery etiquette, her love for dive bars, Cuban Airbnbs, a “girls guide” to strip clubs and the “weirdest” foods available abroad.
