Opposites attract—wouldn't you agree? In millenia past, the earliest stargazers apportioned each of the four elements to a particular gender. So fire and air are masculine; earth and water are feminine. But that means that the oppositions (which are fire and air and earth and water) are both the same gender. This adds an element of harmony and compatibility for gay couples, who share a gender. For heterosexual pairings, this means one party will have a Sun sign opposite their gender.

For example, Cancer women can be ultra-feminine, having an impulse to nurture and grow. Cancer males can have the sensitivity without having any way to remove themselves from the fray, emotionally speaking that is. The opposite sign, Capricorn, is an earth sign, also considered feminine. So a female Capricorn will have the determination and independence that in many males is solitude and possible tendencies to depression. If you have a Cancer/Capricorn relationship, where the male is the Cancer and the woman is the Capricorn, the female Capricorn may be the one who calls the shots, or is in a position of constantly urging the Cancer male to get over things, either by direct comment or example.

In terms of endurance, opposites that attract one another can definitely go the distance—even as they defy others' expectations and dire predictions. Sometimes the "opposites attract" combo can have a certain shelf-life. Also, another factor to bear in mind is that when transiting planets are making difficult angles (e.g., a square) to one of these signs, due to the nature of geometry as exerted on a 360-degree circle, the other sign also experiences that square. In short, when one sign is stressed, so is the other: no one gets a break at the same time.

Aries and Libra
Potentially lethal, but professionally advantageous. These two signs are an amusing-to-onlookers example of how opposites attract. Impetuous Aries has peculiar chemistry with diffident, dallying Libra. Yet Libra can help Aries focus—or at least be consistent in their efforts, which isn't always the best thing for those involved. The ram is all about moving forward, but Libra likes to spend time considering. Aries and Libra can also be a successful but highly short-term pairing. Sparks usually fly right away, and given the choice of the other cardinal signs (including Cancer and Capricorn), Aries usually chooses Libra, who'll give them no argument or require special handling. I was amused to find a variety of intense Aries/Libra relationships once I started researching, and in all of these cases, the Aries was the instigator, while the Libra was the agent acted upon, the victim, or the willing enabler. Take the case of the poet Verlaine (March 30) and his dear friend, poet Arthur Rimbaud (October 20). These two were brilliant young men of letters in France, penning the equivalent of chart-topping number one hits in poetry . . . until Verlaine got drunk and shot Arthur.

How about my favorite silent movie star, Buster Keaton (October 4), who began his film career as a nonreactive, skinny, and gymnastic counterpart to America's favorite funnyman, Fatty Arbuckle (March 24)? Fatty was a huge (in every sense) star when he was matched with Buster, who always remembered his friend's kindness, particularly after Fatty was accused of the murder of party girl Virginia Rappe and stood trial. Though Fatty was acquitted, only loyal Buster would give him work after that, directing his films. Of course Fatty couldn't use his own name—instead choosing an inside-joke alias: Will B. Good.

The pair that loved together and worked together were those thrill- seeking tabloid criminals of the 1930s, Clyde Barrow (March 24) and Bonnie Parker (October 1). Their bloody crime spree encompassed five Midwestern states and included the homicides of nine police officers. During their lives and particularly after death, these two have been celebrated as a pair of star-crossed criminals.

In all three cases, we see that Aries basically takes the initiative, leaving Libra to either clean up or suffer the consequences of the relationship.

From The Astrological Elements, by Sally Cragin