I’ve received a few questions from my 2012 annual reading customers about intercepted signs. Before I go any further, let me say that this is advanced astrology. You could search the Planet Waves site for days and not find that statement — “this is advanced astrology” — because I think that just about all astrology is on the same level, once you’re able to hear the chart.
Interceptions, however, are subtle. There is no stock way to interpret them, there are just some good theories that work well. They don’t really apply directly to my 2012 readings (or any of my annual readings) because I use whole sign houses — which obviates the regular house systems. I explain whole sign houses in the post below, with the audio, the one called “It’s All About the Houses.” But I’ll give a basic rundown here again, hopefully making it simpler.
What is a House?
A house is a way of sorting the astrology wheel into the departments of life. You may have a particular conjunction in your chart, but how do we know whether it will most strongly influence relationships, career, money or your imagination? We know because of what house it’s in.
There are many systems (Koch, Placidus, Topocentric, etc.) for dividing the wheel into 12 houses. The house divisions are imposed over the sign divisions. Signs are equally 30 degrees each — even in Vedic astrology. Houses may be anywhere from 20 to 80 degrees wide. When you put the two together, you get a unique pattern in every chart, where the houses overlay the signs.
Note: the degree rising does not change, regardless of the house system, nor does the midheaven. The house systems provide the 2nd and 3rd house cusps (which translate to the opposite houses, 8th and 9th) and then the 5th and 6th house cusps, which translates to he opposite houses, the 11th and the 12th). The fuss about what house system (Koch, Placidus, Topocentric, etc.) verges on meaningless, for most purposes. One purpose, though, is that when you cast a chart in different house systems, sometimes the interceptions will move. I’ve never seen any other astrologer propose this idea — that your preference for house systems can be based on how you relate to the way the interceptions are placed in that system.
What is an Interception?
Section of the natal chart of Charles Atlas, cast in Koch houses. Libra is intercepted in the 8th house. See article for more information.
Every house cusp goes through a sign. But because the houses can be wider than 30 degrees, in many charts, not every sign has a house cusp running through it. When you have a sign with no house cusp, the sign is floating in the middle of a house, and can seem to lack a point of entry. The intercepted sign can act like ‘a room within a room’ — a place that’s difficult for you to get into. Intercepted signs can also represent a blind spot in your chart (and correspondingly in your life).
The diagram shows how to see an interception. This is the natal chart of Charles Atlas, for an example. Notice that 24+ Virgo is on the 8th house cusp. Then there’s a little blue Libra glyph floating just outside the 8th in the outermost wheel. Libra has no house cusp — it’s floating around in the 8th. That’s an interception. Then Scorpio is on the 9th house, with the cusp running through 3+ Scorpio. The 8th house is wider than 30 degrees, so it swallows Libra. Libra is still in the chart, but it’s just a little more difficult to reach or see the influences of, without using a special technique or two. I’ve chosen this chart at random — but given the life of Charles Atlas and his role in the culture, it’s going to make an interesting interpretation.
Though it’s not shown, on the other side of the chart, Aries is intercepted in the 2n house. I will come back to this chart when I explain how to consider interpretation of an interception.
Whole Sign Houses
Whole sign houses count an entire sign AS a a house. Say for example you’re Capricorn rising. In that case all of Capricorn would be your 1st house, all of Aquarius your 2nd house and so on around the wheel. Whole sign houses are the oldest house system, and I use this system for all of my astrology that I do in my prerecorded readings — and I always track it even in the most technically detailed client work.
Since Rob Hand published his monograph Whole Sign Houses, astrologers have been figuring out how effective it is. Whole sign houses are a method of shorthand that works well, though it’s not only the oldest house system but also the structure beneath many other things we take for granted in astrology, such as aspects. Major aspects (trine, square, opposition and others) derived as a way of expressing the relationship of whole sign houses (and the planets in them) to one another.
In whole sign houses, the sign cusp is the house cusp. No matter where in Capricorn your ascendant is, the beginning of Cap is your 1st house and the beginning of Aquarius is your 2nd house. If you’re an astrology student, I suggest you try reading your natal chart this way and see what it tells you.
One thing about whole sign houses is that there are not interceptions, because the house wheel and the sign wheel exactly correspond. That’s why they’re not a factor in the Reality Check readings. There are creative ways to apply the information in any of the readings to your chart. For example, if you have Pisces rising and Aries intercepted in the 1st house, see how Aries works for you as your “rising sign” (even though it’s not really your ascendant).
Astrology seems more theoretical than it is. Yes there’s a lot of theory — but when an interpretation works, when you get vital information, then put it to work for you and don’t worry about the theory. If you want to go digging into how or why something works, that’s the time to bring out the theoretical toolbox and have some fun.
In the nest post I’ll give three different theories for interpreting and using intercepted signs in your personal natal. If you have any questions before then, please put them in the comment area.
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