Anne Massey’s astrology blog

Interceptions

Saturday, May 22nd, 2010 | Astrology Students, Astrology for You, astrology basics

Intercepted signs are those that have no cusp in the astrological wheel based on various house systems. The interceptions vary between house systems. A chart may have an intercepted pair of signs in one house system and none in another, or a different set of signs. Illustrations in the article use the chart of Nick Clegg. 

The oldest house system is the whole sign houses, where only the Ascendant and MC were calculated and placed by sign. The Ascendant is always in the first house, which comprises the whole zodiacal sign. The MC can fall into the 9th, 10th, 11th or 12th house.

Beginning around the second century of current era, the Porphyry house system was also used. In this house system the four quadrants formed by the ASC, IC, DESC and MC are divided into three equal divisions. Interceptions can occur in these charts. The classical explanation for how an intercepted sign operates stated that the sign on the cusp has the strongest influence; the intercepted sign has a weak, secondary influence.

The house systems in use today can all have interceptions, some house systems are based on time and others divide space between the angles equally. Placidus and Koch are time based systems; Campanus is a space based house division. Placidus houses date back to the 17th century, Koch houses to the 20th century—initially Koch houses were known as the birthplace houses.

Where to begin analysis 

So an interception means that the sign does not occupy a cusp. Cusp is a word for intersection. There are various theories about how this is delineated. Let’s begin with the meaning of the word. When something is intercepted it is hindered, fails to meet its destination. Synonyms for intercept are cut-off, seize, capture and interrupt.

From the meaning we might conclude that the energy is locked in. A few years ago, I was teaching a workshop and we had just talked about intercepted planets. One of the students was using the washroom and could not unlock the door from within. We could hear her, but we could also have ignored her. She was free to do whatever she chose inside that room (house) but could not physically influence those in the other rooms (houses). I had to unlock the door for her from the outside.

Intercepted planets can represent internalized dialogue rather than being outwardly expressed. As we age and the chart progresses, planets come out of interception and the person can express and utilize the energy more.

If you look at the cusps as doorways to an area of life, and then look at how a specific sign has little or no external access to that area but lives there. Intercepted planets can be those that have to learn how to behave, the environment had little access to leave an impression on the energy and concepts associated with it. For example, might intercepted Mercury in the 9th house need to learn a new language in order to communicate?

When the house is empty and has an interception, it is physically a bigger area, therefore transits through it last longer therefore the issues we need to work with take a longer period of time. In Northern latitudes a house can have one or more signs intercepted. A slow moving planet in transit may spend decades in the house versus the norm per sign. This means that the person, whose chart it is, needs to process and learn more about that area of life. If we think in terms of Saturn, for example, we note that Saturn travels through a sign in about 2.5 years—the average house is usually rather close to 30 degrees. By adding signs to a house we can easily see how that average 2+ years can turn into five, seven, etc. Let’s say that we are talking about the second house, we might note that this person has to spend 5-7 years working on money matters every thirty years or so as opposed to just a couple of years. With the slower moving outer planets, the duration becomes even more pronounced. There are new tools associated with the sign, but the bottom line is the same—get your money matters organized, learn to budget.

Transits through big houses

When a chart has a large house with an intercepted sign or two, there will also be two houses that share a sign, thus one planet can end up ruling several houses. The ruling planet then yields influence over many areas of our lives. If the ruling planet is well-positioned and strong, we could see lots of dynamic energy operating in a person’s life. Naturally the ruling planet might be intercepted in a house and be less effective managing those areas of life. Adjacent houses, that have the same sign on the cusp tend to operate in tandem, the concepts of the two houses are integrated by the person. Interceptions work in pairs as do the linked houses. For example when houses six and seven share the sign, we may find that the person works with his/her spouse. For that person houses twelve and one share a sign, which might mean that she/he discusses subconscious topics in order to understand his/her inner workings. The person might feel that they don’t get enough downtime and/or privacy.

A house may extend beyond 120 degrees or as small as 12 degrees. A chart may have four sets of linked houses. This happens with birth at high Northern latitudes and the lives of people in the far north are different from those living in the warmer, kinder climates.

Time solves all kinds of issues

With the passage of time signs and planets may come out of interception through progression, which tends to coincide with periods in our life, when we have better access to the energies they represent. Similarly we may relocate and find that signs become intercepted or we no longer have interceptions, this is a good way to learn about how the energy operates in your life through observation. An annual solar return chart might have interceptions and provide tools for understanding how intercepted signs/planets might manifest.

In a recent relocational consultation, the client wanted to find the best option between four towns. She also wanted to understand why she felt boxed in whenever she lived in two specific locations. In her natal chart she has no intercepted signs. The relocational charts for the two places, where she felt ‘boxed in’, have the Cancer-Capricorn axis intercepted. She said she didn’t feel at home and finding work and making ends meet was simply too challenging and that she had little or no support. Her words echoed the Cancer-Capricorn language.

In another client’s relocation chart, an interception is formed in the tenth and fourth houses; there are none in the birth chart. He has lived in this locale for a couple of decades, and career and family have been the strongest influence in his life. The 9th and 10th houses have the same sign on the cusp, and are ruled by his natal Ascendant ruler, needlessly to say he has had ample opportunity to see the world in order to do his job. He has also earned a higher income that in his native country.

I personally have loads of intercepted planets and signs, I like my own company! I find that I have a lot of inner dialogue—at times out loud, even when I am alone. I have Scorpio and Taurus in charge of two cusps each and Gemini and Sagittarius both have two cusps. Using the classical rulership schema, one of the ruling planets, Mercury is intercepted. Mercury rules the 6th and 7th houses (Virgo, the other Mercury-ruled sign, is intercepted in the 9th house, and Mercury is also intercepted in the ninth house); I have worked with my husband at various projects, businesses, etc. He has found me employment opportunities and I have found some for him. I have always taught something, often vocational classes/courses, I have spent decades writing, translating and disseminating information. I have lived and worked on three continents; I have attended educational institutions on three continents spanning four countries.

A look at Nick Clegg’s chart with four house systems

Nick Clegg's Chart with Porphyry Houses

In the Porphyry house system Leo and Aquarius are intercepted across the second and eighth house axis, Taurus is on the fifth and sixth house cusps and Scorpio likewise has two cusps, the eleventh and twelfth. Jupiter and Venus are the two intercepted planets.

Might we make a statement about the fifth and sixth houses, and speculate that the people he loves have a lot of influence over how he works, based on the linked houses.

The interception in the second house, might it say that he is very pragmatic about money, and would like to contribute more to bigger causes, charities. With Venus intercepted in the second house and ruling three houses—five, six and ten—might he find it more difficult to sell his ideals.

Mars in its detriment in Libra on the MC, rules houses 11, 12 and 4; it has a lot of power and it likes to keep peace at whatever the cost. He might be quite the mediator both at home and with colleagues…

The Porphyry house system is popular with evolutionary astrologers, once upon a time I heard the comment that this house system was used when a time was elected to construct a church.

Campanus Houses 

Nick Clegg's Chart with Campanus houses

The sign duplication with Campanus houses remains the same. The intercepted signs change. Now Cancer and Capricorn are intercepted in the first and seventh houses. His Sun and Mercury are boxed in the first house. Venus and Jupiter are not.

At this point of looking at samples, the importance of choosing a house system and sticking to it appears to be rather important.

Nick Clegg does not appear to be someone who is afraid to be seen or intimidated by being in the limelight—just an observation and a personal opinion. However, what his impression is, we don’t know.

Nick Clegg's chart with Placidus Houses

The intercepted signs and connected signs are the same with Placidus as with Porphyry houses for Nick Clegg’s chart; this might not be the same for another chart. For example, I have three signs intercepted in the first and seventh houses when I cast my chart with Campanus houses and with Placidus only one sign.

Placidus houses are more commonly in use in US and Canada. Before astrological software came on the scene the Book of Placidus Houses was most readily available.

In this brief discussion of interception, I left out Regiomontanus houses, which is a common house system for horary astrologers as well as Morinus and Meridian house systems. The two latter ones use the East Point as the Ascendant. The mathematics and points in space are different. However, we need to remember that there are no houses in the sky; all of these are theoretical, calculated concepts.

Nick Clegg's Chart with Koch Houses

The intercepted signs for Nick Clegg’s chart in the Koch house system are Virgo and Pisces through the third and ninth houses. The linked houses are the same. The Koch houses are popular in Europe, parts of Canada and apparently favoured by astrologers engaged in research and predictive astrology. Some sources call the Koch houses an improved version of Placidus.

Leo on the ninth house cusp indicates the way we discuss what we have learnt and express our opinions—Leo is said to love the limelight. Virgo boxed in might prefer to take care of the details, analyze things rather than do the “I am on the stage thing.” Perhaps we could make a statement about the boxed in empathetic communicator who naturally opts to discuss the facts and be more rational and conservative. If there is an apparent bias between the house systems, this is the one I use in addition to Whole sign houses.

I hope you have a delightful time comparing the options between house systems in your own chart and those of the people in your life.

Copyright Anne Massey 2010
First described by Vettius Valens in the third book of his Anthology according to Wikipedia

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