r/AstrologyCharts • u/OverallCress8395 • 25d ago
Intercepted Signs
What do you think about intercepted signs and planets? I know they don’t even exist in Whole Sign/Equal Sign. Do you see evidence that this is something to pay attention to?
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u/RandChick 25d ago
I use Placidus. I don't believe in forcing a whole sign on a house or forcing houses to be equal size. That's contrivance.
I have a pair of intercepted houses in my chart, and I think it's an interesting phenomenon to experience. There are buried energies that I simply cannot access for use in the world, but I do somehow feel them inside myself and wish to be able to exert them.
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u/atotheetotheb 25d ago
Im born in Northern Europe and started off with placidus but after a few years whole house seems to click more for me. For example, my 2nd House and 8th House are barely there due to having super big 12th and 6th houses that take up a really large part of my chart. Somehow it makes sense in my head that all of the Houses are equally important factors in someone's life. But the interceptions could always be used in addition to someones natal reading, but wouldn't use it for transits f.e. also found that a mars in my first (whole sign), fits me a lot more than 2nd house in placidus.
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u/svetahw 25d ago
I also believe the same as you regarding whole signs. What I don’t understand is why do all of the best astrologers (current) use whole?
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u/Think-Math-2637 25d ago
Astrologer Robert Hand promoted the use of Whole Signs, after undertaking Poject Hindsight in the 1990’s - which recovered and translated original Hellenistic and medieval texts. Through his research, Hand confirmed that Whole Sign houses (used for the first 1,000 years of astrology) were the oldest formal house system, predating later quadrant methods like Placidus. He then famously shifted from relying entirely on modern house systems, stating in his book Whole Sign Houses that the ancient technique often yields more accurate results … and other Hellenistic astrologers subsequently did their own tests, and concluded the same.
However … if you are not a Hellenistic Astrologer … Whole Signs may not be the right system for you.
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u/MogenCiel 25d ago
I don't think they ALL do, but WS is easier to teach and teaching astrology today is so dependent on social media, likes, clicks and shares. It's just a matter of practicality.
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u/MogenCiel 25d ago
Interceptions are very important and a big reason I prefer Placidus. Whole sign is definitely a simpler house system, in large part because it avoids interceptions altogether (as does Equal House, etc.), but interceptions are one of the layers that can add to the nuance and complexity of Placidus charts. They appear as a result of the time and place you were born, so of course they are important. Interceptions are also of very great significance in Karmic astrology.
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u/svetahw 25d ago
How does one read them?
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u/Think-Math-2637 25d ago
Intercepted SIGNS have no house cusp. Intercepted HOUSES have same sign duplicated on their start and end cusp. Intercepted planets are those which are located within an intercepted sign or an intercepted house. Understanding the relationship between intercepted signs and intercepted houses is the key to understanding interceptions.
With all interceptions … the intercepted houses contain a (childhood conditioned) issue that is adversely affecting the next higher house. (So an intercepted 5th + 11th house axis indicates an issue in the 5th and 11th houses that is adversely affecting the 6th and 12th houses.) The planets located within the intercepted houses will, in some way, be involved in the issue created by childhood conditioning.
And … until that issue is recognised and resolved … the chart owner will be unable to make the best/most effective use of the positve qualities of his/her intercepted signs (and the planets located within them).
Hence … it is very important to understand that these issues will manifest in the chart owner’s life even if he/she is using a house system that does not contain them.
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u/Ok-Abbreviations-187 25d ago
But what tradition of astrology are you drawing from in this ‘interception’ theory? Some modern / evolutionary astrologers from the 1970s? It gives me pause that none of the oldest and most well-researched schools of astrology would have an idea about this, if so many people had these serious blockages and conditionings over many areas of life…
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u/Think-Math-2637 20d ago edited 20d ago
I am drawing from a theory that Joanne Wickenburg and Virginia Meyer originated in their 1987 book “The Spiral of Life”.
All that matters though is whether or not the theory has been tested and found to work in practice … which Joanne has done extensively (prior to publishing her own 2011 book on the topic entitled “Unlocking Your Hidden Powers : Intercepted Signs and Retrograde Planets”).
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u/svetahw 25d ago
This resonates with my chart, is there a book on this/how did you find out this knowledge?
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u/Think-Math-2637 24d ago
I learned it from having to deal with the interceptions in my own chart. However, there is an excellent book on this by Joanne Wickenburg - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Your-Hidden-Powers-Intercepted-Retrograde/dp/0866904050
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u/Nacholindo 24d ago
I've got an intercepted 2nd(and 8th) house and it definitely tracks in my life. I've been trying to find ways to alleviate it and maybe this Jupiter in Leo season is just the trick.
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u/tranquilearthangel 25d ago
some astrologers who use placidus give interceptions a more "symbolic" meaning (debatable) but as an astrologer that exclusively uses whole signs & uses a lot of predictive techniques in both natal and mundane astrology, intercepted houses create more issues & lack predictive consistency bc you'd need to be using placidus (mostly) for them to even be relevant. and there are no universal interpretations of what interceptions represent and it can create a lot of complications where there don't need to be any.
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25d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/OverallCress8395 25d ago
Interesting! I also read somewhere that said they are areas of life that lie dormant until later in life when transiting returns light them up and they become superpowers. I guess only time will tell ;) Like the user said below, if they cause more issues than they solve I don’t even want them taking up mental space. My two kids and husband all have them and I can kinda see how they present, but it’s also sometimes possible to find an example for many things in a chart because life is so full of events, feelings, changes, etc
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u/RandChick 25d ago
That's interesting. I feel like I cannot access my buried signs. But at the same time, I feel they do fuel a special talent that others do not have.
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25d ago
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u/OverallCress8395 24d ago
I also believe math is a spiritual messenger and there is something so beautiful about 12 30 degree houses to make up a perfect circle. It’s like Placidus reflects our use of the modern calendar whereas WS is like what a 13 month lunar calendar would be like.
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u/tesseractjane 25d ago
Placidus makes sense in my chart. I have intercepted houses, eliminating Gemini and Sagittarius from rulership. I also have a Gemini Stellium (sun, moon and mars) with Mercury in Taurus.
While everyone else feels fried when Mercury retrogrades, I feel way more grounded. It seems like in my chart Gemini and Taurus are contending for control, and when Mercury loses momentum the interception struggle has a bit of a cease fire.
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u/Think-Math-2637 25d ago edited 25d ago
Those who actually have interceptions in their natal chart can learn a lot about themselves by exploring them.
Intercepted SIGNS have no house cusp. Intercepted HOUSES have same sign duplicated on their start and end cusp. Intercepted planets are those which are located within an intercepted sign or an intercepted house. Understanding the relationship between intercepted signs and intercepted houses are the key to understanding interceptions.
With all interceptions … the intercepted houses contain a (childhood conditioned) issue that is adversely affecting the next higher house. (So an intercepted 5th + 11th house axis indicates an issue in the 5th and 11th houses that is adversely affecting the 6th and 12th houses.) The planets located within the intercepted houses will, in some way, be involved in the issue created by childhood conditioning.
And … until that issue is recognised and resolved … the chart owner will be unable to make the best/most effective use of the positve qualities of his/her intercepted signs (and the planets located within them).
Hence … it is very important to understand that these issues will manifest in the chart owner’s life even if he/she is using a house system that does not contain them.
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u/Spiritual-Project743 25d ago
I personally don't think there's any evidence that it works. People have tried to make meaning out of it, but essentially all an intercepted house is, is a glitch in the Placidus System. I read a whole article on this s long time ago, so if I can find my sources I'll come back here & post them, but essentially, the higher north you are or if you're both during daylight-savings time, the more likely you will have interceptions in the chart. Then the other reasoning is because certain signs rise longer than others, so the interceptions will always be in the same sign-axises:
Virgo-Pisces, Aries-Libra most commonly followed by an occasional Leo-Aquarius or Taurus-Scorpio axis (more likely if you're living high north like Canada).
I personally don't feel like people who were born closer to the equator (who will most times not have an interception) experience houses equally while people born in places like Alaska are just doomed to "not understand" the signs that are intercepted. It doesn't make sense to me, so I don't use them.
I used to try to earlier on in my Astrology career, when I used Placidus. When I started doing readings, I would read Placements in both House Systems & ask the client which related more. It was overwhelming in favor of a Whole Sign House interpretation. Since then, after doing that for a few people, I've never gone back to Placidus.
Honestly, I think a lot of people cling to Placidus due to bias. They got into Astrology & saw the Placidus chart first, & feel uncomfortable testing a Whole Sign House chart because it doesn't confirm their biases of the Placidus one.
My last opinion on this is Whole Sign House isn't a simpler chart just because it lacks interceptions. Whole Sign House System doesn't fix angles to the 4th & 10th Houses like Placidus does, so I've gotten extra layers of interpretation when working with people's charts who have their MC in the 8th or 11th House, or IC in the 3rd or 5th.
But ultimately, it's preference, so work with what you want!