Intercepted Signs








All signs are the same size, 30 degrees each. Houses, though, can have different sizes. The further away you get from the Equator, the greater the differences in house size become. This makes it possible for some signs in a horoscope to be intercepted. In other words, they are totally enclosed in a house, and, as a result, they do not appear at the beginning of any house. Now what are the effects of intercepted signs?

Much of what follows is based on the groundbreaking work of Joanne Wickenburg. She first reported it in Intercepted Signs: Environment vs. Destiny, published in 1978 (and no longer in print), and expanded on it .

In Your Hidden Powers (published in 1992 by AFA). What is presented here is a brief summary of her results. I highly recommend you read Your Hidden Powers for an in depth view.

The horoscope is symmetrical.

If a sign is intercepted, the opposite sign must be intercepted as well. There are twelve signs and twelve houses. There has to be one sign at the beginning of every house.

If two signs are intercepted, two other signs must do double duty and each has to appear on two house cusps. Wickenburg has two different names for these. In Intercepted Signs, she called them Duplicated signs.
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In Your Hidden Powers, she named them intercepted houses (because the houses are enclosed entirely in those signs). These are important too and will be dealt with in the next chapter.  In the horoscope of a person, an intercepted sign shows a blockage.

The qualities of that sign have difficulty coming out. It is like a room in your house that can only be reached by first going through another room. An interception means that your early environment did not give you the ability to deal with the things ruled by the intercepted signs. The qualities of those signs can get bottled up, repressed. Eventually, the pressure builds to the breaking point and they burst out usually in ways that are not appropriate.

It is better to interpret intercepted signs in pairs. Opposite signs normally work as a team. For instance, the aggression of Aries is balanced by the charm and social skills of Libra. With intercepted signs, the link is broken. The opposite signs cannot balance each other. Take the Virgo-Pisces combination. A person with an intercepted Pisces may not be able to discriminate or be practical in the area ruled by that house. In the opposite house where Virgo is intercepted, they could be excessively focused on details and find it difficult to get the big picture. The effects will manifest mostly in the areas of life that are governed by the houses containing the interceptions.

How do you deal with intercepted signs? Your early environment didn’t give you the support necessary to develop the abilities governed by those signs and you have to make up for this with your own conscious efforts. But how do we know specifically what to do? One way is by using our duplicated signs.

Duplicated signs, as mentioned earlier, are signs that appear on the cusps of two houses. If you have intercepted signs, you must have  duplicated signs as well. These signs and their intercepted houses can show a way out of the difficulties caused by the intercepted signs.

You can also look to the ruling planets of your intercepted signs. The house and sign positions of these planets, as well as the aspects they form, can show another way to solve the problems caused by your intercepted signs. Sometimes though, one of these planets is also placed in an intercepted sign. That’s like having your keys locked inside your car. It usually means that this planet cannot be used to overcome the interception.

Aries-Libra Intercepted: Intercepted Aries makes it difficult to take action. Since Pisces is the sign on the cusp (beginning) of the house, the person will generally find it easy to daydream in the area of life ruled by that house.  Taking action tends to get put off. When they finally do act, they are likely to suddenly dive in as if they had never thought about the thing they were considering. Pisces is dreamy and peaceful. Aries is aggressive. Intercepted Aries makes it difficult to be assertive in the life area ruled by the house where it is located. Pisces on the cusp would rather avoid confrontation. Those with an intercepted Aries may fear taking action or asserting themselves. Emotional pressure can build up, and when they finally do assert themselves, they frequently explode, doing something totally inappropriate.

In the opposite house, it is difficult for them to form partnerships where both parties are equal. For example, if the intercepted Libra is in the 6th house, that would cause problems treating co-workers as equals. If it were in the 11th house, the problem would be with friends. Since Virgo is the sign on the house cusp, a person with intercepted Libra will be seen as a servant in that area, or as someone who is always supplying services, or who always has the answers. Conversely, other people may be the ones who are forced into the role of servants. A balanced relationship is difficult to achieve and sustain.

How do you deal with these problems? Look to Venus and Mars in your horoscope. Their sign and house placements, as well as the aspects they form may offer a way out. Also, see which signs appear on two houses. The functions of these duplicated signs and the areas of your life affected by the houses they occupy can give you an escape hatch from the interceptions.

Taurus-Scorpio Intercepted: These are signs of completion. Aries and Libra (signs of action) would appear on the house cusps, showing that it is easy for these people to start things. When it comes to finishing, though, forget it.

Taurus has to do with what a person values as well as the desire to accumulate what is valued. Scorpio is more complicated. It is the sign of shared values, values we share with those around us. But it is also the sign of elimination. When our possessions and values are no longer useful, Scorpio (the sign of death and rebirth) either fixes or gets rid of them.

When these signs are intercepted, the natural polarity is broken. In the house with Taurus intercepted, we may constantly accumulate and seldom eliminate. Since Aries is the sign that begins the house, there is usually no trouble starting things. But, they are very difficult to finish. Example: if Taurus is intercepted in the 5th house (hobbies, sports, games, children, and, of course, romance) it could indicate someone who is always starting hobbies or taking up a new sport which they quickly drop. Their closet is full of all the equipment they bought, which they cannot bring themselves to throw away. They could also be very good at starting romances, but be unable to sustain relationships. They probably do a lot of one-night stands. When it comes to children, they can be good at bringing them into the world, but soon loose interest in taking care of them. The children themselves (especially the first child) may also develop the habit of starting and not completing. Sometimes, the first child will be forced into the role of parenting made to assume parental responsibilities.

If Taurus is intercepted in the 5th house, Scorpio must be intercepted in the 11th house (friends, hopes, and wishes). Libra would be on the house cusp, so this person would want relationships with friends to be charming, in good taste, socially acceptable. If anything happens to be wrong with the friendship, the unpleasantness would get swept under the rug and not openly confronted.

Libra hates to make scenes. The Scorpio ability to confront, and if need be, to end the friendship is suppressed because of the interception. Perhaps it was the case that when they were a child, the parents told them that they had to be nice to their friends no matter what. Somehow, their early environment did not give them the skill to confront issues that were emotionally messy. Naturally, ignoring trouble will not make it go away forever. Like a volcano (ruled by Scorpio!) pressure builds and then blows up. Minor problems that could have been easily solved if taken care of early on, can wind up destroying a good friendship. Conversely, a friendship that should have been ended a long time ago can continue for years and cause nothing but suffering.

How do you deal with these problems? Look to the sign and house placements of Venus and Pluto in your horoscope (and Mars as well since it co-rules Scorpio). The signs and houses they occupy show you possible solutions. Check your duplicated signs too. They show functions you can emphasize. The houses these signs occupy show the life areas that offer ways out.

Gemini-Sagittarius Intercepted: These are communication signs. Gemini is also the sign of curiosity. Wherever Gemini is located in our horoscopes, it gives us the ability to quickly gather information and objectively. Sagittarius is the sign of generalities. It takes the details Gemini gathers and puts them together into principles.

Interception breaks the balance. In the house with Gemini intercepted, all sorts of useless information will be gathered. The intercepted Sagittarius can not help them discriminate between facts that are significant and those that are drivel. Since Taurus begins the house, there is also a tendency to be closed minded. Everything presented to your mind (especially in the area governed by the house containing the interception) has to be solid and tangible, or it will tend to be rejected. There is also a tendency to keep quiet about any idea that could get you embarrassed in public.

In the opposite house, where Sagittarius is intercepted, Scorpio is on the cusp. Everything there is heavy. Scorpio likes to get into things in depth. But with Sagittarius intercepted, you could find it difficult to express your opinions with enthusiasm, or even to express them at all! After all, Scorpio does like to keep secrets. Since Gemini is intercepted on the other side of the horoscope, you may have a problem coming up with reasons to back up what you say so your claims can sound like dogmatic (take it or leave it) assertions. Too often, other people will leave it and not pay attention to your views.

To deal with the problems of this interception, first look to the sign, house, and aspects of Mercury and Jupiter. These can indicate possible solutions. Then check your duplicated signs. They show more ways out of your interception dilemmas.

Cancer-Capricorn Intercepted: Cancer rules emotions and our home, out personal space. Capricorn governs our ambitions and our ability to make it out there in the world. Both of them are Cardinal Signs, signs of action. The signs before them are Mutable Signs, signs of communication. When Cancer and Capricorn are intercepted, we may have no trouble talking about what we are going to do. The problem is actually DOING something!

Compare intercepted Cancer (a cardinal sign) with intercepted Aries (also a cardinal sign). With an Aries interception, Pisces (a mutable sign) is on the house cusp, so we can dream easily enough, but there is trouble taking action to bring the dreams into reality. With intercepted Cancer, we have another mutable sign, Gemini, on the house cusp. This means we can intellectualize, but there is trouble expressing how we feel about anything. When emotions do come out, they can do so suddenly and fitfully. With the intercepted Aries, our assertion and aggressiveness tends to be inappropriate, so other people don’t accept it. With intercepted Cancer, our emotional expression is also likely to be inappropriate (usually, it is some sort of outburst) and that also is a major turn off.

Sagittarius begins the house where Capricorn is intercepted. Sagittarius is the architect, Capricorn is the builder. Usually, there is no trouble making plans. The problem is actually DOING something about them. Capricorn is also the organizer. When it is intercepted, our ability to organize and control is blocked. When it does come out, that cheerful, happy-go-lucky Sagittarius that everybody sees in us disappears. Suddenly, there is a Capricorn control freak! Once again, like the inappropriate aggression of intercepted Aries and the inappropriate emotional outbursts of intercepted Cancer, the sudden discipline and desire for control of an intercepted Capricorn is usually inappropriate.

In the Northern hemisphere, if late Sagittarius is on the Ascendant, Capricorn is usually intercepted. The people with this were, in early childhood, forced to suppress their serious, ambitious side (Capricorn) and put on a happy face (Sagittarius). In the 7th house where Cancer is intercepted, one of two things can happen. Either the marriage partner seems to be a sparkling, talkative, intellectual Gemini (not necessarily a Gemini Sun sign, but a Gemini type) who later turns into a complaining, demanding whiner, or the partner pictures us as the light, breezy Gemini type and WE turn into the negative Cancer type, with never-ending emotional demands.

An example of intercepted Cancer and Capricorn is Oprah Winfrey. She has a Sagittarius Ascendant with Capricorn intercepted in her first house and a Cancer interception in her 7th. Wait a minute! Oprah is a workaholic. She isn’t all talk and no action, and she certainly will not suppress her Capricorn drive and ambition.

First of all, where is her Saturn (the ruler of Capricorn)? It makes a close square with her Sun and Venus. That is her way out. She got into that locked room, that intercepted sign, and stayed there! Secondly, Sagittarius and Gemini, the signs that appear on the cusps of the houses containing the interceptions, are also her duplicated signs. This means that they also offer a way out of her problems. All talk and no action? Talking IS the way Oprah takes action. She has a talk show, a magazine, and a book club.

Leo-Aquarius Intercepted: Leo is where we want to be on stage. Aquarius is where we want to rebel and be original and different. Aquarius, being an Air Sign, gives Leo an awareness of others so it wont run roughshod over them. It also gives originality to Leos self-expression. Leo gives a sense of purpose to the rebellion and originality of Aquarius. Without this, Aquarius would be merely an eccentric crank, rebelling only for the sake of rebelling. And that’s what can happen when these signs are intercepted.

In the house where Leo is intercepted, we find it difficult to get noticed, take center stage, to get applause. Since Cancer is on the house cusp, other people will view you in this area as nurturing and emotional. In other words, they are likely to come to you for emotional support instead of giving you the attention you inwardly crave.

In the opposite house where Aquarius is intercepted, the drive to be original and different is suppressed. Capricorn is on the house cusp, and that sign is cautious, conservative, and very concerned with its public image. Every client I have seen with a Capricorn Ascendant and Aquarius intercepted in the 1st house learned early in life that their desire to different, to explore new, strange, and socially unacceptable things was not going to be tolerated. They covered it up with a Capricorn veneer so they could appear to be normal and when the pressure builds up, when they do finally rebel, it could be extreme and inappropriate.

Your Sun and Uranus, rulers of the intercepted signs, could show the way out of these difficulties. For other ways out, look to the duplicated Signs in your horoscope.

Virgo-Pisces Intercepted: Virgo, like Gemini, is ruled by the planet Mercury. Gemini rules the arms while Virgo rules the small intestine. Gemini gathers information, Virgo assimilates it. Gemini is fast and can do more than one thing at a time. In fact, it has to or it gets bored! By contrast, Virgo is slow, careful, and meticulous. And it always has questions. Remember Colombo, the T.V. detective played by Peter Falk? The most famous line from the show is Just one more thing Falk is a Virgo Sun sign. I think one of the reasons he was so successful with the role of Colombo is that Colombo is a Virgo type, always looking for tiny details.

While Virgo deals with material reality, Pisces, its polar opposite, rules imagination and faith, dreams and ideals, things that cannot be touched, weighed, or measured. The dreams and ideals of Pisces can never be reached, but striving for them is what keeps us all going! Years ago, I met a self-made billionaire. He said that to achieve anything, you had to have a picture of what you wanted �like watching it on television. Pisces rules the ability to have that picture.

With interception, in the house containing Pisces we have great difficulty discriminating, telling the difference between achievable goals and total fantasy. There can be great visions of things we would like to do, but without the help of Virgo, we don t know how to do them. The house with the Pisces interception shows where we can be easily deceived, by ourselves as well as others.

Virgo is intercepted in the opposite house, and that�s where we can be too critical and judgmental. Without the help from the intercepted Pisces, Virgo becomes the true cynic, knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing.

It can work the other way too. In the house with the Virgo intercept, we may attract people who, at first, seem sunny, optimistic, and generous (Leo begins the house where Virgo is intercepted). It is not until we have been sucked in that they start tearing us apart with relentless criticism.

Look to Mercury and Neptune, rulers of the intercepted signs, for ways out of these difficulties. Look also to the duplicated signs, the ones appearing on the cusps of two houses. These will provide other ways out.

Houses With Intercepted Signs:

Remember that interceptions come in pairs. If a house has an intercepted sign, the opposite house must have an interception as well.

First and Seventh Houses: The problem areas are presentingyourself (1st house) and partnerships (7th house). The nature of the intercepted signs will show the specific problem areas.

Second and Eighth Houses: Your attitude towards money, possessions, personal values, and, more importantly, your sense of self-worth needs to be worked on. On the opposite side of the horoscope, the problem areas are your attitude towards sex and sexuality in general, as well as how you relate to the values of all groups you belong to. This includes everything from your family to society in general. There could also be problems with inheritance matters or taxes. The intercepted signs you have here will show the specific nature of the problems.

Third and Ninth Houses: Problems with communication and transportation. There could also be difficulties with education and siblings, all of which are ruled by these two houses.

Fourth and Tenth Houses: These are parental houses. Now just about everyone has problems with parents. That is part of the human condition. The intercepted signs, however, will show what particular form these problem areas with parents will tend to take. But there could also be difficulties with home life in general, as well as all matters connected with domestic real estate. The early problems with parents could easily repeat later in life in the relationship with the bossand in career problems

Fifth and Eleventh Houses: Something is blocked in the areas of romance, children, creativity and fun when you have an intercepted sign in the fifth house. In the eleventh house, the problems are with friends and friendship, as well as with your hopes and wishes.

Sixth and Twelfth Houses: The intercepted sign on your sixth house shows potential problems with work, relations with co-workers and subordinates, service that you can give, and also your health. The interception in your 12th house can indicate how you can sabotage yourself (the 12th rules self-undoing) as well as giving clues to problems with your subconscious.