Jeremy said:
- The sign on the house cusp is generally accepted to rule the affairs of that house, especially if the house contains no planets; how much does this still apply if the house cusp is at 29 degrees of the sign, only one degree of the house will be covered by that sign with a whole 29 degrees in the next sign, so what is the rule here?
- Rising planets are self-evidently important; what does Chiron rising do?
- What, if anything, does a void of course moon signify in a natal?
- Does an opposition in detriment have greater potential than a mundane opposition? For example Sun in Libra and Saturn in Aries, as opposed to Sun in Virgo and Mars in Pisces?
- What is the effect of a planet descending?
My two cents.
1. A cusp on a late degree indicates that the house in question will A) be colored by both signs and the placement of both house rulers will give influence; and B) that area of a person's life will tend to be chaotic and unsettled and is an area of life that needs attention, more so than others.
2. Chiron rising, if aspected positively, gives one great healing ability. Negatively, one is too wrapped up in their own wounds and issues (a whiner). Theoretically, the best healers are those who can empathize and relate to their clients - we've all been wounded at some point, and whatever wounds we suffer are the areas we can best help others, because we have experience there. However, some people take on "victim" status and can never help or heal others because they're too wrapped up in their own wounds to care about others.
3. I would think that a VOC moon in a natal chart (the moon no longer makes applying major aspects to any planet) indicates a person who is more emotionally detached or does not get emotionally wrapped up in others problems. If the moon is in signs such as Virgo or Taurus (instead of say Cancer or Pisces) the detachment would be even more pronounced. I don't think it would have any affect on whether a person is "successful" or not, but would certainly impede their ability to empathize.
4. In theory, I suppose, but it also depends on any other aspects to those same planets and their house position. A planet may be in detriment, but may still be in its home position (Saturn in Cancer, but in the 10th), thus giving it some power. It may also be in detriment but have trines to two other planets, while the mundane opposition may be in square to two other planets. Which one is worse?
5. No effect. Most of my planets are decending, I guess that makes me a night owl. It also makes me more of a behind-the-scenes guy rather than center stage. But on any particular planet - not much.
As for interceptions, they indicate an area that does not have expression in the area of life indicated. For instance, if you have Aries intercepted in the 7th house, that indicates that you may not take action with regards to intimate relationships or with employers. You may be someone who gets walked on in those sorts of relationships. So you look to Mars and its position for clues on how to express that energy. If Mars is also in Aries and intercepted, then you'll have to find alternate avenues to deal with that problem. If Libra is intercepted in the 7th, you lack balance in your relationships - perhaps they're always one-sided, where one person does all the work, etc. If Capricorn is intercepted in the 2nd, you lack discipline with your finances, and cannot manage your money and property, for example.
