Timing and cycles
Cazimi
Direct answer
Cazimi means a planet is in extremely close conjunction with the Sun, traditionally described as being in the heart of the Sun.
Cazimi is the rare condition of a planet held very close to the Sun.
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At a glance
- In astrology
- Many traditional sources use about 17 minutes of arc from the Sun for cazimi, though modern practice varies.
- Found in
- Transits & Cycles
- Related
- Birth Chart, Zodiac, Transit
Cazimi is the rare condition of a planet held very close to the Sun.
The orbit map distinguishes physical bodies, calculated points, and symbolic cycles where possible.
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The heart of the Sun
The old books give the closest approach a precise limit. Abu Ma'shar calls a planet within 16 minutes of the Sun, in longitude and in latitude, united, or cazimi, and says it is in the heart of the Sun. Al-Qabisi compares it to a man seated with the king. That is the opposite of the burned planet beside it on the same ladder, which he compares to one condemned to death.
The limit is small: 16 minutes is about a quarter of a degree.
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The whole ladder from the Sun
Cazimi is the first step of a ladder of closeness to the Sun that the old astrologers measured in degrees:
- Heart of the Sun (cazimi, united): within 16 minutes in longitude and latitude, like one seated with the king.
- Burned: up to about 7 degrees 30 minutes (Abu Ma'shar), beyond the heart, like one condemned to death.
- Weak under the rays: within 12 degrees (Abu Ma'shar, Judgments), weakened.
- Under the rays: up to 15 degrees, like a prisoner.
Al-Qabisi gives the names for the stages of a planet near the Sun: burned up, undertaking to be burned, oppressed, united and escaping.
The story behind Cazimi
The word comes through Arabic and Latin astrological tradition and means being in the heart of the Sun.
The spiritual meaning of Cazimi
Spiritually, Cazimi asks what can be purified when it stands at the center of light.
Why Cazimi matters
Cazimi matters because traditional astrology treats it differently from ordinary combustion: not hidden and weakened, but intensified or protected by the Sun.
How to read Cazimi
Cazimi for precise timing, horary interpretation, and natal nuance applies when a planet is within a very tight solar conjunction.
Cazimi in practice: an example
Mercury cazimi can symbolize a moment of concentrated insight, message clarity, or the mind placed at the center of attention.
Where readings of Cazimi go wrong
The usual misreading is to call every Sun conjunction cazimi. The orb is extremely tight and latitude can matter in stricter definitions.
Sources and editorial method
This entry summarizes the tradition in the Almanac's own words; where no source is listed, it is an editorial summary rather than a primary text, and symbolic readings are named as the tradition's, not as fact.
- Source
- The Great Almanac Dictionary
- Category
- Transits & Cycles
- Last updated
- 2026-09-26
Check your solar conjunctions
Cazimi in a book is one thing; Cazimi in your own birth chart is your life. The Oracle casts your real chart and tells you what it means for your love, your work, and your year ahead, in conversation. It opens with the 7-day Seeker trial.
Speak with the OracleThe Cosmic Codex reads a whole year of transits against your own chart, Cazimi included where it touches your love, your work, your timing. Open the Cosmic Codex
Related terms
More in Transits & Cycles
- First Pass
- Lunar Mansion
- Mercury Retrograde
- Planetary Hour
- Progressed Quarter Moon
- Solar Eclipse
- Transit Cluster
- Venus Retrograde
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Common questions
What is cazimi?
Cazimi means a planet is in extremely close conjunction with the Sun, traditionally described as being in the heart of the Sun.
What does the name Cazimi mean?
The word comes through Arabic and Latin astrological tradition and means being in the heart of the Sun.
What does cazimi mean in astrology?
Many traditional sources use about 17 minutes of arc from the Sun for cazimi, though modern practice varies.
What does cazimi look like in a birth chart?
Mercury cazimi can symbolize a moment of concentrated insight, message clarity, or the mind placed at the center of attention.
What does cazimi mean spiritually?
Spiritually, Cazimi asks what can be purified when it stands at the center of light.
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