Timing and cycles
Combust
Direct answer
Combust means a planet is close enough to the Sun to be hidden by its light, traditionally weakening or overwhelming that planet.
Combust describes a planet hidden and overwhelmed by solar proximity.
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At a glance
- In astrology
- Traditional astrologers often distinguished combustion from cazimi and from the wider condition called under the beams.
- Found in
- Transits & Cycles
- Related
- Birth Chart, Zodiac, Transit
Combust describes a planet hidden and overwhelmed by solar proximity.
The orbit map distinguishes physical bodies, calculated points, and symbolic cycles where possible.
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What the old books meant by a combust planet
A combust planet is one close enough to the Sun to be burned. Abu Ma'shar's ladder gives the distances: the heart of the Sun within 16 minutes, burned out to about 7 degrees 30 minutes, under the rays up to 15 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.
The words in the sources are not all one word. Al-Qabisi has five stages, burned up, undertaking to be burned, oppressed, united and escaping.
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The Wandering Stars
How the moving planets were watched, named and found, and what a transit is.
Hurt, or helped?
The sources are not unanimous. Firmicus Maternus says every star is hurt near the Sun, though some say Mars is helped when under the rays. Dorotheus says planets under the Sun's rays to the west lose power, and that retrograde brings difficulty. In al-Qabisi the planet in the heart of the Sun is the opposite of burned and is honored, like one seated with the king.
So the answer depends on the distance. Burned is harmful, united is not, and under the rays is a weakening.
The story behind Combust
Combustion is a traditional visibility doctrine based on the way planets disappear in the brightness of the Sun.
The spiritual meaning of Combust
Spiritually, Combust asks what is too close to ego, visibility, or authority to be seen clearly.
Why Combust matters
Combust matters because it changes visibility. The planet may still act, but its topics can be concealed, pressured, or dominated by solar concerns.
Combust in practice: an example
Venus combust may describe love, money, or pleasure themes that are close to identity but hard to see clearly.
Where readings of Combust go wrong
A common error is to treat combustion as absolute ruin. Sign, dignity, sect, house, and whether the planet is cazimi all matter.
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
Clarify what is hidden by light
Combust in a book is one thing; Combust 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, Combust included where it touches your love, your work, your timing. Open the Cosmic Codex
Related terms
More in Transits & Cycles
- Full Moon
- Lunar Return Window
- Neptune Retrograde
- Planetary Retrograde
- Retrograde Pass
- Station Direct
- Transit Orb
- Waning Crescent
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Common questions
What is combust?
Combust means a planet is close enough to the Sun to be hidden by its light, traditionally weakening or overwhelming that planet.
Where does combust come from?
Combustion is a traditional visibility doctrine based on the way planets disappear in the brightness of the Sun.
What does combust mean in astrology?
Traditional astrologers often distinguished combustion from cazimi and from the wider condition called under the beams.
What does combust look like in a birth chart?
Venus combust may describe love, money, or pleasure themes that are close to identity but hard to see clearly.
What does combust mean spiritually?
Spiritually, Combust asks what is too close to ego, visibility, or authority to be seen clearly.
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