Timing and cycles
Combustion
Direct answer
Combustion is a traditional solar condition where a planet is very close to the Sun and symbolically weakened, hidden, or overwhelmed by solar light.
Combustion means a planet is too close to the Sun for comfortable expression in traditional astrology.
$0 today, then $12/month after 7 days. Cancel anytime.
Ask the Oracle about Combustion
Tap a question. The Oracle reads it against your own chart.
Not a plain chatbot Read against twelve classic texts, Ptolemy among them.
At a glance
- Found in
- Transits & Cycles
- Related
- Birth Chart, Zodiac, Transit
Combustion means a planet is too close to the Sun for comfortable expression in traditional astrology.
The orbit map distinguishes physical bodies, calculated points, and symbolic cycles where possible.
Understand the chapter you are in.
Your life’s turning points, measured from your birth.
Walk through Alex’s whole example first
Prefer to explore first?
The Road of AgesThe turning points of your whole life, from your own chart
Walk my road
The burned planet
Abu Ma'shar sets the burned stage beyond the heart of the Sun, up to about 7 degrees 30 minutes, and al-Qabisi compares a burned-up planet to one condemned to death. Bonatti's discussion of orientality, in Dykes's account, ties the number to the beams: a planet rising out of the Sun's beams or sinking into them is crossing the beam limit of about 15 degrees, while the burned zone is the inner half of that distance, about 7 degrees 30 minutes.
- 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.
A one-minute story
The Wandering Stars
How the moving planets were watched, named and found, and what a transit is.
The names, and what is and is not burned
Al-Qabisi names the stages burned up, undertaking to be burned, oppressed, united and escaping, so a planet is not simply burned or not. 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.
The story behind Combustion
Traditional astrology distinguishes planets under the beams, combust, and cazimi by closeness to the Sun, though exact degree limits vary by tradition.
The spiritual meaning of Combustion
Spiritually, Combustion asks whether a function is hidden inside identity, pressure, or visibility.
Combustion in the Bible
Combustion should not be framed as curse, doom, or spiritual defect. It is a symbolic condition.
Why Combustion matters
Combustion matters because proximity to the Sun changes how a planet is read. A combust planet may be less visible, less independent, or more internalized, depending on the chart and tradition used.
Combustion in practice: an example
Mercury close to the Sun may be read as combust unless it is within the tighter cazimi condition or otherwise mitigated.
Where readings of Combustion go wrong
The usual misreading is to read combustion mechanically. Planet, speed, dignity, sect, phase, and tradition all change the interpretation.
What does Combustion mean for you?
Tap a question. The Oracle reads it against your own chart.
Sources and editorial method
Research references used for this entry include:
- Source
- The Great Almanac Dictionary
- Category
- Transits & Cycles
- Last updated
- 2026-09-26
Related terms
More in Transits & Cycles
- Ingress
- Lunar Trigger
- New Moon
- Planetary Station
- Retrograde Shadow
- Station Retrograde
- Transit Peak
- Waning Moon
From the reference page to your own chart
Every word here
is in your own chart.
- Your life’s turning points, measured from your birth
- A practical next step to consider
- It opens with 7 days free, with the AI Oracle and your daily horoscope
$0 today, then $12/month after 7 days. Cancel anytime.
Common questions
What is combustion?
Combustion is a traditional solar condition where a planet is very close to the Sun and symbolically weakened, hidden, or overwhelmed by solar light.
Where does combustion come from?
Traditional astrology distinguishes planets under the beams, combust, and cazimi by closeness to the Sun, though exact degree limits vary by tradition.
What does combustion look like in a birth chart?
Mercury close to the Sun may be read as combust unless it is within the tighter cazimi condition or otherwise mitigated.
What does combustion mean spiritually?
Spiritually, Combustion asks whether a function is hidden inside identity, pressure, or visibility.
What do people get wrong about combustion?
The usual misreading is to read combustion mechanically. Planet, speed, dignity, sect, phase, and tradition all change the interpretation.
