Combustion (??)

boom

Well-known member
Hello :) I wasn't sure if I was to place this in a read my chart section or the traditional thread. If it's in the wrong place, I really do apologize.

I just wanted to ask, are combustions in natal charts considered terrible? I know that when we see a combustion in an horary chart, a big red flag is raised and is considered one of the most undesirable aspects possible.

I have all my personal planets combust (and cadent!) and my moon is in a pitted degree.

How have you witnessed combust planets in natal charts?

Thanks!
 

Culpeper

Premium Member
Don't panic over combustion. In horary combustion can burn up significators and so give a no answer to a question. However, in natal astrology it seems to do other things. It may strengthen planets but add difficulties and annoyances. You may be very capable at things indicated by the combust planets but have trouble being noticed. Planets are invisible when combust. I have worked on many celebrity charts with combust planets so the condition does not prevent people from being successful. Here is a thread with some more information plus the special condition of cazimi. http://www.astrologyweekly.com/forum/showthread.php?t=65306
 

dr. farr

Well-known member
Following the oldtime Ottoman horary concepts (which here on AW I have referred to as "Ankara" horary), when a primary significator is "combust", the SUN ITSELF is substituted for that significator, ie the Sun BECOMES the significator (having "absorbed" the planet, so to speak) Then, using the Sun as significator (either querent or quesited significator depending upon which significator planet is combust) the chart is delineated in the usual way.
Note, though, that this outlook is NOT shared, by the generally accepted standard horary doctrines in the West over the past 800 years...However, since this outlook dates from an early time (12th century) it qualifies for inclusion in discussions here in the AW Traditional Forum (my outlook regarding the overall issue of the concept of combustion per se, however, is at variance with Traditional and therefore I cannot elaborate upon it here in the Traditional Forum)
 
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tsmall

Premium Member
Following the oldtime Ottoman horary concepts (which here on AW I have referred to as "Ankara" horary), when a primary significator is "combust", the SUN ITSELF is substituted for that significator, ie the Sun BECOMES the significator (having "absorbed" the planet, so to speak) Then, using the Sun as significator (either querent or quesited significator depending upon which significator planet is combust) the chart is delineated in the usual way.
Note, though, that this outlook is NOT shared, by the generally accepted standard horary doctrines in the West over the past 800 years...However, since this outlook dates from an early time (12th century) it qualifies for inclusion in discussions here in the AW Traditional Forum (my outlook regarding the overall issue of the concept of combustion per se, however, is at variance with Traditional and therefore I cannot elaborate upon it here in the Traditional Forum)

Um, dr. farr, this is AW and not...some other places. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that if you want to talk about something that was a widely held belief prior to say...Anthony Louis, or Lilly and Bonatti on the traditional forum here...you can just go ahead and do it. Point of fact is that though we do have a traditional forum (something for which I am heartily thankful daily) we have no written definition of what exactly that means here.
 

tsmall

Premium Member
Hello :) I wasn't sure if I was to place this in a read my chart section or the traditional thread. If it's in the wrong place, I really do apologize.

I just wanted to ask, are combustions in natal charts considered terrible? I know that when we see a combustion in an horary chart, a big red flag is raised and is considered one of the most undesirable aspects possible.

I have all my personal planets combust (and cadent!) and my moon is in a pitted degree.

How have you witnessed combust planets in natal charts?

Thanks!

This is going to be another case where the whole chart is necessary to answer the question.

Why? Define "personal planets." This is a modern concept, since traditionally all the planets (clarify, the seven classical planets) are personal. Why? Because they all reflect light and cast rays. Meaning they all "personally" affect the chart/native. They also all rule houses/signs, and what they do will affect the life of the native.

Something else to bear in mind is that each planet will react to combustion differently, and this is written in the tradition. Take Mercury as an example. That poor guy is combust at least 25% of the time (12 weeks out of the year) due to his constant proximity to the Sun. Planets are always going to act according to their nature (unless they are out of sect, and then they can do things that may seem to "go against" their nature, but in ways that also conform...and I know, that made no sense what so ever.)

My Moon is also in a pitted degree. What does that mean to you?

I have Mercury combust and retrograde in the 1st (his joy) ruling my 12th and 9th. L12 makes him an accidental malefic. One thing I have read about Mercury here is that the native may have problmes with, of all things, deafness. I'm not deaf (nor am I slow of speach, nor do I have a problem communicating) but...I had hearing troubles when I was young. For all of the 3rd grade, I couldn't hear.

Mercury ruling my 9th? I'm a pretty smart cookie. Did I graduate from University? Not on your life. Why? Because as the ruler of Gemini, my 9th, Mercury has no other support. There is no exaltation ruler, and let's just say...Mercury in my chart got distracted. By other stuff. Ideas like combustion and retrograde...they do not affect the planet's abilities to express their nature. What they do affect is the planet's abilities to rule their own houses.

Most important regarding combustion...is it an applying aspect, or separating? This above all will color the judgement.
 

Konrad

Account Closed
Combustion is a funny one. In fact, the very question of whether or not a planet is combust has been misunderstood as far back as the Hellenistic times. A planet is combust when it is not visible at any time throughout the day or night, but this 15 degrees on the ecliptic assigned to this concept is not an accurate measurement of whether or not this is true. It still seems strange for me to hear someone say that their Mercury is making an appearance when he is not visible in the sky, and sometimes Venus doesn't go invisible until 2 degrees from the Sun, how can we then say she is combust within 8 degrees if we can go out and look at her shining in the evening sky? Personally, I use Rumen Kolev's program Porhyirus Magus for this sort of thing, but before that I used this program (http://www.alcyone.de/planetary_lunar_and_stellar_visibility.html) to see what was up - both agree almost exactly with each other. If you begin to use this, you may be surprised by some of the things you see (Mars being invisible for a year at a time at certain points in his cycle, for one thing).

As for the effects, I toiled with this for a long time. As you say, we are told that combustion is devestating, but then when you realise that Mercury is only visible in around 1 in every 7 births, and that we are all (most of us) fully functioning people, it can't be that bad! Combustion is a problem though no doubt: the Moon being invisible is one testimony of one having no children. Venus being invisible is one testimony of having either poor or no relationships, and Jupiter and Saturn invisible both are a testimony of losing one's inheritance but note I am saying one testimony; like every other thing, this is never to be taken as a digital yes/no answer when considering its effects. If the planet who is combust is in some important role like being the Kurios or lord of the year via profections, the person will feel and be overpowered by external circumstances, this does not equate to lack of success however, but it is certainly a trying life/time. I find combustion makes the planets more extreme in their significations - Mercury will be more capricious in his handling of the native's life; Mars more destructive; Saturn more constrictive - but the position in the sky of planet is still important as is its relationship to its dispositors.

There are some things that make combustion easier to bear, however. If a planet has just gone combust i.e. it became invisible at most 7 days from the birth, then this planet is powerful for a time but its effects tend to fade as time moves on. Mercury disappearing for example, with all other things being equal, will show someone quick-witted and dexterous in youth but someone whose mind slows down as they age. I consider a planet making its appearance to be in its most powerful phase and this is nothing new. Also a planet who is so close to the Sun can be considerd cazimi and I have found this to be most definitely true, with less than half a degree being the limit I have found through experience. Cazimi planets are very powerful, but be aware that for the malefics, this can be powerfully bad.
 

dr. farr

Well-known member
I too have (often) found that planets in Solar conjunction (ie "combust" in Traditional and Vedic terms) makes the planet more extreme, intense in their influence, sometimes constructively, other times disruptively: for example, I have noticed several cases where "combust Mars" (for me, "Sun conjunct Mars") has expressed very intense martial qualities.
Thanks Konrad for your insightful comments!
 

Moog

Well-known member
Combustion is a funny one. In fact, the very question of whether or not a planet is combust has been misunderstood as far back as the Hellenistic times. A planet is combust when it is not visible at any time throughout the day or night, but this 15 degrees on the ecliptic assigned to this concept is not an accurate measurement of whether or not this is true.

I've also been looking at planetary visibility in regard to astrology.

The software I use, Kala, has programming that deals with and reports motional quality, which amounts to the same thing afaic, as it relates to solar phase.

Vedic chesta bala is interesting, because it basically (my understanding of it) considers the whole retrograde/combustion thing into two ends of a spectrum; you're no longer simply calling a planet combust, under the beams or retrograde, you have a calculation with a numerical figure that can represent more subtle states, states relating to a planet's relationship to the Sun, wherever it is in the chart.

Bob recently mentioned some stuff about more complicated naunces to basic states (in regards to the retrogression part) in western astrology, but I've not studied that yet. I'm more familiar with the Vedic thing.

As for the effects, I toiled with this for a long time. As you say, we are told that combustion is devestating, but then when you realise that Mercury is only visible in around 1 in every 7 births, and that we are all (most of us) fully functioning people, it can't be that bad! Combustion is a problem though no doubt: the Moon being invisible is one testimony of one having no children. Venus being invisible is one testimony of having either poor or no relationships, and Jupiter and Saturn invisible both are a testimony of losing one's inheritance but note I am saying one testimony; like every other thing, this is never to be taken as a digital yes/no answer when considering its effects.

I believe that combust planets find it much harder to manifest their remit, as natural signifiers, and house lords.

The way I currently see it is, it's not devastating in the same sense that a powerful and debilitated malefic is. It's more like, nothing much happens, because the power of the combust planet to manifest is weak or nonexistent. The things signified have no or little presence in this world; invisible.

So you can have a sort of tragically empty life in some regards. But you experience lacks, as opposed to an abundance of truly horrific life experiences.

Like you mention Venus combust; many people would think that a life with no major romantic relationships is a tragic thing.
 

boom

Well-known member
Thank you all for the replies. I've recieved a lot of mixed response (some very positive and others super negative) regarding my chart. I had a professional astrology reading done, and the news I heard was pretty terrible.

For my chart:

Mercury combust: I'm not smart. I was a terrible student for much of my life until highschool when I graduated at the top of my class and went to a prestigious university. Then I was dumb and decided not to take my studies seriously and dropped out. Now I work a dead end job. In addition, Mercury is the ruler of my 7th house and I've only had 2 sort of boyfriend my entire life.

Venus combust: I'm not beautiful and I've never really had a boyfriend. I become very jealous very easily. I really do want to fall in love though.

Mars combust: I have no backbone and have difficulty asserting myself.

Plus all this in the 6th house (cadent), doesn't really fare well for me.

It can be pretty daunting, but y'know, it's my life and my choices.
 
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Konrad

Account Closed
Mercury combust: I'm not smart. I was a terrible student for much of my life until highschool when I graduated at the top of my class and went to a prestigious university. Then I was dumb and decided not to take my studies seriously and dropped out. Now I work a dead end job.

This in itself is not a big issue as Mercury is invisible at the time of most people's births, and besides, intelligence is relative and contextual - some like to think of themselves as possessing some wit and eloquence but if you asked them to fix their flat tyre, they may have no idea!

As I use the Babylonian fixed zodiac, the exact positions of your planets are not known to me, especially Venus and Mercury, but your professed timidity would most likely be from the Moon's close influence of the ASC degree while having dignity there rather than because of Mars being invisible.

To be sure, you do have a materially difficult chart but this modern notion that to be content, happy and successful you need to be perceived as having some social standing and wealth is a false one. I see one of the jobs of an astrologer to be to help others find their raison d'être whatever that may be.
 

Lion o ness

Well-known member
@boom..

Our charts are very similar I also have 4 Leo planets in h6. I'm also a Pisces asc.
My moon/ merc Rx are combust.

I wasn't successfully in school either, I didn't have any patience for school, sit there are learn was torture for me.

I'm a hands on learner, meaning I have to actually do it to learn it...

As I got older (I'm 40) I began to teach my self, what I felt was necessary.
I taught myself excel spread sheets and formulas.
I'm learning astrology through my own personal experiences.

Basically I try to never stop learning something.
But I learn, what I need and what will make a difference with in me.

I fell into my job, it was a bottom position and I worked hard, continue to learn, and move forward.
Within 5 years I was promoted 3x into management.

So you do have it in u..

Even though my moon is combust, and cancer rules my h5. I did have kids. I have 2.
I think in a way people don't think I am a "freely" type person.. I don't easily express my feelings, maybe cuz of the combustion, but they are there, very deeply.. I just keep them private.
I think so people think I'm cold, possibly even heartless, but honestly the people that think that, are the ones that haven't taken the time to get to know me.
It's just not an easy expression for me.
I actually use astrology forums to have a place to freely express my feelings.


We both also have easy aspects from the stellium to Saturn/Uranus.
I think this makes me very stable mentally and responsible, yet being able to accept non traditions as the norm.

Having a packed h6, can make you stuck in routine, that's still my problem to this day..
It's like torture to get out...
If you can find away from the routine.
That's one if my biggest regrets.
I've wasted part of my life stuck in this daily routine.
Honestly I've done the exact same thing, every day for over 20 yrs with just a few exceptions here and there..
 
Culpeper stated:

Don't panic over combustion. In horary combustion can burn up significators and so give a no answer to a question. However, in natal astrology it seems to do other things. It may strengthen planets but add difficulties and annoyances. You may be very capable at things indicated by the combust planets but have trouble being noticed. Planets are invisible when combust. I have worked on many celebrity charts with combust planets so the condition does not prevent people from being successful.

I added the UNDERLINE for emphasis!

This has been the consensus of many Modernes, yet William F. Lilly puts that Combustion factor '...as the worst that can happen to a planet in natal astrology...' as well.

One can be successful, but it is as when Anthony Louis stated in his first book as a Moderne, that the effects are '...burnt up, overdone, beyond roasted, been in the barbeque of life too long..', that describes it very well.

Take the horoscope of Arnold Swarzenegger, who has the lord of his 7th Falcifer :saturn:combust in :leo:, as he has :cancer: Ascending with that hard :capricorn: 7H. Note his marriage failure and a bad relationship with a past girl friend, the first noted woman bodybuilder, Kellie Everts, who became famous as a 'stripper for God':happy::surprised::happy:. And according to some books written about Arnold he was sexually active with another past girl friend while in courtship with Maria.

http://www.vegaattractions.com/celebrity/stars/arnolds.html

And note how in California after being Govenor, his nick name was the Govenator, he lost his great popularity in his public(7th) image.

2)I have an astrologer I'm doing a some work for who has Hermes:mercury::conjunct::sun:, Mercury ruling the 12th. Well the family knows as I do that the native is losing it mentally yet she has thought for years the Sun made their mind strong by it's cjt to Mercury.

3)Also on another Forum a great horary artist has Mercury combust, and despite many other horary artists telling of a certain transit that he was under, Uranus opposition the lord of his natal 3rd which brought about an unsuspecting auto accident where he found himself in the sherriff's front yard, and others urged that he should utilize outers in transit studies, he sticks to being an Ultra-Trad regardless of the overwheliming evidence of the effects of Outers.

There are a multitude of examples!


Clinton Garrett Soule

Wise men truly know how little they know

Genesis 1:14 (ESV)
14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years
 
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boom

Well-known member
Reading about combustion always makes me :( When I first started reading about astrology online, I remember being so excited by the concept of conjunction with the Sun. But then I read about combustion in traditional astrology, it's like :crying:

I've also read that combustion can allow that particular planet to shine brightly, however it would lose rulership over it's house. So say, if Mercury (which represents my 7th house of marriage) is combust, I might come across as intelligent (but I'm really not), but I'd never get married. But then, what happens to the house? I mean, it's not active? or...
 
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dr. farr

Well-known member
The Sun becomes defacto ruler of the house of the combusted planet (according to Paracelsus)-however I cannot go further into this type of discussion because of the limitations of this Traditionalist section of AW...for further discussion, if your interested, please post on another AW forum.
 

JUPITERASC

Well-known member
The Sun becomes defacto ruler of the house of the combusted planet (according to Paracelsus)-however I cannot go further into this type of discussion because of the limitations of this Traditionalist section of AW...for further discussion, if your interested, please post on another AW forum.
Although you do not wish to go further with this type of discussion regarding Paracelsus doctrine dr. farr, nevertheless a reference to the book outlining /detailing Paracelsus method would be of interest for those who are interested to research this matter. Many thanks :smile:
 

poyi

Premium Member
I too would like to know the reference dr. Farr referring to here. Since my Mercury is within the orb of combustion. While mercury is the ruler of AC and MC. I would like to know the impacts if Sun really took over and became the ruler of those 2 axis instead.

I can surely related to both experience of difficulty regarding to the Mercury while also benefits from it as if Mercury was intensified.
 

dr. farr

Well-known member
Reference: Paracelsus' "Philosophia Magna, tractus aliquot", Basel, 1567

More accessible books contain many of Paracelsus' astrological concepts:
-Hartmann's "Paraceslsus: Life and Teachings"
-Norbert's "Parcelsus" Selected Writings"
-Waite's "Hermetic and Alchemical Writings of Paracelsus" (2 volumes)
...and several other more or less generally available studies...

The hermetico-alchemical perspective regarding combustion was (is) that the Sun absorbs the planet (not that the planet is destroyed in its influence) and the combusted planet's astrological influence is melded with the Solar influence, with the Solar influence predominating EXCEPT when cazimi occurs (in which case the planet's specific + influence is greatly magnified) The combusted planet is "purged" of its "dross and weakness" (Paracelsus) during combustion and emerges "purified"; aspects to the planet in combustion are delineated as if they are aspects to the Sun...the Harranian Thabit ibn Qurra (10th century, Harran) had similar ideas regarding combustion (his "Ghayat el kawakeb")
 
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tsmall

Premium Member
Before we all flip out, there actually was a way to save from combustion that predates much of what is considered horrible in today's modern view of traditional astrology.

If a planet was "in it's own chariot" as in posited in any of it's familiar places (mostly read as domicile and exaltation, though I would go so far as to include bound) then it were as if there was an umbrella protecting in from the effects of combustion.

The key to remember (why so many forget this is completely beyond me) is that if you are trying to delineate the psychological manifestations of a combust planet and relate it to combustion you will fall off the path.

Combustion traditionally has to do with how the planet will be able to act as the ruler of it's domiciled and exalted signs, and was one of many, many considerations. Especially since traditioanlly some planets bear combustion, or being under the beams, better than others.

It is sooo important to understand the terms before we try to conflate them. Saves so much heartache and confusion in the end, no matter what type of astrology one wishes to use.
 

dr. farr

Well-known member
Personally I believe the chariot mechanism was proposed (in very early Hellenist times) to account for the fact that a planet would often "work" (ie that the planet would still have influence) when combust (and-theoretically-supposed to be "destroyed" by the Sun) Note too that no such exception or "protection" as the chariot mechanism, is to be found in Vedic astrology (there is no saving from combustion in the Vedic tradition-however I will note that, except for shadbala strength/weakness evaluation, Vedic astrology does not disregardthe effects of the combusted planets, just treats them as, essentially, very weak influences or-with some Vedic traditions-as "functional malefics")
 

JUPITERASC

Well-known member
Before we all flip out, there actually was a way to save from combustion that predates much of what is considered horrible in today's modern view of traditional astrology.

If a planet was "in it's own chariot" as in posited in any of it's familiar places (mostly read as domicile and exaltation, though I would go so far as to include bound) then it were as if there was an umbrella protecting in from the effects of combustion.


The key to remember (why so many forget this is completely beyond me) is that if you are trying to delineate the psychological manifestations of a combust planet and relate it to combustion you will fall off the path.

Combustion traditionally has to do with how the planet will be able to act as the ruler of it's domiciled and exalted signs, and was one of many, many considerations. Especially since traditioanlly some planets bear combustion, or being under the beams, better than others.

It is sooo important to understand the terms before we try to conflate them. Saves so much heartache and confusion in the end, no matter what type of astrology one wishes to use.
That stars are said to be in their own chariots when they are in their own domicile or exaltation or confines. For, such a star is mighty even if it is ending its course by arriving under the beams of Helios; and if they are arising or pivotal or look upon Selene, they show the nativity to be authoritative :smile: Antiochus Summary – TARES Vol 2 Schmidt trans. http://www.projecthindsight.com/products/translations.html


'...An outstanding feature that has emerged from the ongoing excavation of astrological heritage is the enhanced awareness of essential planetary dignity. The coherence and relevance of this artful system is represented in the ancient teaching tool of the Thema Mundi, where the soli-lunar relationship and sect appear fundamental to the Art’s symbolic and philosophical depths. Essential Dignity is a bedrock principle for both method and delineation, bringing a cohesive force to the birthchart. Without a good comprehension of this doctrine, astrological ‘language’ cannot be fluently and creatively negotiated with any real substantiation.....'


'….Essential Dignity relates to a celestial body in a zodiac sign/part of a zodiac sign, which is natural or familiar territory. Each ‘sign’ (modern term) is actually the ‘house’ - more appropriately the ‘celestial house’ of a planet/light. Meaning, function and capacity of every planet is conditioned by these various placements/lack thereof. Dignity (and debility) judges the degree of any planet’s potential for pure (or compromised) archetypal expression. Essential Dignity is to astrology what “times tables” are to arithmetic - basic grammar for every astrologer - which needs to become second nature for delineation to be fluent, organic, uniquely meaningful.....'
 
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