Is combustion a killer?

1
I am having trouble understanding combust planets. My understanding is that when a planet, and especially the moon, is within 8 1/2 degrees of the Sun, it's combust, and this is regarded as resulting in a negative or undesirable outcome.

I also understand (or at least I think I do) that if a planet is within 17 MINUTES of the Sun then it's Cazimi, and since it's now "in the heart of the Sun," the situation is positive.

My problem comes from a chart I recently cast where one significator was within less than a DEGREE of conjuncting the Sun. If the significator is combust, does it matter if the Sun is separating or applying? And what does it mean exactly for the person signified by that planet? (In this case, the ruler of the person was Saturn.)

Any ideas?

2
Yes, you have it. When a planet is combust the Sun it has no power to bring about the desired outcome. The way to understand this is to look up at the sky and try to see a planet that is 8 ?? from the Sun or less. You can?t see the planet because the Sun overpowers your vision; it?s as if the planet was not there. Even when the Sun sets or when it rises and it?s beneath the horizon, you still can?t see the planet as it is lost in the Sun?s glare. That?s the analogy to understand combustion. A planet loses all strength, so if the combust planet represents the job that you want, and it?s in aspect with reception with you, you still don?t get the job. Or if the combust planet represents a disease, it wouldn?t have enough strength to make you seriously ill.

But if a planet is cazimi, it is no longer combust. It is as if it becomes part of the Sun, pure, all-powerful, bright. To find a planet or especially the Moon combust in a chart is a great thing, but it is rare.

There are degrees of combustion though and this is where you have to use some skills in interpretation. Combustion is worst when it is upcoming and less bad when it is separating. Since the inferior planets, the Moon, Mercury and Venus all move faster then the Sun, their combustion is worse when they apply to be conjunct the Sun. Since the superior planets move slower than the Sun and the Sun overtakes them, their combustion is worse when the Sun applies to be conjunct them. So combustion is worse when it is oncoming and less when it is leaving. Why is this so? Bonatti says that combustion is like a fever. Your health is worse when a fever first sets in compared to when it has left. At the onset of a fever, it indicated that you?re going to be sick. Once a fever has broken, it shows that you?re going to be better, even if you still feel all weak. So as a planet moves away from combustion, it regains some of its strength.

When a planet is retrograde the combustion is worse when it applies and less when it separates, even though the directions are reversed.

Bonatti also seems to have used a different number of degrees for when a planet is combust. Lilly uses two terms, combustion and under the beams of the Sun. According to Lilly combustion is 8 1/2 ? each way and under the beams is 15? either way. Bonatti only uses one term, and that is combustion. But he defines it as being in effect from 15 degrees when it?s going to combustion and 12 degrees when separating. But he also says that the worst part of the combustion ends when it has separated 5 degrees from the Sun. Although Bonatti only speaks of the Moon here, I don?t see that he excludes the other planets either.

If you?re talking about a recent combustion I assume that you?re talking about either Mercury or Saturn. In either case, 1? of separation is still a planet that is seriously combust. At 1? of separation, I wouldn?t think that it matters too much whether the planet was moving into or separating from combustion.

I did an election last night where I picked a Gemini rising which meant that I was Mercury. I did that because the Moon was translating light from Mercury to Jupiter. But Mercury was still technically combust as it was about 7? from the Sun. I used it because it was separating from combustion and it was past the 5? of separation. It wasn?t perfect, and it was still retrograde, but when doing an election, I am limited by my own schedule and I had to pick the best available time given my time constraints.
Mark F

Excellent response!

3
Thank you so much, Mark, your explaination was wonderful, and so helpful.

I never really had paid much attention to combustion until recently, but believe me, I'm going to scrutinize the charts I've done recently to see how everthing shakes out.

Again, I really appreciate the time you took to answer my question.