16
Combustion and Sun?s rays

The Sun in his nature is regarded as a benefic in tradition. The lack of the Sun?s regard in a day chart is one of the worst afflictions and deprives the relevant planet of the king?s benevolence making one to be an outlaw (persona non grata) in their actions, so to say. Whilst regard by the Sun (before judge always consider receptions and other factors which I described in previous chapters) is a token that the king grants his blessings (approval) to act; it per se does not mean that you will definitely succeed in your business (it depends on many factors) but that you are given the green light to act.

As always, the closer to partile is the Sun?s regard, the stronger its effect. His partile opposition is always harmful (and can be considered as one of the worst afflictions); partile square depends on reception involved (if there is a good reception, for instance, the planet is received by the Sun (house or exaltation), it fortifies the planet).

Unlike Jupiter or Venus whose conjunction has a stronger beneficial effect (unless afflicted) on a planet than their trine aspect, the Sun?s conjunction afflicts a planet more than his opposition. Such effect is known as combustion. We will not discuss the philosophy behind it, but will discuss the effects brought about by it.

Being combust is the very worst debility for a planet, and traditionalists consider it worse than being cadent or afflicted by malefics, it ruins a planet completely. We will not discuss the philosophy behind it, but will discuss the effects brought about by it.

Although traditionalists offer wider orbs (which I will not discuss here), based on practice, I offer the following orbs: a planet is afflicted if she 3 degrees from the Sun and is approaching combustion or 2 degrees from the Sun and is leaving combustion. If out of such distance, the effect of combustion is irrelevant.

The effect is not equal if a planet is approaching or leaving combustion - in the first case all difficulties await the planet, in the second case hard time for the planet comes to an end. If one significator is approaching combustion and the other is leaving combustion, the first one is worse afflicted even if it is a few more degrees far from the Sun than the second (for instance, I will consider a planet 4 degrees away from the Sun but approaching combustion worse afflicted than a planet 1.5 degrees away from the Sun but leaving combustion).

Combustion is not equally worse for all planets and the degree of affliction differs if, for instance, Mercury is hastening to its superior conjunction (when direct) with the Sun or if the Moon is approaching combustion (New Moon). The Moon is the one who suffers most from combustion; some consider that it is better for the querent to have the significator combust than the Moon. Practice shows that it is true. Mercury seems not to be suffering very much from combustion (since it has always been near the Sun from the beginning of the world, it must have become tempered to such weather conditions), in particular if it is hastening to the Sun after its second station (when direct after being retrograde).

If an inferior (Mercury or Venus) after its first station, i.e. when retrograde, is hastening to conjunction with the Sun, it is worse than its hastening to the Sun after its second station (when direct).

Combustion, to a greater or lesser extent, deprives a planet of its ability to act to its own liking but leaves it to the mercy of fate (which might not be necessarily unhappy) but does not deprive of its ability to mar the life of others. A combust malefic, although impotent to help itself, afflicts a planet worse than as if it were not combust. For instance, combustion increases the heat of Mars and thus considerably his potential to harm with heat.

In judging the effect of combustion, always consider the condition of the Sun (his essential and accidental dignities ? the place in figure, etc.) and the planet suffering combustion. Consider receptions involved. A planet in its own house or exaltation is more able to bear the hardship than a one in its fall or just peregrine. The relevant planet as a host has certain power over the Sun, and the Sun as a guest must, according to the celestial laws, refrain from harming his host. If the Sun is the significator then such position should be considered as a fortification. If a planet is received by the Sun (i.e. in Aries or Leo), he refrains from harming the guest.

But if the Sun suffers essential debility in the sign he is in, he does not spare even the ruler of the relevant sign. Thus, for Venus it is better to be combust in Taurus than Libra which is the fall of the Sun. In the domiciles and terms of malefics combustion is worse than in domiciles and terms of benefics (however consider receptions which might modify your judgement); in the signs which differ in nature with the Sun combustion is worse than in signs which agree with the Sun?s nature (hot and dry). For instance, combustion in Sagittarius (a hot and dry sign) would not be so negative in effect if the combustion were in Scorpio (a wet and cold sign).

To sum up, there is a difference if a planet is scorched in Libra or Aquarius (where the Sun suffers debility) or in Aries or Leo (where the Sun is dignified).

Scorching should not be necessarily considered as an affliction. If the Sun rules the hour, disposes POF or rules the MC, or is the almuten of the place of nonagesimal, the signficiator?s approaching combustion should be regarded as a fortification rather than an affliction unless the Sun is afflicted as discussed above ? then combustion should be treated as one of the worst afflictions in their common sense.

There is a place, called Cazimi, where a planet is considered to be particularly strong in tradition while being scorched ? some 17 minutes before or after the conjunction with the Sun. Experience shows that it is in fact so although I do not know a plausible explanation why. Morin disagreed because, in his opinion, it contradicts reasoning.

However if the Sun is afflicted, a planet is not much helped by being in Cazimi. Experience shows that a planet is deprived of the beneficial effect of Cazimi if the Sun is in Libra or Aquarius or otherwise afflicted due to the position of his dispositor (the dispositor in its own fall or the fall of the Sun).

17
Lunar Nodes

The mainstream opinion is that the South Node is a malefic, like Saturn and Mars, and it harms whatever happens to be in contact (conjunction) with it; conversely, the North Node is of the nature of Jupiter and Venus and fortifies a planet which is in contact (conjunction) with it. However, practice shows that the actual impact of the nodes on planets is not so straightforward ? the South Node is bad, but the North Node good.

I have never come across a plausible explanation why a planet is to be considered afflicted (South Node) or fortified (North Node) at the points where the orbit of the Moon crosses ecliptic. What is an astronomical rationale to consider that, for instance, Jupiter is seriously afflicted if he happens to be at the point where the orbit of the Moon crosses to the south of the ecliptic, or Mars fortified if he happens to be at the point where the orbit of the Moon crosses to the north of the ecliptic? I do not know any; and in fact the effect of a planet conjunct a node (with the exception of the luminaries) is weak (neither in an event chart nor horary have I noticed that conjunction with the South Node per se would ruin a significator or, conversely, the one with the North Node would make a significator exceptionally strong or fortunate; at least in my practice it has never been the case).

I would say that superiors are almost immune to contacts with the nodes (unless a superior disposes a luminary, in particular the Moon), inferiors (Venus and Mercury), as planets more liable to influence, are more vulnerable to contacts with the nodes (in particular if it disposes a luminary), although in the hierarchy of testimonies contacts with nodes cannot be listed as most important ones (their own position in the figure (angular, succedent or cadent) and their configuration with their dispositors are by far important).

The luminaries are the ones who are influenced by contacts with the nodes, because near these places they get eclipsed. And it does not matter whether it is the South Node or the North Node; contact with it is always a serious affliction for the relevant luminary. If that luminary is a significator (it is one of the strongest testimonies against the significator), if the luminary disposes POF or rules the hour, then it favours the underdog.

If a significator, the lord of day or hour, or POF or its dispositor or the antisca of any of the abovementioned, is conjunct a node or in its midpoint or in any of the angles (or in the place close to nonagesimal) always check statistics (form and head-to-head), it?s a reliable testimony that the past will reoccur.

Treat POF or its antisca conjunct the North Node as a testimony favouring the favourite, conversely, POF or its antisca conjunct the South Node as a testimony for the underdog.

18
Via Combusta

Some astrologers tend to impute too much mysticism to the Via Combusta which stretches from the middle of Libra into the middle of Scorpio, though the opinions of the exact ecliptic degrees significantly differ. A planet in the Via Combusta is deemed to be afflicted, the Moon in the Via Combusta is evil and unpredictable, ASC in Via Combusta is bad ? these are only few of the effects imputed to the Via Combusta.

In fact, none of the statements above seems to be true in practice. Only the luminaries suffer from being in the Via Combusta, for it contains the signs and the very degrees of their fall. We can justifiably believe that the Sun is more afflicted in the Libra part of the Via Combusta and the Moon in the Scorpio part of the Via Combusta, but also this is relative. In practice works only the very fall degrees of the luminaries, the nineteenth of Libra and the third of Scorpio. They always portend misfortune for a planet transiting them or casting its antisca to them. If POF, its antisca, or the dispositor of POF, or the lord of hour, or ASC, or MC or the place of the nonagesimal falls in the above degrees, it favours the underdog.

Fixed stars

Fixed stars do have secondary importance in football charts. Only Algol produces observable results, others seem not. Algol is extremely unfortunate and destroys whatever comes in contact with it. Only partile conjunction (27th of Taurus) has an effect. Algol wrecks the significator if conjunct; but if a planet conjunct Algol represents an underdog, do not count it as an affliction but as a fortification. Algol conjunct POF, its antisca, or the dispositor of POF, or the lord of hour, or the sect luminary, rising or culminating favours the underdog.