The sun in astrology is usually associated with the ego and identity. It's usually one of the first things we look for in a natal chart, and it sometimes even comes up in casual, non-astrology-related conversation. We talk about the sun being one of the more important parts of our charts, but what about planets that were near (conjunct) the sun when you were born?
**Don't know what conjunct means? HERE is a post on aspects in astrology. Conjunction is the first one listed.**
Traditionally, planets too close to the sun are considered to be weakened. The sun’s light is so bright in the sky that when a planet passes by it, the planet becomes invisible to the naked eye. Visibility is a pretty important factor with those who practice traditional astrology, so a planet that has temporarily disappeared from our geocentric point of view deserves some extra attention and nuance! On top of that, each planet is associated with a temperament, and of course the sun is a hot planet. The heat of the sun “heats up and burns out” planets that come too close to it, which is also part of what weakens the planet. The sun basically strips the planet of its power, so it doesn’t function exactly how it’s supposed to.
This condition is called 'combustion' if it's within 8˚ of the sun, or 'under the beams' if it's within 15˚ of the sun. The closer to the sun the planet is, the more intense it is, so combustion is more intense than a planet being under the beams (between 8˚ and 15˚ from the sun). Some of the qualities of combustion can apply to a planet under the beams, it just might not be as critical.
Most modern interpretations of planets close to the sun, from what I've seen, basically say that the planet becomes a part of the person’s identity. Since we consider the sun to be our ego, a planet that's cozying up with the sun would be very significant in the natal chart. I don't think I've seen any modern interpretations of planets conjunct the sun really say that they're negative or weakened in any way, they're normally looked at as being kind of neutral as far as whether they're in "strong" or "weak" condition. But even so, the modern way of interpreting it isn't very similar to the traditional approach at all.
So, which approach is right?
I was always conflicted about which way was right or wrong, but lately I’ve been trying to get a solid sense on what makes more sense to me. This is inspired by a lecture from an astrologer named Linea Van Horn that I recently listened to, but this is also based on other lectures I've listened to and books I've read that have helped me with understanding this condition. Personally, I prefer to use both traditional and modern approaches, so this post will be referring to both.
One of the more literal interpretations that I like to use for combustion is that the native could have trouble expressing and exploring the principles represented by the combust planet due to an authority figure. This is coming from the fact that the combust planet is made invisible by the sun, which can represent people in positions of power. It could be a father figure, or really any thing or person that has some sort of power over the native, that prevents them from being able to work with the things represented by the combust planet. The authority figure may even be someone who tries to feed their own confidence and sense of control by belittling and steamrolling over others. The authority figure, whoever it might be, discourages them from acting on the needs represented by that planet, or just overshadows and ignores the native when it comes to those matters.
-- For example, someone with Mercury combust may feel that their thoughts and ideas are ignored by people in a position of power, or they could feel like those authority figures don't encourage or allow them to even express their own thoughts in the first place.
Something else to consider when thinking about the (in)visibility of the combust planet is that since the sun takes away the combust planet’s power, the sun might kind of inherit some of the combust planet’s nature. The native may perceive things through the lens of that planet to an extent.
-- If Jupiter is combust, they could have the ability to see opportunities and potential in things, even when others struggle to see the bright side of a situation.
But since the planet itself is weakened due to how close it is to the sun, it still has difficulties being expressed, or it’s expressed differently from what’s ideal or what's considered to be normal.
--That same person with Jupiter combust may see things in a positive light, which can be a good thing, but they could end up being so attached to their hopes and ideals, that reality checks have a particularly harsh effect on them.
--Using Mercury combust as an example again, the native could consider their ideas and intelligence to be a big part of their identity, but they could still struggle to communicate and/or relay information to others in an efficient or desirable manner. The native may try to be as objective as possible, but they might deliver their insight too harshly or maybe not harsh enough. They may say the right things just fine, but people tend to be on a different page and misunderstand the native completely.
This is kind of like the modern view of planets conjunct the sun, where the nature of the planet becomes part of the native’s identity.
A common theme between these two approaches to interpreting combustion is the idea that the native could feel misunderstood and often rejected in some way, depending on which planet it is that's combust. The planet is hidden (due to the sun), so the principles of the planet could also become hidden or go unnoticed. The qualities and significations of that planet could be unappreciated and undervalued, no matter how hard the native tries to prove their self using the qualities of that planet. It can be extremely discouraging and cause the native to lose the motivation to express that planet's needs.
Due to the combust planet being hidden, the native might prefer to operate behind the scenes, in private, or just out of the general public’s eye. They might not enjoy being the center of attention when it comes to those things, but they still want to do something involving it in some way.
-- I recently came across a good number of authors who wrote under pseudonyms and have Venus and/or Mercury combust. Venus can represent creativity and creative mediums, while Mercury represents writing. These people publish creative (Venus) writing (Mercury), but prefer to hide their work or keep their name off of it (combustion). This is just something that I noticed recently, so this pattern won't apply to everyone with these conditions, of course.
Another possibility could be that they do want to be recognized for their actions, but they feel unappreciated when it comes to the things represented by the planet.
That brings me to my next point. Combust planets can be very erratic, extreme, and unstable. It may be extreme in the sense that the planet is inactive and lacking expression at all, or it could be extreme in the sense that it's very exaggerated and overactive. It may even swing back and forth between those two extremes from time to time. Either way, this instability causes the planet to not be able to function exactly how it would if it weren't so close to the sun.
-- In a case where Mercury combust is inactive, it could mean that the native has difficulty getting their point across so that it’s clearly understood. They may not enjoy openly speaking their mind very often because they're afraid of being judged or ignored. Again, this could just result in people taking their words the wrong way and misunderstanding them.
-- In a case where Mercury combust is hyperactive, it could show a person who’s so firm in their own ideas that they’re unwilling to hear others out. The native may take others disagreeing with their ideas as a personal attack because their intellect is a big part of their ego and sense of self. They might be the type to refuse advice and criticism if it doesn't fit their own agenda. They could be so focused on facts and logic that they seem to be unable to understand anything that isn't pure logic (or whatever is "logical" in their minds, even if it doesn't make sense to anyone else).
-- An extra example that Linea Van Horn gave that I liked was for people with Saturn combust. On one hand, it could show someone who has lots of trouble practicing self discipline, working towards their goals, facing consequences, or one who is so afraid of failure that they don't take the risks that could be what ends up getting them to the finish line. But on the other hand, it could show someone who becomes an extreme overachiever to make up for their insecurities, someone who rarely considers the possible consequences for their actions, or just seems to be hit with challenge after challenge after challenge.
Another way to interpret combustion based on the fact that the planet isn’t visible in the sky, is that the native may have issues seeing their self accurately when it comes to the significations of that planet. They may think they’re doing one thing, but in reality they’re doing the complete opposite and aren’t aware of it. It creates sort of a blind spot that the planet operates in. The way that this works out just depends on whether the combust planet in a particular chart is overactive or inactive.
-- An example of this with Mercury combust, the native could be a huge know-it-all but not see anything wrong with it. They may not have a single clue that they act the way they do, because it's just what's normal or what feels right to them. And if they're dead set on their own ideas and are unwilling to hear any other perspectives that don't match their own, they may try to reject any evidence that shows the bad habit they have, and any advice on how to avoid that kind of behavior. In their mind, nothing's wrong with that they said because it's "right", so why should they have to change the way they communicate it? If the native leans towards the opposite extreme, they could be so used to not speaking their mind, that when they're asked about it, they have absolutely no clue what you're talking about. To them, it could seem completely normal to not speak unless spoken to, so they don't see the issue.
I think the last thing I want to say is that the way that ultimately, it's impossible to get a complete idea of how a combust planet works without looking at the entire natal chart. Other placements and factors could alter how it manifests in the native's life. And the way a combust planet works can change over time, of course, since we know that things like progressions and timing can show how we change and learn throughout our lives. So you may learn to better handle on this condition as you grow mature!