Hi Ernst,
Is there a difference in mercury combust when conjunct Sun, and when not conjunct (being in the adjacent rashi)?
Since a combust mercury is quite common, how to interpret this?
When does combust mercury pose a significant problem in terms of
- What it represents as a consciousness
- The bhavas/rashis it rules
- The bhava/rashi it is placed in
Can the lajjitadivastha of combust Mercury be still improved, is this completely fated or there is still freedom to improve Mercury?
Regards,
Anand
@amit, thanks for your response. it seems combust mercury is not that uncommon. But we need mercury to make things work. So for the people with combust mercury, if there are no planets in Gemini and Virgo, then the house cusps they carry are fated to be managed poorly? Can we just predict like that, or can the mercury combust people be counseled/trained to do a better job with those house cusps?
Then again, can a combust mercury get trained or learn ? Because that is one of the main roles of mercury...
We need to see if mercury is delighted by friends or Jupiter conjunction to help him and providing sufficient chesta bal.
In absence of any help, person will have to engage with conscientious and deliberate training to make it work. Sun combusting a planet wants him to sacrifice somethings, so for mercury it could be a need for particular friends but the person is actually being asked to see friend in everyone which can be very agitating but with spiritual practice person may learn to see God as friend in everyone in someway and then the agitation vanishes if it joins too!
Hi Amit,
So do we interpret a combust planet the same as a planet with a chesta bala of zero?
Also, what if the Sun also is at zero degree Capricorn, so it also has a chesta bala of zero?
The combust Mercury is in Sagittarius with Jupiter exalted, so does the exalted lord make any difference? Otherwise, Mercury has no help (no aspect/conjunction from Venus or Sun).
In this scenario, how will the house cusps carried by Gemini fare? If Gemini has no planet and carries 4th and 5th house cusps, does that mean the person will not have proper confidence in managing bank balance (4th) and speculative investments (5th)?
Is the effect of a combust planet more pronounced if it is the lagna lord and rahu/ketu lord?
Please help in clarifying above questions, thank you!
Yes chesta bal will be very low for both sun in Capricorn and combust mercury. You can see the exact values in Kala shad Bala table.
Exalted Jupiter will not help the chesta of combust mercury but it will help manifest the bhavas that mercury rules.
So you have to see the overall shad Bala of mercury if mercury has no help, if that's above the minimum mark and no bad LAs, mercury will keep doing it job well despite low confidence.
For 4th and 5th cusp, when mercury is combust and without help, just see which other planets are planetary aspecting these cusps in rasi which have high chesta, those planets will provide the confidence to manage it's affairs.
@amit ,
Exalted Jupiter will not help the chesta of combust mercury but it will help manifest the bhavas that mercury rules.
How will exalted Jupiter help manifest the bhavas that mercury rules? Jupiter as a manifesting planet should rashi aspect Gemini or Virgo to manifest those bhavas, but it is not rashi aspecting them since it is in Cancer.
So you have to see the overall shad Bala of mercury if mercury has no help, if that's above the minimum mark and no bad LAs, mercury will keep doing it job well despite low confidence.
So combust planet means it is just low on confidence? Is it not completely useless since combustion means none of its rays will be reaching the Earth?
Regards, Anand
Jupiter helps manifest mercury bhavas because it rules mercury and thus have agenda for mercury bhava cusps too.
Yes Combust planet is quite useless personally so it just means surrender to Sun means surrender to God and learn to use that planet impersonally and exactly to fulfill sun's noble agenda and let go of the things that it rules whenever sun orders!
Thank you, it does make sense, I will try to understand it further.
Can also please elaborate the difference between combust (non-agitated) mercury and debilitated mercury with some concrete examples so I can understand the differences? If possible, you can take 4th and 5th house cusp for the examples.
Regards,
Anand
Combust mercury simply means there is no Mercury available and no confidence, so it won't be able to protect whatever it rules and that can be taken away.
Debilitated mercury means the circumstances are quite bad and alarming and person will have low ability too in which case whatever the planet rules would be lost.
So if it's a 4th and 5th cusp that the planet rules will be lost on account of lack of confidence (combustion) and bad circumstances and low ability (debilitation). However there can be other manifesting factors that Ernst explained in the concrete chart course which could save the day.
my understanding is if a planet is with the Sun and retrograde, it is not combust cuz it is behind the Sun. I have Mercury with the Sun. My Mercury is retrograde and it is not combust...
tuyet
@tuyetv Found this in Ernst's book Vault of the Heavens -
The two planets inside Earth’s orbit, Mercury and Venus, are combust when in, or near, inferior and superior conjunction; that is, when they are closest and furthest from the Earth respectively. The difference of a combust planet during superior conjunction from that of a combust planet during inferior conjunction is an area of research. When Mercury or Venus are combust at superior conjunction they are actually behind the Sun, actually setting. Not only are they obscured by the rays of the Sun, they are also behind the body of the Sun. When they are combust at inferior conjunction (when they are between the Sun and the Earth) they are not actually setting; though they are obscured by the light of the Sun they are not actually hidden by the body of the Sun. In my opinion therefore, Mercury or Venus being combust when retrograde is not so severe since they are not actually setting behind the Sun. In my experience I have found that when Mercury or Venus are combust and not retrograde, the qualities of the planet are hidden and weak. When they are retrograde and in combustion range I have found their qualities to be very pronounced. I therefore give emphasis to the Shakta Avastha when a planet is retrograde and combust.
@anand I found the following description and solution helpful from Ernst's Vault of the Heavens book -
Mercury, Combust
When Mercury is combust the individual experiences feelings of vulnerability when making requests. The self is identified with the function of speech and feels hurt and rejected when his requests are slighted or denied. The ego is fearful of having its request denied and therefore feeling rejected on a personal level. Even legitimate requests such as asking for a well-deserved raise, requesting from loved ones and returning an item to a store become difficult. After some time the individual feels taken advantage of and unfulfilled at which time anger and resentment set in. The individual must recognize that they must take direct responsibility for getting their needs and desires met by communicating them clearly and strongly. They are generally only able to communicate their desires and needs more overtly through hints, or in a joking manner. Combust Mercury presents the most trouble in personal relationships where a clear communication of needs and desires is important for maintaining harmony and in business affairs where money must be asked for. In essence, when Mercury is combust the native is angry because they are unable to maintain a fair exchange with others. Generally the issues revolving around a combust Mercury develop in this lifetime when the native, as a child, felt rejected when making requests for things from the father, and the father answering something like this, “What do you want that for, it’s stupid, a waste of money, etc.”
Overcoming the Difficulties of Combustion
In order to rid oneself of the anger and frustration indicated by a combust planet one must learn to detach from the functions of the planet concerned. I generally counsel those with combust planets to tell themselves, “I am going to use my Mercury, Venus, etc.” This helps to separate the “I” from the planet and its corresponding function, allowing one to feel that they are using a tool to accomplish a given task, with no risk or attachment to themselves.