Last Updated on July 30, 2020 by astrologerbydefault
This was a question I got today and I felt happy that someone was thinking out of the box, found it quite cute too. At the past few months, several planets went through retrograde and combust phases. It started with Jupiter going retrograde in April, followed by Saturn retrograde. Then we had Mars, Venus and Mercury going combust and retrograde. A few eclipses in the mix, all of this goes on unvaryingly, year after year.
The 5 planets (Tara graha), Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are subjected to periodic apparent changes in direction i.e. retrograde motion. They also move in different speeds and then there are 8 different types of motions which these 5 get into. The results are affected by the speed of motion. Then these five also participate in something called ‘planetary war’ or graha yuddha. The winner planet dominates the others. They get ‘combust’ if they get close to the Sun which leads to a reduction in their power to give results. So predicting their results needs some looking into.
The luminaries, the Sun and the Moon have constant speeds, they never get retrograde, they don’t get into planetary wars. Moon gets ‘combust’ but then it is more properly the Amavasya, the no-moon bursting with energy and thankfully for just a day a month, you can use it if you know how. Both get eclipsed if they interact with Rahu/Ketu, but that is just for a few hours. These few hours are also full of useable energies, so can’t be completely negative.
The Rahu and Ketu are astral shadow forces, Chhaya graha. These are mathematical calculations and not really a part of our manifested reality. They are permanently retrograde, very rarely the true nodes are direct, which can give interesting results. They do not rule signs or anything so cannot be anyone’s ascendant or anything. Rahu and Ketu are the flow of your ‘desire for experience’. We will ignore them just for this post.
The 5 Tara Graha. If your ascendant lord is one of the 5 planets, Mercury, Venus Mars, Jupiter or Saturn and if they are combust/ retrograde/ or party to a graha yuddha, at your birth then you will carry these energies with you for your current life-time.
A small recap, the ruler of your ascendant sign /first house is the most important planet in your life. The ascendant lord needs to be analysed first in your birth chart to get an idea of how your life is going to unfold. If this planet is placed well, your life is going to unfold nicely. But if this planet is placed in the dushamsthan, or conjunct/ aspected by malefic planets or otherwise not in a position to give auspicious results, you will suffer ill-health, misfortune, challenges, adversity etc. This planet determines
- your physical body,
- your environment and
- how you fit in into your environment.
If you were born with the ascendant lord,
Combust – you can face health problems, especially heat related diseases. Struggles in life are possible as you are overshadowed by males, father figures, seniors etc around you. Often might have to work hard for small gains. The entire horoscope can suffer as the main planet himself is weak and lacks power to give his results. Combustion means Sun is also with him. Sun is a natural malefic so, as it is, going to give inauspicious results. Closer the combustion more severe the results. The only saving grace here would be if the Sun is a functional benefic for the chart, in which case there would be some good results. Or if the Moon is well placed so that the personality remains emotionally stable so as to go through life in a more adjusted way.
Retrograde – if the ascendent is retrograde in the birth chart, then he indicates a rough road for the person. There would be delays, instability, repetitions, blocks, a repressed personality, unable to express himself, often struggling against the odds and heavy karmic issues. If you can concentrate on your spiritual side you can make use of this choice you have made at your birth. The personality goes through the same issues again and again and it can get frustrating. But there is a deep karmic lesson involved so try to be patient and start some spiritual practice. A well-placed Moon as usual is a big asset here too.
Graha yuddha – The winner in a planetary war is always stronger and gives good results as per his placement, lordship, position etc. The aspects of life controlled by this planet will prosper. So if your ascendant planet has won the planetary war, then it is a good thing. All the aspects of life indicated by the other planets who have lost the graha yuddha are going to be in your general control. However if he is the absolute loser here, then it can indicate a few issues in life. If he has lost to a malefic planet the effect will be even more severe. The issues indicated by the planets who have won will have the potential to overpower the personality. If the ascendant lord is anyway affected and loses his potential to give auspicious results, the entire personality can suffer. A benefic Moon is a good thing here too.
Out of the 9 graha of astrology, only 7 can be ascendant lords as they own the signs. So you can have Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Moon and the Sun as your ascendant lords. The two luminaries of astrology don’t get into all this retrograde and stuff. So you might think that its rather unfair on the other 5 planets and we all who have them as our ascendant lords. But it is not so, Cancer and Leo as ascendants would be in my opinion the most challenging ascendant placements. Cancer is one step more challenging than Leo.
Having the luminaries are your ascendant lord ie being born with Cancer or Leo as your rising sign means that you have chosen the following challenges, these are just some which come to my mind, the rest you can work out for yourself.
- The fastest time taken by a graha to change signs is Moon at 2.25days per sign. Sun follows closely at an unvarying 1month per sign. The aspects of life in direct focus change quite fast. (Compare Saturn at 2.5 yrs per sign.)
- The ascendant return is highly predictable at every month for the Moon and every year for the Sun. At every ascendant return your personality, your environment and how these two interact undergoes a sudden change. (Compare Saturn return takes approx 27.5yrs)
- These two do not go retrograde nor get into any of the 8 types of movements. Just one unvarying speed and direction. So life moves very fast, there are no review points in-built in the system. This is in my opinion the biggest drawback. Life moves very fast for Cancer ascendant people, rate of change is high. (Compare Saturn who goes through all the 8 types of movements, giving time and opportunities for the life lessons to be reviewed, redone and understood in its entirety.)
- Now compare them to their mirror, the missing piece in their life, the one they will love, the 7th house, Capricorn/ Aquarius with Saturn ascendant! The slowest coupled with the fastest. If you have one of these 4 signs as your ascendants analyse yourself dispassionately or if you know a Cancer or Leo ascendant person in your life do study him.
- Now Sun and Moon are respectively the self-ego and the astral-self. And they are put in charge of building the physical self/ environment. There is some existential discomfort here, observe these individuals to know what I mean.
So whatever your ascendant and lord is rest assured that this was the best possible option. All have their own challenges and their own highlights. No one is lesser or better than the other. And your higher self chose this before you were born. Trust yourself and walk your path, things are always working for the best!
5 responses to “Retrograde and combust planets are unfair?”
Hi Tejaswini,
If the third lord is retrograde and combust will it affect sibling relationship. Is it possible to figure out from the chart if a child is an only child in his family.
if the 3rd lord is combust and retrograde naturally he will have his effect on siblings, on learning skills, on personal boldness, thinking/action, small trades, local neighbourhood, extended family, etc
if the child is the only child, has no siblings its quite normal, people have 1-2 kids these days,
but 3rd house is not just siblings, it is connected to more things
Do check if he is aspected by some benefic planet,
also check if he gains power in the D9
if there are some good planets placed in the 3rd house itself,
check if the ascendant sign/its lord and/or moon are powerful enough
Check if the mercury is powerful and the gemini sign is in the 1, 4, 7, 10, 5, 9 houses, both able to give good results
if there is support to the personality from any 2 of these above sources the effect of the retrograde and combust planet will be made up.
This makes me feel alittle depressed – i have many sun conjunctions.
My SUN conjuncts my ASC, Venus, Mercury and Uranus!
But i feel like i have a great husband / near perfect relationship (7th house ruler is Mercury / Gemini)
My Uranus rules nothing – so im not sure how this would affect me – but it’s placed in my 12th house
My Venus rules my MC and my 5th and 6th houses! (Health & Happiness) – i do have a Thyroid problem and had to have it removed but it made my life better for it. My Career hasn’t been good however.
If you have these COMBUSTIONS as i do in your natal chart, is there a positive way to handle them?
Hi there,
Conjunctions are one thing and combustion another.
If your Sun and the other planet are very close, practically I take is as 3deg 20min, ie they go to the same navamsha too then I consider it to be combustion. Else conjunction is not so bad!
And in fact combustion is also not so bad either. There will be some problems with the physical self, but these energies are meant for spiritual growth. If you can give them an outlet, the physical imbalances will also be resolved. Energy needs an outlet, give it consciously so that it does not burst.
In combustion the Sun takes over all the power of your that other planet. Now this will give physical issues of ‘over-heating’, over-activation’, ‘burning-up’, ‘cuts’, but the medical help will also be available. There is generally no permanent damage to the body, it is curable.
The personal divine inspiration, creativity and genius is linked directly to a planet. If you are aware of what is happening you can use it proactively. You have Sun + Jupiter, Mercury, Venus. Sun is the lord of Leo, the 9th house, an important benefic for your chart.
If you have crossed age of 32yrs you might see some difference in your thought processes, physical health and your inner spiritual growth too. Mercury would have held back all their combined maturity till he matures.
(Uranus is not a graha/planet for Vedic astrology so I will omit this one)
You have said Uranus is in your 12th house. So all these planets are also in your 12th house?
If so pl check if your rising degree is in the center of the Sagittarius sign. Because if it is at the very start/end of the sign the ‘Shripati house system’ will apply. In which case perhaps some planets may shift houses. If they shift to the 1st or 11th houses they will give more active results. Then 12th house has its typical results so do read more on that.
Channelising the energy would be primarily to focus on the Sun.
Doing Suryanamaskar- I have written about it in a post. Even if you are physically unable, whatever of the 10 poses you can in whatever imperfect way you can, even one repeat. It is a self teaching system, so do try if you can.
Sitting in the early morning/evening sun, when the sun is orange-yellow colored. Never under the blazing white Sun of the day-time, it is too harsh.
Give yourself 15mins everyday to perform whatever spiritual practice you like, but do it alone in your room. Private prayer, can be as simple as breathing and focusing at your third eye. You will get visions and dreams which will give you guidance and perhaps the reasons why you chose this combination. But be patient, the more turbulent the conscious mind is the more difficult it is for the sub-conscious to come to the front. This will help your 12th house also.
We offer water to the early morning Sun, it called ‘arghya’ with a mantra. The energy of the water, sun and the mantra helps balance our own energy. If you feel like it, the Gayatri mantra is ideal for you. ‘Gayatri’ is the internal Sun.
As per your home culture, be in tune with the Sun. Listen to songs or hymns or if you like Sanskrit stotra of the Sun.
If you like wearing colors, clothes or fragrances or foods associated with the Sun?
Now Sun+Mercury – you have writing abilities. Are skilled with your hands? Maybe knit, paint, something? You are able to see cues about people that other miss. Learn Tarot, runes, Reiki, channelise energy, or something like that which lets you access your sub-conscious.
Sun+Jupiter – this can make one a deep thinker of off-beat philosophies. So read more and if you like write about it too. Also meditate.
Sun + asc lord – Sun is friendly with Jupiter. And here he actually helps. Sagittarius ascendant – do read about the kendra-adhi-pati combination, I have written about it. Sun here actually supports Jupiter as asc lord.
Sun + Venus – Venus is called the planet of love. But more properly he is ‘self-love’. So as long as you know that you love yourself, things are going to be quite balanced for you. You depend on yourself for your love.
You have both the Teachers, Jupiter Venus with the divine-connection Sun, plus Mercury the skills. You really should give yourself time and explore your sub-conscious inner self.
Pl do not feel depressed, everything is for a reason. No chart is better than the other person’s it just is.
Now some actor is beautiful, a celebrity, but then you read that he had a bad childhood or a broken marriage. Everyone’s life has its own problems and benefits, ultimately it averages out.
Be happy and enjoy the process..
My ascendant lord mercury is combust and retrograde and is in conjuction with sun moon and venus in 7th house.