Cazimi (astrological aspect)

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Cazimi (also spelled Casimi, and sometimes called Zaminium) is a technical Arabic word meaning "heart of the Sun" or "in the heart of the Sun." It is an astrological/astronomical term meaning a planet that is in exact conjunction with or very near the precise center of the solar disc. A planet that forms a conjunction with the Sun within 17' (arc minutes) of partile (exactitude) is said to be Cazimi, literally engulfed and fortified by Sol and, as it also may be interpreted, "in the heart of the Sun." According to a psychological approach to astrology the Sun, representing the Ego, engulfs the energies of the planet in Cazimi and is said to imbue it with the intensely positive and life-giving energy and power of the Sun.

In traditional astrology, any planet is combust the sun when it is within 10 degrees of the sun either approaching or departing. Being combust the sun, or "under the sun's beams" as William Lilly called it, weakens a planet's strength. As astrologer John Frawley has explained, the sun is extremely powerful and "outshines" anything close to it. Consider the sun like a great king. In the court of the great king, any person who enters the court, no matter how great his reputation or how incomparable her beauty, must be humble before the king. Thus, their greatness is diminished. But cazimi, being right in the heart of the sun, is like being allowed into the very throne room or private chambers of a great king. This is the fortunate position of being highly favored by the sun, like a king who brings only a select few into his private chambers and bestows wealth and privilege upon them and listens to their deepest concerns with a mindset to help them.

British astrologer Deborah Houlding calls Cazimi "a state of solar-empowered brilliance, where the two planets are fused to act as one."

Even though Cazimi has traditionally been thought to strengthen the planet's influence as much as being combust the Sun weakens a planet, some modern astrologers disagree with the traditional method of calculating planetary strength and weakness in a chart. Their view of cazimi, as in all conjunctions, is that the positive or negative outcome of the influence will vary according to the nature of the planet(s) involved. So for a modern astrologer, Mars either cazimi or combust the sun is strengthened because Mars is considered fiery and hot, and thus benefits from meeting the fiery heat of the sun. But cold and dry Saturn would weaken when either combust or cazimi, because the nature of the sun is damaging to Saturn. Modern astrologers usually make no distinction between a planet being combust the sun or cazimi.

See also: Combust