Have you ever failed at an important initiative despite excellent transits and a pretty good elections? Well, sometimes even with the best horoscope one can’t change their fate, but also other factors may be the cause of a horoscope being unsuccessful. One of such factors may be combust hours. These specific astrological circumstances may affect the final result of a new initiative, even founded on good elections. In this article, I’ll explain what combust hours are, how to check when they occur, how you may find them useful in your life and what you can do if you can’t avoid them.
What are the combust hours?
The Moon and the Sun as well as their relation (moon phase) are one of the main significators considered not only in natal astrology but actually in most astrological analysis including medical astrology, elections as well as mundane astrology. The last two fields are the most interesting in terms of combust hours. Guido Bonatti warns in his Book Of Astronomy in Treatise 7: On Elections against starting a war during the combust hours because of being defeated and even loosing life.
When do these hours occur?
To put things simply, when the Moon conjunct the Sun (New Moon), the next 12 hours from this very moment are so-called combust hours. Then the next 72 hours are so-called incombust hours. Then the next following 12 hours are combust again and the following 72 hours are incombust and so on until the next new moon.
So these twelve-hours periods are the critical moments when starting a conflict or a war may lead one to a failure with catastrophic consequences. Especially the first four hours are the most inauspicious – according to Bonatti’s writings, a person may lose their life even if the elections were excellent. The following four hours may bring injury or capture, though not death. And the last four hours are the least malefic – a person may lose their resources, allies and army.
To check the time and date of the last new moon, one can simply use a paper calendar. They usually contain that kind of information. I subscribed to the Google calendar showing moon phases so I can easily check it on my mobile. Such calendars are also available online for free.
Duodena Of The Moon
Or The 12 Hours Of The Sun And The Moon
Guido Bonatti also describes so-called duodena. In case of duodena, the starting point remains the same, it’s a New Moon; however, the time division is different. Here is how to determine duodena:
- First, take the first 12 hours and divide them into three equal parts – four hours.
- As a next step, assign the three rulers of the first triplicity to each four-hours period – Sun to the first four hours, Jupiter to the following four hours and Saturn to the last four hours.
- Then take the next 12 hours and repeat this operation but this time with rulers of earthy triplicity.
- The next 12 hours divide using the next triplicity rulers – airy one.
- And finally the fourth 12-hours period divide equally into three parts and assign watery triplicity rulers accordingly.
- Continue assigning triplicity rulers starting from the fiery one and repeat with the whole triplicity set until the next New Moon moment.
These 12-hours periods are duodena. See the table below for the ruler assigned to each triplicity.
| Triplicity | Day Ruler | Night Ruler | Participating Ruler |
| Fire | Sun | Jupiter | Saturn |
| Earth | Venus | Moon | Mars |
| Air | Saturn | Mercury | Jupiter |
| Water | Venus | Mars | Moon |
When the Moon is in duodena (she is always in some), she is under the power of the planet assigned to the third part of duodena and acts in accordance with the condition of this planet. Have a look at the examples below.
When they may be useful?
Not every day involves declaring war in the military sense in our daily lives. However, each of us occasionally has to start some kind of conflict, whether in court with a neighbour illegally occupying one’s land, or at work with a manager regarding a raise or maybe one has to go through tough negotiations regarding the budget for a big new project. In such situations, it can be useful to check whether the combust hours occur and, if possible, initiate the conflict out of these critical moments. When it turns out that I would like to start a tiny war during the combust hours, I find it as a warning or a sign to think twice before starting a drama. Sometimes, after a day of waiting, I decide to not, but if I decide to do so, it always works for me. That’s always good.
In his treatise, Bonatti mentions also plowing and advises against starting plowing during the combust hours. Similarly to war, he divides the 12-hours period into three parts: plowing in the first four hours may end in loosing fruits and hope, in the second four hours may end in great detriment in all things that one possesses, in the last three hours may cause losses in yields. So this may be a useful tip for all gardeners and farmers.
Examples
China-United States trade war
A trade war between China and USA started in January 2018, when the president of U.S. – Donald Trump imposed tariffs on China due to unfair trade practices. I took the announcement on the X profile of the USTR as the starting time and date of that economic conflict. It didn’t start in combust hours, however, worth noting is duodena – Mercury, a planet of trading, which speaks for itself.
Bosnian War
According to astro.com, the Bosnian War started 03.04.1992 in Bosnanski Brod in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was the day of a new moon, but it started at the very last part of the combust hours period (the third four hours). Duodena was Saturn in Aquarius, his domicile. Saturn ruled the V and VI house. Saturn, in case of this war, highlights the cruelty of this conflict.
In war, everyone, except politicians, loses. In this case, the attacking side, Bosnian Serb paramilitary forces and Yugoslavian army, did not win and neither did the Bosnian side. After years of fighting, western countries with NATO imposed a final cease-fire negotiated at Dayton, US in 19952.
Years after the war, Slobodan Milošević, the president of Serbia and Yugoslavia, was arrested in 2001 and charged with genocide and crimes against humanity. He died in prison before the end of the trial. The king, in this case the president, was captured.
Conclusions
I’ve looked at many war horoscopes, and most of them started out of the combust hours. I don’t think it was always the work of an astrologer. Simply, there are fewer combust hours than incombust ones, so random choice of date and time usually fall out of them. What is important, these rules can be useful nowadays in certain life situations like court cases, which shows longevity and versatility of an astrological knowledge system.
Writing this made me reflect on how easy it is to sit at a safe home on a beautiful evening, reading a horoscope that hides stories of suffering, grief, death and loss. And how little we realise that all what we have can disappear in a blink of an eye. That is why I wish for you, dear reader, that you never have the chance to experience war.
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References:
- Post on the official Twitter page of the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative ↩︎
- britannica.com ↩︎
- Birth data from AstroDatabank Rodden Rating A ↩︎
Charts generated with Urania PRO.
Featured image: Two Men Contemplating the Moon, Caspar David Friedrich, ca. 1825–30, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public Domain. Edited a bit by me.
Disclaimer: This blog post is for educational and informational purposes only. It does not endorse, glorify, or promote war, violence, or any political agenda. The content is intended solely as an astrological overview and does not constitute legal, political, or professional advice. The author makes no judgment regarding any individual, group, or nation, and expressly disclaims liability for any reliance placed on the information presented herein. By accessing this blog, you acknowledge that the material is shared with the sole purpose of spreading knowledge and fostering understanding.