Cazimi

Cazimi is a traditional term for a planet within 17 arc-minutes (about 0.28 degrees) of exact conjunction with the Sun. While planets near the Sun are generally weakened by combustion, a cazimi planet is considered 'in the heart of the king', close enough to be received by the Sun rather than hidden by it. The distinction is dramatic: a fraction of a degree separates the strongest form of solar protection from ordinary combustion. Cazimi moments are rare and potent, marking brief windows of clarity related to that planet's significations. Mercury cazimi, for instance, happens a few times a year and is often used for communications, contracts, or decisions. In natal charts, a cazimi planet can be one of the strongest placements in the chart, but dignity, house, sect, and aspects still matter. Medieval astrologers treated cazimi as the exception to the combustion rule: the planet is not burned by the Sun, it is held at the center.