Under the Sunbeams

Definition

A planet is under the sunbeams when it sits between roughly 8°30' and 17° from the Sun along the zodiac — moderately weakened by the Sun’s glare, but not so close as to be combust. That 17° outer edge comes from watching the Moon’s heliacal rising — the distance at which the Moon first becomes visible again, emerging from the Sun’s glare after conjunction. Some authorities put the outer edge at 15° instead; the exact figure varies by source.

In Tradition

For Hellenistic, Arabic, and traditional Western astrologers, "under the sunbeams" (Latin sub radiis) is one rung in the graded ladder of solar proximity: it sits between cazimi within about 17', which strengthens, combustion from about 17' to 8°30', which badly weakens, and complete freedom from the Sun’s glare beyond 17°. The condition mildly dims a planet’s outward expression without the crushing effect of combustion.

In Practice

Astrologers measure how far each planet sits from the Sun and flag any between roughly 8°30' and 17° as under the sunbeams. In horary, the question-answering branch, a significator in this range shows the person or thing it stands for as somewhat weakened — short of full visibility or capacity to act — without the severe affliction a combust significator carries. In a birth chart, the planet works with a dimmed outward expression: you may well have the planet’s qualities but find them hard to show in public or with full confidence. The nearer to combustion, toward 8°30', the more weakened; the nearer 17°, the more it recovers as it leaves the rays.

Historical Origin

The Latin sub radiis is attested in Ptolemy’s Tetrabiblos and elaborated in the Arabic transmission (Sahl, Abu Ma'shar). Obert, in Introduction to the Classical Seven Planets, keeps the graded scheme of cazimi, combust, under-the-rays, and free-of-rays. Lilly’s Christian Astrology (1647) fixed the doctrine for English-language traditional practice, and the modern traditional revival (Lehman, Obert) carries it forward.

Etymology

Origin: Latin. Meaning: From Latin sub radiis (under the rays). The English "beams" and "sunbeams" both translate the Latin radii (rays) of the Sun. The concept appears in Ptolemy, later Arabic texts, and medieval European astrology..

Further Reading