Via Combusta
Via Combusta
(religion, spiritualism, and occult)Via combusta is Latin for “burning way,” which usually refers to the first half of the sign Scorpio. The first 15° of that sign—and sometimes the last 15° of Libra through the full 30° arc of Scorpio—were taken by the ancients to exert an especially unfortunate influence, particularly for one’s natal Moon. Some modern astrologers speculate that this negative ascription may have derived from the many malefic fixed stars that, in older times, were located in the first half of Scorpio (but which, because the Western, tropical zodiac is slowly moving, are no longer located in Scorpio). Although contemporary astrologers no longer use the via combusta to interpret natal charts, it is still utilized in horary astrology.