Combustion and retrograde

Combustion (astangata) — a graha too close to graha-surya may lose visibility and express weakly (degrees vary by planet; Mercury/Venus have deeper orbs in some schools).

Retrograde (vakri) — apparent backward motion strengthens introspection and revisiting themes; classical view often treats retrograde benefics as more thoughtful, retrograde malefics as more internalized pressure.

Graha	Retrograde tone (general)
Mars	Re-channelled drive
Mercury	Deep study, review
Jupiter	Inner philosophy
Venus	Re-evaluates bonds
Saturn	Karmic review

Nodes are always retrograde in calculation. Pair with shadbala and house topics in bhavas.