一般而言，第一個說法較常為人使用，古代名家認為天秤座至天蠍座有兩個凶恒星，當月亮來到這段區域時，有如被兩個凶星困住般惶惶不安。不過西元前一世紀的都勒斯（Dorotheus of Sidon）在占星詩集第五冊提出：若月亮來到學者所謂的“燃燒途徑”時（在日夜平均線的中間，即天秤和天蠍座），月亮會受到傷害。但文中並無提到是否與恒星有關。至於第二種說法則由西元八世紀的波斯學者比魯尼（Al Biruni）所提出。
不過當代占星師Anthony Louis還提出一個觀點。西元前四世紀的亞里斯多德把我們常說的銀河（Milky Way）視為「低溫但穩定燃燒的乾燥區域（a low and steady burning of dry exhalation），並位於月亮的下方」。根據現在的天文資料，銀河的位置在天蠍座與射手座星群附近，若將歲差考慮進來，會不會就是希臘化時代占星師眼中所見的燃燒途徑？
The seventh, that she is cadent from the stakes, or in the burnt path (which is the end of Libra and the beginning of Scorpio)—and this is the worst that there is of the impediments of the Moon, and especially if it were the inception of a marriage or something concerning the matters of women, or buying, or selling, or foreign travel.
But the Ascendant and the other significators should not be impeded by the infortunes in any manner, but one must labor so that the Ascendant its lord would be made fit; and we will make them be made fortunate as much as we can, if we are choosing in hours in which the Moon was impeded. And if the lord of the Ascendant were made fortunate, it will not impede, even if the Ascendant were in the burnt path (or whatever the ascending sign was).
