Alfred Witte
Encyclopedia
Alfred Witte was a German surveyor, astrologer
, an amateur astronomer
, and the founder of the Hamburg School of Astrology
. Witte revived and further developed the use of astrological midpoints
for precision in astrological analysis and prediction
.
Alfred Witte died 4 August 1941, 4:01 MET, Hamburg.
, planetary formulae similar to Arabic parts, and for a brief period a new scheme of planetary rulerships. His approach to astrology was to verify assumptions by current reality checks rather than historical validation. He sought to approach astrology as a science, and the controversy over his assertion of the existence of Trans-Neptunian objects other than Pluto led to widespread ridicule and rejection during his later years.
of clusters of Trans-Neptunian objects, and shun both the labels "planet" and "object" for this reason. Witte did however describe the colors of two of his inner Transneptunians, Cupido and Hades, in articles in the anthology Der Mensch - Eine Empfangsstation kosmischer Suggestionen. Witte was prohibited by the Third Reich from recording his observations during the last years of his life.
Witte was considered an enemy of the German Third Reich and his main book, the Regelwerk für Planetenbilder (Rulebook for Planetary Pictures) was banned and burned by the Nazis. Astrologers were interned in June 1941, like e.g. Rudolph. Witte was not interned but under police observation by the GeStaPo. He committed suicide (he worried about his state pension), in 1941. His work was resurrected by his students, among whom was Ludwig Rudolph, after 1945.
In the mid 20th century, a collection of Witte’s observations and techniques came to be described in the English speaking world as Uranian astrology
.
Astrologer
An astrologer practices one or more forms of astrology. Typically an astrologer draws a horoscope for the time of an event, such as a person's birth, and interprets celestial points and their placements at the time of the event to better understand someone, determine the auspiciousness of an...
, an amateur astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
, and the founder of the Hamburg School of Astrology
Hamburg School of Astrology
The Hamburg School of Astrology originated in Hamburg, Germany, and revolved around the research and teachings of surveyor/astrologer/amateur astronomer Alfred Witte. The term Hamburg School of Astrology originated in 1923 at the Second German Astrological Congress in Leipzig, Germany, where the...
. Witte revived and further developed the use of astrological midpoints
Midpoint (astrology)
A midpoint is a mathematical point halfway between two stellar bodies that tells an interpretative picture for the individual. There are two types of midpoints: direct and indirect...
for precision in astrological analysis and prediction
Prediction
A prediction or forecast is a statement about the way things will happen in the future, often but not always based on experience or knowledge...
.
Alfred Witte died 4 August 1941, 4:01 MET, Hamburg.
Writings
In his early writings in the 1920s (his first was 1913), he experimented with numerous historical astrology techniques, including the astrological housesHouse (astrology)
Most horoscopic traditions of astrology systems divide the horoscope into a number of houses whose positions depend on time and location rather than on date. In Hindu astrological tradition these are known as Bhāvas. The houses of the horoscope represent different spheres of life, described in...
, planetary formulae similar to Arabic parts, and for a brief period a new scheme of planetary rulerships. His approach to astrology was to verify assumptions by current reality checks rather than historical validation. He sought to approach astrology as a science, and the controversy over his assertion of the existence of Trans-Neptunian objects other than Pluto led to widespread ridicule and rejection during his later years.
Trans-Neptunian hypothesis
In Wiite's times, many Astronomers proposed hypothetical Trans-Neptunian objects. So Witte proposed the existence of several hypothetical Trans-Neptunian objects, too. While modern technology has verified the existence of thousands of Trans-Neptunian objects, the specific Trans-Neptunian objects that are used by the Hamburg School and Uranian astrology have not yet been validated or disproven as of September 2011. Some members of the Hamburg School have for a number of years asserted that some of Witte's Trans-Neptunians may actually be the barycentersCenter of mass
In physics, the center of mass or barycenter of a system is the average location of all of its mass. In the case of a rigid body, the position of the center of mass is fixed in relation to the body...
of clusters of Trans-Neptunian objects, and shun both the labels "planet" and "object" for this reason. Witte did however describe the colors of two of his inner Transneptunians, Cupido and Hades, in articles in the anthology Der Mensch - Eine Empfangsstation kosmischer Suggestionen. Witte was prohibited by the Third Reich from recording his observations during the last years of his life.
Witte was considered an enemy of the German Third Reich and his main book, the Regelwerk für Planetenbilder (Rulebook for Planetary Pictures) was banned and burned by the Nazis. Astrologers were interned in June 1941, like e.g. Rudolph. Witte was not interned but under police observation by the GeStaPo. He committed suicide (he worried about his state pension), in 1941. His work was resurrected by his students, among whom was Ludwig Rudolph, after 1945.
In the mid 20th century, a collection of Witte’s observations and techniques came to be described in the English speaking world as Uranian astrology
Uranian astrology
Uranian astrology is a relatively recent methodological approach to astrology based on teachings of German surveyor/astrologer Alfred Witte , founder of the Hamburg School of Astrology. Witte revived and further developed the use of mathematical midpoints...
.