The topic of sensitive points was previously discussed in Hamburger Hefte issues IV/88 through II/90 and up to this point has not been fully resolved.  For this reason, I will attempt once again to clarify this issue.

Franz Stark, in Astrologie unter der Lupe (Astrology under the Microscope) writes: "The astrology of the ancients was interpretation of destiny and psychology rolled into one".

From Dr Christian Schubert-Weller in Wege der Astrologie (Astrological Methodologies), we read: "Likewise the many Arabian Parts, of which the most familiar is the Part of Fortune, are a result of arithmetical calculations."

Such points of destiny were recognized as "sensitive points" by Alfred Witte, as his thoughts about innovations in astrology developed and evolved over time.

In the technical journal Astrologische Rundschau, Alfred Witte wrote several articles from 1919 to 1924 on the topic of sensitive points.  Hermann Sporner collected these articles, and they were published by Witte Verlag in the Der Mensch anthology.

At the end of page 39 of this book, Witte writes: "Note that it is significant which planet is added and which planet is subtracted."  Then, on pages 54 and 165, there is a schema of 6 transpositions of 3 factors with the remark: "Where the planets are a, b, and c, the sequences can be:

   c, b, a  |  a, c, b  |   b, a, c     

a, b, c  |  b, c, a  |   c, a, b "

However, when we equate the letters to numbers and give the value of 3 to a, 4 to b, and 5 to c, we come up with the following sensitive points:

5 + 4 – 3 = 6   |   3 + 5 – 4 = 4   |   4 + 3 – 5 = 2

3 + 4 – 5 = 2   |   4 + 5 – 3 = 6   |   5 + 3 – 4 = 4

The results of the equations in the first row are repeated in the second, since for example both 3 + 4 and 4 + 3 lead to a sum of 7; thus the overall claim is ambiguous.

If we proceed to Witte's statements in his discussion of his November 1921 article "Die unbekannte Geburtszeit" (The Unknown Birthtime) with Alexander Baradoy, found on page 255 of Der Mensch, we read: "To all students (of Hamburg School methods) I can only advise the purging of all redundant factors, such as sign rulerships, fixed stars, sensitive points, and planetary dignities and detriments, and subsequently pay more attention to the interrelationships of the planets."

In 1923 and 1924 the findings on Cupido and Hades were published, and further presented at the Fifth Astrological Congress in Hamburg in 1926.  Thereafter, there are no more known writings by Alfred Witte.  After the Rulebook was seized by the Nazis in 1936, Alfred Witte remained, according to reports of colleagues, under covert observation.  Even when he attended astronomical symposia, he was followed by an agent.

He did, however, have one true and loyal colleague.  This was Ludwig Rudolph, with whom he was able to exchange thoughts and objectives relating to his astrological system.  And these intellectual treasures will live on through us and our successors, and help us all to attain increasing lucidity.

Over the course of the years, the concepts of sensitive points, sums, and symmetrically aligned planets (midpoints), have been applied as the bases for investigations in the Hamburg School not only in isolation, but also in combination with each other.

Sensitive points, as well as sums, are points calculated points based on radix factors.  They can coincide with the axes of individual radix points, in which case the sensitive points are composed of 2 midpoints which would show on the axis even if one were not looking specifically for sensitive points.  Most often, however, their position must be marked separately in the chart.  Sums will always need to be added separately, if they are indeed to be considered.

As mentioned earlier, in working with the sensitive points, the individual factors can occur in varying sequences; thus the Sun could be in the minus position, since technical work is carried out on the body.  Another might say that Mars should be in the minus position, since the body is stressed during the surgical processes.  Still another might put Uranus in the minus position, since a certain technical procedure is implemented in working on the body.

Next we address how to verify these statements.  We need to find a combination that is unquestionably accepted by most astrologers as suitable for explaining a surgical operation; and combinations of Sun, Mars, and Uranus seem to be widely accepted as appropriate.