A CHRONOLOGICAL HISTORY OF 

    URANIAN ASTROLOGY

THE CHRONOLOGY

(under continuous development)

1923:  According to an article by astronomy professor Dr Wilhelm Hartmann entitled "Introduction to the Astrological Working Methods of the Hamburg School", Friedrich Sieggrün is the first astrologer to clearly and publicly articulate the concept of "Hamburg School Astrology" in presenting techniques of Alfred Witte at the Second German Astrological Congress, from 30 June to 2 July, in Leipzig. (Witte, 1975, pp. 196, 297-298).

1926: Alfred Witte, Ludwig Rudolph, Friedrich Sieggrün, and Dr Hubert Korsch attend the Fifth German Astrological Congress from 20 to 23 July in Hamburg (Witte, 1975, p. 358).

1928: The first edition of the Regelwerk für Planetenbilder by Alfred Witte is published in Hamburg.  This is followed by a second edition in 1932 and a third in 1935 (Witte, 1959).

1933:  Ludwig Rudolph publishes the first edition of his Leitfaden der Astrologie - System Hamburger Schule, one of the earliest systematic textbooks of Uranian techniques.  This early text employs only the first four Transneptunians, and is written before Ludwig Rudolph dismissed the astrological houses as a critical interpretive tool, which he does in later years, according to Ms Brummund.  It includes a systematic introduction to the technical elements of astrology, methods of chart interpretation, and a systematic method of chart rectification (L. Rudolph, 1933; Brummund, 2000).

1936: The Regelwerk für Planetenbilder is added to the endless list of books banned by the Nazi government in order to keep the public ignorant and submissive to the interests of ruling political elements (Witte, 1959).

1939: While the Regelwerk is banned in Germany, the Rulebook for Planetary Pictures, an English translation by Richard Svehla of the 3rd (1935) German edition is published in the USA.  Note that it does not include interpretations for Pluto or the four outer Transneptunians of Friedrich Sieggrün (Witte, 1959).

1940: The Kombination der Gestirneinflüße, the source material for the English-language Combination of Stellar Influences, is published by Reinhold Ebertin, one of Alfred Witte's students and founder of the School of Cosmobiology.  It includes essential content similar to that of Witte's Rulebook, but dismisses Witte's Aries Point and Transneptunians, and is allowed publication while the Rulebook is banned. (Ebertin, 1972).

1946: Picking up and reconstructing the Hamburg School literature after the end of World War II, a fourth edition of the Regelwerk für Planetenbilder by Alfred Witte, for the first time including additional interpretations for Pluto, Apollon, Admetos, Vulkanus, and Poseidon, is signed off for publication by editor Hermann Lefeldt at Christmas (Witte, 1959).

1948: The ASHS (Astrological for the Study of Hamburg School Astrology) is established, according to data verified by Ruth Brummund, on 17.Aug at 14h45 German Summer Time [z+2] in Hamburg.  This is the time that the organization was officially registered with the German Federal government.  (Earlier proposed founding dates are for preliminary planning meetings that occurred prior to the official establishment of ASHS.) (Brummund, 1999-2000;Hamburg School website.)

1957:  A 369-page dictionary of the planetary combinations in the 4th edition of the Regelwerk, compiled by Ilse Schnitzler, is published in German by Ludwig Rudolph (Witte-Verlag).  This book, entitled Lexikon für Planetenbilder, is in essence all the definitions in the 1946 German Rulebook reorganized into alphabetical order (a mammoth task in the pre-computer era), and is translated into English, appearing in the early 1960s in the United States as "The Key to Uranian Astrology by Hans Niggemann" (Schnitzler, 1957).

1959: The fifth edition of the German Regelwerk für Planetenbilder by Alfred Witte is published in Hamburg (Witte, 1959).

1961:  Publication of the first issue of the Hamburger Hefte, official journal of the Hamburg School until 1996. (Brummund, 1999-2000).

1971:  Karl Perch's Kurze Einführung in die Hamburger Schule (Short Introduction to the Hamburg School) is published in German. (Brummund, 1999-2000).

1971:  The Transneptun Ephemeride of Ruth Brummund is published.  For the first time, Uranians have an ephemeris listing positions at 10-day intervals.  This book revolutionizes Uranian Astrology, as prior to this time one had to calculate the positions of Transneptunians from "perpetual ephemeris" tables listing only yearly positions, and computers were not widely available (Brummund, 2000).

Master Teacher Ludwig Rudolph relaxing after an  interesting discussion with his enthusiastic student, later Vice-President of the Hamburg School, Ruth Brummund.

1971: After two years of studying and gathering Hamburg School materials in Germany, Lieutenant General Prayoon Pol-aree, authorized to translate German-language materials into the Thai language, begins teaching Hamburg School techniques at the Astrology Society of Thailand (Pol-aree, Pillai, 2001).

1972:  Publication of Ruth Brummund's Astropsychologische Charaktermermale, a book which for the first time delineates psychological characteristics associated with individual Uranian factors and derived pairs and triplicities.   The bulk of this book is updated and combined into the Regelwerk - Neufassung (expanded 2nd edition published 1990).  The characteristics are also alphabetized and included in editions of the Lexikon - Neufassung (Brummund, 2000).