Ebertin: Light and shadow of German astrology in the 20th century

Jürgen G. H. Hoppmann

ArsAstrologica · AI-narrated by Madison (from Google)

About this audiobook

"What will happen on May 11, 1941?" This question was posed to the experts by the English astrologer Dr. H. Spencer-Jones, and Reichhold Ebertin printed it in November 1938, specifying the planetary constellation. He wrote in his autobiography: "But when I was interrogated by the security service after Rudolf Hess's flight to England, and could say with a clear conscience that I had had no contact whatsoever with Hess, this question came to mind. I answered it with the words: 'The first possibility for peace.' A few days later, I was arrested." In Görlitz, Elsbeth Ebertin founded this legendary dynasty of astrologists. Her Hitler horoscope is infamous. Observed by the press, she wrote: "The Frankfurter Zeitung (...) began a highly original feuilleton mosaic, which pleasantly distinguishes itself from the critical remarks of the usual skepticism through its delightful humor, with the words: 'Where are we drifting?'" Baldur Ebertin, the grandson, carried a heavy legacy. As being a brilliant cosmobiologist and healer, he remains to be unforgettable – despite those dark shadows hanging over him and 20th-century German astrology.

About the author

German writer, moviemaker, physiotherapist and astrologer, born on August 26, 1957, at 9:56 a.m. in West Berlin. He lives "in the middle of nowhere" between Old Europe and New Europe. In his opinion, it all depends on the perspective from which one looks into or out of this place. One thing is certain: the most beautiful spot of Görlitz is Zgorzelec. If you don't believe, come and see. ;-)

Art and Stars

In his horoscope interpretations, Hoppmann favors feminist astrology – that is, he considers not only Chiron and Rahu, but also Ketu, Lilith, and Priapus, as can be seen in his astrological books and computer programs. Since 1990, he has collaborated with Akron C.F. Frey, Laurids Pedersen, Ananda Bagley, Anita Cortesi, Astrid Fallon and Hans-Hinrich Taeger. He ported the works of renowned astrologers such as Akron C. F. Frey, Raymond Daelman, Baldur Ebertin and Alexander von Pronay to software platforms like PCA, Argus, Hermes, Galistro, and AstroGlobe, and published his own interpretive texts.

After studying astrology with Otto Kayser and Wolfgang Trautmann in West Berlin he taught the subject in the West and, from 1980 to 1985, clandestinely and undercover in the theater and art scene of East Germany. When the Berlin Wall fell, he interviewed, among others, Claude Weiss on his weekly program on Radio 100.

Hoppmann compiled data on Gregor Gysi and Joachim Gauck, among others. During his data research, he consulted with Werner E. Neumann, Jayatissa Dharmadasa, Jany Bessiere, Gufran Erkelic, Claudia von Schierstedt, Siegbert Meß, Heinz Specht, Dr. Svatopluk Svobod, Richard Vetter, Alexander von Vietinghoff and his student Axel Becker, as well as Hans-Hinrich Taeger, the Astrological Association of Great Britain, (which he joined after leaving German DAV), and the astrological societies of South Africa and New Zealand.

From 1993 to 1997, he curated a museum exhibitiong on Philipp Melanchthon Between 1998 and 2000, further projects followed, focusing on Doktor Faustus, the Ancient Star Gods, in then Abguss-Sammlung Antiker Plastik Berlin and an AA congress in the UK. Hinzu „Melanchthons Astrologie“ (Katalog zur Wittenberger Ausstellung) bis hin zu „Astrologie der Reformationszeit“ (1998).He also published several works on the history of astrology – from "Culture and Cosmos" (Vol. 1, No. 2, 1997) and "Melanchthon's Astrology" (catalog for the Wittenberg exhibition) to "Astrology of the Reformation" (1998).

As a freelance contributor to public broadcasting corporations, he worked for RBB, ORF, and MDR, among others, until 2004. He appeared in film and television, dubbed animated films, and collaborated with artists. From 2003 to 2007, he produced the feature film AstroEurosas a screenwriter and director, featuring, among others, astrologer Winfried S. Noé and singers Linda Jo Rizzo Linda Jo Rizzo and Ron Williams. He contributed weekly German and Polish cable television programs (Stellarius, Madame Stella) from 2010 to 2013. Since then, he has produced annual Stellar Constellations in cooperation with Electric Ephemeris. He so created well over one hundred video clips and educational films for the Philosophy Experience Center „Sofia“at LebensGut Pommritz.

Specialist astrological publications and novels followed: 2021 "Der Astrologe - eine gänzlich unwahre Geschichte" (illustrated by Lorenzo Gori; audiobook narrated by Moritz Manuel Michel, with English version by Philip Fairweather and Polish version by Krystyna Sławińska) and 2023 "Die Herzheilerin" (illustrated by Patricia Cooney). "Der Sänger, der alles sieht", illustrated by Aleksandra Ozimek, is currently in preparation.

At the end of 2025, "Ebertin – Light and Shadow of German Astrology in the 20th Century" was published, acknowledging and expanding upon the pioneering work of the American astrologer, art historian, and film scholar Jenn Zahrt. In his critical study, he contrasts the life and work of Elsbeth Ebertin, her son Reinhold, and her nephew Baldur (especially during the Nazi era) with the biographies of Polish astrologers such as Robert Maria Walter, Leszek Szuman and Leszek Weres during the Holocaust and the subsequent Stalinist period. The book also addresses Nazi-looted and Stasi-looted astrological material found in private collections and antiquarian bookstores. Politically, Jürgen G, H, Hoppmann is affiliated with VOLT Europa.