(ref: Hamburger Hefte 2/99, p.5, 'Regelwerke im Wandel der Zeit')  
by Michael Feist, translation Heike Pott, June 1999  

It was last summer, in 1998, when the Rules Book i.e. the "Rules of Planetary Pictures" saw the 70th anniversary. 

For the publication and circulation of this first book of the "Hamburg School Technique", Ludwig Rudolph set up a publishing house, the "Witte-Verlag" in 1928, designated especially for honouring Alfred Witte. (1) 

Much has been written, about this Rules Book and the establishment of the Witte-Technique, during the past decades. You will run into historically correct, however, also find a great deal of absurd odd data and stumble via legends. 

It has to be pointed out explicitly that even renown astrologers are no guarantor for historically correct representations. 

For example, take Harding and Harvey in: "Working with Astrology" (2), where it is said, that Witte was invited to the "Kepler Circle" for the first time in 1913; that during World War I, Witte, Sieggruen, Lefeldt and Rudolph in total worked together, which later on became known as the Uranian Astrology. Furthermore, that Alfred Witte is supposed having written the first Rules Book in co-operation with Hermann Lefeldt in 1928. These representations are wrong. 

However, this is correct: Witte was first invited to the "Kepler Circle" in 1919. Witte, Sieggruen and Rudolph started working together only after that time. Lefeldt did not co-operate at the 1st edition of 1928, but met Ludwig Rudolph only three years later, in 1931, as his pupil and was neither nor: co-worker of Witte or Member of the "Kepler Circle". 

How important it is to use original sources, just recently became evident through Bernd Singer´s research for his article on "Der Gründungstag der Astrologischen Studiengesellschaft", ("Day of Foundation of the Astrological Study Society"), ref.: HH 4/98, a result which also surprised me; (the ASHS's founding day was on December, 27th 1947 instead of August, 17th 1948). 
 

The Rules Book 

Every student following Witte, Sieggruen, Rudolph or Lefeldt, sooner or later is confronted with the Rules Book, Rules for Planetary Pictures. (3) 

In horoscope readings, many years, it was considered a proof of the well-founded validity of Witte's Rules, quoting them word by word. This procedure does not imply that Witte's interpretations are the only ones relevant, but the astrologer wants to illustrate that his expositions were not guided by his own personal "inspiration". 

Ludwig Rudolph, who compiled and edited the first three editions of the Rules Book also practised such true word by word quoting regularly. 

Typically enough it was Rudolph who set up the following sentence into the Rules Book : 

"In general, one should not take the interpretations for the various planetary pictures, given in the Rules Book, for granted. And actually, that goes without saying."  

In the 3rd edition (1935) he complemented this sentence with the saying: 

"Rules Book does not mean to you: / 'Everything written in here is relevant to me' / but it systematically inspires me / shows the direction, the possibilities, / to apply the matching interpretations. / If experience and brain / correctly arrange the star's course / this will relieve you from interpretation worries / and lead to the astrology of tomorrow."  

By way of this little poem, he prompted followers, to explicitly use their own experiences and thoughts. The interpretations in the Rules Book should not be considered as an inevitably relevant basic guide but as a systematic mean to stimulate own ideas. 

Some students of our Technique often overlook these references and wrongly conclude from the frequently used quotations in the Rules Book, that these interpretations are top priority and the only valid ones for Uranian Astrology. Thus the student of astrology might run astray right from the beginning by depending too much on the written word. The apparently unambiguous statements of the Rules Book would therefore, dampen the will for exploring the own creativity which is necessary also in astrology. Anybody knowing the above mentioned references will not tread this way. 
 
Nevertheless, how did Witte's inperpretations came up ?  

Witte's interpretations originate from the permutations analysis of known qualities of the astrological factors. 

At the time when Alfred Witte developed his method, the conventional astrology was basically suggesting long-winded interpretations when combining one or two factors. Witte's mathematical astrology enabled to combine two, three or even more factors in a consequent manner. Instead of long-winded interpretations Witte used short and concise meanings, as a result of his mathematical-scientific approach. 

"Witte explicitly is using ... the most simple way of interpretation, i.e. the children's language of the planets, because nature is working amazingly simple. It even works that very simple so that quite often one runs over the most natural interpretations, in order to find a more complex one." (ref.: Ludwig Rudolph 1928 and all following editions). 

A big part of the interpretations published in the 1st Rules Book were collected in the "Astrologen-Verein Hamburger Schule", (Association of astrologers 'Hamburg School'). (5) 

"The first "Rules of Planetary Pictures" were passed on verbally by Alfred Witte to his friends and students, in 1926-27. The needing wish for a summarised copy became awake very soon. Therefore, I decided on the printing of the "Rules" and published them with an introducing text written by me in 1928 as a first edition." (ref: 4th Edition 1950. 

This is a further special feature of the Rules Book because the interpretations came up as a result of previously examined horoscopes and thus do not originate from entirely theoretical permutations - as is the case with most other interpretation books. 

"Alfred Witte endured to spend a lot of time and patience in striving for his profound astrological knowledge and experience by calculating and examining always new examples with regard to definite facts. (Metagnosen - astrological fact finding by investigating occurred events). His interpretations were the fruit of the bill; (reward for his endeavour). This is why they are so realistic, confirming the primary meanings of planets as is known since ages." (ref: HH 1/61) 

Only horoscopes with unambiguous characteristics and provable contents are suitable for the retrospective review, applying the Witte-Technique. Therefore, astrologers concentrate on concise horoscopes as for their verification work. This also affected the interpretations of the Rules Book. Exoterical (profane) contents, such as blasts, explosions etc. can be proved just more easily than esoterical such as psychological or medial influences. Furthermore, astrologers rarely have a client, who is round and about happy; on the contrary, the opposite will be fact in most cases. This way, criticism arose in later years regarding the inevitably negative interpretations as well as to the missing of psychological analogies. The actual advantage of a sort of 'tested' interpretation book, mainly based on practical daily work of many astrologers, was misjudged by these critics. 

Already the 1st Edition (one thousand copies) was successful. The concise statements, the logical interpretations for up to three factor combinations, appearing as a new Language for Planetary Pictures, and furthermore, the statements for the new "Planets" Cupido, Hades, Zeus and Kronos, were certainly decisive for this. The Flair of the new came on top of it, which made the book attractive. 

But after the publication of the 1st Rules Book, also negative comments came up. The "Hamburgians" (Uranians) are "black magicians", the mystics said. The reason for this was the cover of the Rules Book, showing a five notched star on its top. For symbolism's just what they were waiting for. From the book I have, the previous owner went that far to cautiously cut out this star and loosen it from the cover; then he brought it into the "right" position - this way releasing himself from any reproach, (ref.: figure X shows the original version). The 1928 edition of the Rules Book had 200 pages. Ludwig Rudolph wrote the introduction, Alfred Witte set up his method of how to approach work in a 6-sided test case. The last 5 pages were open for memos, which was made use of very actively, in the edition I hold in hands - and which also applies for the remaining pages which actually were not reserved for memos. By the way, many of these hand written remarks emerged in the following editions again. 
 
 
 

The reworked and extended by the double number of pages 2nd edition (two thousand copies) appeared already in 1932. It was the first time when the cover showed the so called "Witte-Star", which later on became the symbol of the Witte publisher, see left. As innovations of the second edition Rudolph remarked: enlargement of the explanatory text, partial change or complement of interpretations, including the perpetual ephemerids for Witte's four Transneptunian planets Cupido, Hades, Zeus and Kronos. Furthermore, "a brief interpretation of the planets meaning in their specific houses and how to be applied to the various horoscopes as used in Uranian Astrology; as well as a lexicon like alphabetical keyword register, put up according to the various fields of life's experiences, as worked out in the interpretations." 

Also the second edition, dit not contain Sieggruen's Transneptuians. Ludwig Rudolph wrote in the foreword:  
"For the three Transneptunian planets Apollon, Admetos and Vulcanus - calculated since the first edition - references cannot be given here, since ephemerids and interpretations are being worked out by the calculating person [Friedrich Sieggruen] who also is personally responsible for these fields."  (6) 
 
 
 

The revised and extended 3rd edition (three thousand copies) was published in 1935 and already in 1936 it was banned the first time and later on was burned by the Nazis (ref.: report by Ludwig Rudolph, HH 1/91, p.7.) 

It was not only that this 3rd edition was a financial disaster for Rudolph and his family that the standard work of the Uranian Astrology was banned and 3000 pieces were burned; for the followers of the "Witte-Technique" it was also perceived as a ban from their profession. This "stigma" also had a negative effect on the presence of Witte's followers in the various astrological publications. 

The "Großdeutsche Polizeiverordnung", a police law of 1936, was the reason and basis for the ban of the book. In article 1 it said: "... the trade with pamphlets, dealing with prognoses is banned." Divination is defined under article 2: "...prognoses as predicting incidents of the future, the past and the presence, which are beyond natural cognitive capacity." 

Especially the followers of the UranianAstrology praised themselves for having found an outstanding instrument through Witte, enabling them to determine future and past events. Therefore, this decree affected them most strongly. A coarse setback for Alfred Witte and the development of the Uranian Astrology. But the astrologers got a period of grace until the persecution of astrologers in 1941. Due to a special regulation within the general ban, they were allowed "scientific" astrological research work for five years. 

I always have been impressed by the history of the 1935's edition of the Rules Book, as well as by the individual fates involved and the consequences for the development of the "Witte-Technique". 

While the 1st edition of  Rules Book contained only 200 pages, this 3rd edition already had 420 pages. (although Sieggruen's Transneptunians were still not included). In its structure the revised 1935 edition is very similar to the 1932 edition. Additionally the ephemerids of the Transneptunians had been expanded up to 1950, furthermore the latitude and declination for Cupido and Hades were included. 

Some books received an expensive grip index which underscored the character of a reference book. (ref.: HH 2/99, fig. p 14). And, for the first time the book also contained a picture of Alfred Witte, the founder of the "Astrology of Tomorrow". Ref. Ludwig Rudolph: "Finally and in response to the utter wish of so many we brought the picture of Alfred Witte who up to now had vigorously struggled against it." 
 
 

The ban on astrology was repealed by the end of Nazi Germany. 

The German astrologers who surely were the most innovative ones of this century heaved a sigh of relief. Ludwig Rudolph now had the possibility to republish the Rules Book. On the other hand, great financial and technical hindrances where there to be tackled first; because the burning of the 3rd edition drained the publisher's finances and there was the problem of paper shortage. 

Nevertheless, Rudolph perceived the chances of the post-war times. Although it would have given him immediate satisfaction, Rudolph did not publish again the banned and burned 3rd edition but immediately strove for a further step in the evolution of the Uranian Astrology: the integration of the Transneptunians from his teacher Sieggruen into the "Hamburg-School-Technique". (7) 

For this reason he instructed his student Hermann Lefeldt with the revision and enlargement of the banned 1935's edition. (8) Hermann Lefeldt agreed on Rudolphs' urges. Already in 1946 the 4th edition was published, including Sieggruens's Transneptunians and the Pluto. It was a temporary edition and not really a book, produced on a copy machine. 

Not everybody, however, was satisfied with the new edition revised by Lefeldt. 

On the 4th of September 1948 Witte's widow Mrs. Gertrud Witte wrote the following: 

"Dear Mr. Rudolf,  

I worked through the old [3rd] and the latest [4th] edition and came to the result, that the Rules Book of my husband must remain the same way it was at his times. By integrating somebody else's thoughts into his work, we run into the danger of diluting my husband's intellectual work. I have to prevent that, for my own and my children's sake, who also raise strong objection against this. 

I cannot understand how you, being Alfred Witte's longtime work companion, could allow such a thing. Let us cherish Alfred Witte's astrological bequest and leave it untouched. We will, however, welcome any broadening of astrological knowledge; everybody should feel free to publish on his own authority, whatever he has to tell the world. 

For this reason I ask you to refrain from publishing any more editions of 'Witte-Lehfeld'." 

Since Ludwig Rudolph wrote the manuscript for the first Rules Book, compiled, edited and complemented the contents and had the copyright, the possibility of claiming influence by the heirs of Witte was small. It was up to Ludwig Rudolph who he would instruct to revise the Rules Book. 

Yet Ludwig Rudolph was conscious of his moral obligation and came to an arrangement with Gertrud Witte which authorised her to perform a certain influence. This way, the following sentence of Lefeldt was deleted at the request of Gertrud: 

"For reasons of reverence I could not decide to leave out those of Witte's interpretations which I think are not accurate. The time for this has not yet come." 

The 1959 edition of the Rules Book which we all know as the "Witte-Lefeldt" book could be published and became the most popular one. In 1983 it was reprinted in respond to the need of many and emerges in many mostly non-authorised copies even today. 

It is to be appreciated very much, that the "Udo-Rudolph-Verlag" (Udo-Rudolph-publisher) reprinted the 1st and 5th edition on occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Rules Book. 

I can only advise each one of you to obtain a copy. 
 

Epilogue  

It is not my intention to depreciate the achievements of Witte or Lefeldt but I would like to oppose against the depreciation of Ludwig Rudolph's achievements. Many quotations which are ascribed to Witte or Lefeldt are in fact Rudolph's statements. About 80 pages of the first 100 of the introducing part in the 1959 edition of the Rules Book, are Rudolph's sayings. 
In the interpretation part each one saying of Rudolph stands ahead of those following, by Lefeldt's. (see first page opening with a poem from Rudolph and a saying from Lefeldt). 

Hermann Lefeldt is basing on the Rules Book worked out by Ludwig Rudolph and many statements of the 3rd edition were taken over either not verified at all or slightly verified. (ref.: fig. p. 14-15, HH 2/99). 

In principle, it is Ludwig Rudolph we owe our grateful thanks for the greatest part of the Rules Book. He did not find it necessary to be mentioned as an author on the cover of the book, he was content with a picture inside and the sentence: 

"Rules for Planetary Pictures" by Alfred Witte - edited and published by Ludwig Rudolph, revised and expanded by the interpretations of Pluto and Friedrich Sieggruen's Transneptuians Apollon, Admetos, Vulkanos and Poseidon by Hermann Lefeldt." 

***