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The Weimar era is so named after a town(Weimar) in West Germany where a new post-war democractic government began which was to revolutionize
the social, artistic, cultural, scientific, economic, and political life of the German nation during the interim war period of 1919 to 1933.
On the heels of World War I, Western Germany faced severe poverty and destruction with millions of its armed men dead and the economy and
infrastructure in shambles. The poverty, high unemployment, and hyperinflation led to a surge in prostitution, drugs, booze, poltical and
ideological infiltration, and an underground economy. American intervention and reparations assistance(Dawes Plan) stabilized the situation
in 1924, after which Germany, and especially Berlin, entered a "Golden Period" of social, cultural, artistic, and sexual experimentation
also known as the "Weimar Renaissance".
In the ensuing years, West Berlin quickly became known as the Babylon of the world, outdoing Paris and New York, with its many bars, strip clubs,
brothels, and clubs or cabarets, all designed to cater to the decadent whims and passions of both its citizenry and the elites around the world.
Anything could be bought including pornography, homosexuality, sodomy, sadism, necrophilia, and bestiality. Two leading female icons of this era were
Marlene Dietrich and Anita Berber, both cabaret performers and lesbians, who heavily influenced much of the sexual revolution which was occurring at
the time.
 The deregulation of prostitution in 1927 in the Weimar Republic was further fodder for the rich and wealthy to flock over and taste the decadent thrills which the flourishing nightlife had to offer. New forms of art, science, culture, and ideology also flourished, spawned by radical elements infiltating into the state, but all this "fun" and revolution came to grinding halt with the American Economic Depression of October 1929, which cut the flow of money, followed by the appointment of Adolf Hitler as Chancellor of Germany in late January of 1933, who then closed down all the bars and got rid of all the radicals. Let's now take a look at this era from an astrological perspective. The three outer modern planets, Pluto, Neptune, Uranus, are key to describing this period, which affected not only the state of Weimar(now Germany), but Europe, America, and the World as well. America had it's own "Roaring Twenties" with Flappers and all. It is here where I diverge a little from the common perspective of astrologers to look at the transits of the times being described. While the transits do effect concurrent events, they do not really express or flower until the generation born of them matures into adulthood. During the 1920's we see the transits of Pluto in Cancer, Neptune in Leo, and Uranus in Pisces/Aries, all of which develop into the solid family values, entertainment ideals(Hollywood), and welfare and wartime issues of the 1940's and 50's when these generations came of age. The 1920's are peopled with adults(median age 30) born in the late 1800's or early 1900's the majority of which are born with Pluto in Gemini(1882-1914), Neptune in Gemini(1887-1902) and Uranus in Scorpio(1890-1898). I have chosen Uranus in Scorpio because this is the placement of sexual revolution which was a dominant charateristic of the Weimar period. The midpoint is 1895, so that 30 years later in 1925, these generations are full adults and full partakers of that era. The first thing to notice is that all three of these placements are bisexual in nature. Neptune and Pluto are feminine planets but both are placed in the masculine sign of Gemini. Uranus is a masculine planet but placed in the feminine sign of Scorpio. Planets out of their proper ruling gender in astrology all strongly tend toward bisexuality(see my article "Bisexual Tendencies in the Chart" under Astro Articles/archives/In Depth). Bisexuality was rampant during the Weimar experiment. Gemini is an intellectual as well as a flirtatious sign which well characterizes the people of that time. The women and men of with these placements all display heavy Geminian personal as well as physical characteristics. They are generally curious and clever, with slim and quick-moving or gesticulating with arched eyebrows, and the women are often quite pretty, especially those with supporting Ascendants(in the air signs). The "Flapper" physique is typically Geminian. Those born with Uranus in Libra(1884-1891) are especially attractive, followed by those with Uranus in Sag(1897-1904). Most, however, have Uranus in Scorpio(1890-1898) which gives darker more sexual tones. Saturn was also in Scorpio for those born between 1894 and 1897 making it a double whammy.
This is not to say that all those born in the mid 1890's are perverts or deviants, but the tendency is there, either dormant or awakened. However, it is Pluto and Neptune in Gemini that is most interesting. It is well known that some of the most notorious gangsters and racketeers of the 1st half of the 20th century were born with Neptune and Pluto in Gemini, most of which are now dead or dying. Famous examples are Al Capone(born Jan.18, 1899), and Lucky Luciano(born Nov.24, 1897) -lucky because he had a stellium in Sagittarius, including Uranus. Hitler also had Neptune and Pluto in Gemini. Of course there were also positive contributors with these Neptune and Pluto in Gemini placements, most notably journalists, broadcasters, hypnotists and occult writers and speakers, but the majority were driven by the darker aspects which include mental and verbal deception, control, and manipulation. Neptune is subtle and deceptive and Pluto is probing and intense no matter what the sign, although admittedly, they are somewhat out of place in Gemini. In summary, the decadent but exciting Weimar Era or interim World War period was both a political and astrological product. Political in the sense that it was fostered and nurtured by the prevailing powers of the time, and astrological in the sense that even those powers, good or bad, must work in tandem with the planetary powers and their divinely ordained influences. back to home |
arched eyebrows and a pretty face