Otto Von Bismarck: Statesman, “Avatar” of Materialism, Founder of “Real Politik”
Michael D. Robbins © 2003 (1815-1898) April 1, 1815, Schoenhausen, Germany, approximately 1:30 PM, LMT.
(Sources; Sabian Symbols, and Notable Nativities.
Birth was recorded between 1:00-2:00 PM. Also McEvers Quotes Lyndoe in American Astrology, November 1967, “drawn for a family member”.) Note: It is conceivable that the birth occurred before 1:15 PM, LMT, which would have placed military and militant Aries on the MC, with its ruler, Mars, rather than more peaceful Venus, ruler of a Taurus MC and more or less conjunct the same.) Died, July 30, 1898, Friedrichsruh, Germany.
(Ascendant, Leo; MC, Taurus or Aries, with Venus in Taurus conjunct MC if in early Taurus, or near the MC if the MC is to be found in later Aries; Sun in Aries; Moon in Capricorn; Mercury in Pisces conjunct Pluto in Pisces, Chiron also in Pisces; Mars and Saturn in Sagittarius; Jupiter in Libra; Uranus and Neptune in Sagittarius; NN in Cancer, H11). Bismarck, the “Iron Chancellor” as he was called for his Martian/Vulcanian policy of “blood and iron” was, according to the Tibetan, a lesser avatar upon the first ray and associated with the Forces of Materialism (i.e., with the “Black Lodge”). Lincoln, also upon the first ray, was a racial avatar affiliated with the Great White Lodge and counterbalanced him. The Tibetan has this to say about such appearances:
“Racial Avatars. These Appearances are evoked by the genius and destiny of a race. The typical man (in quality and consciousness, not necessarily physically) foreshadows the nature of some race. Such a man was Abraham Lincoln, coming forth from the very soul of a people, and introducing and transmitting racial quality – a quality to be worked out later as the race unfolds. Coming forth correspondingly from the realm of cosmic evil, and responsible for the focus of materialism upon the planet today was Bismarck. Both men came forth within the same one hundred years, thus demonstrating the balance in nature and the constant interplay of the pairs of opposites. They are both types of the most powerful Avatars which humanity itself has as yet produced. They emerge along the lines of government, of the first ray and in the department of the Manu, and are very sensitive to Shamballa force. Such Avatars frequently emerge at the founding of a nation. This is true of both Bismarck and Lincoln.” (EXH 297-298)
These are strong words. It is clear that the Tibetan, with the insight of a Master, sees deeply into the psyche of individuals and their relationship to the psyche of humanity. To state that an individual has come forth “from the realm of cosmic evil”, and to name him “responsible for the focus of materialism upon the planet today” is an extraordinary declaration.
Bismarck was Prussian statesman, a towering political figure who put his stamp upon his age by uniting the German people under the government of one empire. He led the initially weak kingdom of Prussia towards increasing strength, through three victorious wars and astutely opportunistic political maneuvering. In forging the German Nation (Vulcan in Aries) he demonstrated himself responsive to the Shamballa Force with its emphasis upon synthesis, however it was the same negative, materialistic synthesis which united “Hitler and his evil gang” (to use the Tibetan’s words, R&I, 430). In this case the Moon in Capricorn (bearing the legacy of past incarnations) brings out all its materialistic potentials, and since it conjunct the South Node (and the fated Vertex – depending upon the exact time of birth), it indicates a materialistic past.
The Tibetan referenced the lives of selfishness and materialism which were characteristic of the members of Hitler’s group. Venus in Taurus on the MC also brings forth material (Taurus) values (Venus). Let us remember that Hitler, also, had Venus in Taurus (in his case, conjunct Mars). Every energy can be misappropriated; the five-pointed star of Venus can express as the inverted pentagram – the symbol of those inner materialistic forces which both Bismarck and Hitler, perhaps unwittingly, service. In true Venusian manner, Bismarck could be charming (Venus) for his own selfish purposes, and it is clear that an elevated Venus in its own sign (exoterically considered) gave him what he and many considered to be a good marriage. Hope-inspiring Jupiter in polite Libra in the third house of communication gives more evidence in the same direction, as did conjunctive Juno, conjunct Jupiter, in the sign of marriage and partnership, Libra. Regardless of his true motives, he was generally successful in matters of diplomacy. His Aretian energy served him as well in the overcoming of his enemies, for he was said to “disarm with frankness”.
Bismarck’s early years were undistinguished. He was an indifferent student. Enrolling in the civil service he was easily bored and unable to acquiesce to a bureaucratic hierarchy (Aries has a strong streak of rebellion and Leo cannot brook orders from others). Summoned to assist his father to assist in the management of the family estate, he settled down to the rather ordinary life of a country squire – a life style which reinforced his basically conservative and even reactionary attitudes. It could be said that Libra on the IC ruled by Venus in Taurus seems a suitable position for one who later romanticized the idyllic life. The Libran IC would naturally given an Aries MC, somehow fitting for Bismarck aggressive expansionism (Mars in Aquarius).
From 1835 Bismarck had been a lawyer, and during the 1840’s his political thinking was very conservative. He abhorred the thought of social disorder (Capricorn Moon exactly conjunct the South Node, Saturn in Aquarius – regimenting the group, placed conjunct the proposed Aquarius Descendent). While courting his wife he had experienced a religious conversion (Neptune in religious Sagittarius, square the planet of Mind, Mercury in faith-prone Pisces), and he cultivated the ideal of an orderly, Christian State ruled by an authoritarian God. Many have remarked about the extent to which Bismarck could rely upon “God” to agree with him.
He earned his reputation as a political reactionary out of touch with his times. He spoke forcefully in 1847 against Jewish emancipation and the fashionable liberalism of the period. We can see here a harbinger of the anti-Semitic policies which had begun subtly to infect the German and Austrian psyche. His method of speaking was, on occasion, crude and even vicious (though for his own purposes he could be urbane and apparently conciliatory). As his power grew he abandoned restraint (selectively). He sometimes spoke of his political enemies as “rats” which needed to be “exterminated”. He thus introduced into German politics a tone of discourse which built up gradually into the lying, hateful propaganda typical of the Nazis. One of the signs characteristic of those under the influence of the Black Lodge is the resort to barbarism in language (however strategically employed). This later led, by a path not too indirect, to the atrocities for which the Nazis were responsible. We find Pluto in conjunction with Mercury, and hurtful Chiron (its lower meaning) also conjunct Mercury with the distributive inoffensively unitive planet Cupido conjunct Mercury as well. Vulcan may be quite close to the Sun conveying an emphatic personal forcefulness and crudity.
Bismarck was elected to Parliament. His rise in life can be seen by an elevated Sun in first ray Aries, trine willful Uranus and loosely trine the first ray/separative fifth-ray Leo Ascendant, forming a grand trine in fire. His expansionistic ambitions can easily be seen from the opposition of expansive Jupiter to the Sun in Jupiter’s house, the ninth. He eventually became a court representative and secretary of foreign affairs. In 1862, he became prime minister of Prussia, reaching a peak of power, second only to his chancellorship of the German Empire ten or eleven years later. He was now in control. Europe after Bismarck was never the same. Its center, once weak and diversified, had evolved into the foremost industrial and military power on the Continent.
In 1864 Bismarck’s offensive for the aggrandizement of Prussia began. He attacked and decisively defeated first Danish and then Austrian armies, increasing
German territory. He next courted northern Germans with a new liberal constitution (conciliatory Venus near the MC, generous Jupiter in polite Libra) Then in 1870 Bismarck goaded Napoleon III of France into war. German forces soon routed the French, captured Napoleon, and gained land in eastern France. In 1871, Bismarck proclaimed William German Kaiser, or emperor. While he, himself, was not king or emperor, he might as well have been. Kaiser Wilhelm was a puppet in his hands. Bismarck’s support for a German monarchy can be seen in his first ray Leo energies. He served for twenty-eight years as prime minister of Prussia and for nineteen years as chancellor of the German Empirea position far more powerful than that of the Kaiser to whom his loyalty (externally at least) was unquestionable. In 1890 he was defeated politically by a confederation of his enemies. Embittered he went into retirement filled with a sense of failure and full of criticism for the governmental policies which were pursued after his departure. However, from the perspective of those malign forces of which he was the tool, he had been far more successful than he suspected.
These are three signs or constellations/signs through which the first ray is transmitted – Aries, Leo and Capricorn. Note that these three signs occur in Bismarck’s chart in the same positions as in the chart of Charlemagne – as Sun, Ascendant and Moon, respectively. Aries, in the case of Bismarck, indicates aggressiveness and the misuse of the assertive will. This corresponds to the soul-sign of Germany (Aries) and is a conduit for the first ray personality of that nation (which he forged). Germany has a first ray personality because there are so many first ray souls expressing through it. Leo stands for domination and egotism, and the centralization of power which he sought to promote in Prussia (as the leading state of Germany). Capricorn, in this case, represents hardness, rigidity, organization and materialism. Curiously, the Mercury position (Pisces) is also the same as Charlemagne’s as well as the Chiron conjunction to Mercury! Here, in Pisces, Mercury indicates stealth and subtlety (without which he could not have accomplished his objectives). Force alone, “blood and iron” were only part of his tactics. Chiron here demonstrates as the power to wound and mislead (for Chiron, negatively expressing, can be the one who leads authoritatively in the wrong direction). Note that Pluto, the planet of death, often, as well, involved in undermining and intrigue, is also in subtle, conjuncted to Mercury. The Mercury/Pluto/Chiron conjunction makes an effective instrument for accomplishing destructive purposes (Pisces and the eighth house) with subtlety. Bismarck was a man of stratagem and craft. His influence grew not only through strength and a willingness to be aggressive, but through the power to deceive. Mercury/Pluto/Chiron square to deceptive Neptune, masked by pleasant Venus and the largesse of Jupiter in apparently peaceful Libra, tell the story.
Bismarck, regardless of the potential for outward charm (Venus conjunct the MC and parallel “healing” Rasalhague) was in essence a war-like person. If the MC is found in Aries, then Mars is the exoteric ruler, square the MC (indicating an attitude which promotes conflict), and also square Venus, the planet of peace (esoterically, a war between the soul and personality). Interestingly, in the chart of Hitler (Bismarck’s psychological and, in a way, political successor), Mars and Venus are found conjuncted. Venus represents peace and Mars, war. Bismarck was convinced that a united Germany, dominated by Prussia, could, in the last analysis, only be brought about by the assertion of force, by war.. To further his ends, he sought to create a heavily industrialized Germany, which he accomplished in the 1870’s. Mars and Saturn in the sixth house of work and labor, and the Moon in Capricorn supported this objective. If Taurus were the sign upon the MC, this would emphasize the power of Vulcan, related to industry and industrialization. It must be remembered that Taurus also can be very aggressive.
Given his personal and private behavior, it is conceivable that the fourth ray may also have played an important role in Bismarck’s makeup. Presuming that he was expressing through a first ray soul, we would see then, a reversal of the rays of Germany, which has a fourth ray soul and a first ray personality. Bismarck through his soul quality emphasized the personality ray of Germany, as did Hitler and a number of the prominent Nazis (all of whom were said to be on the first ray in some manner, if only the first subray of the soul ray). We must remember that the Black Lodge works primarily through the first ray at this time, reinforced by the separative tendencies of the fifth ray. The Tibetan called the first, third and fifth rays “Prussian” (DINA II 646). Certainly he was a powerful example of the first ray. It is also possible that the third ray – in many respects, the ray of treachery and intrigue, was also significant in his make-up. Jupiter in Libra and Moon in Capricorn (Libra and Capricorn being third ray signs), would reinforce this tendency. Both Mercury and Pluto, as well, have third ray components. As for the fifth ray, he promoted its rise in Germany – especially as this ray applied to what has been called the “Industrial-Military Complex”.
The fixed stars tell their story. Through the parallel Venus with Rasalhague and the conjunction of Neptune with the same star, we see his ability to lull the opposition, and his ability to heal cleavages for his own purposes. This may also have contributed to his sentimentality about the idyllic life. With the Sun conjunct Alpheratz, he wished to move swiftly (as his Aries Sun sign would incline him). It promotes independence and the quest for more freedom and greater personal space. Clearly it is expansionistic and evokes memories of Hitlers call for “lebens raum” (space or room, for Germans, in which to live). First ray seventh ray Uranus was conjunct war-like Antares, and thus he was able to change or reorganize the mapnof Europe with his aggressive policies. As well the strategic asteroid Pallas Athene is conjunct a warrior star, Mirfak, in the constellation Perseus. More fuel for the fire.
An interesting “undiscovered” planet, “Vulcanus” (not Vulcan) sometimes also called “Samson”, is closely conjunct his Sun in Aries. This is a planet of great strength and overwhelming force. Behind the diplomacy, the purpose was to rule and control by force and imposition.
Curiously, Bismarck was able to promote a twenty year “peace” in Europe – albeit won through war and aggression and reinforced by threat. This is perhaps attributable to and elevated Venus in its own sign, Taurus, on the MC, Jupiter in the peaceful Libra and Juno also in Libra. All of these are peace indications. But the peace created was intended to enshrine a rigid and authoritarian government which believed entirely in the centralization of authority (Leo, Rising) supported by military might. No true Germany unity was created. It was enforced by the Prussian mentality upon the general citizenry. All this proved a fertile breeding ground for elitist ideas about German supremacy, politically and racially, and led to the horrors which emerged later in the twentieth century.
We could say that Bismarck could not see beyond his own mistrust – abetted by his fearful Capricorn Moon. This fear was wedded to his natural egotism (the negative qualities of Aries and Leo in which the Sun rules or is exalted) and militant authoritarianism. The aggrandizement of Prussian Germany became equivalent to the aggrandizement of his own ego. Though his policies were ostensibly defeated before the end of his life, they had rooted deep in the German imagination. The sting of defeat in the First World War and the sense of betrayal by despised Jews and Communists brought about an atmosphere at last conducive to Bismarck’s strongest ideas – a dominant Germany. The idea was extended to mean an all dominant Germany, and world domination became an acceptable goal to the glamoured fanatics who founded the Third Reich.
It is well to remember that the Black Lodge works through fanning the flames of fanaticism and through obsession. The obsessed ones are glamoured by the apparent beauty and righteousness of their idealism, and do not see their militant idealism as an entry point for evil – in this case “cosmic” evil, according to the Tibetan. When we look at the conjunction of Pluto, Mercury and Chiron in sensitive Pisces in the eighth house related to Scorpio (both Pisces and Scorpio being signs of related to obsession) we see the open door. Bismarck, blind to the larger issues, was certainly used. Subtle Neptune, square to these planets, kept the door open still wider (being with Mercury a promoter of glamorous thought), and led to conditions in which the “negative” German people (rules in their personality by vulnerable Pisces) could be entirely overcome by obsessing forces.
Humanity cannot judge these matters with accuracy. We are dealing a hidden world – the world of occult phenomena. What we do come to realize is that Bismarck represented (through Aries and Leo) the exaltation of egoism, whereas his avataric counterpart, Abraham Lincoln, so strongly Aquarian, represented Hierarchy, group love and an entirely new form of relationship which is to develop in the New Age. An amazing drama was enacted by two men who did not know each other personally, but who represented forces which have been at war for millions of years. Can we see in the astrological chart and proposed ray structure of Otto von Bismarck why he was chosen to be a focal point and, really, spear-head for the forces of materialism who, in the twentieth century, rose to attempt the defeat of humanity?
