Cosmobiology (Ebertin)

Cosmobiology is a direction in astrology developed by the German astrologer Reinhold Ebertin (1901-1988) as an attempt to create a more rigorous, verifiable astrology free from symbolic arbitrariness. Ebertin abandoned the house system (considering it unreliable due to its dependence on exact birth time), discarded most traditional concepts, and focused on the mathematically precise midpoints of planets as sensitive points of the chart.

The principal tool of the system is the cosmogram: a 360-degree circular diagram without house divisions, on which planetary positions are plotted and midpoints between every pair of planets are calculated. The Sun/Moon midpoint, for example, describes the combination of vitality and soul principles; the Mars/Saturn midpoint describes the principle of restricted force. When another planet falls on a midpoint or forms a 45/90/135-degree angle with it, this is regarded as an active configuration. The research was systematized in The Combination of Stellar Influences (COSI, 1940).

Ebertin and his followers (including the Working Group for Cosmobiological Research, WAWI) undertook attempts at statistical verification of their methods — which favorably distinguishes cosmobiology from most astrological schools. The results, however, have not fully passed independent scientific review. Nevertheless, the method is respected in the professional astrological community for its mathematical rigor and pragmatism.

In the Errarium atlas, cosmobiology (#42) represents the German rationalist branch of astrology — fundamentally different in spirit from psychological astrology or traditional symbolic systems. Its closest analogue is harmonic astrology (#44) as another attempt to mathematically formalize astrology. Both work with numerical relationships within the chart while avoiding excessive symbolism.