Goebbels – did not believe his own lies

The Nazi Minister of Propaganda or the Hexenmeister, chief sorcerer of lies, Joseph Goebbels, is the subject of a new film. It spotlights his strained relationship with Hitler despite his reputation as a devoted follower and shows the misgivings that quite senior Nazis had until late in the war. Behind the theatrical display of ecstatic loyalty there were considerable fears about Hitler’s strategies. ‘It was Goebbels’s job to soothe their concerns, to create a subhuman identity for Germany’s enemies with repeated lies and provide a comforting illusion of imminent victory in which he, Hitler and everyone came to believe.’

 All of which is old history except it sounds remarkably current.

  Goebbels, born 29 October 1897 10.30 pm Rheydt, Germany, was a Sun Mars in Scorpio in his 4^th house of family lineage and roots, with his Mars inconjunct Pluto in his 11^th house of society giving him a ruthless need to spread his influence. His Pluto was conjunct Neptune, adding a further layer of megalomania.

 He had a Capricorn Moon like Hitler and both had an early Leo Ascendant. Hitler’s Taurus Sun fell in his 10^th for a good career partnership though it would be a fractious relationship with Hitler’s Saturn in Leo clashing with his Sun and Mars.

 Goebbels did have a plausible Jupiter in his 3^rd though I am marginally surprised he did not have more communication planets/houses in action.

 What was chilling was the fact that Goebbels and wife poisoned their six children aged, 13 to 5, when they committed suicide the day after Hitler. That was when Goebbels’ Solar Arc Mars was conjunct his Moon. Tr Saturn was square his Midheaven and tr Pluto trine.

 Magda Goebbels, 11 November 1901 1am Berlin, was a match for her husband with a New Moon in Scorpio and a controlling/ambitious Pluto and Neptune in her 10th house; with her Pluto opposition Mars. Mars Uranus in her 4^th hinted at an argumentative, unsettled home life never mind the ultra-determined Mars Pluto.

 When Hitler committed suicide her Solar Arc Neptune was just over the square to her Moon and conjunct her Sun/Moon midpoint. With her SA Mercury conjunct her Mars opposition Pluto.  But given she poisoned her six children I might have expected more angst showing.

History recycling.

“Above all, don’t lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect he ceases to love.” Fyodor Dostoevsky

“I’m not upset that you lied to me, I’m upset that from now on I can’t believe you.” Friedrich Nietzsche

“If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed.”  Walter Langer

“Things come apart so easily when they have been held together with lies.” Dorothy Allison,

“A lie told often enough becomes the truth.” Vladimir Lenin

“Sometimes the point isn’t to make people believe a lie – it’s to make people fear the liar.” Anne Applebaum

“So a lie told a million times becomes the truth.” Maria Ressa

“A lie leads a man from a grove into a jungle”. Marcelene Cox

“He who tells a lie is not sensible of how great a task he undertakes; for he must be forced to invent twenty more to maintain that one.” Alexander Pope

“Most people don’t care if you’re telling them the truth or if you’re telling them a lie, as long as they’re entertained by it.” Tom Waits

“Gradually I came to realize that people will more readily swallow lies than truth, as if the taste of lies was homey, appetizing: a habit.” Martha Gellhorn

“A liar begins with making falsehood appear like truth, and ends with making truth itself appear like falsehood.” William Shenstone