Alexander Grothendieck – mystic and mathematical ++ mother ++ Riemann

Alexander Grothendieck, a mathematical genius and latterly a hermit, who died last year, “revolutionised postwar mathematics in the 1950s/60s  as Einstein had physics a generation earlier. Moving beyond distinct disciplines such as geometry, algebra and topology, he worked in pursuit of a deeper, universal language to unify them all.”

  The publication in 2022 of his memoir renewed interest in his work with growing academic and corporate attention to how Grothendieckian concepts could be practically applied for technological ends. Chinese telecoms giant Huawei believes his esoteric concept of the topos could be key to building the next generation of AI. Which he would have disliked since his motivations were not worldly ones. A former colleague wrote: “He pursued a kind of monologue, or rather a dialogue with mathematics and God, which to him were one and the same.”

 Born 28 March 1928 12.45am Berlin, Germany, he was abandoned to foster care aged five when his parents fled Nazi Germany to fight for the socialist cause in Europe and was only reunited with his mother in 1939 when they went to live in a French internment camp. His Jewish father died in Auschwitz.

  He had a packed 3^rd house with his Aries Sun conjunct innovative Uranus on one side and Jupiter on the other square an 8^th house Pluto. His Pluto was further emphasised being on the focal point of a yod to Saturn in Sagittarius Ascendant sextile Mars in Aquarius. Such an intense and loaded Pluto can produce individuals way ahead of their time in discovering fundamental truths which are often ignored until later – and being in the 8^th his interest would lie beyond the rational world. His Neptune (often prominent in top level mathematicians) was in the intellectual 9^th house and that plus a packed 3^rd would give him an over active mind.

  He retreated from academia after 1970 when the tr Uranus Pluto were moving across his Midheaven into a reclusive existence in France and  latterly his studies were fixated on the problem of why evil exists in the world. He became more mystical and probably unbalanced living a hermit’s existence.

 His leaving-a-legacy-for-history 17^th harmonic was strong – as was Steve Jobs.

Add On: His mother Hanka was an anarchist communist activist along with his father. Their political aim was to create a system of free soviets that would manage the transition towards a stateless and classless society. Having left their son in foster care in Germany in 1933 they went to France and later to support the Republicans after the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War. After reuniting the family in 1939 and following the Nazi occupation of France, his father was arrested and deported to Auschwitz. In March 1940, Hanka and Alexander  moved within France to support a colony of Spanish refugees. She was then arrested by the Vichy regime and both were sent to an internment camp, though later he found refuge elsewhere. He dedicated his doctoral thesis to her – she died in 1957.

What a dreadful childhood for him.

  She was born 21 August 1900 in Germany and was an attention-seeking Sun Leo trine a well-read and travelled Saturn in Sagittarius; with a passionately enthusiastic Mars Venus conjunction probably close to her Cancer Moon.

  It was a Neptunian connection with Alexander since her hope-for-a-better-society Saturn opposition Neptune sat close to his Cancer Moon; and her Sun was conjunct his Neptune. Her Venus, Mars (Moon) was conjunct his 8^th house Pluto – a deep though conflicted connection.

 Their relationship chart had a cool, distanced composite Sun opposition Saturn and a Mars square Neptune – suggesting work came first; and by pursuing her ambitions, her son became the loser.

ADD ON 2:

Georg Bernhard Riemann considered one of the greatest mathematicians of all time, was born 17 September 1826, Germany, no birth time. He was a Sun Jupiter in Virgo trine Uranus – and also had a heavily emphasised Pluto being on the focal point of a Cardinal T Square to Saturn opposition Neptune; and on the focal point of a yod inconjunct Mercury sextile Venus.

According to wiki he made profound contributions to analysis, number theory, and differential geometry. Through his pioneering contributions to differential geometry, Riemann laid the foundations of the mathematics of general relativity.