The History of the Esoteric School 1904–1914, Volume One

GA 264

Part III: Preliminary Remarks by the Editor

In the early years of building up the Society and Esoteric School, Rudolf Steiner repeatedly pointed out that a distinction must be made between the movement and society, and between the Esoteric School and society.

By movement he meant the new spiritual revelation, as it has been able to be conveyed to humanity since the last third of the 19th century by the Masters of Wisdom and of the harmony of feelings and their earthly messengers. He once characterized the relationship of the messengers to the masters as follows:

"The initiates have the obligation to teach humanity; they have received this message again during the last thirty years from the higher beings who have already risen above the development of man, from the Masters of Wisdom and of the Harmony of Feelings, from these exalted beings who who actually influence every spiritual current on our earth and gradually allow more and more of their wisdom to flow into the world, depending on the degree to which the human being rises higher and higher in his development.” (Vienna, June 14, 1909)

Steiner named H.P. Blavatsky as the first messenger of the Theosophical movement (letter of January 2, 1905); Annie Besant as the second messenger (letter of August 29, 1904 to Mathilde Scholl), although in the restrictive sense expressed three years later, that it was only a small episode in which she, through her high-minded way of thinking and living, had come into contact with the initiators (written in 1907 to Edouard Schuré). The third messenger would be Rudolf Steiner, who was in fact the first to found and develop the science of the spirit demanded by the consciousness of the times. With his training method 'How to Know Higher Worlds', he made it possible to take the path to supersensible knowledge in spiritual self-responsibility, on which every spiritual disciple will meet their master in their own time. In the introduction to his first introductory work on supersensible world knowledge and the destiny of man, 'Theosophy', Steiner describes how he understood this inaugural act of 'setting spiritual disciples on the path of development', and how such an inauguration or installation into the office of a spiritual teacher, just as in public educational life, requires a corresponding calling. He writes:

"To be a teacher in these higher realms of existence, it is certainly not enough for a person simply to have developed a sense for them. To do that, one needs to have a knowledge of them, just as one needs a knowledge of the ordinary reality in order to be a teacher in that realm. “Higher vision does not make one a “knower” in the spiritual any more than healthy senses make one a “scholar” in sensual reality. And since in truth all reality, the lower and the higher spiritual, are only two sides of one and the same fundamental existence, he who is ignorant in the lower knowledge will most likely remain so in higher things as well. This fact engenders in him who feels impelled to express himself on the spiritual domains of existence through spiritual calling, the feeling of an incalculable responsibility.

What he himself had to represent as a spiritual teacher called into the world in this way was taught by him in public, in society and in the Esoteric School and understood as a movement. The movement and the esoteric school – as their most direct instrument, he regarded it as a foundation of the masters, for which only the appropriately called can be held responsible; the democratically organized society, on the other hand, as a foundation of people, for which they themselves are responsible and must administer. Thus, in the field of the occult movement, the latter formed the “first community that strives for an organization with freedom”¹ It was to become, as it were, the bridge that connects true occultism with the general public. At the same time, it should provide the ground on which people can unite in the same quest for wisdom in a time that increasingly threatens to lead to the fragmentation of the community. This ideal of brotherhood manifested itself in the founding of the Theosophical Society in the three principles:

To form the core of a universal brotherhood of humanity, without distinction of race, faith, sex, caste or color. To cultivate the recognition of the core of truth in all religions and in the world.

To explore the deeper spiritual forces in human nature and in the world.

Rudolf Steiner always adhered to the spirit of these principles for the statutes of the Anthroposophical Society as well. It is from their spirit that the general Christian consciousness of brotherhood of the next cultural epoch must be prepared. He pointed this out as early as 1904:

“In occult schools, there are three words that denote the new age, the age of a new, later human race... Brotherly love, pneumatology, self-authority in the religious sphere.” (Berlin, October 10, 1904)

This underlying social ideal of brotherhood was not only strongly emphasized by Rudolf Steiner during the formative years of the Society, but he even stated that this was done at the suggestion of the Masters (Berlin, January 2, 1905). A reorientation according to this ideal was necessary at that time because it could not be realized through the T.S. Soon after its founding, the partial interest of ancient oriental wisdom had been placed above the spirit of universal humanity and thus truly Christian occultism. The background to this development is illuminated by the following writing of Rudolf Steiner, which was written on September 9, soon after the agreement with Annie Besant at the Munich Congress in May 1907 to separate from the Esoteric School for the personal orientation of Edouard Schure:

As information; it cannot yet be said directly in this form:

The Theosophical Society was founded in New York in 1875 by H.P. Blavatsky and H.S. Olcott. This first foundation had a distinctly Western character. And the book Isis Unveiled, in which Blavatsky published a great many occult truths, also has a distinctly Western character. It must be said, however, that the great truths communicated in it are presented in a distorted and often caricatured way. It is as if a harmonious countenance were to appear completely distorted in a convex mirror. The things said in Isis are true, but the way they are said is an irregular reflection of the truth. This is because the truths themselves are inspired by the great initiates of the West, who are also the initiators of the Rosicrucian wisdom. The distortion stems from the inappropriate way in which these truths were received by the soul of H.P. Blavatsky. For the educated world, this fact should have been proof of the higher source of inspiration for these truths. Because no one could have received these truths through themselves and still expressed them in such a distorted way. When the initiates of the West saw how little chance they had of the flow of spiritual wisdom entering humanity in this way, they decided to abandon the matter for the time being. But once the gate was open, Blavatsky's soul was prepared to receive spiritual wisdom. Eastern initiators were able to take hold of it. These Eastern initiators initially had the very best of intentions. They saw how humanity was steering towards the terrible danger of a complete materialization of the way of thinking through Anglo-Americanism. They, the Eastern Initiators, wanted to instill into the Western world their form of spiritual knowledge, preserved from ancient times. Under the influence of this current, the Theosophical Society took on an Eastern character, and under the same influence, Sinnett's “Esoteric Buddhism” and Blavatsky's “Secret Doctrine” were inspired. But both became distortions of the truth again. Sinnett's work distorts the high revelations of the initiators through an inadequate philosophical intellectualism carried into it, and Blavatsky's “Secret Doctrine” through their own chaotic soul.

The result of this was that the initiators, including the Eastern ones, withdrew their influence more and more from the official Theosophical Society, and that this became a stomping ground for all kinds of occult powers that distorted the high cause. There was a brief episode in which Annie Besant's pure, lofty way of thinking and living brought her into contact with the initiators. But this little episode came to an end when Annie Besant surrendered to the influence of certain Indians who, under the influence of German philosophers in particular, developed a grotesque intellectualism, which they misinterpreted. That was the situation when I myself was faced with the necessity of joining the Theosophical Society. It had been founded by true initiates, and therefore, although subsequent events have given it a certain imperfection, it is for the time being an instrument for the spiritual life of the present. Its fruitful development in Western countries depends entirely on the extent to which it proves capable of incorporating the principle of Western initiation under its influence. For the Eastern initiations must necessarily leave untouched the Christ principle as the central cosmic factor of evolution. Without this principle, however, the Theosophical movement would have to remain without a determining influence on Western cultures, which have the Christ life at their point of origin. The revelations of Oriental initiation would have to present themselves in the West as a sect alongside living culture. They could only hope to succeed in evolution if they eradicated the Christ principle from Western culture. But this would be identical with extinguishing the very purpose of the earth, which lies in the knowledge and realization of the intentions of the living Christ. To reveal this in its full wisdom, beauty and form is the deepest goal of Rosicrucianism. Regarding the value of Eastern wisdom as a subject of study, there can only be the opinion that this study is of the highest value because Western peoples have lost their sense of esotericism, while the Eastern peoples have retained it. But regarding the introduction of the right esotericism in the West, there should also only be the opinion that this can only be the Rosicrucian-Christian one, because it also gave birth to Western life, and because by losing it, humanity would deny the meaning and purpose of the Earth. Only in this esoteric can the harmony of science and religion flourish, while any fusion of Western knowledge with Eastern esotericism can only produce such barren bastards as Sinnett's “Esoteric Buddhism” is. One can schematically represent the correct:

the incorrect, of which Sinnett's “Esoteric Buddhism” and Blavatsky's “Secret Doctrine” are examples:

After Annie Besant had declared at the Munich Congress in May 1907 that she was not competent with regard to Christianity and therefore handed over the movement to Rudolf Steiner, insofar as Christianity was to be incorporated into it, she soon afterwards presented a Christ-teaching that was in complete contrast to that of Rudolf Steiner. While he always taught that Christ had become the leading spirit of the earth since the event of Golgotha, who only appeared once in a physical body, Annie Besant taught that Christ was a teacher of humanity like Buddha and other great spirits, whose carnal reappearance could soon be expected. This was already in the background at the next Theosophical Congress in Budapest in 1909. In this context, the following statements made by Rudolf Steiner at the time about a law in occult research and the related necessity of cultivating spiritual knowledge in community take on a very special significance:

"Why do we actually have to deal with theosophical thoughts and theories before we can experience something in the spiritual world ourselves? Some will say: The results of seer research are imparted to us; but I myself cannot yet see into them. Would it not be more correct if we were not told the results of seer research, but above all if we were told how I myself can develop into a seer? Then everyone could go through the further development themselves afterwards. Those who are outside of occult research may believe that it would be good if such things and facts were not spoken of beforehand. But there is a very definite law in the spiritual world, the full significance of which we will try to make clear to ourselves through an example. Suppose that in some year a random, properly trained clairvoyant perceived this or that in the spiritual world. Now imagine that ten or twenty years later another equally trained clairvoyant would perceive the same thing, even if he had not learned anything about the results from the first clairvoyant. If you believe that, you are greatly mistaken, for in truth, once a fact of the spiritual world has been discovered by a clairvoyant or an occult school, it cannot be investigated a second time unless the investigator first receives notification that it has already been investigated. Thus, if a seer has researched a fact in 1900, and another is ready to perceive the same in 1950, he can only do so if he has first learned and experienced that someone has already found and researched it. Thus, even in the spiritual world, known facts can only be seen if one decides to receive them in the usual way and to get to know them. This is the law that establishes universal brotherhood in the spiritual world for all time. It is impossible to enter into any field without first connecting with what has already been explored and seen by the older brothers of humanity. It is taken care of in the spiritual world that no one can become a so-called loner and say: I do not care about what already exists, I research for myself alone. All the facts that are communicated in Theosophy today would not be able to be seen by even the most educated and advanced of people if they had not learned about them before. Because of this, because one must connect with what has already been researched, the Theosophical movement had to be founded in this form. In a relatively short time there will be many people who will be clairvoyant; they would only be able to see insubstantial things, but not the truth in the spiritual world, because they would not be able to see the important things that have already been researched in the spiritual world. First one must learn these truths, as given by Theosophy, only then can one perceive them. So even the clairvoyant must first learn what has already been researched, and then, with conscientious training, he can see the facts for himself. It may be said that the divine entities only impregnate a human soul once, for a first vision, and that once this unique, virgin impregnation has taken place, it is necessary for the others to first turn their gaze to what this first human soul has acquired in order to have a right to acquire and see the same. This law is the foundation of universal brotherhood, a true brotherhood of man. From epoch to epoch the treasure of wisdom has thus been handed down through the occult schools and faithfully guarded by the Masters. And we too must help to carry this treasure and keep brotherhood with those who have already achieved something if we want to reach the higher realms of the spiritual world. That which is striven for as a moral law on the physical plane is therefore a natural law of the spiritual world.” (Budapest, June 4, 1909)

This statement makes it clear why the Theosophical Society was approached. The fact that a split occurred was not primarily due to the divergence with Annie Besant regarding the Christ-knowledge, but to her untruthful behavior towards real events in the management of the society. How Rudolf Steiner, in agreement with the intentions of the masters, viewed the whole problem at the time can be seen from the two addresses he gave on December 14 and 15, 1911.