The History of the German Section
of the Theosophical Society
1902–1913
GA 250
3 July 1903, London
Translated by Steiner Online Library
4. Report on the Thirteenth Annual Meeting of the British Section of the Theosophical Society
Written report by Rudolf Steiner, “Der Vâhan,” Vol. V, No. 1, July 1903
[ 1 ] On July 3, 4, and 5, the thirteenth annual meeting of the British Section of the “Theosophical Society” was held in London. In conjunction with this general meeting, the general secretaries of the British, Dutch, French, Italian, and German sections held a discussion regarding how the annual meetings of the “Union of European Sections” should be organized in the future. Each year, one of these sections will invite representatives from the others; the section extending the invitation and the location where the meeting is to take place will be decided on a case-by-case basis for the following year. The details regarding this were settled during a preliminary meeting on July 3. It was agreed that at the annual meeting, the General Secretaries would present reports on the progress of the Theosophical Movement in their respective countries, and that matters of common concern would be discussed. These meetings will aim to foster closer contact among members of the Theosophical Movement in the various countries, so that the broad international character of the Theosophical Movement may become increasingly evident. At the same time, it was decided to compile the reports on the movement provided by the General Secretaries into an annual bulletin. Van Manen of the Dutch Section was elected editor of this bulletin. Following the kind invitation for next year extended by the General Secretary of the Dutch Section, it was decided to accept this invitation and to designate Amsterdam as the venue for the next annual meeting. - On the evening of July 4, the General Secretaries of the aforementioned sections delivered addresses in which they highlighted the progress of the Theosophical Movement in their respective countries. Dr. Rudolf Steiner, the General Secretary of the German Section, was able to point to fewer achievements thus far, given the short history of our Section; he spoke of the special tasks that the German national spirit presents to the Theosophical Movement, and of the hopes and prospects we may cherish if we bring to fruition the seeds of Theosophy lying within German spiritual life. - Both the preliminary discussion and the assembly itself were personally presided over by the President of the “Theosophical Society,” who was present in London. - This was also the case for the meetings of the “British Section” itself, which held a business session on July 4 and organized addresses on July 5. Regarding the business meeting, it should be noted that the representatives of the foreign sections, including Dr. Rudolf Steiner from our German Section, delivered welcoming addresses, and that Bertram Keightley, the former Secretary-General of this section, was re-elected; however, for the duration of his stay in India, Mrs. Hooper will be appointed to conduct business independently as Acting Secretary-General.
[ 2 ] The meeting on July 5 was opened by President H. S. Olcott with an address in which he elaborated on the founding, goals, and tasks of the Theosophical Movement, and in which he specifically pointed out that the “Theosophical Society” did not intend to promote any dogmatic beliefs, but rather that unity should be sought among the various creeds so that the element of brotherly love, in the broadest sense, might be instilled in humanity through the Society. — Bertram Keightley spoke about the “Coming Psychic Wave.” He pointed out the interest currently being shown from a wide variety of quarters in certain psychic phenomena and forces. However, he noted that this interest tends to take a personal direction, as, for example, in “Christian Science.” The Theosophical Movement, on the other hand, emphasizes the impersonal and the selfless; under its influence alone can the “psychic wave of the present” take on a promising character for the future. - Finally, G. Mead discussed the “Christ Mystery in Early Christianity.” He emphasized that, in his opinion, the universal human character of the Christ born within the soul had greater significance for the early days of Christianity than the historical facts that a later era has assigned to the origins of Christianity.