The Rudolf Steiner Archive

11. Report on the Annual Conference in Amsterdam

My dear Theosophical friends,

[ 1 ] If the Theosophical Movement wishes to achieve the great goals it has set for itself, it must, above all, uphold its first principle everywhere and put it into practice in all its endeavors. As is well known, this principle is to form the core of a universal brotherhood of humankind, without distinction of race and so on. But if we place this principle above all else, then differences between peoples and nations may only be an expression of what truly animates human beings at their core.

[ 2 ] We must seek out everywhere those with whom we wish to unite in brotherhood. Bearing this principle in mind, the Theosophical Congress in London two years ago resolved to propose the establishment of an annual congress of the European sections of the Theosophical Society. This year, the first European congress—truly deserving of the name—of the various sections across the continent was convened.

[ 3 ] Thus, from June 19 to 21, the European sections of the Theosophical Society gathered in Amsterdam with the purpose of offering up, in a free exchange of ideas, the theosophical endeavors taking place in the various European countries as a source of inspiration on the common altar, and, on the other hand, to bring to the attention of those gathered the joint work being done here and there in the service of the general public. Both objectives were achieved through the exceptionally capable and energetic efforts of our Dutch brothers, so that the congress proceeded in an exceptionally dignified manner.

[ 4 ] The congress demonstrated how deeply the Theosophical idea has already taken root among those gathered there. Five European sections have indeed united to form the so-called Federation. These are the sections from which the Theosophical Movement originally sprang: first, the English section; second, the French; third, the Italian; fourth, the Dutch; and finally, fifth, the German section, which has existed for only two years.

[ 5 ] Our esteemed Annie Besant has assumed the chairmanship of this congress. She has only recently returned to Europe from India, where she has spent most of her time. It was wonderful that she was able to preside over this particular congress. All who have truly grasped the task and mission of the Theosophical Movement know that its ideal is embodied—indeed, incarnated—in the person of Annie Besant. When Madame Blavatsky died, spiritual leadership passed to Annie Besant, and if anyone was qualified to assume this leadership, it was she. Everything that must live in Theosophy lives in her. She unites the ideal of will, the enthusiasm of feeling, and at the same time the scientific direction of our movement. And all of this is immersed in what constitutes the fundamental element—spirituality—regardless of whether Annie Besant is discussing a scientific, an activist, or an occult topic.

[ 6 ] In her views, only the outer form of expression for the innermost essence of her soul is embodied. And this is the task that the Theosophical Movement has set for itself: to immerse all branches of human activity today, all impulses of the will, and all scientific ideals in spirituality, to bring everything back to life from the dead. This spirituality speaks for itself when Annie Besant speaks to us. That is why it was a solemn moment when she opened the congress in Amsterdam, as she expounded on the “why and what for” of the movement.

[ 7 ] She said, roughly—in spirit, not verbatim: The task of the Theosophical Movement is the spiritualization of our entire culture, our entire civilization. If we look back over the last few decades of our culture, we see that it has reached infinite heights in a wide variety of areas. We see that science—that external, material life—has reached such a pinnacle as has never been the case before. We see how the horizons of nations have expanded infinitely; we see that these nations have made the entire world their home. This outer, material life can only be the outward expression of the inner essence of culture, of civilization, of the very soul of human development and progress. And to imprint this soul of human development and progress upon the outward, splendid aspects of our culture—that is the task of the Theosophical Movement. It finds its justification in what has taken place in our cultural development over the past thirty years. Everywhere we see that things have changed in our civilization over the past thirty years. We see that nobler spirits are striving to break free from purely material culture, from intellectual science, and from the luxury to which material culture has elevated itself. Thus, we see that the longing for spirituality pervades our entire age. This ideal is not limited to our Theosophical Movement alone. It also lives on in those who know nothing or wish to know nothing about the Theosophical Movement. The Theosophical Movement seeks to be nothing other than something that must happen in our time. Thus, within our society, there are women and men who wish to express their deep connection to the reality that the soul and spirit—that spirituality—exist. To this end, the Theosophical Movement turns to the most ancient ideas of humanity—those that, throughout all ages since the development of humankind on Earth, have provided the great impulses for all civilizations and cultural progress. It does not approach these ideas in an abstract, lifeless form, but in a living form. These ideas did not arise by chance in this or that individual’s mind. They have necessarily been instilled in people from time to time by the great leaders of humanity—instilled by such leaders who, in their own evolution, have surged ahead of our entire race, who have already attained, either today or in times past, what the vast majority will not achieve until a distant future. Such advanced brothers have always been in possession of these great, inspiring ideas. And they have preserved these within the so-called occult brotherhoods. They have handed them down to the human race, adapted to the needs of the times and of the peoples. As a rule, these brothers have remained in seclusion. But they have sent out their messengers where necessary—to this or that people, at this or that time. And from these emissaries arose the great civilizational movements, the world religions, and the great spiritual and material movements, which are meant to be the expression of the Folk-souls.

[ 8 ] In the last third of the nineteenth century, such a wave was to surge forth once more. It was to once again pass on something of that ancient wisdom. And what it passes on is contained in what the Theosophical Society has taught since its founding by Olcott and Blavatsky. This is what we must incorporate into our culture; this is what provides the source for humanity’s spiritual civilization. A worthy member of the Theosophical Society is one who is inspired by these ideas and who is willing to work for the development of all humanity based on them. When we win over the souls of humanity, our culture will also present the correct perspective to the outside world. Everything has strayed from the path. Take just one aspect: beauty. Beauty can exist in culture only if it contains true faith in humanity’s highest ideals. Consider why the true painters of the Middle Ages have such a profound impact, and you will find that they have imbued their works with their ideals, which then speak through them. When we attain such true faith, such wisdom, a divine light will once again radiate from our art. This is one of the tasks that the Theosophical Movement will fulfill. And there are many such tasks. The Theosophical Movement does not exist to instruct individuals or to perfect them, but to educate them in the spirit of self-sacrifice and service to others. A true member of the Theosophical Movement is not one who seeks self-perfection, but one who places all their strength and their entire being in the service of humanity.

[ 9 ] A speech of this kind was delivered, one that contained much wisdom, and Annie Besant’s words filled the entire convention with a solemn atmosphere. If I am to describe the course of the events that followed this speech—which took on a more communal character—I must note that the individual sections were represented by their general secretaries: the English section by Mr. Keightley, the French by Monsieur Pascal, the Italian was not represented—the representative was unable to attend—and the German by Dr. Steiner.

[ 10 ] Our Theosophical brother in Holland, Mr. van Manen, oversaw the preparatory work and the proceedings during the Congress, so that even the administrative management can truly be called exemplary.

[ 11 ] That evening—it was a Sunday—Annie Besant gave a second speech, a speech on the new psychology. This speech was open to the public, accessible to everyone, and delivered at the Free Congregation Church in Amsterdam. While the morning had offered an opportunity to witness spiritual life springing from Annie Besant’s heart and idealism, the evening provided a chance to admire the full scientific acumen of this spiritual leader of the Theosophical Movement. I can only briefly touch upon the ideas she expounded.

[ 12 ] Anyone who can recall the time about forty years ago, when the theory of soul evolution was gaining ground, will remember the flood of materialism. There was a saying by Karl Vogt that went something like this: “The brain sweats out thoughts just as the liver sweats out bile.”

[ 13 ] In this age of materialistic science, attempts have been made to view thoughts, the mind, and the soul solely as products of the body’s external mechanisms—to explain thoughts, for example, in much the same way as the rotation of a clock’s hands is explained by the mechanism of the clockwork. This view has undergone a profound upheaval over the past forty years. It has been found that it is just as impossible to explain the mind through the nervous system as it is to explain a work of art by Mozart or Beethoven through the keys or strings of a piano. It has been recognized—scientifically recognized—that this is impossible. This realization came about through the experimental method itself. It has been found that when a brain is in a state different from that of everyday life, it is not entirely devoid of consciousness, but rather exhibits a different kind of consciousness, a different form of psychological and spiritual phenomena. These states have been studied in dream life and also in individuals with abnormal personalities, leading to the conviction that what we call the soul finds a completely different expression within the brain’s mechanisms. It has been found that it manifests according to different laws in dream life and yet according to still different laws in trance, somnambulism, and so on. This has led to the recognition of the great degree of autonomy the mind possesses in relation to the brain’s mechanisms. French researchers have observed that the same human individual, in everyday consciousness when we interact with them, exhibits entirely different characteristics than when observed in an abnormal state of the brain. There is a personality who goes by the pseudonym Leonie. During her examination, it became apparent that she has three states of consciousness; in one state, she is a personality who is prone to antipathy, while in another state of consciousness she exhibits entirely different characteristics. And a third state could also be induced in her. This justifies one of the fundamental beliefs of all religious systems: that the spirit has only a tool in the brain’s mechanism, that what it accomplishes within it is merely a form of expression, and that the spirit therefore possesses autonomy from this form of expression. This justifies the theosophical endeavor to seek the truth not only with the aid of the brain but also with the aid of such states into which certain individuals can enter.

[ 14 ] This was a lecture by Annie Besant, which essentially illustrates the differences between what is becoming commonplace in our pulpits and what the Theosophical worldview advocates. It is precisely through such lectures that it becomes clearer and clearer that our present-day culture and civilization will lead to what the Theosophical worldview proclaims. In this sense, it is an outpost, and Western civilization will follow in its footsteps.

[ 15 ] For the next two days, the work was organized into so-called departments. A wealth of lectures had been announced, from all parts of the world. Lectures had to be held in various halls in order to cover all the material. It became apparent that the various representatives of the Theosophical worldview had pursued their ideals far and wide. The work of Theosophical students already extends into all the sciences, into the arts, and into social life. And here it has become evident how, from all branches of contemporary culture, sources can be drawn that converge into the great current to which our Theosophical movement belongs. It was also evident how the Theosophical Movement has a fertilizing effect. What might otherwise have seemed devoid of substance appeared to us here in a light from which even those who do not belong to the Theosophical Movement will likely soon draw their insights.

[ 16 ] The departments were: first, the Department of Science; second, the Department of Comparative Religion; third, the Department of Philology; fourth, the Department of Universal Brotherhood; fifth, the Department of Occultism; sixth, the Department of Philosophy; and seventh, the Department of Methods of Theosophical Work. In the following days, the work of the Theosophical Society was carried out in these seven departments.

[ 17 ] Allow me to briefly outline what was accomplished there. Since speeches were given in various halls, I cannot speak about everything.

[ 18 ] Dr. Pascal gave an interesting lecture on the nature of human consciousness, and it was precisely in this lecture that it became apparent how modern thought and modern scientific perspectives are gradually seeking to encompass theosophical concepts and ideas, and how they are attempting to express the concepts, ideas, and truths that constitute ancient wisdom in a modern way.

[ 19 ] Second, there were inspiring remarks by our Munich member, Ludwig Deinhard. Following Annie Besant, he sought to offer some inspiration and began by speaking about the multifaceted personality. This is precisely the multiple personality that we encounter in the séances, as we see it with the medium Leonie. Here we are dealing with three states of consciousness, including one that is entirely different from the medium Leonie’s ordinary consciousness. The experimenter himself has said that a medium in such a state recalls events from her youth of which she otherwise retains absolutely no memory. The medium also demonstrates memory of past events that did not take place in this present life, but must have occurred in another, previous life. This is an indication of reincarnation. Deinhard thus sought to explain this concept of the personality; and those members of the Society who enjoy a higher state of consciousness should take the opportunity to explore these perspectives—which are being pursued by modern psychology—within their own higher consciousness, so that in this way we may establish a kind of harmony between the achievements of modern science and what the mystic, gifted with clairvoyance, is able to experience within himself.

[ 20 ] Following this discussion, another one took place on the topic of dual consciousness, or the second self, led by our member [Orage from Leeds].

[ 21 ] This was followed by a series of other lectures dealing with the all-important question of the fourth dimension of space. These are of such particular significance because this question must one day be thoroughly studied by researchers. We have some particularly interesting and instructive literature. There are already books today on topics that people used to laugh at not so long ago. In the discussions about space and the fourth dimension, we have a guide on how people can form a real mental image—directly through external experiments—of what Hellscher actually calls four-dimensional space. This is a guide designed to give even the average person an idea of it. Until now, only mathematicians could gain such a mental image. Here, however, through ingenious models, you have the opportunity to gain such a mental image. Once I have constructed the models myself this fall, I will give you a series of lectures on the subject here to show you how one can gain such a mental image directly from the model. That was the scientific part.

[ 22 ] The second department was the one on comparative religion. Of particular significance here was an Indian lecture on the future of religions.

[ 23 ] Next came the third section on philology. There were several very interesting papers that can provide us with important insights into the development of various concepts. I cannot go into detail here. The yearbook will provide further information on these presentations.

[ 24 ] Then came the fourth department, on the idea of brotherhood. And then the fifth department, on occultism. There, Miss Annie Besant gave another speech. She spoke about the nature of occultism. I can only briefly touch on the content of this extraordinarily important speech. The speaker began with a statement by Madame Blavatsky, who said that occultism is the realization that the universal world spirit has brought all things into being, that we must seek in all things an expression, an outer form, of a universal spirit, and that whoever seeks this universal spirit and arrives at the methods and means to find it is an occultist. This describes what occultism is in abstract terms, but it is not so easy to specify the exact nature of occultism in detail. Human beings look around at the material things they see, which are governed by forces we call natural forces: electricity, heat, light, and so on. Then they see phenomena governed by the laws of nature—the law of gravity, the law of attraction and repulsion, the law of causality, and the laws of life. Material forces and laws are what conventional science is able to convey to us about the world. The occultist differs from ordinary scientists in that he gains insight into something else regarding the forces and something else regarding the laws. Through experience and the methods he is able to apply, he comes to see and perceive what lies hidden behind the forces in the world—that which is occult. And when he perceives what lies hidden behind the forces, these are not forces again—not things that can be perceived with ordinary, everyday consciousness—but rather beings, beings of a higher “kind,” who belong to the so-called higher worlds. The occultist ascends from the realm of forces to the realm of beings, from the realm of forces to the creative beings. He reaches this realm through direct perception. He recognizes the creators of the world. The forces that the ordinary person perceives as their means of expression are merely the outer projections, the outer shadows and reflections of these creators of the world. And where ordinary science fails, the occultist ascends to beings of an even more sublime nature—to beings that extend upward from the nature of the world-formers all the way to the so-called Logoi. For the occultist, these are that which lies hidden behind what science calls laws. The scientist recognizes the material forces and the material laws; the occultist perceives the higher beings—the formative beings—whom he comes to know as the agents and shapers of the forces of nature. He comes to know the Logoi of the most sublime order, who manifest themselves externally only in the existence of the world laws that permeate the celestial realms. In order for the occultist to arrive at these insights, he must undergo careful training and undergo manifold trials. These consist of two things: first, expanding human consciousness and broadening one’s horizon beyond this sensory, physical world; and second, developing senses that can perceive those higher worlds just as the physical eyes and ears perceive the external physical world.

[ 25 ] Before a person can seek to expand their consciousness, they must exercise careful control over their thoughts. Without this, one cannot take a single step forward in the occult. The everyday person is controlled by their thoughts, but the occultist must control their thoughts. Until one has reached the point where no thought, no movement, and no emotion creeps into consciousness before one can summon and control them, we cannot gain access to the occult. Complete control of the thoughts—which makes a person the master of them—is necessary. If a person were to enter the occult realms without this control, they would suffer great disadvantages. Ordinary mental strength is barely sufficient to keep thoughts in check. If a person were to enter the occult realm relying solely on this mental strength, it would be destroyed by the forces rushing at them from the astral plane. When a person has achieved complete control over their thoughts, when no emotion can gain access to them anymore, then they can develop the higher senses—the senses for higher perception. This, too, is a training fraught with trials. Here we face all the dangers that the occultist knows well. Those whose senses have awakened in the spiritual realm know that they are initially tormented in the most terrible way by their own desires and passions. Desires, pleasure, and pain flow forth ceaselessly. We see them and regard them as objective entities. It is difficult to distinguish them from truly objective things. One learns to make this distinction only through careful, rigorous training.

[ 26 ] Another danger lies in the hostile forces that threaten us and to which we are exposed. We must learn to overcome this danger as well. Furthermore, we must learn not to regard the individual distortions and fragments that present themselves to us as the whole of reality. The strictest training is required here so that a person may walk on sure footing when leaving the world—namely, the physical world. Above all, the occultist must have eradicated from within himself all personal desires and passions. He must not want anything solely for himself. He must place everything in the service of a great cause that only he knows and that he may not even be able to articulate. Once he has become free of desire in this sense, then—when his consciousness is expanded and his senses are developed—something will approach him that is called the voice of the Master. This voice does not approach us until we have learned to distinguish it from other voices. Once he has reached this stage, he can pass through the narrow gate; then he is ripe for initiation. Only those who truly traverse such a path are occultists. To them are revealed the sublime divine beings who, in the lower world, manifest themselves only as laws.

[ 27 ] This third lecture complemented the first two in an extraordinary way. If I may say that the first lecture stirred the spirit to enthusiasm, and that the second lecture offered knowledge capable of enlightening, then I may also say that in the third lecture, in which she spoke about occultism, Annie Besant sanctified the will—that root of being.

[ 28 ] Following this lecture, we had a reading of a lecture on occultism by Leadbeater. I would like to highlight just one point. It was mentioned that experiments have been conducted to determine what musical forms look like in the astral realm. When a musical composition by Mozart or Beethoven is played in a room, those with astral hearing and vision can see the forms in the astral world through which these works of art manifest themselves. Just like the lines and forms of marvelous architecture, so do the lines and forms of a musical work of art appear in the astral realm. This astral architecture of music has been researched particularly in America.

[ 29 ] The next day, Tuesday, we still had to complete the science section and the section on work methods. In the scientific department, I spoke about mathematics and [occultism]. I tried to show how it came to be that Plato required his students to take a mathematics course on the basic concepts of mathematics before he admitted them to

[ 30 ] admitted into his lecture halls, why the Gnostics called mathematics “Mathesis,” and why Pythagoras sought the essence of the world—insofar as it is knowable to humans—in numbers. I sought to show that what was taught in those ancient times is by no means the abstract mathematics of today, but rather that they had before them a direct, intuitive perception of mathematics—just as someone who listens to a piece of music does not calculate the tonal relationships mathematically but perceives them in a sea of sounds; so too does the occultist perceive these things. The ancients called it “sphere music.” The senseless, mathematical perception gives rise in its intuition to a music of a higher, intuitive kind. One perceives the three kinds of occult knowledge that are equally present in the occultist: the material, the intellectual, and the perception of great musical ratios based on numbers and numerical ratios. Only those who know what the Gnostics meant by “mathesis” can grasp this concept. A turning point occurred with Newton, who discovered infinitesimal and integral calculus. Since then, it has been possible to calculate with infinitely small and infinitely large quantities. The ordinary mathematician does not penetrate into this infinitely small and this infinitely large. Only those who know it and are able to bring it to life within themselves can understand it. They can then also liberate themselves through a mathematical means. And thus, as mathematicians, they can find access to the occult worlds and make a contribution to them. I then showed how, in the era when Plato’s and Pythagoras’s “music of the spheres” had been lost and Galileo and Newton were exerting their influence, the sensory world was conquered, the physical laws of nature were discovered, mathematics took on a different form, and people came to master mathematics itself. In the past, people were familiar with finite mathematics. Since Newton and Leibniz, we have had the mathematics of the infinite. Those who engage with it arrive at occult, intuitive vision. They arrive at a reversal, at an upward movement. They become free from everything that speaks to them in the sensory-material world. And something quite peculiar occurs in their astral body. Those who truly grasp mathematical concepts—grasp them vividly—will find that their thought forms become entirely different. Every thought-form influenced by the senses appears as if sealed off by a veil. It then rebounds from the outside. But when it is free from the senses, the thought-form opens up and then envelops every thing with its own thought-form. Everything antipathetic has been transformed into something sympathetic. In this way, you have become an occultist. This is a contribution, an attempt to arrive at occultism from a particular branch of science.

[ 31 ] Then a Frenchman spoke about rhythm in the world, and [Bhagavân Dâs of Benares read a treatise on the relationship between the Self and the non-Self]. Fichte, Schelling, and Hegel are a complete mystery even to modern science. It would be gratifying if India’s profound thinking were to bring about a transformation of our truly formidable German philosophy.

[ 32 ] From the section on the methods of theosophical work, special mention must be made of the lecture given by Misses [Hooper, London,] which is noteworthy for a certain shift in the outward manner in which this entity represents theosophy in the world. Those who have heard my report on the London Theosophical Congress will recall that I had to mention that Christianity was met with almost complete rejection there. This rejection of Christianity has now given way to a complete understanding of it, so that we are learning not only to speak in Indian and Muslim terms, but also to strive to reveal the infinitely deep core of truth in the Bible, the Old and New Testaments. And there emerged something of which modern times, right up to the present day, knew very little. It turned out that the Bible is a deeply esoteric text, and that the deepest truths underlying it are also an expression of theosophical truths. Anyone who understands what is hidden in this book in terms of the occult cannot help but be amazed and filled with admiration, and must say to themselves: Only now do I recognize what the Bible truly is. Misses Hooper must have been inspired by such feelings when she said: “The core has always been the same, but the forms have changed.”—We find in the Bible and in Christianity symbols of such depth, conciseness, and power that we can speak entirely from the Bible when we present theosophical teachings. Now, during the Theosophical Congress in Amsterdam, we were able to observe that a current toward the revival of the Gospel of John is already present within the Theosophical Movement. I will speak more about this next Monday.

[ 33 ] The convention concluded on Tuesday afternoon. Miss Annie Besant was able to summarize in a few concise words what we had all felt during the days of the convention: that our Dutch brothers, who have made such great progress in the Theosophical Movement, had indeed spared no effort to make this convention a worthy one, and that they had proceeded with both prudence and energy.

[ 34 ] The Dutch have a small country but a big heart, and it is better to have a small country and a big heart than the other way around.

[ 35 ] In the evening, there were expressions of gratitude and a lecture on the aura. Artistic performances took place between the individual events. All choir members and reciters were drawn exclusively from the members of the Theosophical Section in Holland, so we must say that the members in Holland have made gratifying progress in recent years. We may therefore say that this congress was an exceptionally dignified expression of the Theosophical Movement and that we look forward with great enthusiasm and interest to the reunion in London. The symbol of the Movement came to me in a small experience. We visited Spinoza’s birthplace. It is a small cottage. There is no plaque or commemorative marker on it. Inside, however, there are shabby shops. One might say that this is irreverent. But another thought occurred to me: nothing temporal serves as a reminder of Spinoza’s great spirit. The eternal lies in the progress of the spirit.