The Rudolf Steiner Archive

24. Report to the General Assembly of the German Section of the Theosophical Society

by Felix Löhnis in *Vâhan*, Vol. VII, No. 5, November 1905

[ 1 ] The General Assembly of the German Section of the Theosophical Society took place on October 22 of this year in Berlin. We can summarize our report briefly. The cult of personality and servility truly triumphed there. Not only for the Executive Committee meeting held the day before, but also for the General Assembly itself, it was decided—pursuant to a motion by Mr. Hubo (Hamburg)—that the proceedings must be kept strictly confidential from the public. The Secretary-General was to report exclusively to the members and in strict confidence, at a time of his own choosing and in a form of his own determining. The vast majority of the delegates agreed to this suppression of free speech. - Instead of the factual annual report that the Secretary-General was duty-bound to present, Dr. Steiner offered his devoted followers a dazzling apotheosis of Mrs. Besant, and he further enhanced his own aura by declaring that for a long time he had been in contact “on higher planes” with Madame Blavatsky, the “great teacher,” to whom all who “know” “look up with true understanding.” - During the discussion of financial matters, it was mentioned that Countess Wachtmeister had donated a substantial sum to promote the Theosophical Movement in Germany. Providing exact details regarding the amount was deemed unnecessary. It was merely stated that approximately 1,000 marks are available annually; however, following a proposal by the General Secretary—which was, of course, very well received—this money does not flow into the section’s treasury but has been transferred to him personally, in conjunction with Miss von Sivers, for their free disposal, thereby rendering any accounting unnecessary. (!) The “esteemed leaders” of the Theosophical Society are thus setting an example in this regard as well. — Under such circumstances, it was furthermore quite understandable that, during the election of the new executive committee, Dr. Steiner himself vigorously campaigned for his reelection as Secretary-General. Mr. Bresch spoke out against the reelection. He pointed out the serious reservations that arise in this regard concerning the alleged clairvoyant abilities of which Dr. Steiner boasts, in comparison with the experiences gained in a very similar situation ten years ago in America. However, this was lightly brushed aside. - The same fate befell the motion printed in issue No. 3 of *Vâhan*, which was intended to remedy the violations of rights and duties mentioned in the specified locations, of which the President and the Central Executive Board of the Society had demonstrably been guilty. It was not even admitted for discussion. In accordance with a motion by the Hanover branch, it was decided by a large majority to “proceed with the agenda” without addressing it. (!) And how did the Hanover branch justify this motion? Verbatim as follows:

[ 2 ] “Quite apart from the question of whether the individual complaints can be objectively justified or not, it is formally quite inappropriate to discuss such matters concerning the Society in a public publication—and even more so to have them represented by a single section. This must damage the reputation of our society and undermine the influence of our movement.”

[ 3 ] Thus, the Theosophical Society no longer considers substantive reasons, but only formal ones. It does not matter whether the Society itself suffers harm due to disloyal officials; only its external reputation must be preserved at all costs. True, the Society’s motto remains the same today: “No law above the truth!” But from now on, members are under no circumstances permitted to publicly advocate for justice and truth; the “fear of the truth” reigns within the Society and demands strict secrecy. - For historical reasons, it should be mentioned in passing that Miss Scholl (Cologne)—probably to make up for the “autodafé” in London that she had denied (see issues 2–4 of *Vâhan*)—submitted a motion to expel Mr. Bresch and the reporter from the Society. A quarter of the votes were in favor of this first inquisition; by next year, it might well be a majority. In and of itself, however, such a motion was entirely superfluous in this case. For—as shameful as this general assembly was in every other respect—it did yield a result conducive to the cause: it has now made it perfectly clear to anyone who can and will see that, given the current state of affairs, one can no longer serve the truth and the progress of humanity within this society.

[ 4 ] On behalf of the editor of *Vâhan*, I would finally like to point out that this publication will no longer deal with matters concerning that “Theosophical Society” in the future. — Leipzig, October 31, 1905. Dr. FE Löhnis.