The Rudolf Steiner Archive

40. Personal Report on the Budapest Congress

by Alice Kinkel

[ 1 ] Budapest, that wonderful Hungarian capital so richly endowed by nature with beauty and poetry, which is so often chosen as a venue for congresses and gatherings, now also welcomed within its hospitable walls the Theosophists of various nations—flocking from European and overseas sections—who, numbering about 250, had come to attend the Fifth Congress of the Federation of European Sections of the Theosophical Society in the ballroom of the Pester-Lloyd Society.

[ 2 ] It should be stated right at the beginning of this report that the Hungarian Section proved itself admirably capable of handling the difficult task of organizing a congress, and made the stay of the Theosophical brothers and sisters in this magnificent city, washed by the waters of the Danube, as pleasant and enriching as possible with love and warmth. The program, which promised a wealth of spiritual delights, will best confirm this itself.

[ 3 ] On Saturday evening, the participants had already gathered for an informal, convivial get-together in the halls of the Hotel Bristol, which provided an opportunity for members to greet one another and socialize, and was graced by the presence of Mrs. Besant and Dr. Steiner. Lively conversation took place in French, Hungarian, English, Dutch, Italian, Russian, and German, as people celebrated reunions, made new acquaintances, and forged spiritual bonds. The German branches represented included Berlin, Munich, Stuttgart, Leipzig, and Regensburg. Delegations from the Netherlands (approx. 35), as well as from France, Italy, and England, were particularly numerous.

[ 4 ] The program for the first day of the congress unfolded as follows: The event began with musical performances by an excellent Hungarian men’s choir, followed by a warm welcome address in French by the vice president of the Hungarian section, Mr. Stark. To everyone’s delight, Mrs. Besant was elected President of the Congress, and the General Secretaries of the various sections served as Vice Presidents in rotation.

[ 5 ] The words with which Mrs. Besant opened the convention and welcomed those present from various countries—especially the Hungarian brothers and sisters—sounded warm and heartfelt. Following her, the representatives of the individual sections did the same—Miss Shaft for England in English, and each in their own native language—which made just as favorable an impression as it did in expressing, in a dignified and beautiful manner, the idea of Theosophy: the uniting of people of all nations for a common purpose. Miss Kamensky spoke on behalf of Russia; the French representative was Mr. [Blech]; the Italian representative was Professor Penzig; the German representative was Dr. Steiner; the Hungarian representative was Mr. Ägoston; the Dutch representative was Mr. [Cnoop Koopmans]; and the Scandinavian, Finnish, Bohemian, and Bulgarian delegates also offered warm words of welcome to the assembly in their native languages. The Federation’s secretary, Mr. Wallace, delivered his report and read aloud the various congratulatory telegrams, among which was one from Adyar. The morning concluded with a commemorative address by Mrs. Besant, in which she used all the brilliant theosophical and rhetorical resources at her disposal to emphasize and express—with vigor, cordiality, and with a warmth of spirit that touched people’s hearts and souls, and repeatedly emphasized her unity and harmony with Dr. Steiner. As an expression of this, she invited her students and those of Dr. Steiner to a joint esoteric session led by Mrs. Besant that afternoon.

[ 6 ] The main points of her lecture were Theosophy itself, her—and therefore our—task within society and in the world at large. We should be a light on a hill for humanity, shining upon others, and we should practice and cultivate brotherhood and patience within the Society—not criticism. (Mrs. Besant’s lecture will likely be published.)

[ 7 ] At one o’clock, after the intellectual delights, the dining room gathered us all for a festive meal. In the afternoon, we made our way over to Ofen for Mrs. Besant’s esoteric lecture, held in the magnificent villa of Professor Zippernowsky—surrounded by a beautiful park—where Mrs. Besant was staying and where we were received with great hospitality.

[ 8 ] The schedule called for tea at half past six, followed by a lecture at 8:00 p.m. by Dr. Peipers from Munich on “Occult Anatomy and Medicine.” Here, too, there was a correspondence between the microcosm and the macrocosm.

[ 9 ] On Pentecost Monday, Dr. Steiner delivered his commemorative lecture, “From Buddha to Christ”—a lecture so powerful, so magnificent, and offering such broad and profound insights that, until now, we had only been able to hear it within a very small circle.

[ 10 ] (My transcript of this lecture will be available for reading aloud at one of the upcoming branch meetings, which should best convey the powerful overall impression.)

[ 11 ] The morning concluded with the presentation of the French lecture “Quelques notes sur l’application de la photographie à l’étude des phénomènes psychiques,” which contained a great deal of interesting material.

[ 12 ] After dinner, the Dutch group presented its report on “Theosophy and Apparitions,” and discussions took place on “Child-Rearing” and “Photography.”

[ 13 ] In a captivating style that is pleasantly familiar to us—beautiful, poetic, and rich in content—Ms. Wolfram spoke about “The Mystery of Love—Tristan and Isolde and Their Occult Meaning and Relationship.”

[ 14 ] That morning, Mrs. Besant announced that Dr. Steiner had been awarded the Subba-Row Medal in recognition of his contributions to theosophical literature.

[ 15 ] That evening, the Hungarian section had invited us all to a performance at the National Theater of the play “The Tragedy of Man” (by Madách), thereby treating us to a wonderful artistic experience.

[ 16 ] The third day of the congress began with Dr. Unger’s lecture on “Theosophical Life Forces.” Allow me to describe the impression his speech made with these words: Let us rejoice that we have such a strong, positive, spiritual force working among us in Stuttgart.

[ 17 ] Following him, Mrs. Windust from Holland spoke in English on the very interesting topic “The Druids, Their Symbolism, and Mysteries”; unfortunately, the lady’s voice and manner of speaking were not entirely intelligible.

[ 18 ] The speech given in French by the Russian Madame Vunkowsky on the significance and harmony of colors, numbers, and sounds was very interesting and thought-provoking. Her demonstrations, which she accompanied not only with images but also with musical examples—the lady is a brilliant violinist—were so well received that they continued into the afternoon and proved highly instructive.

[ 19 ] This was followed by a discussion—which did not result in a resolution—regarding the establishment of a Theosophical school for educational and promotional purposes, as well as the founding of a Theosophical world newspaper, possibly in Esperanto.

[ 20 ] This was followed by a lecture by Mr. Joseph Migray on “Modern Epistemology and Theosophy.”

[ 21 ] The evening featured Ms. Besant’s public lecture—which was very well attended and, as usual, delightful—the content of which can be described as a summary of the concepts and theos[ophical] ideas she set forth in her *Study of Consciousness*. (Miss Völker may be able to say a few things about the book’s content.)

[ 22 ] The final day of the convention also had plenty of beautiful and uplifting moments in store for us.

[ 23 ] First: Dr. Peipers’ second lecture on the topic already mentioned.

[ 24 ] Second: Lecture by Mrs. Besant: “The Christ—Who Is He?” In it, she essentially elaborated—in a wonderful manner and with exquisite expression—the perspectives already shared with us by Dr. Steiner regarding the individuality of Christ and his mission for present-day humanity (the development of the “I-am-principle”). Before proceeding to the final communal lunch, a group photograph of all the congress participants was taken; and as far as I can tell from looking at the test shot myself, it turned out very well.

[ 25 ] At three o'clock, Ms. [Sheilds] from Berlin spoke briefly about the “Gospel of John.” She was followed by Dr. Steiner, who spoke about the distinctive works of art by the Nordic artist and member Mr. [Heyman], which—much to the delight of occultists—unconsciously reflect visions of higher worlds. It may also be worth mentioning here that the banquet hall was decorated in a beautiful and very interesting way with paintings by theosophical artists.

[ 26 ] Ms. Kamensky from St. Petersburg gave a reading in French on “La philosophie russe et la théosophie.”

[ 27 ] The official closing ceremony consisted of Mrs. Besant’s farewell address to those present and the response to it by the head of the Hungarian Section.

[ 28 ] It had been a wonderful time for all of us, one that hopefully advanced the Theosophical cause and its mission for humanity.

[ 29 ] There are two important impressions we may take away and share: the unity and harmony between Mrs. Besant and Dr. Steiner, and the beautiful realization of how warmly and deeply Mrs. Besant has drawn near to the Christ Principle, and how she strives with all her might to uphold it as a principle of the present. These are two beautiful insights that, as we recall our experiences—which will remain deep in our hearts—make these eventful days doubly valuable.

[ 30 ] The next convention will take place in Turin at Easter 1911.

[ 31 ] Dr. Steiner’s public lecture, held in the congress hall after the official closing, was very well attended. The topic was: “On Spiritual Science—Where Do These Insights into the Spiritual Worlds Come From, and What Path Leads to Them in the Present?” It was a powerful and stirring speech that spoke to people’s hearts and minds, to their emotional and sensory lives, with sounds and images—a speech delivered with the kind of strength, depth, and enthusiasm for his sacred mission that only Dr. Steiner is capable of conveying.

[ 32 ] After the lecture at half past eight, an excursion was undertaken by moonlight—on foot or by carriage—to Blocksberg, Gellert-hegy, was undertaken, in which Mrs. Besant and Dr. Steiner also participated, and [which, thanks to the journey across the Danube via the world-famous Chain Bridge], offered a view from above of the wonderfully magnificent city, resplendent in the almost southern magic of its lighting and natural beauty, which stirred the hearts with poetic feeling. A moonlit walk to the citadel, from where one could survey the city, both banks, the countryside, the river, the mountains, and the heath—all enhanced by accompanying Gypsy music—evoked the truly beautiful and pure feelings needed to bid farewell, in a fitting spirit and sentiment, to a Theosophical Congress and its participants.

[ 33 ] (Dr. Steiner’s lecture series on “Theosophy and Occultism of the Rosicrucians” took place from June 3 to 12, 1909. These ten lectures, as well as the conference lecture, were submitted to the archives based on my notes.

[ 34 ] Unfortunately, I did not take notes during the public lecture on June 2, 1909.)