The Rudolf Steiner Archive

On July 13, 1904, Mathilde Scholl wrote to Rudolf Steiner:

Mrs. Lübke has just written to me that she has signed the “pledge” in England and draws my attention to the fact that I should ask you to have me sign the “pledge” as well, if you are not yet able to send me the other papers. She writes that some changes have been made at the school, but she cannot give me any details about them until I have signed the pledge.

I have not said anything about not having signed yet or not having received any papers because I did not think it was that important. However, since Mrs. Lübke seems to be concerned about this, I am letting you know. Since you and Mrs. Besant have taken me in, I consider this alone to be important. You know my attitude completely, regardless of whether I make a special promise orally or in writing. You know that I am basically willing to do

whatever might be demanded of me.

I do not understand how external changes in the school can influence the degree of development of the human being.

However, there must be something serious and important in this, since Mrs. Lübke, whose right hand is unusable and under medical treatment, wrote to me with great difficulty with her left hand. I am certainly grateful to her for it, but I believe she is worrying in vain. You will see what you want to do...

Rudolf Steiner replied as follows:

Dear Miss Scholl!

I am sending you the pledge in the attachment. Please copy it out and send me your copy with your signature to pass on to Mrs. Besant.¹ The pledge contains what unites the members of the E.S. Of course, all the obligations that the Shrâvaka has already taken on continue to apply. As soon as you have sent me the signed pledge, I will also send you some provisional papers. Nothing else can be provided at the moment, but soon.

Please do not worry about possible changes at the school. Such things never affect the inner development of the individual members, but rather the school's work on the physical plane, as it extends from the higher to the physical plane in the world. Of course, one must always consider what is good for the world. You, who are a loyal and devoted student of E.S., and who are definitely on the right path, will not be significantly affected by the changes.²

The individual points of the pledge must be kept if we want to make progress on the occult path. But there is no need to be pedantic about everything. It depends solely on the attitude. How one can support the Theosophical movement is entirely up to one's own decision. It may be necessary, due to one's position or circumstances, not to say to the world that one is a Theosophist. But if one works seriously, however quietly, one has kept one's word.

It is important to watch one's speech so that one offends fewer and fewer others by it. This leads to the opening of the gate that the masters close. The weaknesses of others should never find our censure – at least not in our hearts – but we should try to understand them in every way.

Every E.S. disciple takes on the study as a duty.

You will soon receive the interpretation of “L.a.d. W.” [“Licht auf den Weg” – “Light on the Path”].³ I will answer everything else this week as well.

Best Wishes,

Dr. Rudolf Steiner
Berlin W, Motzstrasse 17

• 1. Sent on July 15 with the following cover letter:
  "I am sending you the ‘pledge’ enclosed. I give it gladly and wholeheartedly in every respect. I hope to fulfill it as faithfully as possible.
  Thank you very much for your kind words. I always draw a great deal of strength, courage and peace of mind from what you tell me, and also from what you say in your writings, such as the last issue of “Lucifer”. Much as I rejoice in every line from you and much as I shall enjoy the continuation of the exegesis of “Licht auf den Weg zu bekommen,” I beg you to write it only when you can find time, without taking anything from the time that is absolutely necessary for your rest. Above all, your strength must be preserved for us. Therefore, you should not overwork yourself physically either. We are all concerned about this. But I trust that you also see it as necessary to maintain yourself for the world and for us. We all want to and need to hear and learn so much from you.
• 2. Further details not known.
• 3. See letter dated 9 August 1904

Berlin, August 2, 1904

Dear, dear Miss Wagner!

Today I am able to send you the first information regarding the E.S. It is necessary to start by talking about the meaning of the school. The Esoteric School is an occult institution, that is, it is under the direction of highly developed individuals. These are people who have already gone through the path that the majority of people still have to take. Such highly developed individuals possess a high degree of wisdom, are endowed with an unlimited source of love for humanity and with the gift of helping those who want to walk the path of perfection.

Those who enter the order of the Shrâvakas undertake nothing more than to consciously work towards their own perfection, so that they may increasingly become servants in the perfection of the whole human race. Of course, everyone can only do as much as is within their power. The school demands nothing. It only wants to provide the means by which everyone can perfect themselves as is necessary for themselves and for humanity. And to achieve this, the aforementioned perfect individuals provide occult assistance. Those who sign the “promise” begin to be influenced by these perfect individuals in a way that they may initially be completely unaware of. In this way, he works for the benefit of all humanity simply by belonging to the school. All the obligations that the [shrâvaka] takes on are only for his own benefit. For without keeping these obligations, it is impossible to achieve the set goal; and membership of the school would be pointless.

Dear Miss Wagner! I will now explain to you very briefly what needs to be done. You can only start with everything on August 18. And at that time, I would ask you to begin. For reasons known only to the occultist, the beginning must be made at very specific times. All this will become clear to you later.

Then the following would be to be done. 1. In the evening, before you go to rest - preferably before you fall asleep - I ask you to repeat the following sentence in your mind every evening:

Brighter than the sun
Purer than the snow
Finer than the ether
Is the Self,
The Spirit in my heart.
That Self is me,
I am that Self.¹

Once you have thought this through, but thought it through in such a way that no extraneous thought intrudes into your consciousness while you hold this sentence in front of you, then spend four to five minutes looking back over the experiences of the day. I ask you to let these experiences of the day pass before your mind's eye and to realize how you feel about these events. You observe yourself and ask yourself whether and to what extent you are in agreement with yourself, what you could have experienced better, what you could have done better. In this way you become your own observer. The idea is to observe yourself from a higher point of view, and gradually the “higher self” becomes the ruler over the everyday person. In doing so, however, everything that is equivalent to worry or grief about what has been experienced should be avoided. We should merely learn from our own lives, make it a lesson. We should not think of the past with regret – there is time enough for that during the rest of the day – but bravely use this past for the future. Then we learn for our present personal existence, and we learn above all for the time that lies beyond death.

When you have completed this kind of review of the day, you fall asleep with thoughts of the people you love and want to help. This may be followed by the presentation of an ideal of life with which you are particularly involved.

Now in the morning. As soon as possible after awakening, a little meditation is to be done. It consists of the following:

1. Recalling the above thought: “Radiant...”

2. The actual meditation (6-8 minutes)

I ask you to take a sentence each day from the “Nachfolge Christi” (The Imitation of Christ) by Thomas a Kempis. This is done as follows.

For the first eight days, take a sentence from the third chapter, “Happy the man whom truth...” Memorize this sentence so that it is completely in your mind. Then, for the indicated six to eight minutes, fill your entire consciousness with this sentence. All other thoughts should be excluded. In this way we absorb such a spiritually living sentence into our entire being. We permeate ourselves with it. And its power radiates through everything we do and are. You keep the same sentence every day for 8 days. Then comes the next sentence and so on.

The third part of the morning meditation is devotion to that which is divine and sacred to us, for example to Christ. This should take at least 4 to 6 minutes and consist of devotional worship of our Holy Being.

These are all the exercises for the time being. Through these exercises, it becomes possible for the perfect beings (masters) to approach us and to take us up into the stream that leads to perfection. Regarding 6. of the rules ² I only note that the only exception in which a sip of wine may be taken is at the Holy Supper; there is no harmful effect because it is a ceremony. This abstinence should, however, be strictly observed. It is not a matter of fulfilling a duty towards the school, but of promoting perfection. Especially for the Shrâvaka it will suffice if alcohol consumption is avoided in the main. But here too, better is better.

I shall write the third book shortly.³ Engel is [Julius] Engel in Berlin. He translated the “letters that helped me”.⁴ However, I ask you not to practice the things that are indicated there for the time being, but... [end of letter missing].

• 1. See page 447.
• 2. The letter was accompanied by rules and a promise text, see page 139.
• 3. This presumably refers to “Occult Science: An Outline” as the third Theosophical book (the first book is “Christianity as Mystical Fact” (1902), the second “Theosophy” (May 1904). Secret Science was originally planned as the second part of Theosophy and announced as being in preparation from 1905, but due to overwork it could not appear until the end of 1909. 3
• 4. “Letters that helped me”. Collected by Jasper Niemand [pseudonym for Julia Campbell Ver Plank, who has been Archibald Keightley's wife since 1891]. Translation from English by Julius Engel. Self-published, Charlottenburg, no year. The original English edition was published in 1891. New edition “Letters That Have Helped Me” by William Q. Judge (compiled by Jasper Niemand), Theosophical University Press, Pasadena, California. 1981).

Berlin, August 11, 1904

Dearest Mrs. and Dr. Paulus!

You, dear Doctor, have sent me a beautiful, poetic expression of your mood. It is very precious to me. It is so full of the mystical powers arising in the depths of your being that I can only find it confirmed what I have seen in you from the beginning of our acquaintance: you have great powers, dear lady, and you are capable of much. And in the not too distant future, your inner abundance will reveal itself to you in a surprising way, for the benefit of humanity. You are so kind as to call me “leader” in your letter. I can and may lead only as far as the exalted Master, who guides me, gives me the guidance. I follow him with full consciousness in everything I say to others. And if you recognize that, then please follow me in one thing, rather follow him: in patience. The right mood is patience. I do not say this because I want to express that you, dear woman, would not have this patience, but because we must keep reminding ourselves of this mood of patience.

You say in an earlier letter that you cannot express what moves you. I can only give you the assurance that the ability to express yourself that is entirely appropriate for you will come. But again: patience. The mood of waiting quickens our steps.

You think that when you repeat words in meditation that are actually self-evident, it is futile. But that is not the case. If it depended on knowledge, then it would be futile. But it depends on experiencing again and again through oneself what one should be and what one should make of oneself independently. You can find more about this in the addenda that I promised you for “Voice of Silence” and am enclosing today.

You see, dear madam, inner strength is not gained by hating compulsion. Rather, it is gained by voluntarily, but completely voluntarily, imposing a compulsion on ourselves. Please do not understand such formulaic templates as I gave you in Stuttgart as anything other than advice, and only as advice. But it is advice based on the experience of occultists over many long periods of time.

Therefore, I would like to ask you, dearest Mrs. Doctor, and also you, dear Mr. Doctor, to continue in meditation as you have begun. The formula given should still be short for a long time, but should be repeated briefly every morning. I think you might dwell on this formula for too long. That is not necessary. But consider that the adepts, too, let this formula run through their souls every morning, even if it is at lightning speed, as a constant self-admonition that life must never be concluded, but that every self must give birth to a higher self.

The entire meditation work would therefore continue to exist for both of you:

1. In the evening, before resting, review the day.

2. In the morning:

1. Let the soul go through the formula for the higher self.¹
2. Meditation on “Light on the Path”.² A new sentence from 8 to 8 days. But patiently stay with one for 8 days. (More about this in the attachment).
3. Devotional mood towards that which we revere as the highest, the divine.

Please limit the time as you deem fit, if you still want to do a special meditation described by you. But what I have indicated is effective and fruitful and leads up the path of knowledge. Whether we perceive what we know as self-evident or not, nothing depends on that, but that it goes through our soul.

You can trust your feelings about what you know about me. I also know that you have an active imagination. But an active imagination as such is not necessarily misleading. It can be, but it can also be the bringer of opportunities for the influx of higher experiences. And you see, dear Madam, how your experiences correspond with mine in certain respects. I have written to you about this in advance in my letter from London. I will write you more soon. And as for me, I know that fantasy is as far from me as possible; I also keep myself quite far away from all fantasy with all my strength. Dear Mrs. and Dr., believe me, what I say arises in my experience with the strictness that the mathematician imposes on himself. And in my present life, before I ventured into theosophy, I did everything to ensure that no kind of fantasy could seduce me. For many years my life was trained for this.

You describe young Gräser correctly. To be as he is is certainly not without danger. And people of his kind are symptomatic of the present time. I recommended him to you because I know how you are different from others.

What you write about Deinhard and Bresch is certainly true. But let us be lenient. Both gentlemen cannot be any different than their karma requires.³. Let us stick together, let us throw ourselves into what we see as the right thing and let us overlook the weaknesses of others.

I am very, very pleased that Mrs. Besant is coming to Stuttgart in September.

For the time being, I send my warmest regards to you both,

Dr. Rudolf Steiner
Berlin W, Motzstrasse 17

Franz Paulus replied to this letter from Rudolf Steiner on November 30, 1904:

First and foremost, I would like to inform you of my decision to become a student at the E.S.T. on the basis of the “Rules” you gave us ; therefore, pending further instructions from you, I will start tomorrow to make a daily note of how I feel about observing rules 1, 2, and 3 with satisfaction.⁴

• 1. “Brighter than the sun...”, see page 447.
• 2. Obviously this is a typographical error; from the context, also with the other letters to Doris and Franz Paulus, it must be “Voice of Silence”.
• 3. Regarding Deinhard and Bresch, see the letters to Marie Steiner-von Sivers dated April 18 and 19, 1903 in Briefwechsel und Dokumente... (Correspondence and Documents...), GA 262
• 4. Doris Paulus, on the other hand, only joined the E.S.T. a little later.

Berlin, August 12, 1904

My dear Mr. von Henning!

Please excuse the delayed response.¹ I am only now beginning to emerge from the workload. And in future you certainly shouldn't have to wait so long. I was glad to know that you were in the bath and I hope that your rest has progressed quite well. It is not good to start practical meditation work during a period of rest. Neither for your health nor for meditation. I can only advise you, if you want to practice meditation, to start it during your normal professional activity. Because meditation should not take up any time. That is even a basic condition if it is to be fruitful. I will now tell you “in confidence” (that is, just for you) what meditation consists of. In the evening, before falling asleep, - very briefly, three to four minutes - review what you have done and experienced during the day. The important thing is to let the most important events of the day pass before you. You ask yourself: Did I follow this event with an observing gaze in such a way that I can learn from it for my future life; and how should I have done it in order to achieve this purpose? Or with regard to an action that you have done: Did I do it in such a way that I can still approve of it now that I am no longer in the middle of it, but am observing myself as if I were someone else? All this should be done in such a way that you learn from yourself, that you turn life into a lesson. In this way you really do gradually achieve elevation to the “higher self”, which goes beyond the lower self. And - believe the occult experience - it not only contributes to the expansion of human abilities, but also to recovery in every respect.

Then in the morning: Right after getting up. Before you have taken any nourishment, you use a few minutes – later it takes longer – for the actual meditation. If a quarter of an hour is possible, then it is better. It consists of an elevation to the “higher self”, for which there is a very specific formula that you say to yourself in your mind. I will share this formula with you “in confidence” right away if you write to me that you want to use it. Then, secondly, there is a concentration consisting in emptying the consciousness of everything that the life of everyday life brings us. For a few minutes, everything that otherwise occupies us must disappear from our consciousness, including the memory of the business and obligations of everyday life. Then we let a sentence from an inspired writing enter into this empty consciousness and give ourselves completely to its impression. We do not speculate about the sentence, we live with it as we live with a beloved child. And we keep this same sentence for weeks. Because only then does it give us its strength. Only then, after weeks, do we replace it with another sentence. For example, meditators go through “Light on the Path” sentence by sentence, which gives their meditation long content. “Light on the Path,” “The Voice of Silence,” “Bhagavad Gita” are among the best meditation books.

The last part of meditation is then to create a devotional mood within oneself towards that which is the highest, the divine. In this context, it is not a question of this or that conception of the divine, but rather of that which - according to our subjectivity - is truly intimate to us. For the Christian, it may be Christ, for the Hindu, the “Master”, for the Muslim, “Muhammad”; indeed, a modern scientist may become absorbed in the “divine nature”. What matters is the devotional feeling, not the idea one has of the “divine”.

If you, my dear Mr. von Henning, want to progress in the development of mystical powers, I can give you even more ways to do so. I can tell you in advance that there is certainly no danger involved in any respect. And in connection with your question, and knowing you as I do, I can tell you that there is a “closed circle” into which I may admit you if you wish. Otherwise, there is no obligation for the beginning except that towards yourself, which I have already expressed to you in this letter. The only other condition is complete abstinence from alcohol. But this must be, because otherwise all occult work under ordinary circumstances is in vain. If you are looking for meditation, then I will send you the “Rules” and you can decide. But if you want to practice meditation without such a connection, I will also be at your side with advice; only the connection to the “narrower esoteric circle” also offers the occult connection, which in itself already brings help and soul progress.

I would like to answer your card, which I find so welcome. If you do not wish to join, then I ask you to remain silent about what I have written to you.

Kind regards,

Dr. Rudolf Steiner
Berlin W, Motzstrasse 17

Horst von Hennings' reply:

Weimar, October 24, 1904

My dear and esteemed Dr.

If I am only thanking you today, more than two months later, for your kind letter, it is not out of negligence or indifference, but because I have been exceptionally overloaded with work lately and did not have the necessary time to answer your very serious letter. At the same time, this way I found enough time to examine myself and now I am all the more pleased to be able to repeat in writing what I could only hint at during your last visit due to the special circumstances, namely that I would be very happy if you would consider me as your student and prepare me as such for admission to the “inner circle”, provided you consider me capable and worthy of it. I am delighted by the trust you have placed in me, and I will endeavor to fulfill the duties that may be imposed on me through this “admittance” and thus consciously contribute to the well-being of my fellow human beings. I can assure you that it is not the desire for personal advantage (not even of a spiritual nature) but the inner conviction that the qualities inherent in me impose on me the duty to follow this path, if the hand is voluntarily offered to do so, and if I am serious about my decision to progress spiritually, as far as this is in my power.

I therefore make a heartfelt request to you: take my guidance into your hands and give me what you believe you are allowed to give me according to my circumstances and abilities; I will not lack goodwill, gratitude and patience on my part.

With faithful greetings

Always Gratefully Yours,

Horst von Henning

• 1. The card to which this reply is written is not available.

Eliza von Moltke wrote on 20 July 1904:

My dear Dr. Steiner!

Have you forgotten me completely! I know that one of the main things we humans must strive for is patience, and I would have waited patiently even longer if I had not so urgently needed some spiritual help. You kindly wanted to take care of me in this regard, to give me hints on how to work with myself to achieve the long-hoped-for goal of helping people... But now I would very much like to work on myself with success, as you see fit – and when you have received the instructions in this regard, which you first wanted to obtain on the higher plane, then be so kind as to share them with me. ...

In response to this letter, Rudolf Steiner replied:

Dear Madam,

Please do not assume that I will continue my practice of writing you as few letters as possible in the future. I will explain to you in person why this one is coming so late. In the future, I will write to you very regularly.

Please consider the enclosed document ¹ to be completely confidential. In such matters I am only an instrument of higher beings, whom I humbly revere. I deserve nothing; nothing depends on me. The only thing I can ascribe to myself is that I have undergone strict training that protects me from all fantasy. This was a requirement for me. Because what I experience in spiritual realms is thereby free from all imagination, from all deception, from all superstition. But even today I speak to few of this. People may think me a fantasist; I know the difference between truth and deception. And I know that I must go the way I go.

If you make the exercises outlined in the enclosed document yours, dear Madam, then you must not start before August 19 or after September 3. This is written, as the occultist says, in “the signs of heaven”. If you do not want to start between August 19 and September 3, it would be necessary for a later time to contact me again. Between August 19 and September 3, any day is possible.

I often think of the wonderful hours I was privileged to spend in your house [in Berlin]. I have also grown very fond of your husband and have high hopes for his spiritual future. Sometimes people take special paths; but many paths lead to knowledge.²

May you fare well in Silesia and have the inner peace you need.

With warm regards,

Dr. Rudolf Steiner
Berlin W, Motzstrasse 17

• 1. not available.
• 2. Helmuth von Moltke was not a Theosophist, but later took a deep interest in Rudolf Steiner's spiritual science. See the memorial address for Moltke's death before the lecture Berlin, 20. Jun: 1916, in “Unsere Toten”, GA 261.

Michael Bauer had apparently written to Rudolf Steiner on July 28, 1904, based on a previous conversation:

Dear Doctor,

Without beating about the bush, I will say what I would like: I would like to be your student for a while and would be glad if you would give me a task that is necessary for me. With loving greetings,

Yours sincerely, Michael Bauer

Rudolf Steiner noted in the margin: “answered with rules 14. 8. 04”. His answer:

Dear Mr. Bauer!

In response to your kind words, I would like to say the following: Your relationship with the Theosophical movement is so intimate that you will find the best satisfaction in your esoteric life by joining the so-called “Esoteric School”. However, I ask you to consider the messages I am sending you about this as intended only for you and to treat them in the strictest confidence. Nobody is asked to join this occult school. But we may communicate its existence to those to whom we think it possible. And I want to give you such a communication. If you do not consider it appropriate for you to join, then you may disregard the communication and write to me to that effect. I will then immediately give you, without you being a member of the school, the necessary information for an esoteric course of development and will meet all your wishes.

First of all, you will find enclosed the rules of the so-called Shrâvaka Order, [see page 141]. One must first become a Shrâvaka (literally a listener) and follow the prescribed rules, then one is promoted to the higher degrees.

You will see that observing the “rules” is quite easy to begin with. However, strict adherence to them is necessary because only under this condition is real progress in spiritual life possible.

If you are ready to enter, please write to me. I will then send you a short “promise” by which you become a member and then, on September 22 or 23, for example, I will give you all the further information.

I would just like to write a few words about the nature of the school. You know that the “Theosophical Society” has a relationship to our exalted masters in that they gave the theosophical impulses to H.P.B. [H. P. Blavatsky], then leaving it to her to shape the movement on the physical plane. The Theosophical Society was founded by H.P.Blavatsky and Olcott in 1875 for this reason. Our occult school has nothing official to do with it. For it is precisely an “occult” school. It was founded directly by the Masters and is under the leadership of these Masters. And so the Theosophical Society constantly receives the truly living knowledge from this occult school. Little by little, the exercises prescribed by the school lead to knowledge of the masters. As long as she was on earth, H. P. Blavatsky was the head of the school. Now it is Annie Besant. Within Germany, Austria and German-speaking Switzerland, I have been entrusted with the leadership of the school.

As I said, this is not meant as pressure, but only as a message based on trust. If you join, you will have no obligation other than to follow the rules. If you cannot do it, please return the rules to me. I will then answer your letter in another form so that your wishes are also fulfilled outside the school. But within the school one does have the necessary support from the higher planes.

I will write to you immediately if you are a member in Germany and let me know of your interest. I will also send you all instructions for a proper meditation that imparts occult knowledge.

Annie Besant can possibly give a few lectures in Germany in September. However, since she can only stay in Germany for a few days, she will only be able to give a lecture in Munich for Bavaria. Believe me, dear Mr. Bauer, if it had been possible, I would have considered a lecture by Annie Besant in Nuremberg as well. However, due to Ms. Besant's limited time, it is absolutely not possible. She will speak in Weimar on September 18 and in Munich on September 20; and I hope that you and your wife will be able to attend the lecture at one of the locations.

Kind regards to your wife and family,

Dr. Rudolf Steiner
Berlin W, Motzstrasse 17

Berlin, August 29, 1904

Dear Mr. Wagner:

When Miss Scholl recently asked whether the two speeches by Annie Besant related to the Christian question should be translated, I was unable to advise. Please do not take this, dear Mr. Wagner, as if I were opposed to the translation. I would even be pleased to see another book by Annie Besant appear in German. But the occultist must strictly distinguish between direct advice and what I have just characterized. If I may express myself trivially, I would like to “abstain” from voting on this question. But in this case I would very much like my opinion to be completely disregarded.¹

Do not misunderstand me, dear Mr. Wagner. I would like you to hear me judge; but I also always want to clearly indicate when my judgment should not be taken into account at all. Only when we, who are united in the esoteric school, face each other in this way is the full freedom that occultism demands guaranteed.

Next, I will send you the rules of the German E.S. There I will also write to you in more detail about the movement in favor of the Gospel of John.²

For the time being, I ask you to continue as before with your position in the E.S. for the next few weeks.

Your sister Amalie is an E.S. member. Your other sister will probably be one in a few days.

In No. 15 of “Lucifer-Gnosis” I present a detailed discussion of the “four great religions”. ³ I hope that this book will go a long way. It is likely to win many hearts.

At the beginning of September, there will probably be an E.S. meeting here again. It will probably be about telling the E.S. members about the nature of the “Masters” and the help they give to the E.S. workers. On September 12th I shall then hold a T.S. meeting to prepare for Annie Besant's visit. And then we want to make our way through Germany with our Soul. I look forward to this with great satisfaction. On September 25th I shall then speak in Dresden on 'Theosophy and Modern Science'. — I know that this step will be much misunderstood. But I have no other option than to take it. It may be misunderstood, but it cannot have an unfavorable effect in the higher sense.⁴

I was very pleased that you, dear Mr. Wagner, were able to visit us in July. I hope you and your dear wife have arrived safely in Lugano. Please give her my warmest regards and receive

Most devotedly yours,

Rudolf Steiner
Berlin W, Motzstrasse 17

• 1. As can be seen from two letters from Günther Wagner to Rudolf Steiner dated September 1 and 2, 1904, there were plans to translate the English brochure “Is Theosophy anti-Christian?” by Annie Besant into German and distribute it among the clergy in Germany. Evidently Rudolf Steiner was not comfortable with this intention.
• 2. A letter about this is not available. In July 1904, in lectures given at the Berlin branch – which Günther Wagner had listened to – Rudolf Steiner had indicated that “a movement” would be born out of the bosom of the Theosophical Society, which would bring “a true understanding of Christianity, not in the ordinary sense” (July 11, 1904). And on July 18, 1904, there was talk of a “John Society,” a “John Gospel Department,” whose task would be to make known to the widest circles the inexhaustible depths of the Gospel of John. Whoever knows what can be found and learned there may “join this Gospel of John department with all their heart.”
• 3. Four lectures by Annie Besant, delivered at the 21st annual meeting of the Theosophical Society in Adyar, translated into German by Günther Wagner, published by Max Altmann, Leipzig 1904. Rudolf Steiner's discussion can be found in GA No. 34, “Lucifer-Gnosis”.
• 4. On September 25, 1904, Rudolf Steiner spoke on this topic at the Third General Theosophical Congress in Dresden. This was organized by the Hartmann people who were not affiliated with Adyar.

Berlin, September 14, 1904

Dear Mr. Wagner!

It is undoubtedly true that Annie Besant's lecture “Is Theosophy Antichristian” could not be understood in the same way in Germany as in England, because in the last few decades the discussion of fundamental Christian questions in England has taken on a completely different character in the circles of theologians and those of their spiritually dependent preachers etc. than in England.

From our spiritual leaders, we constantly receive instructions to individualize with regard to the individual countries. As for our Christian propaganda in particular, it should not fly the flag of “Theosophy”. It should emanate from Theosophists, but should never say so directly. Christian mysticism, interpretation of Christian symbols, etc. should be pursued. It will certainly be our task to win preachers, even Catholic priests, for esoteric Christianity. It will then be up to them to let the esoteric flow into their teachings. We ourselves would only be opposed if we wanted to approach Christian circles directly.

In Germany, a debate about whether Theosophy is anti-Christian or not would only create new opposition to Theosophy. There is a great aversion to everything called Theosophy, especially among pastors. And it is growing rapidly. When Bresch translates the things, there is nothing we can do. Because he always makes a very specific opposition. For example, he has now objected to Annie Besant coming to Leipzig. There is nothing we can do about that; we have to let Bresch have his way. But it is up to us to do the right thing.

You see, dear Mr. Wagner, on the one hand we are to decidedly emphasize 'Theosophy and on the other hand, where this is not appropriate, we are to place the matter higher than the name and the form. We are being told: “Be Theosophists; how you are Theosophists, that you must determine yourselves.”

In my last letter I said I would “abstain from voting”. The reason for this expression was as follows. I have instructions to cultivate the Christian element, and in this particular case I could only interpret what was meant to me as meaning that the lecture should not be translated. But now my own intellectual work begins, and there I found exactly the same reason that you give. Now that you have stated it yourself, I can also say that it applies to me as well. Before that I could only say, “I cannot be in favor of it.” I am sure you will understand me. Tomorrow I will receive Mrs. Besant in Hamburg. On Friday she will be in Berlin.

Sincerely,

Dr. Rudolf Steiner

Kind regards to your esteemed wife.

Berlin, January 2, 1905

Dear Mrs. Wagner!

A few weeks ago I was only able to briefly inform you that your affiliation to the Esoteric School can be realized. One enters this school as a “shravaka”, which is literally “listener” or “pupil”.

Now it is my duty to speak to you about the nature and significance of the school. You know that behind the entire theosophical movement stand highly developed beings whom we call “masters” or “mahatmas”. These exalted Beings have already traversed the path which the rest of humanity still has to travel. They are now working as the great “Teachers of Wisdom and of the Harmony of Human Feelings”. They are already active today on the higher planes, to which the rest of humanity will organize themselves in the course of the next developmental periods, or “rounds”. On the physical plane they work through their authorized “messengers”, of whom H. P. Blavatsky was the first, that is, for the Theosophical movement. The Masters neither found an outer organization or society nor preside over one. The Theosophical Society was brought into being by its founders (H. P. Blavatsky, Olcott and others) in order to promote the work of the Masters on the physical plane, but these Masters themselves have never influenced the Society itself as such. In its nature and leadership it is the work of people purely on the physical plane.

The situation is different with regard to the “Esoteric School”. It was founded by the Masters themselves and is under the direction of the Masters. All the knowledge and power that flows into the Theosophical Society flows to it through this school. Its members undergo their probationary period and ultimately attain direct communion with the Sublime Ones themselves. How long this process takes depends entirely on the devotees themselves. At first, each person cannot do more than promote the work of the masters with loyal devotion.

The Masters appointed Mrs. H. P. Blavatsky as the first “Head of the School.” The present head is our dear, esteemed Annie Besant.

The Shrâvaka should come to a point where reincarnation and karma are not just theory but certainties of life, and furthermore, where he recognizes the great mission of H.P. Blavatsky through himself. Nothing is imposed on anyone in the school; only self-knowledge is encouraged. Now there are four ways to travel the path of the Shrävaka. You will receive further information about these four ways very soon. I would ask you to go through them carefully with your dear husband and to let me know which of the four ways you intend to choose.

You can already consider yourself part of the school if you begin a meditation exercise on the day determined by the star constellation. I will describe this to you for the time being. It will be modified later.

For the time being, this exercise would consist of the following:

1. Early in the morning, before starting any other daily work, preferably before breakfast, if this is at all compatible with other family and other duties, the following should happen:

I. One should be completely awake, inwardly calm and collected. No external impressions should gain access to our inner being. We should also suppress the memory of all everyday experiences. Once we have established complete “inner silence”, we enter into the elevation to our higher self.

This is done by intensely repeating the following formula to ourselves:

Brighter than the sun
Purer than the snow
Is the Self,
The Spirit in my heart.
That Self am I; I am that Self.

Allow about five minutes for this.

II. This is followed by silent, introspective meditation on a sentence from one of the inspired writings. For this part of the meditation, you should spend four weeks reflecting on the sentence: “Steadfastness stands higher than all success”.

This sentence was given to us by the masters to impress upon us that we should never allow ourselves to be distracted or discouraged by any failure in our actions. A hundred failures should not deter us from doing - for the hundred and first time - what we have recognized as being right.

III. Then, after II. has lasted five minutes, there follows a further five-minute prayer-like devotion to that which is the highest, the most divine in us. It is not a matter of regarding this or that as divine, but of directing all our thoughts, feelings and will to that which we have always regarded as divine. This may be called by different names by different people. It is not important whether we call that to which we give ourselves, God, Christ or the “Master”, but it is the devotion itself.

This completes the three-part morning meditation, which lasts fifteen minutes.

2. In the evening before going to sleep, every student has to look back on their life during the day. The important thing is not to let as many events of the day as possible pass before our soul, but to do so with the most important thing. We ask ourselves: What can we learn from what we have experienced or done? In this way we make our life a lesson. We relate to ourselves in such a way that we learn from each day for each day. - In this way we take the past with us into the future and prepare our immortality. Then we end the day with the thought of dear fellow human beings who need our good thoughts.

It does not matter if the student falls asleep during this evening exercise. Then he will fall asleep with a tendency to develop upwards. And that too is good. Only the morning meditation must be done from beginning to end in a fully alert state. I only ask that you do the evening review in reverse, that is, starting with the events of the evening and then going back to the morning.

You can start with the meditation on one of the days between January 6 and January 20. You cannot start after this day. If you are unable to start during this period, you will not be able to start again until between February 6 and February 18. I cannot tell you today why this is so. But a time will come when it will be quite obvious to you.

I do not need to tell you anything else for the time being, since you have long since organized your life as a theosophist. Wine or other alcoholic beverages prevent development.

When we carry out what I have indicated, the “Exalted Masters” find access to our soul. They can help us and under their blessed influence we grow in strength, knowledge and confidence in life. Our dear Annie Besant emphasizes again and again that the Esoteric School is the “heart of the Theosophical movement”. And so it is. Believe me on this, dearest, most revered Mrs. Wagner: in this school, it is much less about learning and intellectual work and much more about loyal devotion to the Theosophical ideals. Love for spiritual life and, as a result, genuine great love for humanity leads to where we are meant to come. The study is nothing more than a means to an end. We should pursue it as far as we can each. But it is the theosophical attitude that makes the genuine E.S. disciple.

And with that, I welcome you as one of us in the name of the holy masters, at whose feet I place what I can, and against whose will I never want to consciously do anything in my life. Blessed are they, the exalted.

With warmest regards,

Dr. Rudolf Steiner

Please do not hesitate to ask me anything you need to know about E.S. I will set aside time in the future to answer E.S. messages.

Berlin, July 23, 1905

Dear Mr. Wagner!

I am deeply saddened by the tragedy that has befallen you and your dear wife, and it is only today that I am able to express this to you in a letter. My thoughts are often with you. We Theosophists must be able to accept difficult strokes of fate differently than we could before our Theosophical time. Although love and sympathy will never be diminished by the theosophical life, our understanding and strength to bear will grow. We have nothing to lose by theosophy, but we have so much to gain. We would lose if the feelings that are among the most beautiful in life could in the slightest fade. That is why I know what you feel, out of your noble and glorious love. But I also know you as a true, genuine theosophist and I know that the karmic connections are not a mere doctrine for you, but that you live in them. But I would like to exchange a few thoughts with you right now. It is so easy to see everything that fits into our karma as a chain link as a karmic debt. And that is by no means always the case. Just as karma is a truly all-encompassing law, it is also true that karmic events can be the very first to occur in our causal context. The events that affect us are not always compensations for the past; often they are the first items in our life account that will only be balanced in the future. Just as a merchant enters an item on the one side for the first time, so it is with the items in our karmic account book. These thoughts have been crossing my mind in recent weeks whenever I directed my thoughts to your dear home in Lugano, and these thoughts took on that character in my field of vision that shows that thoughts correspond to a reality. You understand me in writing this inner experience – for that is what it is – to you, dear Mr. Wagner. And perhaps you will also accept at your discretion what is a reality for me.

I long to be able to greet you both again. I hope it will be possible soon.

The London Congress festivities, which unfortunately you were unable to attend, are over.¹ It is in the nature of things that such festivities, even when organized by Theosophists, cannot go much beyond appearances. But I do think that those who wanted to could take away nourishment for their minds and hearts. Mrs. Besant, for example, gave lectures that were full of spiritual impulse. First, on the Thursday before the congress, about H.P.B.'s “pupilship” in view of some of the attacks that have recently been made on the great founder of the Theosophical movement. It seems to me, however, to be very important that this spiritually so highly developed woman Besant should so unreservedly point out again and again how H.P.B. was not a human being to her like any other outstanding person who has entered her life, but as she said – the “Bringer of Light” par excellence. She said that spots should not be denied, but that they are like sunspots, and these are only there where the sun is. I felt the inner experiences of my own life in recent times resonating. For I must say that the further I advance myself, the more I get to know the immense power that radiates from H.P.B., and the more I realize that I myself still have a lot to learn in order to even begin to understand the depths of H.P.B.'s work.

Then on Friday was the British Section Convention. Of interest to you is that Bertram Keightley resigned from the post of General Secretary, and that Miss Kate Spink has taken his place. Keightley will first go to India for four months, after which he wants to devote himself to a kind of theosophical movement that will be made possible for him by being relieved of the official duties of the secretary-general.

Furthermore, the opening of the “Art and Arts and Crafts Exhibition” of the congress was during this time. There were some remarkable things in addition to less significant ones. I would just like to mention a few symbolic pictures by a painter named Russell. He attempts to characterize inner soul processes through symbolic colors in the picture (stars, rays, etc., emanating from the figures, symbolic depictions of external natural objects, etc.). Now I can say that I could not see any real astral vision in the pictures, but I was satisfied with the attempt that a talented painter was making.

On Saturday morning, the actual congress was opened with a speech by Mrs. Besant. It was one of those sweeping overviews of the aims and objectives of the Theosophical movement that Mrs. Besant gives on such occasions. You will be interested to know that she mentioned the sculpture of an Italian sculptor, Ezechiel, a “Christ” of whom she said that it corresponds in some respects to the idea that she, as a Theosophist, has of the Christ individuality. You will also be interested to know that on this occasion, Mrs. Besant referred to Richard Wagner, in whose tones the secrets of the astral world could be heard. This was particularly noteworthy to me, because I had given four lectures to the Berlin Theosophists that spring on the spiritual content of Richard Wagner's work.²

Mrs. Besant's opening speech was followed by something extremely diverse. The delegates from all the European theosophical areas now gave their welcoming speeches in their own language. So one could hear short speeches in the following languages: Dutch, Swedish, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Finnish, Russian, Hungarian, Indian.

The previous evening, Mrs. Besant had given a large-scale, comprehensive speech to several thousand people at Queen's Hall about the “work of 'Theosophy in the world”. She pointed out the necessity of a spiritual deepening in our time, and the work that needs to be done in the most diverse areas of the world. Everything she said was of beautiful generosity and greatness.

On Saturday evening, the theater performance followed. In this regard, one must take into account the goodwill that prevailed. However, it became clear to me that evening in what way the idea of these congresses must be developed if they are to fully fulfill their purpose. Not on what the congress participants will enjoy here for themselves, but above all on the fact that they will find theosophical nourishment for their souls, which they can then take with them to their theosophical home for the benefit and good of those who cannot attend the meetings themselves. The congresses should be a center of spiritual life, from which currents can then go out into the world.

The departmental meetings followed. I am sending you a program under Kreuzband, from which you can at least see the titles of the extensive program that was presented. I would like to mention in particular Mrs. Besant's lecture on Sunday about occult methods of investigation. That was something quite magnificent. She explained in the most beautiful way what the requirements of occult research are in the West, and what precautions, etc., must be observed in such research.

On Monday morning I myself gave a short lecture on the “Occult Basis of Goethe's Work”.

I regret that I cannot write to you in greater detail; but before me lie the last works waiting to be published in Lucifer, numbers 24 and 25. And you can imagine how much work that is. It is necessary that I publish these esoteric matters that Lucifer has brought in recent times. But the responsibility weighs heavily on me. And I have to consider every line, every turn of phrase ten times over in order to reproduce as accurately as possible the spiritual content that is incumbent upon me, and yet which is transmitted to me in a completely different form and language.

Kindest regards to your dear wife.

Ever faithful yours,

Dr. Rudolf Steiner
Berlin W, Motzstrasse 17

• 1. On July 8, 9 and 10, 1905, the 2nd Congress of the Federation of European Sections of the Theosophical Society took place in London. On July 10, Rudolf Steiner spoke about “The Occult Foundations of Goethe's Work” in “Philosophy and Anthroposophy,” CW 35.
• 2. In Berlin on March 28, May 5, 12, and 19, 1905.