View source for Philosophy:Rudolf Steiner and the Theosophical Society

{{Anthroposophy}}
The '''relationship between [[Biography:Rudolf Steiner|Rudolf Steiner]] and the [[Philosophy:Theosophical Society|Theosophical Society]]''', co-founded in 1875 by [[Biography:Helena Blavatsky|H.P. Blavatsky]] with [[Biography:Henry Steel Olcott|Henry Steel Olcott]] and others, was a complex and changing one.<ref name=Lindenberg>Christoph Lindenberg, ''Rudolf Steiner. Eine Biographie. 1861-1914, 1915-1925'', 2 volumes, Freies Geistesleben, 1997, {{ISBN|3-7725-1551-7}}. pp. 487-8; p. 501; p. 326; p. 504</ref> [[Biography:Rudolf Steiner|Rudolf Steiner]] founded the [[Organization:Anthroposophical Society|Anthroposophical Society]] on 28 December 1912, and he was expelled from the [[Philosophy:Theosophical Society|Theosophical Society]] on 7 March 1913.<ref name=TS>Paull, John (2022).[http://www.academia.edu/87330828/Rudolf_Steiner_From_Theosophy_to_Anthroposophy_1902_1913_   Rudolf Steiner: From Theosophy to Anthroposophy (1902-1913)],European Journal of Theology and Philosophy, 2 (5): 8-13.</ref>

In 1899, Steiner published an article in the ''Magazin für Literatur'', titled "[[Biography:Johann Wolfgang von Goethe|Goethe's]] Secret Revelation", on the esoteric nature of Goethe's fairy tale, ''The Green Snake and the Beautiful Lily''.<ref>Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, ''Goethe's Fairy Tale, the Green Snake and the Beautiful Lily'', Steinerbooks, 2006, {{ISBN|0-88010-570-4}}</ref> This article led to an invitation by the Count and Countess Brockdorff to speak to a gathering of Theosophists on the subject of [[Biography:Friedrich Nietzsche|Friedrich Nietzsche]].  This invitation was followed by a second, the occasion of what he later considered to be his first fully 'esoteric' lecture, once again on the topic of Goethe's fairy tale.<ref>Geoffrey Ahern, ''[http://www.sun-at-midnight.com  Sun at Midnight: the Rudolf Steiner Movement and Gnosis in the West, 2nd edition]'', James Clark and Co, 2009, {{ISBN|978-0-227-17293-3}}, p.36</ref> 

Steiner continued speaking regularly to the members of the Theosophical Society, becoming the head of its newly constituted German section in 1902. The German Section of the Theosophical Society grew rapidly under Steiner's leadership as he lectured throughout much of Europe on his spiritual science.<ref>From the time of Steiner's appointment as General Secretary of the German Section, in 1902, to the secession of Steiner's new Anthroposophical Society at the end of 1912, membership of the German Section of the Theosophical Society expanded from a few individuals to sixty-nine Lodges.  Ahern, ''[http://www.sun-at-midnight.com  Sun at Midnight, 2nd edition]'', p.43</ref> Through his lecturing to Theosophists, Steiner met Marie von Sievers, owner of the Theosophical headquarters in Berlin, who was to become his spiritual partner and second wife.  From the end of 1903 Steiner and von Sievers became the inseparable centre of Berlin Theosophy.<ref>Ahern, ''[http://www.sun-at-midnight.com  Sun at Midnight, 2nd edition]'', p. 36</ref> 

By 1904, Steiner was appointed by Annie Besant to be leader of an Esoteric School for Germany and Austria. Steiner made it clear that this school would teach a Western spiritual path harmonious with, but differing fundamentally in approach from, other Theosophical paths. These and other differences with Besant became particularly pronounced at the Theosophical Congress in Munich in 1907—organized by Steiner—its focus on artistic expression was a sharp departure from the Blavatsky tradition.<ref name="wn.rsarchive.org">Rudolf Steiner, ''[http://wn.rsarchive.org/Books/GA028/TSoML/GA028_c38.html  The Story of My Life, Chapter XXXVIII]'', 1928</ref> 

{{Quotation|Into the programme of the [Theosophical Congress of 1907] was introduced an artistic representation. Marie von Sievers translation of... Schuré's Eleusinian drama... [provided] an artistic element directed towards the purpose of not leaving the spiritual life henceforth void of art within the Society. 

A great portion of the old members of the Theosophical Society from England, France, and especially from the Netherlands, were inwardly displeased by the innovations offered them at the Munich congress. What it would have been well to understand, but what was clearly grasped at that time by exceedingly few, was the fact that the anthroposophic current had given something of an entirely different bearing from that of the Theosophical Society up to that time. IN THIS INNER BEARING LAY THE TRUE REASON WHY THE ANTHROPOSOPHICAL SOCIETY COULD NO LONGER EXIST AS A PART OF THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.<ref name="wn.rsarchive.org"/>|Rudolf Steiner, Chapter XXXVIII, The Story of My Life'', 1928}}

Steiner's lecture cycles from 1909 onwards emphasized his research into Christianity, toward which Mme. Blavatsky had been notably hostile. Thus, the tensions grew between the main society and the German section. The relationship between the Theosophical Society centered in Adyar, {{wipe|India}} and its German section became increasingly strained as the new strains of Steiner's teaching became apparent.<ref name=Besant>Annie Besant tried unsuccessfully to prevent him from lecturing outside of German-speaking areas, indeed, even in {{wipe|Switzerland}}, but protests came from the Society branches involved, and Steiner pointed out that the Society's statutes explicitly allowed him free rein. In 1910, Besant had written an article praising Steiner's work that ended, "Long may he live to guide the people whom he enlightens, and to carry his message through Europe," which made her change of position the following year more difficult to justify. Lindenberg, pp. 487-8.</ref> 

Steiner's popularity as a lecturer spread far beyond the borders of Germany: he was active in {{wipe|Switzerland}}, the Netherlands, {{wipe|Norway}}, Austria and other countries. Besant tried to restrict him to lecturing in Germany itself,<ref name=Besant/> but this contravened both Theosophical Society statutes as well as a statement of Besant's greeting this broadening lecture activity, issued some months before. These tensions finally came to a head over the question of [[Biography:Jiddu Krishnamurti|Jiddu Krishnamurti]], a young Indian boy to whom C. W. Leadbeater, followed by Annie Besant, attributed messianic status as the new World Teacher, an incarnation of the [[Philosophy:Maitreya|Lord Maitreya]]. Steiner quickly denied this attribution of [[Religion:Messiah|messianic]] status to Krishnamurti, claiming that Christ's earthly [[Religion:Incarnation|incarnation]] in Jesus was a unique event. Steiner held that though the human being generally goes through a series of repeated earth lives, the spiritual being Christ incarnated only once in a physical body. Christ, he said, would reappear in "the [[Philosophy:Etheric body|etheric]]" — the realm that lives between people and in community life — not as a physical individual. Steiner and the majority of the German-speaking Theosophists broke away to found a new group, the [[Organization:Anthroposophical Society|Anthroposophical Society]], at the end of 1912. Shortly thereafter, Besant revoked the German section's membership in the Theosophical Society on the grounds of the section's refusal to allow admission to adherents of a Theosophical organization established to support the mission of Krishnamurti, the [[Organization:Order of the Star in the East|Order of the Star in the East]]. Anthroposophists were offended when Besant falsely claimed that Steiner had been educated by Jesuits.

The World Teacher concept was unpopular with many theosophists, and was repudiated by Krishnamurti himself in 1929, leading to a crisis in the Theosophical Society. It was, however, a basic principle of the Theosophical Society that adherents of all religions were admitted. 

As a result of the conflict, two steps followed in rapid succession:
*The overwhelming majority of German-speaking theosophists followed Steiner into the new ''[[Organization:Anthroposophical Society|Anthroposophical Society]]'', founded between August and December 1912.  In a telegram sent to the Theosophical Society they justified this step by stating it was: "based upon the recognition that the President [Besant] has continually and even systematically violated this highest principle of the Theosophical Society, 'No religion higher than the truth', and has abused the presidential power in arbitrary ways, thus hindering positive work."<ref name=Lindenberg/>
*Steiner's exclusion of Star in the East followers was a direct contravention of Theosophical Society statutes, and duly led to the charter of the German Section being revoked.

Steiner later claimed that he never had considered himself to be part of the Theosophical movement.<ref>In 1901, asked by Marie von Sivers why he didn’t join the Theosophical Society, Steiner is supposed to have answered that "there were more significant spiritual influences than oriental [[Philosophy:Mysticism|mysticism]]," and "it is certainly necessary to call into life a movement for spiritual science, but I will only be part of a movement that connects to and develops Western esotericism, and exclusively to this." When the leader of the German theosophical branch, Countess Brockdorff, asked if he would not work with them, Steiner agreed under unusual terms: "Steiner evidently avoided requesting membership in the Theosophical Society, and made the condition that he would be released from all membership contributions. "‘Then I was sent a complementary “diploma” from England and became at the same time General Secretary of the German Theosophical Society.’" Lindenberg, p. 326.</ref><ref>Already in 1897, well before the above-mentioned contacts, Steiner had clearly articulated his objections to the movement, criticizing it for "empty phrases" borrowed from Oriental texts and "inner experiences that are nothing but hypocrisy". One of his chief objections was that the Theosophists elevated the East's path to truth to the only possible one, thereby discounting modern science's approach to truth through reason and logic. See Rudolf Steiner, "Theosophen (Theosophists)", ''Magazin für Literatur'', 1897, Nr. 35, reprinted in GA 32: Rudolf Steiner, ''Gesammelte Aufsätze zur Literatur 1884-1902'', Rudolf Steiner Verlag, 2004, {{ISBN|3-7274-0320-9}}, p. 194-196.</ref> Even while the leader of the German section of the movement, he made a great point of his complete independence of philosophical thought and esoteric teachings from the Theosophical Society's esoteric path.<ref>Rudolf Steiner, ''Autobiography: Chapters in the Course of My Life: 1861-1907'', Steiner Books, 2006, {{ISBN|0-88010-600-X}}, Chapters 31-33.</ref> His reaction to the above events was: "I myself experience what has happened — apart from what has been sobering and painful — as a great liberation from the oppressive narrowness that has characterized the life of the Theosophical Society for years."<ref name=Lindenberg/>

The basic structural skeletons of Steiner's [[Astronomy:Cosmology|cosmology]] and of his description of the human being as composed of various physical and spiritual aspects are based on Blavatsky's schema,<ref>H. P. Blavatsky, ''The Secret Doctrine'', Quest Books, 1993, {{ISBN|0-8356-0238-9}}</ref> to whom he acknowledged his debt.<ref>Geoffrey Ahern, ''Sun at Midnight: the Rudolf Steiner movement and the western esoteric tradition'', Aquarian Press, 1984, {{ISBN|0-85030-338-9}}, Chapter 6.</ref><ref name=Theosophy>Rudolf Steiner, ''Theosophy: An introduction to the spiritual processes in human life and in the cosmos'', Steiner Books, 1994, {{ISBN|0-88010-373-6}}</ref><ref>Rudolf Steiner, ''Autobiography'', Chapter 32</ref> Steiner's elaborations of these (in his ''Theosophy''<ref name=Theosophy/> and ''Outline of Esoteric Science''<ref>Rudolf Steiner, ''An Outline of Esoteric Science'', Steiner Books, 1997, {{ISBN|0-88010-409-0}}</ref>) diverge from other theosophical presentations both in style and in substance, however. Despite their differences and the split with the [[Philosophy:Theosophical Society|Theosophical Society]], [[Biography:Rudolf Steiner|Rudolf Steiner]] maintained a keen watch on the Theosophy Society throughout his life and continued to acquire Theosophical publications; of the hundreds of books in English in Rudolf Steiner's library, half were Theosophical books.<ref name=RSLib>Paull, John (2018) [http://www.academia.edu/37618538/The_Library_of_Rudolf_Steiner_The_Books_in_English The Library of Rudolf Steiner: The Books in English], Journal of Social and Development Sciences. 9 (3): 21–46.</ref> 

==References==
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{{Theosophy series}}
[[Category:Anthroposophy]]

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