The Essence of the Anthroposophical Society: 1923 – Towards the Christmas Conference
The re-founding of the Anthroposophical Society and the School of Spiritual Science was preceded by an eventful year in the history of the Anthroposophical Society and movement. In the end, Rudolf Steiner decided to take up the presidency of the Society himself and to reorder it together with a small number of personalities appointed by him.
On the basis of many lectures and discussions with Rudolf Steiner at the end of 1923 about the reorganization of the Anthroposophical Society, the building up of ‘autonomous country societies’ and the intended founding of a ‘general’ Anthroposophical Society,[1] an International Delegates’ Meeting was held in the Dornach Schreinerei from 20 to 22 July 1922. During this meeting twenty countries committed to paying 865,000 Swiss francs for a new Goetheanum building (in addition to the insurance payment).[2] Also, a meeting of 26 delegates was held with Rudolf Steiner about the intended foundation of the International World Society with headquarters in Dornach.
Moral fund
The processes of reflection in the Anthro- posophical Societies of Germany, Switzerland and many other countries, on the other hand, continued to be sluggish and not at all to Rudolf Steiner’s satisfaction.[3] He also missed a spiritual-moral dimension and orientation in many of the meetings. At the International Delegates’ Meeting he repeatedly addressed the urgent need not only for a financial but also a ‘moral fund’ for the new Goetheanum building. ‘The building of this second Goetheanum will require more intense and difficult struggles than the building of the first, and a moral fund in addition to the physical one is ur- gently required.’[4] However, the members of the Society did not really understand what he meant by this, although it should have been clear to them from his three evening lectures at the delegates’ meeting (Three Anthroposophical Perspectives[5]) and from the tenor of his presentations since Easter 1923.
‘Dr Steiner provides much that is esoteric now because he thinks it is what is needed at this time. He has completely withdrawn from business ventures like Kommender Tag in order to devote himself to spiritual contents. We are moving towards a wonderful spiritual era,’ Ita Wegman wrote in a letter of 1 June 1923.[6] On 25 May, Rudolf Steiner had announced his resignation as chairman of the supervisory board of Kommender Tag joint-stock company in Stuttgart (DE), and on 27 May he held a first esoteric lesson in Dornach (CH) for a small group of people (the ‘Wachsmuth Lerchenfeld circle’) for the protection of the Goetheanum.[7]
The dynamics of the time
Ita Wegman was probably not referring to that meeting but to Rudolf Steiner’s general approach. In his lectures he often pointed out that an effective reorganization of the Anthroposophical Society – to publicly rep- resent the new spiritual science in an extremely aggressive media landscape where anthroposophy was often severely attacked – was not enough. What was needed in ad- dition was a deepened inner relationship to anthroposophy as a living being that one needed to relate to and take responsibility for, ‘as if anthroposophy was knocking at the door of our heart, calling “Let me in for I am you; I am your true humanity!”’[8]
Although Rudolf Steiner offered further courses of a similar orientation – for example in Penmaenmawr (GB) in August 1923[9] and at Michaelmas in Vienna (AT) (Michaelmas and the Human Soul Forces)[10], there were few signs of rethinking or a new beginning following the destruction of the Goetheanum by fire.
However, the political, economic and social situation continued to deteriorate and the time for future-oriented initiatives was running out. Italy under Benito Mussolini, the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin, and Spain under Primo de Rivera chose the route of fascism and totalitarianism. In Germany, impoverished and increasingly radicalized, Adolf Hitler’s National Socialist Party gained ever more support; its widely read organ Völkischer Beobachter now appeared weekly. By November 1923, Adolf Hitler’s party had 55,000 members and he attempted the first coup in Munich. ‘We live in frantic conditions. [...] Misery drives people to extremes,’ said the retiring Reich Chancellor Gustav Stresemann.11
A few days after Adolf Hitler's March on the Feldherrnhalle, Rudolf Steiner was in The Hague (NL) for the foundation of the Dutch Anthroposophical Society, but again experienced discord and a lack of understanding among members for the urgency of their tasks and of the historical present and future. ‘It was shocking to see how disappointed Rudolf Steiner was in people. They failed to understand what he wanted ...’ (Ita Wegman).[12] In conversation Rudolf Steiner hinted – not for the first time in the course of 1923 – that he might have to withdraw from such an Anthroposophical Society. Daniel von Bemmelen reported that ‘Mrs Wegman then said, “But Dr Steiner, you cannot possibly abandon the Society. You told me this summer how you intended to build up the new Society under your leadership.” Dr Steiner then rose, walked towards her, took her hands and said warmly, “Yes, Dr Wegman, if you help me, I will take the risk.”’[13]
In fact, Rudolf Steiner and Ita Weg- man had talked about the future in Penmaenmawr and London (UK) in August 1923.
‘Rudolf Steiner was always looking for ways of bringing about change. He was deeply saddened. Courses took place in 1923 in Penmaenmawr and Ilkley (UK), and it seemed to me that from that moment on Rudolf Steiner had a solution in mind. He spoke of how the singeing fire that destroyed the Goetheanum had revealed tremendous mysteries that were now only gradually becoming clear to him in the wider context. Mystery knowledge had now been set free, and this mystery knowledge, which was guarded in the various earlier mysteries, was to become the teaching content of anthroposophy.’[14]
According to Ita Wegman, Rudolf Steiner finally decided in late November 1923 to take on the reorganization and the presidency of the Anthroposophical Society himself,[15] after great inner struggles, as he pointed out at the Christmas Conference.16
On 2 December he began to speak in a Dornach lecture about ancient mystery knowledge and Ephesus, relating for the first time in front of the members his experiences in the night of the fire. At the end of
November he had already told the members in Dornach that he would begin to prepare the ‘mood’ for the forthcoming Christmas Conference.[17] After the Ephesus lecture of 2 December 1923 Ita Wegman wrote to a Stuttgart branch leader, ‘Dr Steiner will now take the whole matter into his own hands; he will even take on the presidency and guide everything as he sees fit. He will also provide the Statutes and the business of the international Society will be conducted under his direct leadership with the help of coworkers who live here in Dornach and who will be appointed by Dr Steiner.’ What was needed, she wrote, was a ‘rebirth of a strong Anthroposophical Society’[18] that would take on the big tasks of civilization.
1 Peter Selg: More than a study community, in An- throposophy Worldwide 3/2023, p. 12; Peter Selg: A world society for anthroposophy, in Anthroposophy Worldwide 4/2023, p. 12
2 Cf. GA 259, 1991, p. 566f., and https://allgemeine-sektion.goe... nachrichten/der-wiederaufbau-des-goetheanum
3 Cf. Peter Selg: Die anthroposophische Weltgesellschaft und ihre Hochschule [the anthroposophical world society and its School], 2023, p. 17ff.
4 GA 259, lecture of 22 July 1923
5 In GA 225, lectures of 21 and 22 July 1923
6 In Ita Wegman: Ausgewählte Briefe 1923. Vom Brand des Goetheanum zur Weih- nachtstagung [Selected letters 1923. From the fire at the Goetheanum to the Christmas Conference]. Arlesheim 2023, p. 50
7 Cf. GA 265.
8 GA 259, lecture of 18 November 1923
9 GA 227
10 In GA 223
11 Quoted in Horst Möller: Weimar. Die unvoll- endete Demokratie [the unfinished democracy]. Munich 1985, p. 160
12 Lecture notes London, 27 February 1931. Ita Wegman Archives, Arlesheim. Cf. Ita Wegman: Erinnerung an Rudolf Steiner [memories of Rudolf Steiner, 2009, p. 94
13 In Emanuel Zeylmans van Emmichoven: Wer war Ita Wegman. Eine Dokumentation [Who was Ita Wegman]. Vol. 1, 1990, p. 254
14 Ita Wegman: Notebook entry. Ita Wegman Archives, Arlesheim 15 Ibid.
16 GA 260, p. 39
17 GA 232, lecture of 23 November 1923
18 In Ita Wegman: Ausgewählte Briefe 1923. Vom Brand des Goetheanum zur Weihnachtstagung, p. 115f.