Rudolf Steiner -- His live in context
In Beatenberg, Switzerland, Marie Steiner-von Sivers dies at the age of 82.
Von Sivers was the second wife of Rudolf Steiner and one of his closest colleagues.
At the the Casa Andrea Cristoforo clinic in Ascona, Switzerland, Elisabeth Vreede dies at the age of 64.
In Arlesheim, Ita Wegman dies at the age of 67.
Separation of the Anthroposophical Society.
- Vreede and Wegman are excluded from the board of directors.
- Vreede is expelled from the executive council
- Vreede’s section is passed to other leadership.
- Vreede is cut off from the observatory and archives that she herself helped assemble.
The second Goetheanum building is completed.
Steiner and Wegman published Fundamentals of Therapy: An Extension of the Art of Healing Through Spiritual Knowledge.
In Dornach, Switzerland, Rudolf Steiner dies at the age of 64.
Vreede joins the board of directors of the general Anthroposophical Society
Steiner became increasingly ill; he held his last lecture late September, 1924.
In an extensive series of lectures from February to September 1924, Steiner presents further research on successive reincarnations of various individuals and describes the techniques he used for karma research.
Steiner gives members of the School of Spiritual Science of the Anthroposophical Society their first Lesson for guidance into the esoteric work.
Steiner appoints Vreede to head the Mathematical-Astronomical Section of the School of Spiritual Science of the recently reestablished Anthroposophical Society.
The “Foundation Meeting” at the Dornach center
In this meeting for members held Steiner speaks of laying a new Foundation Stone for the society in the hearts of his listeners.
At the meeting, a new “General Anthroposophical Society” is established with a new executive board.
At this meeting, Steiner also founds a School of Spiritual Science, intended as an “organ of initiative” for research and study and as “the ‘soul’ of the Anthroposophical Society”
Steiner asks Wegman to join the Executive Council of the newly reformed Anthroposophical Society at the Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland.
The Beer Hall Putsch in Munich
For Steiner is this the reason to give up his residence in Berlin, saying that if those responsible for the attempted coup [Hitler and others] come to power in Germany, it would no longer be possible for him to enter the country.
On New Year’s Eve, 1922/1923, the Goetheanum burned to the ground; contemporary police reports indicate arson as the probable cause.
In Munich, Steiner gives a lecture that was disrupted
tink bombs were let off and the lights switched out, while people rushed the stage apparently attempting to attack Steiner, who exited safely through a back door.
“The religious movement Christian Community” is founded by a circle of young people.
Some members of that circle are:
- Friedrich Rittelmeyer
- Heinrich Ogilvie
The “West-East Conference” is held to facilitate understanding between the world opposites of west and east.
Steiner warns against the disastrous effects it will have for Central Europe if the National Socialists come to power.
Adolf Hitler attacks Steiner on many fronts, including accusations that he is a tool of the Jews, while other nationalist extremists in Germany call for a “war against Steiner”.
Steiner is approached by Friedrich Rittelmeyer, a Lutheran pastor with a congregation in Berlin, who asks if it was possible to create a more modern form of Christianity.
Vreede moves to Arlesheim, Switzerland, where she has built a little house for herself.
In Stuttgart, Germany, Steiner founds the first Waldorf school.
Dietrich Eckart, a political theorist of the National Socialist German Workers Party, attacks Steiner and suggests that he is a Jew.
Emil Molt asks Steiner to found a school for the children of workers in his Waldorf-Astoria cigarette factory in Stuttgart.
Based on Steiner’s indications, Wegman develops a treatment for cancer using mistletoe.
Rudolf Steiner and Marie von Sivers marry.
At the start of World War I, Steiner’s disbands the Esoteric School.
Vreede moves to Dornach to help building the first Goetheanum.
Steiner draws up a succession of wills naming Marie von Sivers as heir to his entire work and property and his successor in the leadership of the anthroposophical movement.
Start of World War I.
Annie Bessant declares Krishnamurti the new-born Christ.
In Dornach, Switzerland, the foundation stone is laid for the first Goetheanum.
Steiner moves from Berlin to Dornach.
He lives there to the end of his life.
In Cologne, Germany, the Anthroposophical Society is founded with about 3,000 members. The members of its Executive Council are: Marie von Sivers, Michael Bauer and Carl Unger.
Rudolf Steiner does not take any official position but acts as an advisor and lecturer. Separation from the Theosophical Society.
Most German-speaking Theosophists broke away from the Theosophical Society to found the Anthroposophical Society, as a result of growing tensions. Steiner was at the head of it.
Starting in 1912, Rudolf Steiner developed the art of eurythmy. With Marie von Sivers’ guidance, it developed in three directions:
- as a stage art,
- as an integral part of Waldorf pedagogy, and
- as a therapeutic method.
Anna Eunicke Steiner, Steiner’s first wife, died
The Theosophical Society established the Order of the Star in the East (OSE) to prepare the world for the expected appearance of the World Teacher (Jiddu Krishnamurti).
Steiner published his book An Outline of Esoteric Science
Steiner described aspects of karma relating to health, natural phenomena and free will, taking the position that a person is not bound by his or her karma, but can transcend this through actively taking hold of one’s own nature and destiny.
Vreede moves to Berlin where she worked on her dissertation, and occasionally worked as a secretary for Steiner.
In India, Charles Webster Leadbeater and Annie Besant of the Theosophical Society found a young boy named Jiddu Krishnamurti. In him they not only saw a world teacher, but also the reincarnation of Christ
Steiner published The Way of Initiation.
(English edition trans. by Max Gysi)
Marie von Sivers founded the Philosophical-Theosophical Press (later Philosophical-Anthroposophical) to publish Steiner’s work.
Steiner is appointed General Grand Master of the Egyptian Rite of Memphis in Germany
Steiner organized the Theosophical Congress in Munich.
Its focus on artistic expression was a sharp departure from Helena Blavatsky’s Theosophy. A great portion of the old members of the Theosophical Society from various European countries, were not pleased with it.
Annie Besant attended this congress; Steiner and she decide to stop the cooperation between them.
The contract is signed between Steiner and von Sivers and the Memphis-misraim-Order.
The contract allows Steiner to run an independent study group.
Steiner and von Sivers joined the Memphis-Misraim-Order.
Steiner published the book How to Know Higher Worlds: A Modern Path of Initiation (1904–5).
Vreede is at Steiner’s lecture on ‘Mathematics and Occultism’ given at the Congress of the Federation of European Sections of the Theosophical Society at Amsterdam.
Steiner publishes Cosmic Memory: Prehistory of Earth and Man.
(Also published as “The Submerged Continents of Atlantis and Lemuria”
Steiner published Theosophy: An Introduction to the Spiritual Processes in Human Life and in the Cosmos.
Steiner founded his independent Esoteric School of the Theosophical Society.
Steiner was expressing his own understanding of spiritual experiences and phenomena in his essays and books, while continuing to refer to a wide variety of historical sources.
In London, Steiner visits Anne Besant.
Besant officially names Steiner “Arch Warden” of the Theosophical Esoteric Society for Germany and Austria.
This means that Steiner is officially ‘authorized’ to teach.
In London, Steiner and Vreede meet for the firs time at the Theosophical Congress.
Steiner begins the journal Lucifer.
Steiner publishes Christianity as Mystical Fact.
The German section of the Theosophical Society is founded, with approx. 100 members.
Steiner becomes the General Secretary and von Sivers becomes Secretary.
In his inaugural lecture, Steiner speaks of “Practical Karma Exercises”.
In Berlin, Ita Wegman meets Rudolf Steiner for the first time.
Wegman is 26 years old.
In the autumn of 1901, Marie von Sivers posed this question to Steiner,
Steiner had begun to write about spiritual topics, initially in the form of discussions of historical figures such as the mystics of the Middle Ages.
Steiner published, Mysticism at the Dawn of Modern Age (1901/1925)
Steiner begins a series of twenty-six lectures on medieval mysticism.
At the Theosophical Library in Berlin, Steiner gives a lecture on Goethe’s Secret Revelation.
At the Theosophical Library in Berlin, Steiner gives a lecture on Nietzsche.
Count Brockdorff asks Steiner to give a lecture in the Theosophical Library in Berlin.
Steiner married Anna Eunicke; the couple separated several years later.
Steiner begins speaking publicly about spiritual experiences and phenomena in his lectures to the Theosophical Society.
Steiner experienced what he described as a life-transforming inner encounter with the being of Christ.
Steiner published an article, “Goethe’s Secret Revelation”, discussing the esoteric nature of Goethe’s fairy tale The Green Snake and the Beautiful Lily.
Steiner publishes the book, Goethe’s Conception of the World
Steiner left the Weimar archives and moved to Berlin. He became part owner of, chief editor of, and an active contributor to the literary journal Magazin für Literatur.
Steiner declined an offer from Elisabeth Förster-Nietzsche to help organize the Nietzsche archive in Naumburg.
William Q. Judge dies.
Annie Besant becomes the sole leader of the Theosophical Society
Steiner published Die Philosophie der Freiheit
(The Philosophy of Freedom or The Philosophy of Spiritual Activity -— Steiner’s preferred English title).
Heinrich August Paul Jakob Ogilvie is born in Schleusingen, Germany.
Steiner published his dissertation in expanded form in 1892 as Truth and Knowledge.
At the University of Rostock, Steiner receives a doctorate in philosophy for his dissertation discussing Fichte’s concept of the ego, submitted to Heinrich von Stein.
Helena Blavatsky, aged 59, died.
Annie Besant and William Q. Judge assume leadership of the Theosophical Society.
The Esoteric School of Theosophy is constituted by Blavatsky independently from the Theosophical Society.
As a result of his work for the Kürschner edition of Goethe’s works, Steiner is invited to work as an editor at the Goethe archives in Weimar.
Steiner publishes his book, Grundlinien einer Erkenntnistheorie der Goetheschen Weltanschauung, mit besonderer Rücksicht auf Schiller
(GA 2, transl. The Theory of Knowledge Implicit in Goethe’s World-Conception)
Steiner begins studies in Technical High School in Vienna.
Elisabeth Vreede is born in The Hague, Holland.
In Karawang, West Java, Maria Ita Wegman, the first child of a Dutch colonial family, is born.
In New York City, the Theosophical Society was founded by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, H.S. Olcott, W.Q. Judge, John Yarker, and others.
Steiner begins school in Wiener Neustadt.
Steiner, nine years old, had his first spiritual experience. He saw the spirit of one of his aunts, who had died in a far-off town, asking for help.
In Włocławek, Poland, then part of Imperial Russia, Marie von Sivers is born.
Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner is born in Murakirály, Kingdom of Hungary, Austrian Empire.
(Now known as: Donji Kraljevec, Croatia)
The weekly, Das Magazin für Litteratur, is founded.
Helena Petrovna Blavatsky is born.