Theosophical Society Germania

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The Theosophical Societät Germania, or Loge Germania for short , was a German theosophical organization at the end of the 19th century.

history

The company was founded on July 27, 1884, primarily at the instigation of Mary Gebhard in the house of the Gebhard family of manufacturers in Elberfeld at Platzhoffstrasse 12 . After the Isis Lodge in Hamburg, which was established unofficially, i.e. without a deed of foundation from the parent company , it was the first official lodge of the Theosophical Society in Germany and the second in Europe, after the London Lodge in England. Wilhelm Hübbe Schleiden was only accepted into the Theosophical Society one day before it was founded and at that time only knew the basic scriptures of theosophy such as "Isis unveiled" for a few weeks. Henry Steel Olcott , President of the Theosophical Society (Adyar), had come to found the Lodge himself. In addition to Olcott, the hostess Mary Gebhard (student of Éliphas Lévi ), her son Franz Gustav Gebhard, Madame Haemmerle from Odessa, Coue from Washington, Wilhelm Hübbe Schleiden from Hamburg and an Indian companion of Olcott were present at the constituent meeting . Gustav Gebhard , Mary Gebhard's husband, who was one of the founding circle of Deutsche Bank, was elected treasurer despite his absence. Wilhelm Hübbe Schleiden was appointed chairman.

Due to a promotional trip by Olcott and Huebbe Schleiden via Leipzig, Bayreuth, Munich, Starnberg and Bad Kreuznach, the number of members grew rapidly. On August 9, 1884, another general meeting with lectures took place in the house of the academic painter Gabriel von Max on Lake Starnberg . When the group returned, Helena Blavatsky also arrived in Elberfeld, and the possible encounters with the company's founder strengthened the Societät Germania. At its peak next summer, the lodge had 33 registered members, including Franz Hartmann , Carl Kiesewetter , Gustav Meyrink , Ernst Haeckel , Max Dessoir and Carl du Prel . When the controversial Coulomb affair , which brought Ms. Blavatsky and thus the entire Theosophical Society into disrepute, also became known in Germany in September 1884, the first resignations from the lodge occurred. Blavatsky's return to India in the winter of 1884–85 could not fully clear up the allegations. The publication of the Hodgson Report in December 1885 shook the small population. Another stay by Blavatsky in Elberfeld in the summer of 1886 did not restore trust for many members. With a membership of only 13 people, the lodge was therefore dissolved on December 31, 1886.

Despite its short existence, the Germania Lodge provided important impulses for the further spread of theosophy in German-speaking countries. The planned publication organ of the lodge, the Sphinx magazine , continued to exist after the dissolution and spread the theosophical worldview. The member Franz Hartmann later founded the German Theosophical Society (Hartmann) . The Germania Lodge can also be seen as a forerunner of the Theosophical Association and the German Theosophical Society (DTG). From the DTG eventually went German section of the Theosophical Society produced, from which the Anthroposophical Society of Rudolf Steiner was born.

The "Loge Germania" should not be confused with the "Germania-Loge Nr. 1", which is part of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows .

literature

  • Klatt, Norbert: Theosophy and Anthroposophy, New Aspects of Their History from the estate of Wilhelm Hübbe-Schleiden (1846-1916) with a selection of 81 letters . Klatt, Göttingen 1993, ISBN 3-928312-02-2 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Horst E. Miers : Lexicon of Secret Knowledge (= Esoteric. Vol. 12179). Original edition; and 3rd updated edition, both Goldmann, Munich 1993, ISBN 3-442-12179-5 , p. 617.