EDITORIAL PREFACE
The present lectures for members given in Dornach in June 1923 are
based on the attempt by Rudolf Steiner to encourage the
Anthroposophical Society to reconsider the real foundations of
anthroposophy and the inner requirements for tackling the tasks of
the age. After the First World War, the Society had increasingly
splintered into a variety of external initiatives and practical
projects. Although Rudolf Steiner had spoken warning words from 1921
onwards, and at the end of 1922 had called on leading members to make
proposals for its reconsolidation, a real rethink did not take place
until New Year's Eve 1922, when the destruction by fire of the first
Goetheanum provided the catalyst. As a consequence, regional
societies were founded in a number of countries in 1923. On 10 June,
immediately preceding the first lecture in this volume, the General
Meeting of the Anthroposophical Society in Switzerland decided, on
the basis of a motion from the Society in Great Britain, to call a
meeting of delegates from all countries for the end of July to decide
the measures for the reconstruction of the Goetheanum. This
international delegate meeting further decided to combine the
individual regional societies into an International Anthroposophical
Society at the Goetheanum at Christmas 1923. Its leadership was to be
assumed by a General Secretary to be elected at that time, but
shortly before Christmas Rudolf Steiner decided to take over the
chairmanship himself.
Textual basis: These lectures were taken down in shorthand by
Helene Finckh. Her own transcription of these notes forms the basis
for this volume.
The first edition was published by Marie Steiner in 1931 with a
Foreword by her. The second edition was undertaken by H.W. Zbinden.
The third edition in 1981 included an expanded Contents and
additional Notes.
Works by Rudolf Steiner which have not been translated and which
have appeared as part of the Complete Edition (Gesamtausgabe = GA)
are referred to in the Notes by their bibliographical number.
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