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The General Anthroposophical Society is an "association of people whose will it is to nurture the life of the soul, both in the individual and in human society, on the basis of a true knowledge of the spiritual world."〔First principle of the original statutes; see statutes section of this article.〕〔 As an organization, it is dedicated to supporting the community of those interested in the inner path of schooling known as anthroposophy, developed by Rudolf Steiner. The ''Anthroposophical Society'' was founded on December 28, 1912 in Cologne, Germany, with about 3000 members. Central to this founding was Rudolf Steiner, who acted as an advisor and lecturer. The members of its original Executive Council were Marie von Sivers, Michael Bauer, and Carl Unger. The Society was re-founded as the ''General Anthroposophical Society'' in 1923/4 in Dornach, Switzerland. It includes an esoteric ''School of Spiritual Science''. The Society's headquarters is at the Goetheanum, located in Dornach, Solothurn, Switzerland. The Society has national Societies in many countries, including every English-speaking country.〔Lía Tummer, ''Rudolf Steiner and Anthroposophy for Beginners'', Writers and Readers Publishing, ISBN 0-86316-286-X, pp. 166.〕 Its primary activities include organizing members' meetings and conferences, supporting research, and providing communication channels for a variety of purposes. The Society also encourages sustainable initiatives in the many practical fields in which its members are active. As of 2013, the Society has approximately 52,000 members. Formal branches of the Society have been established in 50 countries, and smaller groups are active in 50 further countries. About 10,000 institutions base their work on anthroposophy,〔(History of the Anthroposophical Society from 1990 until today )〕 including schools, farms, medical practices, and communities for the handicapped. ==Origins== The Anthroposophical Society traces its history back to 1902, when Rudolf Steiner became General Secretary of the German branch of the Theosophical Society. Prior to this time, Theosophy had made little headway in Germany; despite some visits by Helena Blavatsky, a founder of the Theosophical Society, to Germany and its prominent Theosophists, it was not until after her death in 1891 that a single Berlin Lodge was officially chartered in 1894. Its nominal leadership by Dr Huebbe-Schleiden was supported by the ongoing efforts of Count and Countess Brockdorff, under whose auspices Steiner was first asked to lecture to an audience including German Theosophists in August 1900. His spiritual ideas found a responsive audience here, as many German Theosophists had found in Theosophy only an imperfect reflection of their own beliefs.〔Geoffrey Ahern, ''Sun at Midnight: the Rudolf Steiner Movement and Gnosis in the West, 2nd edition'', pp. 29, 36, 42-3. ISBN 978-0-227-17293-3〕 Throughout Steiner's term in office, the German branch worked quite independently of the rest of the Theosophical Society;〔In his autobiography, Steiner mentions that he and the leader of the larger society at the time, Annie Besant, agreed to foster independent esoteric schools in harmony with one another: "''No one was left in uncertainty of the fact'' that I would bring forward in the Theosophical Society only the results of my own research through direct vision. For I stated this on all appropriate occasions." Rudolf Steiner, ''The Course of My Life: an autobiography'', Anthroposophic Press (1986), ch. 30, p. 299 (emphasis in original). ISBN 0-88010-159-8〕 in particular, Steiner sought to link to European esoteric, philosophical and scientific traditions in a way quite foreign to the main society, which was geographically and spiritually based in Adyar, India. Besant's tolerance for the differences in their approaches grew strained over the years. By 1907, Steiner had shifted from Theosophical terminology to his own vocabulary and the uniqueness of his approach was becoming increasingly apparent, for example at the ''International Congress'' at Munich in May 1907. Later that year, "by mutual consent", the esoteric circle Steiner had originally founded as an offshoot of the Theosophical Society's ''Esoteric Section'' (''E. S.'') became a wholly independent institution from the latter.〔Steiner stated in his ''Autobiography'' that he had joined the E. S. for 'the sole purpose of informing (himself) of what took place', and that he was uninfluenced by it. Rudolf Steiner, ''Rudolf Steiner: An Autobiography'', ed. Paul Allen, Rudolf Steiner Publications, New York, 1977.〕〔Geoffrey Ahern, ''Sun at Midnight: the Rudolf Steiner Movement and Gnosis in the West, 2nd edition'', p. 44. ISBN 978-0-227-17293-3〕 Gathering tensions over a variety of issues, including the rapid growth of the German section and its increasing activity in areas outside of Germany, came to a head when the leadership of the Theosophical Society declared that they had found the reincarnated Christ in a young boy named Jiddu Krishnamurti. Followers of Krishnamurti, most of whom were Theosophists, founded the ''Order of the Star in the East'' in 1911. Steiner's opposition to this order was made unmistakable by his 1912 declaration that no member of the new Order could remain a member of the German Theosophical Society. By the end of that year, Besant had induced the General Council of the Theosophical Society to revoke the charter for the German Section, which was under Steiner's leadership. In February 1913, Steiner and a group of prominent German theosophists founded a new society, the Anthroposophical Society, with the intent of pursuing a more Western path of spirituality than that nurtured in the Theosophical Society.〔Geoffrey Ahern, ''Sun at Midnight: the Rudolf Steiner Movement and Gnosis in the West, 2nd edition'', p. 45. ISBN 978-0-227-17293-3.〕 The German branch had numbered only a single Lodge and a few individual members when Steiner became its head in 1902. By 1913, it had burgeoned to 69 Lodges, 55 of which (about 2,500 people) left with Steiner to be part of the new Anthroposophical Society. The General Council of the Theosophical Society issued a new charter to the 14 Lodges which remained in the Theosophical Society, which were once again led by Dr Huebbe-Schleiden.〔Geoffrey Ahern, ''Sun at Midnight: the Rudolf Steiner Movement and Gnosis in the West, 2nd edition'', pp. 43, 45-46. ISBN 978-0-227-17293-3〕 The early Anthroposophical Society showed a strong Germanic predominance, though there were some founding members from other European countries, particularly the Netherlands.〔 Its inaugural general meeting was held in January 1913 at Berlin.〔Guenther Wachsmuth ''The Life and Work of Rudolf Steiner'' ISBN 0893450367 ()〕 English anthroposophy was limited to a small anonymous club until after WWI. After a split occurred between younger members, many of whom were founding or active in new initiatives such as a school, a curative home for the handicapped, a medical clinic, and a farm, and who had formed their own "Free Anthroposophical Society," and the older members, the anthroposophical society was formally refounded, with new leadership, in December 1923.〔Johannes Hemleben, ''Rudolf Steiner: A documentary biography'', Henry Goulden Ltd, ISBN 0-904822-02-8, pp. 142-48 (German edition Rowohlt Verlag ISBN 3-499-50079-5)〕 Both groups came together in the new version of the society. A conference was first called to refound the society. At this conference, which became known as the ''Christmas Conference'', Steiner suggested that a meditative verse he had created for the occasion, the Foundation Stone Meditation, should become the spiritual cornerstone of a renewed anthroposophical movement. This movement should for the first time become unified with the Society that nurtured it.〔〔At this time, the Anthroposophical Society was renamed as the ''General Anthroposophical Society'' and affiliated national societies were formed.Geoffrey Ahern, ''Sun at Midnight: the Rudolf Steiner Movement and Gnosis in the West, 2nd edition'', p. 49. ISBN 978-0-227-17293-3〕 Steiner gave a series of lectures on world history over the course of the eight-day conference, and established a ''School of Spiritual Science'' as his esoteric school.〔"The First Class of the School of Spiritual Science acted as a new focus for ‘esoteric’ commitment and authority; while there was no requirement for membership in the General Anthroposophic Society, First Class members had to have been members of the General Society for 2 years, and accept ‘inner responsibility’ for Anthroposophy." Geoffrey Ahern, ''Sun at Midnight: the Rudolf Steiner Movement and Gnosis in the West, 2nd edition'', pp. 49, 61. 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