Theosophische Orte: Über Versuche, ein Geheimnis zu wahren und öffentlich zu wirken

Abstract

Theosophical Societies formed lodges in most of the larger towns in Germany in the years around 1900. Their houses were on the one hand open to the public, since theosophists tried to attract people by lectures or by inviting them to use their libraries; on the other hand, the societies needed closed rooms for their arcane rites, especially for Masonic ceremonies. This article supports two arguments: First, the sensualistic rites served as a form of compensation, especially significant for protestant Christians; second, the lodges protected >occult< activities that were not accepted in the mainstream culture of bourgeois citizens in Germany before the First World War.