News for Members & Friends BOOK REVIEW

By Brian Gray

Rudolf Steiner’s Laying of the Foundation Stone on September 20, 1913: In the Presence of the Stars, by Erika Von Baravalle (Ed.)

Erika von Baravalle (1928-2016) was an artist and historian, spouse of architect Albert von Baravalle (who worked closely with Rudolf Steiner), and longtime student of anthroposophy. In 2013, she compiled this series of essays and well-illustrated articles that help one imagine the laying of the Foundation Stone in 1913, along with various stages of design leading to construction of the First and Second Goetheanum structures, the significance of the Foundation Stone Meditation given by Rudolf Steiner at the Christmas Conference of 1923/24, and much else besides. There exists no other single compilation on these topics of such breadth and depth. The handsome volume was translated from German into English at the behest of Patti Corozine and published by Eric G. Müller of Alkion Press in 2024.

Main section headings include: The Significance of the Laying of the Foundation Stone in 1913; Eyewitness Reports; Various Aspects of the Laying of the Foundation Stone; Rudolf Steiner’s Buildings for the Mysteries; and Rudolf Steiner’s Addresses Regarding the Laying of the Foundation Stone. In addition to striking illustrations that fascinate the reader’s imagination, endnotes and references are provided to stimulate further study.

Rare eyewitness accounts by Wilhelm Schrack, Max Benzinger, and Nelly Grosheintz-Laval relate how Rudolf Steiner determined the exact spot for the Foundation Stone, “In the presence of the stars,” and then his laying it into the Earth in 1913, are accompanied by articles by Elisabeth Vreede and Walther Buhler on “When Mercurius Stood in the Scales.” Ernst Bindel’s “The Symbolic Significance of the Pentagonal Dodecahedron as the Foundation Stone of Spiritually Significant Buildings” appears, along with an eyewitness description by Heinz Muller of the devastating fire that destroyed the First Goetheanum on New Year Eve 1922/1923.

Fritz Gotte awakens new insights concerning the relationships between the Macrocosmic World-Prayer, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Foundation Stone, and the significance of the Christmas Conference. These impressive authors convey insightful viewpoints, further developed and woven together through 11 essays by Erika von Baravalle that stimulate and awaken one’s interest.

There is something here for everyone - this volume’s vivid illustrations and insightful descriptions fascinate one and fill the reader’s soul with wonder and gratitude for Rudolf Steiner’s world-historic contributions to the mission of humanity. This volume deserves to be read and re-read, as it contains a wealth of creative insights not available in any other volume.