Sharing our cosmic adventures through the Biodynamic Digest by keeping track of celestial opportunities and optimal timing for planting, biodynamic spraying, and more.
This week, let’s explore:
Biodynamic Valerian
And a beautiful pair of astronomical planetary trines ideal for enhancing the garden with the saturnine influence of Valerian, but first, a short story:
Several years ago I was attending one of the outstanding national Biodynamic Association (BDA) conferences. This one was in Portland Oregon, and as always, these gatherings are a fantastic place to connect and meet friends, both new and old. Upon entering the conference hall, I noticed from a distance a tall, intriguing, sturdy, well-built man. I saw something peculiar: something energetically protruding from this person’s forehead! What was this like – a lightning bolt? Energy transmission zone? Was this a portal on his forehead? It was bright! It was good, too – the holy kind of good. Somebody must have witnessed something angelic.
Who was this? Was anyone else around me who saw this? Hmmm, strange, I'm not usually the angel-seeing divination-witnessing kind of guy. By the time I saw this, I knew Saturn’s gate was open! Kundalini-rich essence flowed. This was the first time I met Stewart Lundy.
After finishing a group biodynamic stir and spray, a clairvoyant tarot-reading astrologer once said to the great Mary DiFranco, who practices biodynamics more than most: “I see energetically Lloyd coming out of the top of his head and has a lightning bolt with a direct angel connection to heaven.” Often when stirring and using the biodynamic preparations, I feel myself connected and the conduit between the Heavens and the Earth. Steiner talks about the “awakening of kundalini light,” which is the redirection of the libidinous force in the reproductive pole away from the external world and to the head. In biodynamics, we do this with flowers: we capture these precious floral impulses and take them down to the roots of plants. That small sacramental gesture radiates new life through the entire organism.
The only person I've ever seen with a projection of light protruding through his forehead is the fellow I saw at the biodynamic conference. It was only years later that Stewart eventually confided in me about an awakening experience that directly confirmed what I had witnessed. Lloyd and Stewart are facing a bright future!
Before we reach towards digesting biodynamically prepared Valerian, let's have a quick look at the two potent planetary trines happening towards the end of August, which can be very beneficial for boosting soil health.
Two beneficial planetary trines are occurring toward the end of August.
Out here in western Colorado, we will be using biodynamic preparations during these trines to help strengthen plants, increase yields, and super boost soil health. We hope you can experience experimenting with using the Biodynamic preparations wherever you are.
On August 25, Venus Trines Saturn ♀ △ ♄ followed by August 26, Venus trines Neptune ♀ △ ♆
The planetary trines listed in the biodynamic calendar are very important. The Water and Earth forces will be super-enhanced at this time, so an application of Equisetum and barrel compound (BC) would be highly beneficial. If you can, add Valerian preparation to boost the effectiveness of the spray. I like to add kelp, nettle, and comfrey tea, and more to my Biodynamic sprays for an overall improved performance.
A beneficial planetary trine in the biodynamic calendar is a call to action. Engaging our will forces to make biodynamics happen is the best way to yield positive results. It takes willful effort to create and use biodynamic preparations. The application of biodynamic preparations at optimal times following the biodynamic planting calendar is one of the simplest and most effective ways to build soil and plant health.
The second half of August has a series of planetary events to pay attention to, and these times can be used to produce positive results. Some of the common results I see by using biodynamic preparations at during a beneficial trine include increased overall plant health, superior insect and disease resistance, and the soil microbial and fungal life increase.
Planetary alignments such as conjunctions and oppositions occur regularly—some we pay more attention to than others. The moon opposite Saturn is at the top of the list to pay attention to. Because the moon travels through the entire zodiac about once a month, the moon ends up in the opposite constellation from Saturn once a month.
The moon opposition Saturn ( ☾ ☍ ♄ ) and two planetary trines (△ △) towards the end of August give us an excellent opportunity to use Biodynamic preparations to increase the health of your soil and plants.
August 25, Moon opposition Saturn ☾ ☍ ♄
When the Moon is in opposition to Saturn, with the Earth directly lined up between the two, this unique monthly event occurs.
There is a special relationship between the Moon and Saturn – Saturn takes about 28 years to travel through the entire zodiac, while the Moon takes about 28 days. You could almost say that Saturn is to our solar system what the Moon is to the Earth. As Saturn focuses cosmic forces into our solar system, the Moon focuses solar system dynamics into the Earth. In esoteric terms, Saturn is associated with the number 3 and the Moon with 9 (3x3). Saturn is traditionally depicted as a crippled old man. An echo of this can be seen in the rings of Saturn – the remains of an ancient destroyed moon. The Earth’s etheric body is kept alive by the rhythmic influence of the Moon, but for Saturn, its etheric body has long ago departed.
When this potent monthly planetary opposition occurs, it is an excellent time for the application of biodynamic preparations. Read Peter Proctor's classic biodynamic book “Grasp the Nettle” for outstanding benefits and more information.
In biodynamic agriculture, the monthly recurring Moon-Saturn opposition ☾ ☍ ♄ is regarded as potentially highly beneficial for plant and soil health. By using the proper biodynamic preparations at the optimal time, one can attempt to harness the powerful effects of the cosmic alignment when the beneficial energy flows in such a tuned and magnificent way.
Every month, when Saturn, Earth, and the Moon are in a long straight line, ☾–♁–♄ forms the ☍ , at the time of opposition, a special frequency is generated that has fantastic potential positive results.
The period to take advantage of these beneficial frequencies, energies, or transmissions is up to 12 hours before and six hours after the opposition. An approximately eighteen-hour window of opportunity is available to harness the benefits of this monthly recurring alignment. The closer to the actual hour of the alignment, the better. When the Moon opposes Saturn, it is my preferred time to start seeds, either outdoors or in a greenhouse. By intervening in the garden at this moment, I am getting the whole spectrum of influences from the Moon to Saturn into my seeds.
Biodynamic preparations are more effective during the Moon-Saturn opposition ☾ ☍ ♄
You may consider stirring some 500 horn manure or barrel compound (BC) and spray the greenhouse or a favorite tree, or if you timed it right, a field in need, or something that needs a jolt at this time to give a desirable boost.
The beneficial energies emanating and radiating from the moon opposite Saturn help to carry and reinforce our biodynamic work, and the two are done at the same time, strengthening, stabilizing, and expanding more readily.
Using Valerian to Enhance Soil Health
The late great Hugh Courtney enjoyed using Valerian preparation regularly. He used valerian for frost protection, to increase the availability of phosphorus and promote better flowering, and as an additive to other sprays to boost efficacy. He taught us that the Valerian plant is related to the planet Saturn. Hugh stored his remarkable collection of valerian vintages in the back of the JPI office (which used to be in Courtney's downstairs apartment), in the darkest and coolest corner of the basement. He always wanted to keep the bottles of fermented valerian flower juice cool, in the dark, and away from anything harmful. The stored Valerian continues to ferment, so an air-fermentation lock should be used to prevent any potential overflow. Hugh was again quite proud of his vintages of Valerian preparation and would frequently take people on a “tour.” He would open different dark brown glass jars and let you smell and see what the differences in preparations were made many years ago, and even on other days. Those made on good flower days were always amongst the best-smelling. Some made at undesirable times had quite an awful and offensive odor. He might open a particular valerian with a peculiar smell and stick it up to your nose for inspection. That's when Hugh would look at you endearingly with a sly smile and mischievous eye twinkle and ask you which one you would prefer to use in your garden and on your plants. He often left the practitioner to their own analysis.
Hugh had Valerian in various bottles that were more recently made, and some made a dozen years earlier. He taught us that Valerian, like a fine wine, can be stored for lengthy periods and may even get better with age. Some of the vintages of Valerian juice had quite a pleasant aroma, while other batches smelled of dirty socks or perhaps the school boy’s locker room after a good workout. There is an art to making good valerian, and I will look forward to sharing more on that subject in the future. Hugh would take one tincture dropper full of Valerian juice, put it in warm water in an earthenware crock, and stir vigorously for 10 minutes, then he would spray out the stirred liquid over his garden plants and compost heaps. He was especially proud of the vigorous flowering that usually occurred after an application of Valerian.
The Valerian preparation is not made from the part of the plant that people usually treasure, the root; instead, it is made from a part of the plant that is often overlooked: the flower. This is true of all the preparations: Steiner gave us remedies that could be made from leftovers on the farm, such as weeds and parts of animals we usually can’t utilize. Out of “scraps,” Steiner gave us ways to grow our own fertilizers from within the resources of the farm, without needing more.
While all plants participate with all the planets (or they wouldn’t be plants!), Saturn's essence is particularly concentrated in the Valerian preparation. The BD 507 is like the liquid light of Saturn. Steiner says in Man as Symphony of the Creative Word, “Everything which is present in the warm air, which is irradiated with light, is Saturn-Sun.”1 The folk etymology of Valerian is Baldrian, associating this plant with Baldur, the god of light.
Each prep is particularly related to a planet, and though there may be varying opinions about different preparations, everyone agrees that Valerian is the ambassador of Saturn.
“The root is rich in salts, the flower in light. People knew much more of this in the past. This is why they called the principle to be found in the flower ‘phosphorus’.... But the flower is the true bearer of light. The flower is phosphorus.”2
In most of the preparations, we draw on the “light-bearing” pole, the flowers, and introduce those flowers to the roots of plants by infusing their influence through our compost piles. We are bringing light to the roots of plants in biodynamics, and there is perhaps no better example of this than Valerian. If you dig up Valerian, the soil all around it radiates with its aroma. Unlike normal plants, Valerian sends most of its essential oils down and into the earth. Oil likes to float, and usually rises into the flower as Steiner suggests. But in Valerian, oil goes down against gravity and infuses its light-bearing influence into the Earth. These volatile oils are like lighter fluid for the flame of life within the Earth – an accelerant. In the gesture of the Valerian plant, we behold the entire biodynamic impulse of bringing light into the Earth.
If your schedule is too busy to be stirring preps and planting seeds at this next Moon opposition Saturn, get your Valerian BD 507. Add a little of the liquified Saturn's essence to some warm water and stir for 5 minutes. Apply to your favorite house plant, tree, or shrub, or a flat in the greenhouse.
We see another relationship between the Moon and Saturn here: the beautiful aromatic oils from Saturn, aged within the Earth, become the reflected lunar force: humus. Stewart Lundy refers to humus as the “sunlight of yesteryear.”
Above ground, we “fertilize with Saturn” when we prune branches, letting in more of the dynamics of warm air and evaporation. Below ground, we “fertilize with Saturn” by spraying Valerian on the soil, where we bring the influence of “warm air” – warm etheric essential oils – into the Earth itself.
This monthly opportunity to take advantage of the moon in opposition to Saturn can be a game changer in biodynamics. It’s the once-a-month time I always look forward to, to spray and start seeds.
R. Steiner, Man as Symphony of the Creative Word, Lecture IV (GA320, 26 October 1923, Dornach).
R. Steiner, From Elephants to Einstein, February 9, 1924, GA325, pp. 84-85.
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Circle up around the digital fire for a good story 🦄 thanks for sharing your wisdom too
YESit's true! Lloyd bears a humble Christic Crown