Cosmic Journal

#017 - Spring Equinox

FEEL within a cosmic power
feel him raise his voice and in me speak:
‘thy heart is tending in its deepest bower
a light wherefore the sleeping world doth seek
behold now at time’s darkest hour,
the golden glow that glints on yonder hills and peaks.’

From Rudolf Steiner’s The Calendar of the Soul, 
 Week Forty Nine, translated by Max Leyf

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Hello friends & fellow farmers, 

Today is Monday, March 18th and it is 9am Eastern Standard Time here in the Northern Hemisphere.  Looking out towards the current conditions of the cosmos, referred to as the Sidereal Zodiac, the Sun remains in Pisces through the end of the month and the Moon is currently backed by the constellation of Gemini. 

Hello friends & fellow farmers, 

Today is Monday, March 18th and it is 9am Eastern Standard Time here in the Northern Hemisphere.  Looking out towards the current conditions of the cosmos, referred to as the Sidereal Zodiac, the Sun remains in Pisces through the end of the month and the Moon is currently backed by the constellation of Gemini. 

Photo by

Natalie McGill

With the Moon in Gemini today, we can consciously choose to tune into our relationship to the element of Air and the ether of Light, drawing our attention to flowering plants.  Depending on your local soil and weather conditions, we might turn over fields and garden beds in order to aerate the soil, especially if the ground is compacted and/or there is an imbalance of Water forces. 

As we enter Spring and begin to once again cultivate the soil, we can set our intentions daily to bring greater balance to the Earth and each micro environment that we live within.  Utilizing a Biodynamic calendar aids in this effort, bringing us more in tune to the greater Elemental, energetic and Spiritual forces which affect our world and are a part of us daily.  As expressed by Rudolf Stiener in his 1924 Spiritual Foundations of Agriculture (Lecture 1), “everything which happens on Earth is but a reflection of what is taking place in the Cosmos.”

In the morning on Tuesday, March 19th the Moon remains in Gemini until 11am and we continue to care and tend to flowering plants.  Today we also celebrate the Spring Equinox which represents a special moment of balance between dark and light in our yearly trip around the Sun.  Take time today to connect to these forces as we experience the beauty and harmonic tones of the Spring season. 

In the afternoon, and throughout the day on Wednesday, March 20th, the Moon shifts into the Water sign of Cancer encouraging us to care for leafy plants. 

Depending on your farm’s needs, personal Biodynamic understanding and level of comfort, you might also focus on snail and slug prevention on Tuesday and Wednesday this week while the Moon is in Cancer.  As expressed in the 2024 Maria Thun Biodynamic Almanac, one might collect 50-60 creatures, placing them into a sealed bucket or jar.  “Let it stand for four weeks until the Moon is again in Cancer, then spray the liquid where the slugs and snails are a problem,”  repeating as necessary (pg 74).  While we generally try to avoid interventions, any major pest or disease issue highlights to us an imbalance within the ecosystem. Through grounded intentions we can elect to utilize various techniques to help reharmonize our farm or garden, realizing that all of our actions have intended and potentially unintended effects.   

Early in the morning on Thursday, March 21st the Moon transitions into the constellation of Leo bringing forth the element of Fire and ether of Warmth.  In the example above, slugs and snails prefer wet, dark environments which is the opposite of the impulse found on Fire/fruit days.  In our gardens, we can tend to our fruit trees, shrubs and vines today and we might also choose to begin to work with our compost piles depending on regional weather conditions.  As we work the soil and crops with our hands, we can offer an infusion of Warmth, Love and Spirit to the world around us, asking for continued cosmic guidance and strength as we enter into the growing season ahead. 

On Friday, March 22nd and Saturday, March 23rd the Moon remains in Leo while we continue to tend to fruiting plants. 

At 12am on Saturday, the Moon will be farthest away from Earth in its cycle which in general stimulates fruiting and flowering.  As blossoms continue to emerge this Spring, it is highly recommended to offer BD 507 Valerian to help protect flowers and tender plants against light frosts. Stir and spray Valerian in the evening as the life forces are breathed back into the Earth. 

At 5am on Saturday, the Moon will also be in opposition to Saturn, and as discussed last month in Journal entry #015, we might offer a mix of BD 501 Horn Silica and BD 508 Equisetum tea in the afternoon to aid against mold, mildew and other plant diseases bringing balance to the lime (horizontal, growth forces) and silica (vertical, structure) poles.  

To explore these processes in more depth, please join us in the free ongoing exploration and discussion of Steiner's Agriculture Lectures hosted by JPI in partnership with Spikenard Honeybee Sanctuary.  Recordings from February and March are available online and the next gathering to discuss Lecture 2 will be held on Wednesday, April 10th.

As we enter Sunday, March 24th the Moon moves into the constellation of Virgo at 4am and will remain there through Wednesday.  Tend to root crops and cultivate the soil this week as the purest of cosmic Life forces are cast upon our fields and gardens.  

At 3am on Monday, March 25th the Sun will be in opposition with the Full Moon bringing forth a penumbral Lunar eclipse.  While this event occurs while we are asleep, we can tune in today to how the relationship between the Sun (characterized by Warmth/Fire/Love/Abundance) and the illuminated (yet shadowed) Moon (Tone/Water/Emotions/Fluidity) effects our lives here on Earth in addition to the awakening forces of Spring that can be felt in and around us.

On Tuesday, March 26th the Moon remains in the Earth sign of Virgo.  At 1am, the Moon crosses down through the Sun’s path (called the ecliptic) referred to as a Descending Node.  Nodes in general have negative effects on plant growth but since it happens in the early morning there is no need to refrain from soil cultivation, root crop care and other related farm tasks today.

Wednesday, March 27th is the last day that the Moon is in Virgo serving as a great day to offer BD 500 Horn Manure, the Pfeiffer Field Spray or Barrel Compost to your farm or garden with the intention of enlivening the life forces of the soil/minerals, roots and other Earthly elementals. 

If you choose to turn over soil this week while the Moon is in Virgo, it is recommended that BD 500 (and/or other comparable preparations) be offered the evening before soil cultivation.  Please make appropriate adjustments to these Journal recommendations based upon the unique needs of your farm or garden. Further discussion and articles on when to offer preps is available as well on our Substack page.

At 12am on Thursday, March 28th the Moon moves out of Virgo and into the Air sign of Libra as we approach the last weekend of the Transplanting Time (marked by the descending Moon).  To bring balance to our farms, we can offer BD 501 Horn Silica in the early morning today to support plant health and to aid in the formation of quality crops.  As we stir, we infuse our own Love, Light and devotion with the Life Forces of the Sun stored within the prep.  We then offer the spray ceremonially with pure intentions to our plants at dawn as the Sun begins to shine upon us on this new day.  

For those with religious or Spiritual traditions influenced by the crucifixion of Jesus and the mystery of Golgotha, March 29th, Good Friday, encourages us to look deeply inward at ourselves, facing both the good and evils which live inside, a true requirement for personal transformation - a process of death and rebirth. 

As Rudolf Stiener explains, “Christ Jesus experiences death, as commemorated by Good Friday. He remains in the grave for the period of three days, this representing His coalescence with earthly existence. This period between Good Friday and Easter Sunday is celebrated in Christendom as a festival of mourning. Finally, Easter Sunday is the day on which the central being of Christianity arises from the grave. It is the memorial day of this event. That is the essential substance of Easter: the death, the interval in the grave, and the Resurrection of Christ Jesus.”

Looking at our Biodynamic calendars and the devoted plant research done by Maria Thun, she notes that these days of mourning yield undesirable results and therefore are marked in gray.  Depending on your own Spiritual beliefs, you might refrain from work today and tomorrow Saturday, March 30th while the Moon is now in Scorpio, taking time to meditate and feel into the sacrifice of Christ and the effect this transformational process has on your life.

Easter Sunday, March 31st is the Last day on the descending Moon marking the end of the Transplanting Time.  The Moon remains in Scorpio through the daylight hours calling our attention to leafy plants, the element of Water and the ether of tone. 

For many Biodynamic farmers, as well as those in the greater anthroposophic and Chirstian communities, Easter resonates within our souls as we feel into the rebirth of Christ. Rudolf Stiener and many others discuss the importance of death and rebirth in our process of Human evolution as well as the perennial reawakening of plants which occurs each Spring.   Stewart Lundy’s recent article, The Dynamics of Becoming Like a Plant also explores this process and provides us with insight to meditate on this weekend.

Steiner further shares with us, “The Festival of Easter is the festival of resurrection, but points to times even before Christianity. It points to festivals connected with the period of the Spring equinox, which have certainly had something to do with the fixing of Easter, a festival that was associated with the re-awakening of Nature and the reviving life of the earth” (GA 233a, Lecture 1). 

There is much more to explore here on this topic, although it is probably best for us all to connect to this on a personal level.  For more information on Rudolf Steiner, his teachings on the Christ and the powerful impacts of crucifixion/resurrection please refer to the searchable resources available at the Rudolf Steiner Archive.   

As Sunday, March 31st comes to an end, the Moon will enter into the Fire sign of Sagittarius 10pm, symbolic of maturity, fruition, abundant Love and Warmth.  At 5am, on Monday, April 1st the Moon reaches its lowest point in the Sky and then begins its path of ascension, marking the end of the Transplanting Time. 

To continue to evolve with us on this journey, check out the unique calendar versions available on the JPI webstore.  Biodynamic calendars help us not only understand the rhythms of the Sidereal Zodiac deepening our connection to our farms and gardens but they also aid us in our own processes of Self transformation. The Stella Natura Biodynamic Calendar and Maria Thun 2024 Biodynamic Almanac are both currently in stock.

May each moment of our lives be filled with Love and Harmony.

Blessings to you all - Russell