Cosmic Journal #011
Advent & the Holy Nights
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IN deep recesses of my being
a power presses for a revelation,
lo! the cosmic WORD doth raise its voice to say:
“attain thy strivings’ destination
my light divine will show the way,
to sacrifice thyself through me.”
From Rudolf Steiner’s The Calendar of the Soul,
thirty sixth week, translated by Max Leyf
Hello, my friends, fellow farmers, gardeners, and cosmic stewards.
Winter has arrived in the Northern Hemisphere and some of the darkest days are now upon us. As we carry the light of our spirits and that of Biodynamics into 2024, we set our intentions for the upcoming season, continue to pay our dues to the mineral, plant and animal kingdoms for all that they give to us and recommit to exploring that which is greater than ourselves.
In his lecture, The Influence of the Thirteen Holy Nights, Enzo Nastati describes,
“The period between the 25th December and the 6th January has been considered a particularly significant season for thousands of years. The ancient Romans instituted the Feast of Saturnalia to mark its importance. At this time they used to exchange small presents as physical tokens of the gifts that came from the cosmos to the Earth and its creatures. Everyone can see that the material aspect has increasingly replaced the sacredness of this time, almost obliterating all memory of it, but we are still left with a sentiment of peace, love and tolerance linked to the festival of the birth of Jesus.”
For this upcoming period in December during the sacred 13 Holy Nights, the synodic (planetary) Moon and the sidereal (stellar) Moon are in “agreement and able to communicate” which we can bear witness to on December 26th when the Moon is fully illuminated (entering its waning phase) and at its highest point along the southern horizon (marking the beginning of the descending Moon).
This impulse will be reversed in the Summer as we will eventually see in June when the Moon is Full and at its lowest point along the horizon, entering into the ascending phase.
Drawing from Universal ancestral wisdom, we as current land stewards acknowledge these astral signs as we offer our gratitude to the elemental worlds for all the cosmic gifts that we are given daily.
Finding ourselves in this current moment, today is Wednesday, December 13th and it is 9am in the morning, eastern time zone. This is the Cosmic Journal by the Josephine Porter Institute for Applied Biodyanmics - my name is Russell and we will be exploring the natural flow of the Biodynamic Almanac for the upcoming weeks. Many thanks to Doug Wilson who has been offering this series of Biodynamic calendar interpretations over the past 7 months and we all wish him well as he continues to deepen his focus on Traditional Chinese Medicine. Thank you all for tuning in and joining us as we dig into the celestial plan for the last half of December 2023.
According to the Sidereal Zodiac, the Sun continues to shine in Scorpio today, December 13 and will remain here another few days until the 16th. Shortly after on December 20, the Sun will transition into the constellation of Sagittarius where it will spend about one month crossing through.
Today, Wednesday, the Moon transitions out of Scorpio and into Sagittarius early on at 8am. Last night, the Moon reached its New Moon position and has entered into its waxing stage. A sliver of light will shine new tonight as we also notice that the Moon has reached its lowest point in the sky and will begin to ascend over the next 2 weeks. Today, Wednesday, December 13th marks the end of the Biodynamic Transplanting Period. Plant, tend, and harvest fruiting crops and trees during this Fire sign.
Tomorrow, Thursday December 14th, the Moon will remain in Sagittarius and our focus can continue to be given to fruit crops.
On Friday, December 15th the Moon enters the Earth sign of Capricorn around 11am BUT given the upcoming Perigee event happening tomorrow, it's generally recommended to minimize field work and soil disturbance during this time. Spend the day cleaning, organizing and catching up.
The influence of the Moon being close to Earth (called Perigee) continues to increase through Saturday, December 16th and we refrain from our work with the land until tomorrow morning. The Sun also transitions out of Scorpio today and will soon reach the stars of Sagittarius in 4 days.
On Sunday, December 17 the Moon will move into Aquarius at 9am and we shift our attention to flowering crops and air flow. We might spend time today pruning our perennials, planting and caring for pollinator and cut flowers, and tending to our brassicas and other flowering vegetables.
Today also is the 3rd Advent Sunday in December and we can devote time today to explore the deep relationship and importance of air and light as we take time to enjoy these deep days of Winter. We pay dues to the Animal Kingdom today for all that they have given us (including the ability to speak) and we prepare as we approach the Winter Solstice and Christmas in the upcoming week.
On Monday, December 18th we continue our care for flowering plants as the Moon remains in the constellation of Aquarius through the day.
Early in the morning on Tuesday, December 19th, the Moon transitions from Aquarius to Pisces around 4am and we shift our focus to leafy crops, deciduous trees and the flow of water in our environments.
On Wednesday, December 20th the Sun enters into Sagittarius while the Moon continues to remain in Pisces. Continue to care for leafy plants and vegetables.
In the morning of Thursday, December 21st the Moon’s path in the sky crosses the Sun’s path (called the ecliptic) which generally has a negative effect on plant growth. This crossing point is referred to as a node and every two weeks the Moon passes up or down through the Sun’s ecliptic. We refrain from working much this morning due to this ascending node that occurs around 9am.
After lunch , we can begin again to work leafy greens and plants, caring for those with an affinity to water.
Today we also celebrate the Winter Solstice with snowy labyrinth walks, bright bonfires, candlelight feasts and time spent with our closest loved ones. We “carry the light of the spirit into the cosmic winter night” in our dances and conversations, giving praise to all of the elemental life forces that make our human experience possible.
As the evening goes on, the Moon moves from Pisces to Aries at 9pm bringing our focus onto fruiting plants, trees and warmth tomorrow.
On Friday December 22nd, the morning after the longest Winter night we celebrate the Sun and the influence of Aries with a pre sunrise spray of the Biodynamic Yarrow preparation, referred to as BD 502.
As early Biodynamic practitioner Dr. Lievegood wrote in 1951, Yarrow “works beneficially by its mere presence… the preparation aids in creating an atmosphere where the Spiritual can penetrate into substance. The Earth is [then] enabled to receive the forces beyond the Sun, thus replenishing the substances which have been lost.”
This Winter replenishment is essential to land recovery here in the Northern Hemisphere and we are given the opportunity to participate in this process through the use of Biodynamic preps. Enzo Nastati further highlights, that we as humans can “encourage the dialogue of the planetary and zodiac spheres” which all have direct influences on plants and that this darkest moment of the year is the opportune moment to “ ‘open the door’ to enable the descent of these forces'' by using Yarrow so that both the Earth and Humanity can heal and consciously evolve in partnership with all beings.
The morning after the Solstice, I will be prepotinizing the 502 Yarrow prep in a quart jar with clean, warm water, caringly shaking the jar 72 times, rhythmically for 1 minute. I will then stir this like our other BD preps in a 5 gallon bucket with more water, about 65% full. I’ll stir for ~20 minutes, infusing the mixture with all of my intentions and asking my dowsing rods for guidance if needed - then I will add the water to my backpack sprayer and spray the perimeter of the farm, the compost piles, nursery, tunnels and veggie beds.
Keeping the traditions of the past alive as I spray, I envision, connect to and allow myself to feel the cosmic transitions happening this month and influencing us here on Earth in endless ways. In faith, we trust in the greater implications of our communal work as Biodynamic practitioners as we continue to ‘open the doors’ so we again can remember, evolve and fully experience the pure gifts that come down from the cosmos. As I finish spraying, the sky begins to become more illuminated by the low Eastern Sun as we begin to welcome back longer days of sunshine.
As the day continues on Friday, plant, tend, and harvest fruiting crops and trees during this Fire sign.
On Saturday, December 23rd the Moon transitions from Aries to the Earth sign of Taurus at 4pm. Through the day as the Moon changes positions, we shift our focus from fruit crops to soil cultivation and land work, including tending to our root veggies.
Sunday, December 24th marks the 4th Advent Sunday in December and is Christmas Eve. The Moon is in Taurus and we plant, tend, and harvest root crops during this Earth sign, pouring our love and devotion into the work we do with our hands. We gather together again with friends and family to celebrate and pay respect to the lands we live on and become present to the warmth that radiates from the Universe onto all of us even during the darkest moments.
Taurus shines down upon us on Monday, December 25th as we awaken to Christmas Day. Today is a great day for improving soil structure and we can offer BD500 Horn Manure spray or the Pfeiffer Field Spray as our gift back to the mineral, plant and animal kingdoms. Stir and spray in the afternoon today and celebrate this special day in whatever way is meaningful to you.
As noted earlier, December 25th is the traditional mark of the beginning of the Thirteen Holy Nights which is a time when cosmic forces can best penetrate Earth, gifting us with Light and Love. I encourage you all to dive into the numerous lectures and writings from Rudolf Steiner, Enzo Nastati and other spiritual scientists on the impact of Jesus of Nazareth's birth on all of humanity and the evolution of humanity through time.
Each day forward until Epiphany, December 6th, we can mediate inwards to connect to our deeper self while extending our intentions outwards to the elemental worlds. During this period, we can prepare and offer the Three Kings Prep developed by Hugo Erbe as a gesture of gratitude and a nurturing force that can support the elemental beings in and around our farms and gardens. This prep brings the offerings of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the land and its preparation process is suggested to begin on New Years Eve.
On Tuesday, December 26th the Moon moves from Taurus to Gemini at 10am and is also at Full illumination. Along the southern horizon the Moon is also at its highest point in the sky and begins to descend. Today the Moon is in full ‘agreement and able to communicate’ with forces that are unable to put down into words.
For the next two weeks as the Moon descends, it will be the ideal time to transplant seedlings while at the same time the Earth’s shadow grows through phases 3 and 4 until the new New Moon (about 2 weeks out).
As we proceed during this special period, the Moon is in Gemini on Wednesday, December 27th. We tend to our flower plants and veggies while finding recovery from the holidays.
In the morning of Thursday, December 28th we continue our work with flowers while the Moon is in Gemini. After lunch, at 3pm we move to tending and caring for leafy crops as we move into the constellation of Cancer.
On Friday, December 29th the Moon remains in the water sign of Cancer and our focus on leafy plants continues.
The year has quickly come to a close as we arrive on the last Saturday of 2023, December 30th. The Moon is in Cancer until 8am as it then moves into the fire sign of Leo. We tend to all types of fruit crops today including beans, tomatoes and various orchard trees.
The final day of the year then arrives, Sunday, December 31st and the Moon will remain in Leo through the day. Continue to focus on Fruiting plants and have a blast celebrating the beginning of 2024!
If you are planning to offer the Hugo Erbe Three Kings Preparation, tonight at 11:30pm is the recommended time to grind together the gold, frankincense and myrrh to have it ready for January 6th. More on this will follow in the next posting of the Cosmic Journal and full information about this Biodynamic preparation is available through JPI.
This last half of December is busy for us all and using the Biodynamic calendar as a reference point can help us stay grounded to the Earth and connected to the celestial world above. Beyond our feasts and family gatherings, we can continue to bring our farms and gardens into harmony through the winter, aiding in the penetration of cosmic forces with the use of BD502 Yarrow, the improvement of soil structure with BD 500, and overall spiritual nourishment with the Three Kings Preparation.
As we soon enter 2024, be sure to grab an updated Biodynamic calendar to follow along with the next Cosmic Journal entry. JPI currently carries three unique versions – the Maria Thun Biodynamic Almanac, the Stella Natura Biodynamic Calendar, and the Celestial Planting Calendar – all currently in stock.
Thank you all and happy Holidays!
- Many Blessings, Russell
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Thank you for deepening my relationship with the season and the elementals through your words!
Hi Russel,
Thank you for your wonderful comments on the work in Advent, Christmas and the Holy Nights.
I would like to be in touch with you not on apps but simply by email. I am especially intrigued with the application of 502the day after the Solstice. Could you elaborate a little bit more how you are doing it. Thank you! Blessings on this special time of the year! Ruth from Vancouver BC