Cosmic Journal #012
I FEEL now from enchantment freeing,
the germ entombed within my soul;
with high-triumphal hallowed heart,
this day begotten is the cosmic Word
now from hopeful heavenly choirs
rejoicing rings to cosmic distances,
voices in whose being I partake
From Rudolf Steiner’s The Calendar of the Soul, thirty eight week, translated by Max Leyf
Welcome to the New Year my friends and fellow Biodynamic practitioners!
I hope your holiday festivities have been going well and it seems like now that the Winter Solstice has passed up we now are in full gear preparing for Spring. I’ve been busy tweaking our garden and crop plans, dreaming about the new seed varieties I get the opportunity to grow and reflecting back on the trials and varying successes that I’ve experienced over the years in trying to grow and care for plants.
Following the sidereal Zodiac and the inspirational works of Rudolf Steiner that birthed the global Biodynamic community, we can begin to tune into the daily rhythms in our own environments, deepening our connection to the physical, elemental and Spiritual worlds that are the life forces that bring life to every moment. One small tool which can begin to open these doors to the Spiritual world while supporting our remembering of this ancient knowledge is a Biodynamic calendar which serves to highlight the 2-3 day Lunar transitions through the 12 constellations along with major solar and planetary movements.
We hope the following guidance and personal interpretations aid in your practices of gardening, farming and working with the land.
As we turn to January 1st in our calendars, we can see that the Sun remains in the Fire sign of Sagittarius and will be here until January 16th. The Moon is in the Fire Sign of Leo as we enter into the first day of the new year and at 10am Eastern time zone, the Moon will also reach its Apogee, the farthest distance away from Earth in its orbit .
We are also still in the two week period where the Moon is descending which we call the Transplanting Time since this period is the most ideal for transplanting out young plant starts.
On December 26th, we were blessed by a Winter Full Moon and we are currently in the 3rd lunar phase - as a reminder, only in the Winter do we experience this alignment where the Moon is both descending and also waning, bringing the synodic (planetary) Moon and the sidereal (stellar) Moon into “agreement,” a special time for the Earth to recuperate and rest from the past growing season.
Depending on your region, you might take time today to set or reaffirm your intentions, both those to your inner Self as well as those to your farm (or garden). Today, I will spray Horn Manure BD500 in the late afternoon as a personal sign of my deep devotion to the land I live and grow on, continuing to acknowledge the higher powers that exist here on Earth, above us in the Cosmos & everywhere in between. While I stir, I ask for my vegetable and forage crops to grow with vigor throughout this next year as we continue to evolve in our agricultural relationships.
On Tuesday, January 2nd the Moon transitions into Virgo at 7am and we continue our cosmic cycle through the elemental influences of Earth, Air, Water and Fire. Now in Virgo, we bring our attention to root crops, tending to the plants with an affinity to the Earth.
Continue to work with Root plants and the soil on Wednesday, January 3rd.
For the first part of the day we remain focused on Root plants and soil work on Thursday, January 4th while the Moon is still in Virgo. At 2pm, 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 heavy plant and soil work this afternoon due to this descending node that occurs around 2pm.
On Friday, January 5th, continue to harvest and tend to Root crops. Today, might also serve as a great opportunity to apply BD500 Horn Manure, the Pfeiffer Field Spray or Barrel Compost.
If you are not spraying the Three Kings Prep this year, you might also plan to spray Horn Silica 501 in the early morning tomorrow as well to balance the effects of the Horn Manure.
On Saturday, January 6th the Moon enters Libra at 2am and we often spray Horn Silica BD 501 during Air signs. We spend today enjoying our flower family plant friends and we are invited to meditate on the element of air and the ether of light. We give gratitude for all the positive effects these forces have on our farm and we give thanks for our ability to grow food for our families and friends.
If you are participating in offering the Three Kings Prep in acknowledgement of Epiphany, bring your full awareness and clear consciousness to the stir and begin preparing this at 1:30pm. Following the direction of Hugo Erbe, begin the spray around 4pm as the Earth enters its “inbreathing phase” - spray the perimeter of the farm, stopping periodically to spray outwards from your property towards the peripheral. Using this jester, we can strengthen the body of our farm, creating a magical force field of protection that encapsulates everything both above and below the sprayed area.
January 6th, Epiphany marks the end of the 13 day cycle called the Thirteen Holy Nights as discussed in last month's Cosmic Journal and discussed in depth by Rudolf Stiener and others. The Winter descent of cosmic forces continues for another 2 cycles as we approach Candlemas on February 1st after which life begins to awaken again in most of the Northern Hemisphere. Through our increased awareness and direct participation, we can begin to relearn about the importance of these cycles and specific days, finding connection back to the ways of our ancestors while cultivating our own conscious evolution which will serve to carry humanity forward.
On Sunday, January 7th the Moon enters into Scorpio around 12p. In the afternoon, we shift attention to leaf crops, tending to and harvesting as needed.
We continue to work with the element of Water on Monday, January 8th and Tuesday, January 9th as the Moon continues to shine in Scorpio.
In the early evening on Tuesday, the Moon enters into Sagittarius marking the End of the Transplanting Period. In the sky the Moon can be seen at its lowest point along the Southern horizon and now for the next 2 weeks it will ascend as this cycle continues to repeat.
With the Moon in Sagittarius, we spend Wednesday, January 10th tending and harvesting Fruit crops. This Winter and Spring, we might choose to prune our dormant fruit trees and shrubs on a Fire day as we set our intentions and focus on Fruiting plants - those that often require long summer days of Sunshine to fully mature.
At 7am on Thursday, January 11th the Moon reaches its New Moon position and we continue our field work with care towards fruiting crops. At 8pm, the Moon transitions into the Earth sign of Capricorn and we continue to work with root crops and the soil all day on Friday, January 12th.
On Saturday, January 13th the Moon will appear larger than usual as it reaches its Perigee, the closest point to the Earth on its orbit. Due to the Moon’s strong influence on plants, it is recommended that we refrain from soil and plant work today. Around 5pm, the Moon will enter Aquarius and tomorrow’s work on Sunday, January 14th will be directed toward flowering crops again.
Mid morning on Monday, January 15th the Moon moves from the constellation of Aquarius into Pisces around 10am. Tend to and harvest leafy crops during this Water sign.
The Moon remains in Pisces through the day on Tuesday, January 16th. Above us, the Sun moves out of Sagittarius and will remain between constellations until Friday the 19th when it enters Capricorn.
On Wednesday, January 17th the Moon remains in Pisces although its path in the sky crosses the Sun’s ecliptic which has a negative effect on plant growth. We refrain from working with plants and the soil today due to this ascending node that occurs around 9am.
Entering into Aries at 3am on Thursday, January 18th the Moon influences us to focus attention back onto fruiting crops as we make our way through the coldest month of the year. Beyond our tangible work with plants, we can meditate and connect with the etheric sensation of Warmth and the abundance of Love that unites everything (here on Earth and beyond).
As we reach this point in January, we can begin to feel a little bit of Winter behind us and the excitement (and some stresses) about the upcoming season lie ahead. Finding a daily rhythm to aid us in this preparatory process can be found by using a Biodynamic calendar to help tune into the astral rhythms. 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.
Beyond our bi-monthly Cosmic Journal, be sure to check out the other articles here on Substack covering the many uses of a BD Calendar, news about Biodynamic gatherings, field updates and much more!
Thank you all and happy 2024!
- Many Blessings, Russell
 | A guest post by
|
 | A guest post by
|