Cosmic Journal #024

Spring Transforms into Summer

AND I am poised, with senses heightened,
when from the world of spirit, a fiery sign
within my dreaming soul
flames forth—
and lo! for, words of truth unfold:
“from wells of spirit, draw thy soul’s design
and of thine divine kinship be enlightened.”

Liturgy of the Year, Week 13, translation by Max Leyf

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Hello friends, 

These past few weeks in the northern Hemisphere have certainly been busy and it is exciting to see photos and hear stories from all the Biodynamic events and prep making workshops happening around the world in celebration of the Solstice, the 100 year anniversary of Rudolf Steiner’s Spiritual Foundations for the Renewal of Agriculture lectures and the Festival of St. John.  

Just days ago, the Sun entered into the constellation of Gemini while the Moon reached its lowest point in its cycle on Friday, now ascending over the next two weeks influencing life forces to flow upwards.

This season, Archangel Uriel also welcomes us into the heights of Summer, a sleep-like phase when spiritual sunlight strengthens both Earth’s inner being as well as our own inner Human forces, bringing forth moments of reflection and spiritual evolution that is interwoven with the life cycles here on Earth.  

As discussed (in depth) in Living a Spiritual Year by Adrian Anderson, “Archangel Uriel serves the aims of the sublime hierarchical beings from the sun sphere; he brings about the permeation of the earth’s aura with the forces from the spiritual sun. Through this process, which is also connected to the will impulses of humanity, the cosmic Christ, who is now the indwelling spirit of the earth, works to bring the earth and humanity into the New Jerusalem, the future age called in anthroposophy the Jupiter aeon.”¹

To participate in this transformation alongside Uriel, we can strengthen and apply our own Will force this summer, taking time to contemplate on our past year alive here on Earth.  This form of metanoia, repentance, helps to “amend one’s way of being,” giving way to an opportunity for each of us to become more in alignment with the good of the Earth, the Spiritual light of the Sun and our ancestral lives which were collectively part of Earth's evolution to an extent beyond our current comprehension.² 

Rudolf Steiner adds, “in summer, the process of outbreathing is at its height. The earth has given its soul to the cosmos… the soul of the earth strives toward the stars, it wants to know about the life of the stars [and planets]. And, in its own way, it is most unified with the movements of the stars, through the light of the summer sun, at St. John’s time.”³ The Earth’s aura and the Spiritual-Soul dynamics of Summer can further be illustrated by Steiner in his drawing “St. John’s Tide Imagination,” a depiction of the deep relationship and union between the Sun and Earth which might serve well as the foundation for personal meditation this week.  

Focusing-in on our work in the garden and beginning to look at our Biodynamic calendar, we can see that the Moon today, Monday, June 24th and tomorrow Tuesday, June 25th, will be backed by the Earth constellation of Capricorn which has influence on root crops and soil life.  As we harvest, tend to weeds and direct seed root vegetables, we can take time to assess our own moral commitments over the past year, allowing the influences of Summer to help us realign and recommit ourselves to the unifying force of the Cosmic I. 

Deeply tied to this, we can offer BD 500 Horn Manure, the Pfeiffer Field Spray or Barrel Compost to our gardens in the afternoon on Monday or Tuesday while the Moon is in Capricorn, helping to support the Life forces of the Earth as everything around us strives to ascend to the stars. 

As we stir, we can surrender into the cosmic sunlight that freely pours down upon us, placing faith in the higher Spiritual powers that are alive in us, guiding us as we stir, ceremonially spray our preparations and deepen our multidimensional relationships with all.  Like the plants striving upwards towards the Sun, we also internally strive to let more Spiritual Light radiate from our inner source as we continue to foster Love throughout our lives, within the garden as well as far beyond its walls.    

Tuning into the Air influence that surrounds us on Wednesday, June 26th we now work alongside flowering plants, taking time to harvest flowers, tend to overgrowth and plant out any remaining annual seeds while the Moon is in Aquarius.  

Early this morning on Wednesday, we can greet the day with our offering of BD 501 Horn Silica, a preparation intended to help support flowering, fruit maturity, photosynthesis and overall plant health.  Horn Silica infuses our gardens with the forces of Light and Warmth, balancing the earthly effects created by our Biodynamic soil sprays. Elemental Air and the etheric forces of Light will further be elevated today by the celestial trine occurring between Mercury and Saturn as they stand 120 degrees from one another in our sky, backed by the Air constellations of Gemini and Aquarius respectively. 

As we gather and stir our preparation this morning, we pray for divine grace to fill our farms and lives, helping us to remember the universal connections between us all.  We give gratitude to our solar Sun, Uriel for guarding Wisdom and Truth, John the Baptist for sharing with us the Light of Christ and for the union of body and consciousness that we can experience by surrendering to the warmth of Universal Love.  Feel into the energy of the Sun and the planets as they come into alignment through the day, impacting the life of flowering plants here on Earth as well as the Spiritual beings that reach up with open arms to connect to the higher Sun Spirits.   

On Thursday, June 27th the Moon will reach Perigee, its closest point to Earth, at 8am, encouraging us to refrain from work today due to the strong Lunar influences created.  In the afternoon the Moon transitions into Pisces and then later at 1am there is an ascending node, marked by the Moon crossing through the Sun’s ecliptic.   

The Moon continues to shine on us from the Water sign of Pisces on Friday, June 28th and Saturday, June 29th as we focus our work on leafy plants.  We harvest greens, check in on our irrigation systems and continue to plant successions of Summer lettuce, herbs and other warm weather greens as we soak up the longest days of sunlight this year.  

At 7am on Sunday, June 30th the Moon transitions into the Fire sign of Aries and will remain here through tomorrow, Monday, July 1st. Tend to berry bushes and fruit trees as we start to enjoy the delicious fruits of Summer.  Feel into the Spiritual nourishment that is stored within the Warmth of each ripe fruit, a truly cosmic gift that holds the wisdom of the stars and great teachings of our ancestors. 

On Tuesday, July 2nd the Moon moves into the Earth constellation of Taurus at 1am.  Looking closer at our Biodynamic calendar, we can see that there is both a Leaf and Flower trine noted, increasing the influence of Water (Tone ether) in the morning and Air (Light ether) through the afternoon and evening.  Please refer to your calendars for full details related to these cosmic conditions and we highly encourage you to tune into your unique farms and gardens to determine what soil or plant work is right for today.   

As the week progresses, on Wednesday, July 3rd and Thursday, July 4th the Moon remains in the Earth sign of Taurus and we return to soil work and care for root crops.  

Similar to when the Moon is in the other Earth constellations of Virgo or Capricorn, we can offer BD 500 Horn Manure, the Pfeiffer Field Spray or Barrel Compost to our gardens midweek, ideally in the late afternoon while the Moon is in the great Bull constellation. Whether we are turning over garden beds or maintaining what’s been planted, we can continue to tune into our gardens through the use of our Biodynamic preparations, setting aside time for this connection to unfold.  As we gather to stir this week, we can invite in moments of personal reflection, checking back in with our commitment to the Earth as well as our own Spiritual alignment which we might have explored during the Solstice celebrations two weeks ago.   

In the afternoon on Thursday, July 4th, the Moon transitions into the Air sign of Gemini at 4pm and then at 8pm it reaches its highest point in the sky, marking the beginning of the Biodynamic Transplanting Time. For the next two weeks, until July 19th, the Moon will descend along the horizon, influencing life forces to condense in the soil, roots and lower vegetative sections of plants.  

Before sunrise on Friday, July 5th we can gather to offer BD 501 Horn Silica as the Sun awakens the Earth and the daily exhale increases.  Similar to our offering made last Wednesday, June 26th, we ask for Light to illuminate every aspect of our farms and our lives, infusing each cell with Spiritual Love, increasing the harmonic vibrations and overall well being of all. 

Tonight, we also celebrate the return of New Moon darkness at 7pm, reminding us of the continual life cycles of fulfillment and renewal as well as our own personal life journey through life, death and rebirth. 

On Saturday, July 6th, the Moon remains in Gemini until it moves into the water sign of Cancer at 7pm.  Through the day, continue to tend and care for flowering plants, transplanting out any flowers that still need to be moved into the field.  

With the Moon in Cancer on Sunday, July 7th, as well as the morning on Monday, July 8th, we return back to our work with leafy plants, taking this period of descending life forces as an opportunity to transplant out any vegetables that remain in the nursery.  Take time today to pause while you're out amongst the plants, silencing the mind and allowing the body to feel the energy created by the unique environment which you actively have a hand in creating.  

As we progress into July, we can return back to the Spiritual lessons brought into Light this season by Uriel, the Solstice and John the Baptist, taking this as an opportunity to evolve both internally as individuals as well as externally as community members of Earth.  

What Summer lessons are most important to you?  How can we continue to practice and strengthen our devotion to the Earth in our daily lives? What does it mean to you to live in alignment with the Cosmic I?  

We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below! As always we encourage you to further explore Biodynamics, the rhythm of the celestial calendar and the Spiritual teachings of Rudolf Steiner (and many others) as we continue to deepen our relationships here on Earth and throughout the cosmos.  

The Maria Thun 2024 Biodynamic Almanac and the Stella Natura Biodynamic Calendar are both currently in stock at JPIBiodynamics.org. These resources serve as a great daily guide in our work, outlining the Moon’s relation to each constellation along with applicable planetary conditions and are the foundation for our discussions here.  Thank you for following along, contributing to the discussion and being a part of the beautiful and diverse Biodynamic community. 

May your days be filled with Light - Russell  

1. Living a Spiritual Year, p 128.

2. Living a Spiritual Year, p 135

3. Man’s Being, His Destiny, and World-Evolution, GA 226, 1923