Cosmic Journal #030

Welcoming Michaelmas

AT LAST I may indwell myself again
behold that secret dawn within my ken
as cosmic night descends through space and time,
as nature spirits soon, to slumber, shall incline,
new wakefulness is kindled in the depths of mind,
the daybreak of a rising inner sun
in Winter’s swell.

Liturgy of the Year, Week 25, translation by Max Leyf

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Dear friends & fellow farmers, 

We find ourselves halfway through the month of September as we gather again, just a few days away from the Fall Equinox and the celebration of Michaelmas. This seasonal transition can be felt a little more each day as the early morning air begins to cool, the hillsides shift in colors around us and the inbreath of the Earth grows deeper and deeper as we continue towards Winter.  In our fields, some of the last Summer blooms open themselves up to the world, garden beds that once were packed full of growth months ago have been turned and planted with new Fall crops, and the shelves of our storage cellars are starting to be stocked up for future nourishment.  

In today’s Journal, we will explore the last two weeks of cosmic activities in September, following the Moon’s daily movement through the Zodiac, as well as other celestial relationships, all of which impact our work as gardeners and farmers here in North America. This is certainly a busy time of year and we recommend that you experiment and adapt these notes to meet the unique needs of your garden, as well as varying climate conditions that may impact your work.    

On Monday, September 16th, the Moon starts the week in the Air sign of Aquarius which brings forth an impulse of Light to our plants and our lives.  In the early morning before sunrise, we can prepare our Horn Silica BD 501 as a way to acknowledge the great Water Bearer who stands behind the Moon today, a distant reminder of one of our earliest (Lemurian) evolutionary period here on Earth and the cosmic origin of Oxygen, the carrier of Life itself. 

As described by Rudolf Hauschka in The Nature of Substance, “Oxygen ‘enlivens’ every Earthly organism. It is the expression of that life-force which presses into material embodiment,” bringing the idea of ‘being’ (that which is carried by Hydrogen) into appearance (pg 41).  This relationship between idea and material appearance takes form every Spring as sap begins to rise and new Life is reborn from the Earth.  

Kneeling before our crocks as the day awakens, we can imagine the pure Spiritual Light that connects the stars of Aquarius to our own inner Self and to every plant around us. Pouring our own Love and positive intentions into the vortex of water that we stir, we give thanks today to the Zodiac for its endless gifts of Life and the continual flow of knowledge that creates form in our current material world. 

As we then spray our Horn Silica BD 501 out to our gardens in a fine mist, we offer the gesture of Light back to our plants (or we might say we are inspiring the plants’ desire to reach for more Spiritual Light), supporting the Astral influences that are necessary to create balance in the densified plant realms.  Beyond our intentions of creating harmony between the Astral and Etheric worlds (those where plant pests and diseases originate), we spray BD 501 to help with plant photosynthesis, enhance flavors and to increase the storage quality of our crops, all of which is part of our work as Biodynamic farmers in our efforts to create and entrain healthier order throughout our gardens in all of the elemental, biological and mineral worlds.   

After we spray today, and through most of the day tomorrow, Tuesday, September 17th we bring our focus to flowering plants which have an affinity to Air and Light that currently shines upon us by the Moon and the constellation of Aquarius.  

At 5pm on Tuesday, the Moon transitions into Pisces and then reaches its Full Moon position around 11pm.  Tonight, as the Moon shines bright, it will appear larger than usual in the sky as it also comes into close proximity with Earth, reaching Perigee tomorrow - this is what commonly is called a “Supermoon”.  Allow the Life of your entire garden to engulf your imagination and inner-sensuous world as we celebrate with friends and family some of the final evenings of Summer and the magnificent Harvest Moon overhead.  

On Wednesday, September 18th the Moon reaches Perigee at 9am and then ascends through the Sun’s ecliptic in the afternoon.  Due to the Ascending Node at 4pm and the agricultural research of Maria Thun (and many others), we do our best today to refrain from work to let the effects of this Lunar/Solar intersection pass without adding on the effects of our own interactions. 

The Moon remains in Water sign Pisces on Thursday, September 19th as we continue to harvest and care for leafy plants as well as root crops, influenced by the Sun-Uranus Trine (both in the Earth signs of Virgo and Taurus respectively) that also occurs today at 10am.  

On Friday, September 20th the Moon moves into Aries early in the morning and will remain in the Fire sign constellation until 9pm on Saturday, September 21st.  Harvest and tend to apples, late Summer berries and other fruits that continue to absorb the Warmth and Spiritual forces of Summer.

Saturday also marks the Autumnal Equinox, a point of equilibrium between day and nighttime, a threshold into Fall.  As we spend time in the garden today, we can feel the forces that are alive in and around us, noticing points in our own lives where we might be stuck in the past or attached to old habits, holding onto things we should let go of.  With the support of Aries, Archangel Michael, and all of the other beings of the Higher Spiritual Worlds, we can surrender into the changing season, allowing ourselves and the plants we grow to find freedom from the things that ensnare us, keeping us from evolving and becoming more enlightened beings ourselves.   

As the evening progresses on Saturday, the Moon moves into the constellation of Taurus at 9pm, grounding us back down to Earth. 

On Sunday, September 22nd and Monday, September 23rd the Moon remains in Taurus, turning our attention to root crops and soil cultivation.  Like the other Earth signs of the Zodiac, Sunday and Monday presents us with an opportunity to offer BD 500 Horn Manure, the Pfeiffer Field Spray or Barrel Compound to our farms and gardens.  Complimentary to BD 501, these preps are aimed at enlivening the life of the Mineral, Soil and Plant Kingdoms in a structured, intentional way that will create a foundation for healthy plant growth in the season to come.  

Beyond our day to day farm work and Biodynamic offerings, this weekend we might also make Horn Manure BD 500 ourselves.  We bury them sometime in the Fall in order for the horns to fully absorb the Cosmic energies that stream in from the periphery over the next 9 months (horns are then usually unearthed around the Summer Solstice, at least for some parts here in the Northern Hemisphere). 

To learn more about these special preparations and to get HANDS ON experience in making them, check out the upcoming Biodynamic Celebration and prep making workshop held in partnership with JPI and Perennial Roots Farm in Accomac, VA on October 18-20th.  

As we start the day on Tuesday, September 24th, we continue working with root crops, direct seeding carrots, beets and other crops for the Fall.  At 11am the Moon moves into the Air sign of Gemini and then at 1pm will reach its highest point along the Southern horizon, beginning to descend over the next two weeks. Today, tomorrow as well as in the morning on Thursday, we focus again on flowering plants as well as the importance of Air and Light in our lives.  

In the morning on Wednesday, September 25th or Thursday, September 26th we can wake up early to offer Horn Silica BD 501, possibly adding BD 508 Equisetum tea to the stir to add additional support against plant diseases. Repeatedly offering Biodynamic preparations with clear intentions helps to bring organization to our gardens and we hope that through this work, each of us can develop a deep relationship with the land we live on and within ourselves.  

The Moon remains in Gemini on Thursday, September 26th, then moving into the Water sign of Cancer at 3pm.  In the afternoon today, as well as tomorrow, Friday, September 27th transplant out leafy vegetable starts, tend to crops that remain in the fields and work on irrigation systems as needed, getting them ready (or packed away) for October weather.  

Entering into the weekend, the Moon moves into Leo on Saturday, September 28th at 8am bringing forth a fiery impulse of Love and Warmth into our lives.  This weekend as we care for fruiting plants, we also celebrate Michaelmas on Sunday, September 29th, reminding us once again of the importance of developing a Spirit consciousness and an activated Heart that is able to overcome materialism and Egoic ways of living that disconnect us from all of the Higher Worlds.  

Like Archangel Michael who slays the Dragon with his Iron sword, bringing purity to the World, we too must confront our own internal limitations and beliefs, making a conscious decision to pursue absolute freedom and unconditional Love.  As described in Living a Spiritual Year by Adrian Anderson, “Through the Michael festival, through the striving to participate in the Autumn process, so as to manifest our own initiative for Spiritual development in a free and courageous manner, this unfree laming influence can be overcome” (pg 189).  

In addition, Rudolf Steiner explains in the 1923 Four Seasons lectures that Michaelmas is a festival for “the conquest of anxiety and fear; a festival of inner strength and initiative; the commemoration of selfless self-consciousness.” Archangel Michael is the one who assists those seeking Spiritual connection, standing behind us as Humans as we learn to overcome our lower material and Egoic desires (the Dragon within us) instead turning towards our eternal connection to the Holy Spirit.  

This weekend, and for the next couple months leading up to the Holy Nights in late December/early January, we can invite Michael into our heart and mind, understanding that through our Egoic death, our Will can be strengthened and Spiritual resurrection will follow.  Looking out over our fields and forests, signs of this material dying off can be noted, and over the next month more changes will come.

As we prepare our gardens for the next season ahead, we will continue to offer the “normal” selection of Biodynamic preparations 500-508, although today, September 29th (Michaelmas) we might also offer Hugo Erbe’s #9 Harmonizing Preparation as a special offering to the Elemental Worlds who have assisted plants in their development over the last year.  

The Harmonizing Preparation is intended to be offered to fields that have already been given the other 9 Biodynamic preps and is also a companion spray to the Three Kings Preparation HE #8 which is offered at Epiphany (January 6th) as a protective measure against adversarial forces.   If these additional sprays are of interest, please check out the information about the Hugo Erbe preparations at JPIBiodynamics.org.   

Beyond our Journals, Substack articles and other resources available online, JPI currently stocks the Maria Thun 2024 Biodynamic Almanac and the Stella Natura Biodynamic Calendar with 2025 versions coming soon!  

Wishing you all Freedom this Fall - Russell