Cosmic Journal #033
autumnal greetings
EFFULGENCE from the depths of mind
outward streams in sun-like fullness
transforming light to life and will
enlivening the senses’ dullness
to rouse the soul to action till
her will shall overperch her soulness
and go forth as spirit working deeds in humankind
Liturgy of the Seasons, Week 31, translation by Max Leyf
Cosmic Journal #033
Greetings friends,
Over the last month, we have made our transition into Autumn here in North America, experiencing the many changes throughout our farms and gardens as aerial plant growth slows, fruits have ripened and were harvested, and now our lives are surrounded by the colorful beauty as plants let go of their leaves, giving them back to the Earth.
As described in Living a Spiritual Year by Adrian Anderson, in Autumn,
“the earth draws its forces back down into itself, there is less activity in its ether body. The intense growth and fruiting activity of spring and summer are over. Plants begin to wither... In the earth’s soul, however, processes develop during the autumn inbreath that lead to more activity for some of the inhabitants of the middle kingdom. Elemental beings, who in summer were drifting in a sleep state high above the earth, now descend to the ground - where they have tasks” (pg 154).
Our own tasks of Autumn have certainly kept us busy as we too have worked to replant the gardens with winter greens and root veggies able to grow into the shoulder season, spread cover crops on open land to protect the soil from runoff and to rejuvenate soil/mineral life, and ritually offered Biodynamic preps out to our gardens in order to prepare for the Winter season ahead.
Recently, we also spent time together with friends and family in Virginia, Tennessee and Colorado, creating Biodynamic preparations that will be used far and wide in the years ahead, while we each deepened our personal connection to this Spiritual, agricultural practice outlined by Rudolf Steiner a little over 100 years ago.
Many other friends throughout the US and around the world also have been busy making Biodynamic preparations over this past month and we highly encourage you to plug in, connect and support your local Biodynamic farmer and anthroposophical community.
In our work this past month, under the guidance of our elders, we prepared BD 500 Horn Manure, BD 502 Yarrow, BD 503 Chamomile, BD 504 Nettle, BD 505 Oak Bark, and BD 506 Dandelion, burying each one separately underground in their designated animal sheaths (*Nettle is buried without an animal component) as they begin their Winter journey of transformation.
Many of us also carefully handled fermented BD 507 Valerian, dried BD 508 Equisetum, various versions of BD 501 Horn Silica and Summer/Winter Horn Clay, which together marry the dynamic Spiritual, etheric and elemental forces of the planets and the Zodiac that are essential to creation, continued existence and our future evolution here on Earth.
Unlike other forms of post-Industrial Agriculture, Biodynamic farmers primary aim is to give these Cosmic forces back to the soil and plants through the ceremonial offering of each preparation, sometimes applied directly out to a specific field/crop or added into compost piles to influence the farm organism as a whole. As noted above, the elementals which maintain and organize our farms have recently descended back into the Earth to do their important Winter work, making it now our responsibility to not only interact with them but to also hold these unseen beings in reverence as we work alongside them this Winter to heal and re-Spiritualize the Soul of the Earth.
Early and Mid 20th Century farmer and student of Rudolf Steiner, Hugo Erbe, presents us with one way to enhance our relationships and give back this Fall using the HE#9 Harmonizing Preparation, a gift of gratitude that can be prepared and given to the Elemental Kingdom. With the guidance of Archangel Michael who oversees our work in the gardens, we give HE#9 to bring the Spiritual/Astral forces into harmony with those beings in the Etheric/Physical planes, in turn bringing the fertility of the soil to life this season. More information about this preparation is available at JPIBiodynamics.org and it is important to check in with your unique farm or garden before enacting this prayer and sacred offering to make sure conditions are optimum.
As we witness plants release their leaves this year as they evolve into their next succession of Life, we too can begin to let go of attachments that keep us from evolving in our own lives on Spiritual, Emotional, Imaginative and Intellectual levels. Like Michael who has cast the dragon from the Higher world, we now are tasked with a similar objective to find the courage within ourselves to move beyond the densification found within ourselves which is one of the barriers keeping us distanced from, and wrongfully afraid, of Love.
Bringing our daily farm work into clearer focus, one of the purposes of our writings here, we can utilize a Biodynamic calendar to help provide us with daily insight into how our efforts (carried out by our Will) might be most in alignment with the growth cycles and various needs of the plants we tend to. Through this attunement, we can open up to the Cosmos, allowing Love into our lives, bringing us back into a sacred rhythm that is a reflection of the divine Heaven and Earth.
Looking at our calendars, the week begins on Monday, October 28th with the Moon in the Fire sign of Leo through the morning hours. Recognizing this alignment and relationship, we are encouraged to work with the last of our fruiting crops that still survive in the orchards meditating on the Warmth and abundance of cosmic Love found within each berry, stonefruit and other delicious fruits that we have enjoyed over the course of this whole growing season.
Since the Moon is currently descending in the sky for the next week, we can continue to transplant out and direct seed all types of crops spreading our own intention of universal Love and Compassion out to the world as we place each seed into the soil. In our greenhouses, we can feel the captured Yellow Sun as it warms our bodies and helps to extend the life around our farms, witnessing as the Sun itself continues to lower itself along the Southern horizon, shortening the length of daylight for us here in the Northern Hemisphere.
As the day continues on Monday, the Moon moves into the Earth sign of Virgo at Noon, offering us a great opportunity to work with soil life as well as all types of crops, especially those that we grow for their roots. Virgo is a large constellation which the Moon will move across over the next ~4 days. Anytime before soil cultivation and/or in the late afternoon, stir and spray BD 500 Horn Manure, the Pfeiffer Field Spray or Barrel Compound now through Thursday evening. This offering helps to enliven soil life activity, increasing humus structure, root development, water retention and the unique expression of Spirit found in each of our farms and gardens.
On Tuesday, October 29th the Moon remains in Virgo although there is a Descending node at 2pm which may affect your work midday. This Lunar crossing of the Sun’s ecliptic happens every 13-14 days and has strong impacts on root growth which we can choose to avoid. Beyond the node today, the Moon will also reach Apogee, its farthest point away from the Earth, at 7pm which incontrast to a node generally does not affect plant growth and transplanting, as evidenced by the agricultural research of Maria Thun (and others).
Throughout the day on Wednesday, October 30th continue to work with root crops, compost piles and the soil taking into consideration the unique needs of your farm.
Entering into Thursday, October 31st, we work with the Earth and root crops as the Moon passes through the Virgin constellation. Today, we are additionally blessed by the powerful influence of Water, as the planet Mercury (backed by Scorpio) comes into a 120° relationship (referred to as “trine”) with Neptune (currently in Pisces). With these two planets in Water signs there are increased effects in the Chemical ether which is affiliated with leafy plants. Transplant, direct seed and work with the element of Water, while also feeling into the seasonal changes and strong powers of Archangel Michael that now are fully alive in our gardens.
Tonight we might also celebrate Halloween, a distant reminder of the major pagan festival of Samhain which marked the beginning of Winter in old times. As noted in Living a Spiritual Year, All Saints Day was originally observed around May 13th beginning around the 4th Century. This Spring festival was in recognition of the departed Saints and Martyrs, eventually specifically dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary in the 6th Century, and then in 835 AD was moved to November 1st, in order to suppress and further assimilate the “pagan cult of the dead” practices throughout Europe, replacing these traditions with those of “Christian form” (Anderson, pg 150).
Anderson continues:
“The evening of All Halloweds’ Day, an alternative name for All Saints Day… remained an occasion for various rites connected with the elemental beings and the approaching winter,” with the “present-day Halloween customs (being) a distorted remnant of the protective rites of the old Celtic festival.” Then in the 13th Century, the “additional Church festival of All Soul’s Day was placed on November 2nd (Living a Spiritual Year, pg 150).
Waking up to a new day and month on Friday, November 1st we spend the morning at the edge of Virgo, with the transition into the Air sign of Libra occurring at 10am. Today, we celebrate All Saints Day as well as a New Moon, illustrating both the darkness and Light that exists within our world. Again, Archangel Michael stands beside us today not only as apply our Will to complete our daily farm responsibilities but as we strive to expose and transform our inner dragons through pure Spiritual Light. The Great Scales that shine on us from above reminds us to find morality in our daily choices and interactions with others, including those in the Elemental Kingdoms and beyond.
For those family members and loved ones that are no longer with us, we bring their Souls to Life again today and tomorrow incorporating each of their stories into our own Selves, serving as inspiration as we continue forward in this Life.
Tonight, as a community interested in the teachings of Rudolf Steiner, the Mystica Americana invites us all to join together in an All Souls Festival happening in person and online at 7pm CST (Nov 1). As a group, or individually, we find ourselves again in preparation this season as we acknowledge our past stories, ground ourselves in the present moment and commit to reigniting the Spirituality found within ourselves.
Waking up before sunrise on Saturday, November 2nd, we give thanks to the constellation of Libra, the formative forces of Calcium that create our bones, and the Spiritual Light given to us by the Stars that helps illuminate our way through the darkness. This morning as we celebrate All Souls Day and those who are no longer with us, we ask that our gift of Horn Silica BD 501 be received by the Plant Kingdom in order to bring this pure Cosmic Light down into our farms and lives.
As each fine droplet falls, a blessing equivalent to ‘10 days’ of sunshine and an indescribable amount of Cosmic forces is received by the plant’s outer skin and the top-soil of the Earth, increasing Spiritual and Astral forces in these spaces. Beyond these Cosmic effects, BD 501 Horn Silica helps to increase the activities of photosynthesis, plant structure/nutrient exchange with soil life, crop flavor and storage abilities and pest/disease resistance.
As noted by the late Hugh Courtney as well as current preparation makers, Biodynamic farmers here in North America are most likely not incorporating enough Horn Silica into their farms, leading to imbalanced etheric forces (marked by pests, crop diseases, flavorless foods, overly wet/humid areas, etc). Some of these effects are certainly impacts of climate changes and cultural instability (signs of Spiritual & Astral insufficiciences) although we should check to make sure our use of BD 500 isnt also reinforcing these conditions and should be evaluated case by case.
What role does Horn Silica play in the context of your farm or garden? How often do you incorporate BD 501 into your spray “schedule?” Share in the comments below!
As we physically stir the crock of water that vortexes before us, we also invite-in the increased etheric forces of Tone, recognizing the trine that also occurs above us today between Mercury (in Scorpio) and Mars (in Cancer). Let yourself experience this influence as you spend time in the garden, tuning into the deeper planetary and zodical rhythms at work.
Throughout the day on Saturday, care for flowering and leafy plants allowing the mercurial forces of Air AND Water be your guide in the garden. At 9pm, the Moon then smoothly transitions fully into the Water sign of Scorpio.
On Sunday, November 3rd and Monday, November 4th the Moon is backed by the constellation of the Scorpion bringing our focus deeper onto leafy plants and our personal relationship with our gardens and farms. The ether of Tone, as described by Steiner in 1910, is the “spiritual sound [that] organizes material existence… which man can only recognize with his external senses when it is transmitted by the air, but it lies spiritually behind all existence” (CW122 Genesis, Lecture 4). Trying not to fixate on finding any sort of sound, we surrender into the guidance of Scorpio today, that which brings us Carbon, the foundation of our material Life here on Earth. Find a moment of silence sometime today, away from field work and material distractions, to connect inwards, placing trust that this Universal pulse of all existence will continue to bring health and harmony to your garden, your physical body, heart and mind each day here on Earth.
As we work with the element of Water and the ether of Tone on Monday, we are also gifted with additional Astral forces as we experience a trine between the Sun (in Libra) and Saturn (in Aquarius). Take note if Monday feels different than Sunday, remaining open to increased Spiritual Light and deeper connections to cosmic creation. Let us know in the comments here on Substack if anything comes up for you!
Continuing into the week, the Moon transitions into the Fire sign of Sagittarius at 8am on Tuesday, November 5th shifting our work back onto fruiting plants. For many of us in northern climates, only a few late Summer fruits still remain to be picked and we might spend today cleaning up and caring for our plants in other ways besides harvesting and pruning. Continue to direct seed crops as needed, infusing each seed with your Warmth as its placed under a thin blanket of soil.
Midday on Tuesday the Moon reaches its lowest point along the Southern Horizon, marking the end of the Biodynamic Transplanting Time. Now for the next two weeks, the Moon will ascend through half of the zodiac, bringing sap, water and life forces upwards within plants, until we reach Gemini where forces will then begin to descend as the Lunar ascending/descending cycle continues.
On Wednesday, November 6th and most of the day on Thursday, November 7th the Moon remains in Sagittarius as we care for our orchards and fruiting vines. Sagittarius brings forth the elemental impulse of Magnesium, which not only activates Light forces within plants but also “plays the role of a hardening agent.. represented in the zodiacal imagery as the centaur. His horse’s body symbolizes ties with earthly animality, yet the rest of his being he raises himself to a luminous human height” (Hauschka 1950, pg 151). Much like the other lessons discussed this Fall, we again are supported by the Cosmic world as it brings teachings and guidance to our lives as we too, like the great Centaur, must learn to find ways to detach from lower, material desires and distractions in pursuit of higher knowledge and authentic connection with Spirit.
At 4pm on Thursday the Moon transitions into the Earth sign of Capricorn and will remain there tomorrow, Friday, November 8th and most of the day on Saturday, November 9th. In the afternoon or before turning over soil, stir and spray BD 500 Horn Manure, the Pfeiffer Field Spray or Barrel Compound as an offering to the soil life, that which is essential to our survival as farmers (and in the larger context, Humans as a species). Beyond the beneficial microorganisms living in these preparations, these special gifts contain the Cosmic, Spiritual, forces needed to regenerate the Life of our farms and gardens through the structured, organized patterns held within each preparation itself or formed by a combination of many.
Tend to the soil and root crops on Friday and Saturday, November 9th until the Moon moves into Aquarius at 6pm bringing forth increased Light into our lives.
On Sunday, November 10th and until noon on Monday, November 11th, care for flowering plants, collect seeds and cover perennial beds with mulch while the Moon remains in the Air sign of the Water Bearer. As we work under this guidance, we can bring the element of Oxygen, the carrier of Life, back into our consciousness which originates from within Aquarius, as discussed one month ago in Cosmic Journal #030.
With this, we are invited to meditate and observe the process of an “idea” (carried by Hydrogen) being brought into material embodiment by Oxygen in our current world. Imagine Spirit becoming Matter, and Matter becoming Spirit - allowing all of your senses to fully connect with the Being of Oxygen, the life giving element that makes up 21% of the Earth’s atmosphere, 46% of the Earth’s crust and 65% of our own Human body mass. There’s a lot to unpack here within these dynamic relationships and I hope that these expanded perspectives on chemical elements and their parent constellations helps to broaden our understandings while deepening our work with Minerals, Plants, Animals, other Humans and the celestial world beyond Earth.
In the weeks ahead, we will continue to winterize our gardens and farms, doing what we can each day as the weather gets colder. With increasingly less sunlight for outdoor work as we move into Winter, we are presented with a potential opportunity to reflect on the year behind us, deepening our intimate understandings of the wild lands, gardens, orchards, pastures and farms that we have the privilege to care for.
This Winter, we also invite you to dive deeper into the true importance of Biodynamic nutrition and its ability to help us reconnect to Spirit. On Wednesday, November 13th join members of JPI and the Spikenard Honeybee Sanctuary as we continue to discuss and apply the lessons found within Rudolf Steiner’s 1924 Agriculture lectures. The Spiritual Foundations for the Renewal of Agriculture: Life Based on Love presentation will begin at 7:30pm EST and all past recordings are available.
To learn more about Biodynamics and to follow along with us as we continue to explore the celestial rhythms, check out the NEW 2025 versions of the Stella Natura Biodynamic Calendar and the Maria Thun 2025 Biodynamic Almanac that are NOW IN STOCK.
Blessings to You All - Russell
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Thank you for these practical insights which unites us in our service.
Sending love from the heart of Texas