Cosmic Journal

#018

IF on emerging from the depths of Soul 
the Spirit wends its way to World-Being, 
then is drawn from out those distant heavens 
those forces that all human frames inspire. 
and thus are joined, in germinal fire, 
the Spirit’s essence with the being of Man.

From Rudolf Steiner’s The Calendar of the Soul, 

Week Fifty Two, translated by Max Leyf

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Greetings fellow land stewards and cosmic travelers, 

Today is Monday, April 1st and Spring is now upon us.  For those with gardens and farms, our work is underway and most likely some level of patience is being practiced as we find balance between our own human needs, wants and desires and the gifts of nature that sometimes force us to change our plans.  The nursery is now full of baby plants, seed packs are slowly becoming less organized and we cross our fingers for mild Spring temperatures and for the ground to dry out so we can prepare our fields for the season ahead.  

The Sun remains in Pisces as we begin a new month, which might seem off to those following Astrology and the Tropical Zodiac, a philosophical system developed by Roman astrologer Ptolemy around 150 AD.  For our purposes as farmers and Biodynamic practitioners, we consciously choose to use the current placement of constellations and planets, referred to as the Sidereal Zodiac, since the plants and elemental beings we build relations with here on Earth have no recognition of any other system other than what is true for them in the current cosmic moment.  

Please note that times below are given in Eastern Standard Time and the information provided here is geared towards those living in the Northern Hemisphere.  We encourage you to make adjustments as needed for your specific growing region and daily weather conditions.  

Opening up and looking deeper at our Biodynamic calendars, we see that the Moon is in the Fire sign of Sagittarius and at 5am it also reached its lowest point in the Sky, beginning to now ascend along the southern horizon over the next two weeks.  This marks the end of the Transplanting Time as now the Earth and its beings experience an upward pull of forces, great for cutting scions and harvesting fruit.  Energy is now beginning to shift from lower root systems to the aerial parts of the plants altering our workflow, interactions and decisions.  

Since the Moon is in Sagittarius today as well as tomorrow, Tuesday, April 2nd, we can focus attention on fruit crops, while bringing forth intentions of Love, abundance and warmth into our work.  

On Wednesday, April 3rd the Moon transitions into the Earth sign of Capricorn at 3am and will remain here through Thursday, April 4th.  Capricorn and the other two Earth constellations, Taurus and Virgo, encourage us to tend to our root plants and are also great days for soil cultivation.  Especially for regions with wet, heavy soil, today we might want to turn over beds over the next few weeks, taking into consideration the upward flow of forces mentioned above.  Similary, we might choose to cultivate our gardens on Air and Fire days taking into consideration the effects this might have on our soil conditions. In contrast, we also might wait until the descending Moon period (beginning on Sunday, April 14th) in order to retain and bring down cosmic life forces, moisture and other elements into the Earth- these are all decisions that you ultimately will have to make on your own given the unique needs of your farm and we hope that this is an ongoing discussion you’re having with the land you live on.  

In the late afternoon on Thursday, we are presented with a good opportunity to stir and spray BD 500 Horn Manure, the Pfeiffer Field Spray or Barrel Compost with the intention of enlivening the life forces of the soil/minerals, roots and Earthly beings.

We might also consider incorporating BD 508 Equisetum tea to our stirs which can help aid against mold and mildew as well as BD 507 Valerian to help protect crops against light frosts.  As further discussed in the recent JPI post, Holy Week,  

“When we apply Valerian to the soil, we are anointing the “head” of the plant world. By taking aromatic oils, which, by right, would return to the cosmos and introducing them to the root of plants, we enhance the cosmic upward stream… aromatic oils introduced below a plant increase its upward striving.” 

More information about the influences of BD 508, BD 507 and the other Biodynamic preparations can be found online at JPIBiodynamics.org.

In the early morning on Friday, April 5th, the Moon moves into the Air sign of Aquarius at 2am and we gather at dawn to stir and spray BD 501 Horn Silica.  Horn Silica balances the Earthly impulses created by yesterday’s afternoon soil spray supporting healthy plant formation, while gifting our gardens with the ethers of Light and Warmth.   Throughout the day on Friday and into the morning on Saturday, April 6th, we care and tend to flowering crops.  At 6pm the Moon transitions into the Water sign of Pisces. 

On Sunday, April 7th the Moon remains in Pices and it also reaches its Perigee position at 2pm, the closest point to the Earth the Moon will be in its 29.5 day cycle.  Due to this strong Lunar influence, restrain from field and plant work today.

Similarly, on Monday, April 8th we continue to refrain from work through the daytime hours, due to the ascending node at 8am and the Sun / Moon occultation at 2pm, which in general terms, is called a Solar Eclipse.  Take time today to feel into the effects of this relationship between the Earth, Moon and Sun, as we experience a period of time today when the Sun’s rays are fully or partially blocked and the Moon’s shadow is cast upon the Earth.  Pay attention to how this not only effects us individually as humans but also how the plant and animal kingdoms react to this influence.    

In the evening on Monday, after the Solar Eclipse, our friends at Spikenard Honeybee Sanctuary will be offering a free webinar covering the basics of using the Stella Natura Biodynamic Planting Calendar, a wonderful resource that I use in the creation of these bi-monthly Cosmic Journal entries. This discussion will help further your understandings of planentary and celestial influences on plants and begins at 7:30 EST.  Please check out Spiknard’s website for full event details and Zoom link.  

Entering into Tuesday, April 9th the Moon moves into the Fire sign of Aries at 7am brining our attention back to fruiting plants.  Through the day today and into tomorrow,  Wednesday, April 10th, we can sow tomato, zucchini, beans, peas and Sping grains. While we work, we can practice deepening our own Spiritual connections and devotion to the land, plants and animals we caretake through our gifts of unconditional Love and sincere gratitude. At 10pm on Wednesday, the Moon enters into the Earth sign of Taurus. 

At 7:30 PM EST on Wednesday, we will gather again virtually as a Biodynamic Community for the third session of the Spiritual Foundations for the Renewal of Agriculture: Life Based on Love. This is a free monthly offering (running through December 2024) celebrating the inspirational lectures given by Rudolf Steiner, the young farmers responsible for this impulse and the work of farmers worldwide who continue to evolve Biodynamic practices.  More about this special series as well as recordings of past discussions can be found on the JPI Substack and at Spikenardfarm.org.   

On Thursday, April 11th and Friday, April 12th, the Moon remains in Taurus and we tend to our root crops.  With this focus, we are invited to bring our awareness to the life forces of the Earth and if conditions are right for you, these days might serve well as times to cultivate the soil. 

In general, we recommend offering BD500 Horn Manure, the Pfeiffer Field Spray or Barrel Compost in the late afternoon the day before doing major field and soil work so the life forces within these preparations can be fully received and incorporated into the Earth.  As with everything in Biodynamics, we encourage you to experiment, measure and take notes on how the use of these Biodynamic preps effect your farm and garden making appropriate changes when necessary.  More often than not, offering the Biodynamic preps with meaningful intentions is more important than getting the “timing right,” and any amount offered throughout the season is better than not doing any at all.  

The Moon remains in Taurus until 1pm on Saturday, April 13th so we continue to work with the soil and root crops this morning.  In the afternoon, the Moon transitions into the Air sign of Gemini and then it will reach its highest point at 7pm marking the beginning of Transplanting Time.  

As cosmic forces now begin to descend, pulled back down to the Earth and into the soil on Sunday, April 14th, we again are given an opportunity to offer BD 501 Horn Silica to our farms and gardens.  Stir and spray this concentrated form of Sunlight over your farm in order to support plant photosynthesis, blossoming, cell organization and the Spiritual ripening of plants.  For notes on when to spray specific preps, check out JPIs recent article from January 26th as well as the resources available on our main website.  

Continuing into April, we can incorporate the use of a Biodynamic calendar into our daily rhythm inorder to help us not only understand our position within the cosmos better but to also deepen our own Spiritual connections, our relationships to the animals we caretake and the plants we tend to for our own survival. Biodynamic calendars help guide us in these efforts providing us with a simple, straightforward framework that has benefit to everything in existence.  The Stella Natura Biodynamic Calendar and Maria Thun 2024 Biodynamic Almanac are both currently in stock at JPIBiodynamics.org.

May your Spring be filled with Blessings - Russell