Devoted to Healing Our Earth

Spring 2024 Workshop Summary (with Photos)

Happy Solstice, everyone!

It’s an honor to report the fruits of a successful annual workshop making the preparations at the JPI farm. We had a lovely range of people visiting us from as far as Michigan, South Carolina, and beyond. Some of us were gardeners, others herbalists, naturopaths in training, as well as farmers. All were supportive souls.

I recognized folks from my workshops at the Virginia Biological Farmers (VABF) Conference, as well as folks from the national Biodynamic Conferences. I send a special thanks to people I met at these events who showed up here. It’s a rare pleasure to make real connections in our age, so thank you. What a gracious group of people. Thank you for the time and fellowship together.

It was a joy to see familiar faces and to make new friends. How can I summarize such an event? Bullet points don’t capture it, but I have to say something about it even if I can’t fully convey the mood of the event in words. You’ll have to forgive me when my words fall short of describing such a wonderful event, full of so many inspiring souls: please know that it included everything I’ve written and more — but it was better than all that.

Chef Shinn at work

On Thursday, we processed two cows from the JPI herd for fresh sheaths, and we put together an experimental Hugo Erbe cow stomach preparation. Friday folks started arriving for our work trade arrangement and helped us with unearthing our 5,000 horns buried since last autumn. A special thanks to everyone who was able to help us with this enormous task! Last year, while I helped a bit, it was primarily Ben and Doug who filled and put these horns into the ground. Many hands make light work. Thanks to the folks who stayed after the closing ceremonies on Sunday (and especially those who stayed Monday!) to help us process thousands of horns.

The late Hugh Courtney would observe that it often takes longer in Virginia for preparations to transform fully but that they should always be in the ground before Advent at the latest and up after Ascension. Ours have been in the ground all autumn and winter and most of spring. As Steiner himself says, the best way to store this is to leave them in the ground. But, as these precious preparations must reach you — and we have not mastered the art of teleportation — we have unearthed them to store them in our root cellar.

JPI Managing Director Stewart Lundy (Left) and Preparation Maker and Land Steward Ben Nommay (right) assessing horn manure quality

Hand model credit goes to Caleb

With JPI board member Barbara Shinn’s guidance, we made a new round of chromatograms so folks could participate in seeing the dynamic activities in the preparations that are usually invisible to the naked eye. Folks were able to see a range of biodynamic preparations that Ben had carefully dried rendered into “pictures” on paper to display the enzymatic activity — indicative of microbiological diversity and soil health — among other subtler aspects as well.

An early shot of developing chromatograms. They continue to change over the next days.

Folks got to practice making 501 horn silica from scratch as well the 502 yarrow preparation, 503 chamomile preparation, and the 506 dandelion preparation. In keeping with the full indications of Steiner’s handwritten notes that he personally brought to the original Agriculture Course exactly 100 years ago, we hang these preparations over summer and then bury them over winter. We were able to read several of the Agriculture lectures in a circle. The festival spirit was alive and well one century later. The impulse of a millennium continues to unfold.

Patrick Dodson crushin’ it.

Grinding quartz into flour between glass plates.

Early morning 501 Silica stir & spray for our early risers

Our caterer, Jody, supplied us with lovely vegetarian meals, and while everyone was certainly spent by the end, no one went hungry!¹

M and Philip brought instruments to enliven the atmosphere, for which I am grateful. (Next time, I need to remember to bring my guitar)

Our neighbors at Spikenard Honeybee Sanctuary were gracious enough to take a group up for a tour of the land and a visit with the bees. Our warm-blooded pollinator friends up on the hill put on quite a show for everyone!

Bzzz

Mixing Barrel Compound for a full hour

Though much of our yarrow was dried and revitalized with teas from fresh leaves, this is a bladder packed tightly with fresh yarrow

Ben Nommay ascending the ladder

I know this doesn’t do justice to the enjoyment we all shared. The closest I can describe it is like the feeling of summer camp — but for grownups dedicated to healing the earth. What a joy such gatherings are for the inner child born within the soul. I mean this for you, dear reader: I hope you will be able to join us next time.

Thank you, everyone, for your active participation, and we all look forward to seeing everyone again. Put our fall workshop on your calendar now! October 18-20th: I hope to see many new and returning faces. You are the reason we do this work. And we can’t do this without you.

So the Earth May Be Healed —

Once again, happy solstice!

1. I don’t have a photo of the food which tells you how much work everyone was doing… and how much we enjoyed eating it all!