Gaia Workshop Summary & Photos
valerian harvest, upcoming workshops & more!
Driving from coastal Virginia to North Carolina, the terrain changed from flatland to rolling green hills. At Gaia Herbs Farm, we walked through well-established ginkgo trees led by JPI board member Will Bratton (Biodynamic Guild Podcast). The clouds are so dramatically different in the mountains compared to my own farm on the eastern shore of Virginia.
We had a great workshop at Gaia Herbs in Brevard, NC, which served as the gracious host for the Josephine Porter Institute. Biodynamic maestro Lloyd Nelson joined us along with astrologer Gary Caton, JPI’s own Stewart Lundy, and naturopath Dr. Ken Proefrock. This is a combination of personalities with enough passion for their work that, invariably, we all learn something new from each other — sometimes, the new epiphany just leaped out of the ethers, surprising us with what such conversations might unveil.
In traditional herbalism, valerian root is most commonly used, leaving the flower unutilized. Rudolf Steiner’s suggestions of various wild plants combined with offal were not because they were obscure but precisely the opposite: these grew abundantly in Europe (and many other regions) and, importantly, were not often needed for other human uses. The biodynamic remedies are made out of wild plants that haven’t lost their connection to the cosmos — wild herbs that still show resilience and tenacity in the face of environmental stresses.
Our new friends at Eartheart, a non-profit dedicated to healing the earth and restoring our relationship with nature, recorded our event. We were delighted to have them present, and for those of you who couldn’t visit us in person, once the video editing is done, we will announce the course online. Stay tuned! For anyone who misses the opportunity to participate in person, we’re down to the wire for our next JPI workshop from June 14-16 in Floyd, Virginia. Sign up now!
Hauling an entire vehicle full of valerian blossoms, Ben Nommay spent Pentecost weekend (and beyond!) pressing the fresh blossoms to make our precious valerian preparation (507), which Malcolm Gardener has described as a “match” that lights up the fire of life in the soil. I imagine this valerian preparation as being a bit like “lighter fluid,” but the main thing is that valerian is a massively underutilized preparation. In spite of Steiner’s original indications to use it when spreading manure (which makes Valerian 507 primarily a soil spray), this has not been applied consistently. However, the biodynamic practitioners that have seen the most revolutionary transformative effects (e.g., Maria Thun, Alex Podolinsky) made special use of the valerian preparation, particularly in Barrel Compound (BC) and in 500P. The Pfeiffer Field and Garden Spray also incorporates valerian into its process.
Thank you, everyone, for your support of our work. Every little bit counts. Not only can we not do this without you, you are why we do what we do. The aim of biodynamics isn’t to tell anyone else how to farm or how to live their lives but to restore a healthy basis for human freedom for individuals to forge meaningful relationships and express their creativity to their fullest potential. Thank you for all you do. No matter how small (or large) of a plot you tend, there is no greater work than what occurs between your heart and your own two hands.
twas an honor to join you fellers.
should we form a band, perhaps we'll call it Biodynamic Stew and the Leaping Ethers ;-P