Summer Solstice Biodynamic Horn Manure Offering
Join us in offering a seasonal gift to the land
The Summer Solstice is the perfect opportunity to spend time in the garden giving thanks to the soil below, the cosmos above and the plants & creatures that surround us daily. In my Biodynamic practice, I fill a 10 gallon crock to about 60% in the mid morning with well water and then place this container out into the Sun for the water to be infused with warmth and enlivened with pure love energy. Both the power of Sun & my own intentions are communicating with this body of water and this begins the marriage of Water & Fire in our alchemic offering today.
After some hours pass, I feel the Sun fading to the West as the air starts to cool and the shadows lengthen - the Sun infusion is ready. I witness the slow, natural inhale of the Earth as both the birds and ground life begin to become more active and I sit on my knees in front of the crock, a miniature holy temple. Tonight I will offer a compost creation referred to as BD500, a mix of cow manure which has been buried inside a female cow horn for a complete season (sometimes other mixes are used such as a similar creation made from Buffalo manure, a broader field spray or compost blend, etc.)
Image: beautiful colloidal humus in the form of horn manure (BD500).
Through its own transformation underground and inside the horn, the manure’s structure, smell & harmonic capabilities change, and we use this (mixed into water) to summon in the Earth element as we prepare to pray. Using about 1 tbs (for roughly an acre - I would use dowsing rods or a pendulum to tune into this since every farm needs something different). Slowly offering the BD500 to the water, I would vocally express my intentions of today, giving gratitude to the Earth, Sun & Stars for all that they give us. To me, the Solstice represents the purity of the world, the abundance of life and love that surrounds us, the potential for great, unimaginable changes, and our own internal dedication to ourselves.
Pushing my cupped palm into the water and around in a circle, I bring in the final piece of our alchemic offering, Air bringing harmony and balance to the temple. As I stir, I communicate my prayer for this same harmony, both within myself and throughout the gardens I walk and I ask for guidance on this journey from the stars above. Today, the Moon’s waxing crescent shines down on us amplifying the powers of Cancer, a Water sign that represents the Great Mother, which reminds me to keep an open heart and to focus on continuing my own self healing and self acceptance. Offering the BD500, my gratitude and my prayers today in relation to Cancer and the Solstice intimately grounds me to the land that I live on, the Earth that is beneath my knees as I sit and stir.
Sometimes a stir can last an hour plus but most of the time I use pre-potentized BD500 which requires ~10 minutes (the manure is given specific love and attention prior to being packed into horns last year and again I recommend dowsing to get insight on any specific farm). As I stir, I envision the energy at the edge of the universe coming back to us here on Earth, directly into the crock that has a vortex spinning within it. I watch and feel this light travel through space becoming an astral funnel of energy which within itself is the essence of all life and love. IMO Each stir is somewhat different, but usually I do change hands and directions of the stir bringing in an element of disorder and chaos that to me represents the natural, beautiful state of anarchy that also coexists within all order. This change of directions also helps to break down the particles of BD500 which will be good as we soon prepare to move the water into a backpack sprayer.
Video: stirring biodynamic horn manure (BD500) in a vortex
Through my prayer tonight, I express my deep thanks to the soil and ask that it continue to nourish our bodies and for it to continue to support my health and wellness on Earth. I ask the stars to guide me like they have watched over all of our ancestors and for them to continue to support the growth of the plants that I tend to. I ask the Sky to protect us, to shield us from crop damaging weather, fires and other natural events that could affect my livelihood. I thank the sky for its beauty, the sunsets, each and every cloud that I am able to see and the rain that we so much need. I give thanks to the opportunity I have to use my hands, to feel and to witness with sight the beauty of every plant, each rock and sky’s reflection in the water that I stare down into.
I let this consciousness stream into the water and when complete I begin to slow my stir, seeing more of myself and the sky in the reflection. With my breath and in silence, I lift & pour the crock into a backpack style sprayer (there are lots of ways to do this and the simplest would be a bucket with a paint brush). Loading on the sprayer, I then walk through the garden spraying (misting) the soil and plants with this powerful, holy water. As I walk, the sun sets and I connect to the plants that surround me and I offer them a direct prayer, thank you and acknowledgement. This ritual brings me in closer connection to the land that I am privileged to live and work on, and serves, for me, as a direct connection to the vastness of higher powers that exist.
As I complete my garden walk, the conclusion of the Summer Solstice is here and a new season is upon us. My reflections will continue into the night. I wash out the sprayer and crock, flooding the blanket and tucking away any of the last containers or jars that were around. I look out over the grass and gardens, the trees, shrubs, raspberries and grapes that line the fence. The taller aspens and birches shimmer behind, leaves rustling with birds happily chirping, and the sky is illuminated with the sunset. I feel complete with today’s offering and tomorrow will be stirring BD501 (Quartz) at sunrise as a continuation of these prayers. Blessings.
* I join fellow Biodynamic practitioners from around the world today in this offering, increasing the overall vibration of the soil that supports my life in an aim to bring harmony to the Earth. For more information on this coordinated spray, check out the Merry Prepstirs on FB.
* If you are looking for BD books and resources, I suggest reading and watching work by the late Hugh Lovel and Hugh Courtney, and books by Rudolf Steiner, Maria Thun, and Ehrenfried Pfeiffer (there’s more too). Wolf-Dieter Storl, Stewart Lundy, Brooke LeVan, Lloyd Nelson, and many others with great work can be found on FB or on YouTube.
I also suggest people also check our the Josephine Porter Institute at
and the Biodynamic Demeter Alliance at
Lastly, I appreciate and support the work of Biodynamic Source
who have BD Preps available along with JPI mentioned above.
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