Enlivening plant vitality with biodynamic preparations: How to perceive and choose the right techniques
Insights into a workshop at the Agriculture Conference 2024
This series of 3 workshops at the 2024 Goetheanum Biodynamic Agriculture Conference evolved as collaboration between Peter Kearney, biodynamic gardener, educator and adviser from Australia and Olivier Clisson and Luca Monteillier, biodynamic farmers and educators from France.
Peter had proposed a workshop series on relating biodynamic preparations to plant vitality. Olivier and Luca proposed a series that deepened plant observation and the impacts of biodynamic preparations using the methods developed by Dorian Schmidt. Such methods strive to observe and understand the etheric field of the plants.
Combining both workshop series concepts was proposed by the Conference team. Over a period of 2 months of online meetings Peter, Olivier and Luca combined both concepts and this report describes the workshop outcomes from this collaboration. The workshop series had 30 participants from many countries and the languages were English and French. The workshops ran from 10.30am to 12 for 3 days and 25 other workshops on a diverse range of subjects ran at the same time at different venues on the Goetheanum campus.
Process
Each workshop session was designed to progressively bring the subject alive in the thinking, feeling and willing of participants. The amount of content from the presenters, Peter, Olivier and Luca was kept to a minimum and extensive content evolved from participants breaking into groups and working with a question to guide their thinking.
In the first 2 sessions, plant vitality and biodynamic preparations discussions created a lot interesting content derived from active thinking, some of which is shared below. Notes were taken by each group and these were discussed. The second part of these 2 sessions engaged feeling and will through exercises with plants with the aim of opening up perception of the plant’s etheric field. Quite a big step for participants in such a short time period!
The third workshop started with the seed meditation, based on Goethe’s and Steiner’s work. It strived to enable participants, through their imagination, to appreciate the metamorphosis of the plant from seed to seed, to perceive the changing etheric field during its life process and the impact of biodynamic preparations during the growing period.
THINKING ACTIVITIES
Plant vitality
This aspect of the workshop was designed to bring out the understanding of plant vitality from participants. In essence, ideal plant vitality is manifested to our senses through plant form, aroma and flavour. Chemical analysis will reveal high brix levels for sugar in the leaves. Plant vitality results in higher nutrient density, stronger resilience and less impact from insects, animals and disease.
Biodynamic methods play an active role in creating the conditions for ideal plant vitality and based on our workshop question and results, the following farm/garden practice areas were the key platforms of ideal plant vitality:
Rhythms – Working with cosmic rhythms using the biodynamic calendar (12 constellations, earth, moon, sun and other planets in our solar system)
Managing soil life – Mineralisation through living processes, soil life activation with BD preps, appropriate balance between manuring and silica with soil and plant management.
Planting stock – Genetic diversity, localised seed ideally from own biodynamically grown crops, companion plants and appropriate crops for the climate.
Water – Sufficiency for crops, appropriate drainage and striving to lift water quality
Biodiversity and balance – Balance native species of vegetation, insects and animals, creating a mix of smaller ecosystems and making native insects and animals allies
Authenticity- Being consistent and truthful in working with organic/biodynamic methods
Beauty – Balance of function and beauty with food growing spaces to lift energy of spaces and attract beneficial insects.
Formative aspects – Develop understanding of optimising life processes by working in tune with formative forces and their connection to the 4 elements of earth, water, air and fire. Develop awareness of elemental beings and how to work with them, thus creating a balance between physical and non-physical astral aspects.
Inner development of the gardener or farmer – Recognise the importance of farmer/gardener inner work, leading to attitude of love, empathy, enlightened observation, patience and adaption
Individuality – Focus on consistently enhancing the individuality of the farm/garden via its integration with the local environment, local community and through the intention of the farmer/gardener when using biodynamic methods.
Biodynamic preparations
The question revolved around participant experience in working with BD horn manure and BD horn silica. All participants were active users of biodynamic preparations and their impressions in stirring and applying them is summarised as follows:
Feelings in using BD preps – Satisfied, co-creation, energised, honoured, gratitude, love, transformation and blessing
Physical aspects – Gentle movements, enjoyable, calming, releases tension, time to reflect and focus on plants instead of work
Individuality – Connection with one-self and co-workers, integration of being into soil, plant and animal vitality
Earth, plant and animal care – Transforming the earth, balancing the soil, tune-in with plant needs during the seasons, connection with animals, openness and sensitivity to environment
Awareness – Connection of BD preps to the 4 elements and formative forces from the cosmos and opening a channel to a deeper understanding of nature.
Once participant experiences were discussed, some further content was raised by the presenters around:
Homeopathic versions of BD preps – To simplify application of BD preps, homeopathic versions of the base mixture of stirred horn manure and horn silica to soil and plants were raised. These can be applied at any time afterwards with a small number of drops into a water vessel and no need for stirring.
Reducing volume – Using a smaller volume of liquid and physical BD prep in spraying out over larger areas to make stirring easier.
Hand stirring compared to machine stirring
Some research was handed out to participants comparing these three methods to hand stirring and application. Copper crystallisation images were provided on crops. Differences existed, but they all revealed a comparable good quality yield.
Connecting horn manure and horn silica to the 4 elements – Horn manure is connected to earth and water elements (root and leaf) and horn silica to air and fire elements (flower, fruit and seed) as well as plant structure.
FEELING AND WILLING ACTIVITIES
After working with the intellect, the workshop rhythm changed into will activities that had a strong connection to feelings. The aim was to open the capacity for perception of the etheric field of the plant via will activities imbued with feeling. The process and activities followed the methodology of Dorian Schmidt whose work is informed by Goethean science. Before the activities commenced, participants were guided through simple meditative exercises to quieten their minds. At the end of each activity participants were asked to share what they observed and felt.
The activities were as follows:
Day 1 – Working with sympathy and antipathy – A pot plant of Thyme was placed in the middle of the circle of 30 participants. They were asked to intently observe the plant for about 5 minutes with an attitude of sympathy and be mindful of what they observed and felt. Then repeat the observation process with an attitude of antipathy and then empathy.
Day 2 –
Deeper connection to the plant – Participants moved into their groups and each group had a Thyme plant. They were asked to focus intently on the plant for 5 minutes with the aim of observing the plant’s physical and etheric aspects.
Impact of horn silica application of Thyme plant – Horn silica had been stirred for 1 hour before the workshop:
One Thyme plant from a group was put into middle of the circle of participants and they were asked to observe the plant in the same way as they did in their group.
Some drops of the horn silica were then put onto the plant and participants were asked to observe the plant to see if anything had changed with the plant.
Day 3 – Seed meditation – Participants were given a sunflower seed. They were led through a meditation by Peter Kearney. The aim with this meditation was to move the participants through the dormancy stage of a seed to its becoming stage of metamorphosis and then to its dying stage with the conclusion of creating a seed to bring forward new life. During this cognitive process, participants were asked to focus through imagination on:
The shape and form of the plant through each stage from seed to seed.
The etheric field at each stage, its shape, size and colour.
The impact on the plant’s physical structure and etheric field when horn silica and horn manure was applied.
Their feelings at each stage of the process.
Observations from the activities:
Day 1 – Many of the participants noticed changes in the colour of leaves of the plant when they moved from perceiving it with sympathy (lighter green) to antipathy (dark green). With empathy the aim of opening up the plant to its proper identity and potential was revealed to some participants via further clarity of its form.
Day 2 –
When participants intensely observed the Thyme plant in their groups, many observed some aspect of the plant etheric field. This field varied in size and colour.
When participants observed the Thyme plant in the centre of the room and what changed immediately after applying horn silica, they indicated:
Physical structure changed with plant branches straighter, plant standing more erect and the foliage colour getting lighter from its dark green colour
The etheric field expanded and changed colour
Day 3 –
The etheric field changed in size and colour during growth. One participant with great experience growing sunflowers indicated a red colour of the etheric field when the plant went through seed germination and seed forming stages
As they moved through each stage of growth, it became clear for some what biodynamic preparation was needed to guide the plant and the impact the BD prep had on the physical structure and the etheric field.
All participants indicated it was a very joyful process to go through the meditation and to observe their own feelings of wonder whilst moving through the stages.
Conclusion
Through a structured process over the 3 workshops, many participants became capable of perceiving the etheric field of the plant and the impact of applying BD preps. Most of them were very surprised they could develop such a capacity in this short space of time. Participants enjoyed the blending of thinking, feeling and willing activities which brought them towards this higher level of perception.
The participants gained a shared understanding of plant vitality and the part that biodynamic preparations and processes play in this vitality. In beginning to work with the etheric field of the plants, opportunity was also opened up to use this capacity to help them decide on the most appropriate BD preps to use over the growth cycle of the plant.
The workshop preparation done by Peter, Olivier and Luca on how the sequence of activities and content led to a progressively deeper balancing of thinking, feeling and willing was vital in guiding the group to its result.
Further resources around this subject can be found at:
Dorian Schmidt – Observation in the field of formative forces in nature
Nigel Hoffman _ University at the Threshold – Orientation through Goethean Science – Chapter 4
Ernst Marti – The Etheric, volumes 1 and 2 – The world of formative forces
Author – Peter Kearney, My Food Garden founder and director of Biodynamic Agriculture Australia.