The Biodynamic Impulse as Hope for the Future
Over the past two years, Eduardo Rincon, the new co-leader of the Agriculture Section, traveled in America and Europe to visit farms and farmers, young and old, and to have a dialogue about the future of agriculture. He spoke at this year’s Agriculture Conference out of what he perceived what was in their hearts and in their hopes – in themes encapsulated by these excerpts from his talk.
For some of us, the time of Michael, in the autumn, is a time to forge our metaphorical sword from the cosmic iron. We forge it for ourselves to combat the dragon – mostly our inner dragon, but also the dragon itself. Sometimes, we go and find other people who have swords. We may recognize them as anthroposophists and sometimes as farmers. And when we find one, sometimes we ask them: How do you do your preps? What is your methodology for doing compost? And sometimes we say, I don’t think you understand Rudolf Steiner like I do. And then we take our swords and say, I’ll meet you at 5:00 on the hill, and we will fight with our swords to resolve this conflict.
In my research, I have seen this a lot. Many communities of anthroposophists, of farmers, have the sword and use it not to slay the dragon but to slay our fellow anthroposophists. We spend a good deal of time, energy, will, and intelligence in combating each other. I think it is now time to use our energy and will to move forward. In Mexico, we call what’s happening with violence “organized crime.” They are very well organized. I think we should be organized in moving forward and not criticizing each other. It seems as if we didn’t read the basic principles to acquire knowledge of higher worlds, where it is very clear that we should have inner peace, non-judgment, etc. [Big applause by audience!]
The Significance of the Agriculture Course at Pentecost
We find ourselves today at a very important moment in the history of our movement. A rhythm of 100 years has been completed, not only for biodynamic agriculture but for other areas of anthroposophy. At the very center of all of the commemorations is the Christmas Conference, which completed a 100-year cycle only some weeks ago, on December 24, 2023. One hundred years ago, Rudolf Steiner planted a seed in the hearts of humans for the future. He even called it planting in the “soil of the heart.” As farmers, producers, traders, students, etc., we are the stewards of the transformation of the Earth. Our task is now to nourish that seed from the Christmas Conference with the warmth from the love and the light that comes down from our hearts, from our transmuted living thoughts. We have to make it germinate. We are farmers. I think we can do that.
The Christmas Conference and Steiner’s World Evolution lectures were happening at the same time, during the Holy Nights to Epiphany. The progression of the sun’s light brought Candlemas, the spring equinox, Easter, and then Pentecost. And that’s when our agriculture course was born: June 7, 1924. It was Rudolf Steiner’s last Pentecost. Our dear teacher from South America, Miguel De Marchi, asked, if we compare Rudolf Steiner’s biography to the cycle of an annual plant, at which time in his life did he bring the agriculture course? First, he said, “I think he was flowering.” And then he said, “No, I think he was already producing seeds.”
During the days when the agriculture course was given, Rudolf Steiner stayed in Koberwitz. Each day after the agriculture course was presented in the morning, Steiner commuted to Breslau to give the karma lectures and to meet with groups of young people. On the one side, there was the conferences with the youth; on the other side, there was the agriculture course; and over all arched the karmic conferences.
Pentecost commemorates the moment when the Holy Spirit descended upon the twelve apostles and Mary, revealing them in community. Why did Steiner give the agriculture course in Pentecost? What was he trying to tell us? We can look at the image of the apostles and what took place at Pentecost: they were all speaking in different tongues, but they could understand each other. They were speaking the language of the heart. Our individualism, which has made a very important contribution in our path towards developing our I being, in the most extreme way, leads us to the question posed by Rudolf Steiner: how will individualized human beings be capable in the future to find themselves forming a new community of free spirits? A response is offered in the Philosophy of Freedom: “It is only because human individuals are akin in spirit that they can live out their lives side by side. The free human being lives out their life in full confidence that all other free humans belong, with them, to one spiritual world, and that their intentions will coincide.”
The Conscious Farmer and the Inner Sun of the Human Being
During my work in biodynamic agriculture, I’ve had the chance to visit many different farms in various parts of the world. No matter where, the work of the farmer is profound and requires strong commitment and determination: tending the animals, planting, many activities that require attention, and most of all, wholehearted devotion to enlivening the soil by bringing forces both from the earth and the cosmos.
In my view, meditation is required for this. When the farmer is able to bring consciousness to some of his activities, he is performing actions that could be considered small rituals which encourage and accompany alchemical activities in nature. For example, in bringing fodder to the cow, the transformed sun and cosmic forces that work in the earth and plant are brought together to feed the cow. The cow, with all of its metabolic and astral marvels, turns this into manure that we can use for our composts to enliven and bring vital forces to our land. In farming, we are privileged to have this opportunity while transforming the earth. We are transforming ourselves when we do this. I think this is a great job. You don’t have to go elsewhere to find the spiritual connection: You have it in front of you. You have it in your hands. You have it in your tools. You have it in your will. We are very lucky.
In this moment in history and this crisis, it is necessary to think like this. It gives farmers the chance to become aware of their role as catalysts of forces and active stewards who can contribute to the transformation of the human soul towards the future. In the most fundamental way, the farmer resembles a priest, uniting all these activities. The will of the farmer turns into the substance of change, and it can be used in renewed ways of feeling and thinking. We must continually train ourselves as farmers to reach further in our feeling: perceiving the earth and all of its being in a more profound way and bringing consciousness to the spirit that lies hidden behind every material manifestation.
Working With the Youth
The future of biodynamic agriculture rests primarily in the hearts of the youth. This thought was shared with me recently by someone who knows the movement very well, Mr. Manfred Klett, when I met him a few months ago.
There are many well-established biodynamic farms whose original farmers are reaching retirement age and are seeking the next generation to take over. How do you go about being old in the anthroposophical community? You are old in the proper sense if you have a heart for what is rising into humankind today, both for young and old, out of the spiritual depths by way of universal youthfulness to renew every aspect of our lives. Youthfulness is a quality that we can have at any age – the regenerative forces live in us, in our enthusiasm for living. Steiner reminds us that the youth are seeking and are attracted to the elder person who has wisdom that comes from experience and through working on themselves. I find that there is nothing more rewarding than working with the young. It is immensely beautiful; it is a blessing to be sharing this life with young people, with the enthusiasm and the forces and the will they bring to us.
There is a very successful program in the movement called Trainer of Trainers, which is going on in several parts of the world. It is a group of knowledgeable older farmers training young people to develop biodynamics in the world. There are about 123 of these farmers in Latin America, and it’s happening also in Africa and other parts of the world. Through already existing associative economics and financial literacy programs, there can be new relationships with resources and farm management for the young. This is also a blessing.
The Seed that Lies in Our Hearts
Our task is to reach into the future doing what we do, but better. Hope for biodynamics in the future starts with the seed already planted in our hearts. With a view towards the future of biodynamic agriculture in the next hundred years, we are motivated to transform the way we bring Biodynamics to the world, to find new ways of collaborating, to invite farmers who are our brothers and sisters doing other types of agriculture, to embrace our youthfulness, and to work ever more in community despite our differences. As Ueli Hurter said to me a few days ago, we are all coming from the agriculture course – no matter what we do, we have that in common.
When we plant a seed, there is always an implicit question: Will it germinate? Will it survive? Will it produce a crop? We have faith. It is incredible that no matter how bad the crop was last year, no matter how difficult, we could even have lost everything, but somewhere around Candlemas, we light that inner light in our hearts, we close our eyes, and we say, okay, let’s do it again, let’s have faith. We are very stubborn. We try again and again, modifying, meeting with other people, fertilizing again, doing it differently.
We have become accustomed to the response of the living forces, and we expect germination after sowing seeds. We no longer consider this a miracle. If only we knew what and who is involved in the germination process, we would venerate and admire that process again. To this day, in Latin America and other countries of the world, where there is still the presence of those who inherited the wholehearted traditions of the sentient soul, planting is a sacred practice which calls for reverence and prayer. That is the consciousness for the future. We now have the possibility to be immersed in knowing, living thinking, and at the same time to be actively perceiving the spiritual world. This is the step to the future.
After sowing the seeds and asking the underlying questions, the answer is given to us in a majestic way: in abundance. Earth and heaven work together to bring more life. It’s one of the most beautiful feelings to see the field where you planted your seeds and then, all of a sudden, to see this really tender green coming up. It is really a moment of awe. We have learned to take this as a given, overlooking the great miracle that it is and that it represents – the work from the gods in partnership with the humans.