Homoeopathic agriculture pioneers
Dr Rudolf Steiner's Agriculture course presents a real challenge to a
reader. One always feels that another week of asking stupid questions to
the great man and some clarity might emerge. "Please sir, didn't you
say in lecture two ....." BD Max is
a New Zealand company that has worked both with the theory and practice of
Biodynamics. This particular understanding of theory is summarised in 'Spiral
Astrology', and 'Biodynamics Decoded'. (I find it a very satisfying
exposition.)
However, it is the practical innovations, based upon this theory, that
are so encouraging. Using homoeopathically potentised biodynamic preparations
to address specific issues such as frost, poor ripening, and even pest
control, these have proven themselves both in the independent horticultural
laboratory and in the hard-nosed industries based around growing.
An interesting development is that these homoeopathic versions of the
preparations do not seem to radiate their effect. They seem to act where
they land. This opens up the potential for trials in which controls
play a meaningful part. Much BD research is intellectually inconclusive
because isolation of single variables has not been possible due
to the radiating effect of the 'classical' preparations. For instance when
neighbouring farms are compared one can only gather together indications
of differences. It may be that organic matter accumulates more in one farm
under one system of management, when compared to the one next door under
a different management system. But the difference between these two can
not consist in just the management systems. One would need to do this in
a latin squares of farms and enough
of them so that statistical analysis is meaningful. Until intuition is
allowed its correct role in research such research is contingent at best
for the intellect.
But if one can spray one part of a tree with a BDMax spray and another
part with water and observe the differences we are back into research
procedures with which we are familiar. This is a significant development.
BDMax's formulae are based upon an interesting outlook. In the past
BD efforts have been made to create a balanced farm organism. However commendable
this ideal aim for a balanced farm is, it is not the situation of most
holdings, and there are times (particularly with Global warming giving
us fevers and chills) when even the most harmonious plot is going to experience
extremes. Therefore, BDMax deal with the immediate issue - an invasion
of birds, a late frost on delicate orchard blooms, a dull autumn leaving
the fruit unripe on the vine - with one of their complementary-unbalanced
formulae (BirdsCare, ThermoMax, and PhotoMax respectively) and, when
the panic is over, they give (free!) the balanced formula (Etherics 1000/E1) to re-establish the harmony.
I was interested to discover that part of the genesis of the range of
BDMax preparations included the developers taking the potentised drops
themselves. This gave them a personal experience of the reciprical action
of the spiritual bodies upon eachother. These human versions of the BDMax
remedies are also available!