Lilly Kolisko: pioneer

Rudolf Steiner: biodynamics
Lilly and Eugen Kolisko
May E Bruce
Hugo Erbe
Glen Atkinson
Enzo Nastati
Konrad Wurthle
GSR Murthy
Vaikunthanath Das Kaviraj
Iftikhar Waris
Others ...

Just as world war two unleashed its fury, Lilly Kolisko published 'Agriculture of Tomorrow'. In her foreword dated September 1939 from London, Frau Kolisko writes: "It is a rather strange moment in which to write a book. England has declared war on Germany and nobody knows how long it will last. It is still stranger perhaps, that the book I am about to write originates from the German spirit, the true German spirit which has always been appreciated in the cultivated world." Her task was (at least) doubled as her colleague and husband Eugen died and his half of the book was put together from his notes by Lilly.

But what a book! Or rather what work is represented by this book. Who else would dig a shaft 17 m down in the grounds of the first Waldorf School with trap doors every few metres so that experiments could be undertaken at various depths to isolate them from the influence of the Sun? Who would water plants with the varying potencies of various substances to see what effect the potencies themselves would have? Who would plot all these things along with moon phases and use of the biodynamic preparations in painstaking experiments of 20 years and keep the records so well? Certainly someone with the German spirit coursing through their veins. Unfortunately the book is out of print although it is available through Lilly's family's Kolisko Archive which allows students to view it. It is worth a look and some serious study by homoeopaths and agriculturalists.

The Koliskos worked directly with Dr Steiner on issues of agriculture for many years before Dr Steiner's death and I assume their enthusiasm was akin to a calling, out of devotion to his great example and energy. If nothing else is gleaned, for our present purposes it is clear that homoeopathic formulations affect plants!!

In 1976 Lilly died just over the river from where I am writing now. In her last public talk she suggested that the 'light was broken' and this was why it was no longer possible to get the images she had made for her book. It was her opinion that this was the result of the atmospheric testing of nuclear devices from the 1950s onwards.