Biodynamic Agriculture

Biodynamic agriculture was initiated by Rudolph Steiner in a series of lectures to farmers in Poland in 1924. (Steiner also initiated the concept that developed into Waldorf Schools and the Camp Hill Village movement.)

Those farmers had noticed that the quality of their produce was declining. They wanted to understand what was happening and what they could do to reverse the decline. Steiner’s basic message was that the world was becoming materialistic and needed a spiritual impulse to restore balance. He recommended certain preparations to help activate the soil communities again.

Biodynamic farming works with the forces of nature—the moon, the stars and the sun. Farmers work to build a complex and living soil and to develop a living realm between Heaven and Earth. In that environment, the plants grow exceptionally well without any sort of chemicals: the food is tasty, nutritious and very satisfying.

For more informations about biodynamics, visit www.biodynamics.com.

French Biointensive Gardening

Alan Chadwick initiated the French Biointensive Gardening. A book was recently published with a number of his lectures, Performance in the Garden, edited by Stephen Crimi. Chadwick believed in creating a garden that was transformative. " ...you grow a flower to love looking at it, so you  grow a beautiful strawberry to exquisitely eat it." Visit Crimi's site, www.philosophyfarm.com to learn more about the book and to hear Chadwick's own voice.

Working with Nature Spirits 

Rudolph Steiner spoke directly of spiritual beings, nature spirits, that are active in the garden. A book by Hugh Courtney, What is Biodynamics? includes a fine description of these beings. Also, Marko Pogacnik has several books that talk about how to work with elemental beings, speifically Nature Spirits and Elemental Beings and Touching the Breath of Gaia: 59 Foundation Stones for a Peaceful Civilisation. You can find them at info@findhornpress.com.