Science tells us what our bodies already know about the power of the moon: Its gravity directly affects ocean tides; its lunation cycles impact our circadian rhythms and, for many people with a uterus, our menstrual cycles. In our frenetically technological world, it’s rare for the dominant culture to allow the rhythms of the universe and nature to guide our approach to living well. But if we understood that the power of the moon can impact water levels in soil, sap, and plants on a cellular level, perhaps we’d all become biodynamic farmers.
Biodynamic farming was first developed by European philosopher and scientist Rudolph Steiner in the 1920s as a response to farmers’ growing concerns about the rapid adoption of industrial agriculture. Modernized farming methods such as the increased use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers were impacting crop vitality and degrading soil. Steiner’s mystical approach to science eventually led him to develop anthroposophy, a philosophy that encourages exploring the physical and spiritual worlds simultaneously. He taught that individuals can use inner development and perception to achieve spiritual knowledge that has practical applications.
Steiner’s 1924 “Spiritual foundations for a renewal of agriculture” cycle of lectures to farmers created a new approach to integrating scientific understanding with a recognition of spirit in nature, most notably in the consideration of the farm as a holistic organism tied into the larger placement of the universe.
Today, biodynamic farming is practiced in over forty-seven countries globally, and its preparations and techniques have the ability to remove chemicals and other harmful pollutants from the soil and increase soil health. It is a holistic, ecological, ethical, and nutritional approach to farming, in which the farmers themselves become an important tool for the land to fully express itself as a living organism. Biodynamic farmers steward the complex dynamics between the cosmos, the soil and animals in the farm’s ecosystem. Its practices have continued to evolve through the collaboration of many farmers and researchers worldwide.
Biodynamic farmers employ techniques throughout the seasons that are both mystical and scientific, optimizing soil health, plant growth, and support of the living ecosystem on the farm. A grounding tool is the biodynamic calendar — a celestial reference that guides farm activities through the lunar rhythms. The moon’s waxing and waning is believed to impact the movement of water movement in soil and plants, while other moon phases, like the ascending moon, are believed to create an upward movement of energy and sap in plants, making them the ideal time for harvest and grafting. The calendar also follows the moon’s passage through the twelve classic zodiac constellations, which represent the four classic elements that influence the fertility and growth of plants and animals: fire, air, water, and earth.
The earth signs (Taurus/Virgo/Capricorn) are the best days for working with root vegetables, while the fire signs (Aries/Leo/Sagittarius) are considered ideal for planting, cultivating, and harvesting fruit-bearing crops. The water signs (Cancer/Pisces/Scorpio) are ideal for the nourishment of tender, leafy crops, while the air signs (Gemini/Libra/Aquarius) are harmonious with the growth of flowers.
There are nine core biodynamic techniques that farmers use to prepare the land and enrich the soil. Healing herbs like yarrow are used in “Biodynamic Preparation 502,” in which a stag’s bladder is filled with yarrow blossoms, hung from a tree in summer, and then buried in the ground in wintertime. In springtime, the transformed vessel is used in very small quantities to enhance compost piles, helping to balance the soil’s sulfur and potassium content, making it more receptive to trace elements and cosmic forces.
Other preparations, like filling cow horns with fresh manure, are said to improve soil health. The cow horns are filled with fresh cow manure (preferably from a lactating cow), then buried in the ground to rest during the winter. In the springtime, they’re retrieved and stirred rhythmically in water and sprayed across fields, stimulating the microbial activity in the soil. The benefits are plentiful, promoting nutrient absorption and root and plant growth, regulating the soil’s pH, and bringing in a renewed sense of vitality to the land. A farming practice that weaves the nine core biodynamic techniques promotes ecological, social, economic sustainability, and new ways of thinking in a world that has largely forgotten how to return to our natural cycles.