# Applied Biodynamics — Issue 080 (Spring 2013) **By JPI Admin** · 2025-12-31 **Applied Biodynamics No. 80** joins two forms of practical training: Sherry Wildfeuer’s long work with elemental and [cosmic planting rhythms](https://go.jpibd.org/guide-cosmos), and JPI’s full-process 2012 preparation-making intensive. Both articles show biodynamics advancing through disciplined timing, side-by-side comparison, careful observation, and repeated hands-on practice. In **“Earth, Water, Air, and Fire: Working with the Elements and the Cosmos,”** Abby Porter interviews Wildfeuer, founding editor of the [_Stella Natura_ Biodynamic Planting Calendar](https://go.jpibd.org/calendar-stella). The working correspondences are stated clearly: Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn are earth/root constellations; Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces are water/leaf constellations; Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius are air/flower constellations; and Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius are fire/fruit-and-seed constellations. Wildfeuer’s formative Goetheanum experiment used four adjacent plots, each about ten feet wide and planted with the same range of root, leaf, flower, and fruit crops. One plot was cultivated and sprayed only during earth/root periods, one during water/leaf periods, one during air/flower periods, and one during fire/fruit periods. Each time the Moon entered a new constellation, the corresponding plot received cultivation and either [BD 500 Horn Manure](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bd-500) or [BD 501 Horn Silica](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bd-501). The plants appeared uniformly healthy during growth, while harvest made the timing response visible. Beets and carrots from the earth/root plot exceeded a full orange crate and showed especially balanced, beautiful form. In the calendula comparison, seed in the fire/fruit plot had ripened, fallen, and germinated before the root-plot blossoms had finished ripening. These clear contrasts established a repeatable model for growers: hold crops and management structure steady, vary the timing, harvest each plot separately, and record yield, form, ripening, and seed behavior. Wildfeuer also explains the calendar method. _Stella Natura_ follows the Moon through the constellations as they appear in the present astronomical sky, where constellations occupy unequal spans. A four-hour transition period is placed at constellation changes, and work is best scheduled when the Moon is nearer the central area of a constellation. This provides a consistent field protocol for testing root, leaf, flower, and fruit indications over successive seasons. Her continuing experimental garden demonstrates the value of keeping close records and verifying the rhythms through direct experience. In **“JPI Fall Intensive, 2012,”** Porter follows preparation making from organs and plant material through stuffing, burial, recovery, and processing. Participants examined the rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum; filled horns for BD 500; made [Barrel Compound](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bc); filled skulls with oak bark; repaired and buried fifty yarrow-filled deer bladders; recovered chamomile, dandelion, and oak bark preparations; and practiced pest ashing. The report also records Hugh Courtney’s four-year BD 501 cycle: horn silica is lifted each fall, reburied the following spring, and processed after its fourth summer in the earth. The Intensive makes the preparation system visible as a complete sequence rather than a collection of isolated materials. Participants worked directly with the [BD 502–507 compost preparations](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bd-502-507-set), spray preparations, burial vessels, and recovery stages, while lectures connected the material work with the cow, constellations, and [planting calendars](https://go.jpibd.org/guide-calendar). The combination of direct observation, repeated handling, and shared standards gives growers a dependable foundation for making and using preparations at home; JPI’s [Making and Using Biodynamic Preparations guide](https://go.jpibd.org/instructions-preparations) provides a current practical companion. ## Articles - Earth, Water, Air, and Fire: Working with the Elements and the Cosmos — Abby Porter interviews Sherry Wildfeuer - JPI Fall Intensive, 2012 — Abby Porter ## Key Topics Covered - Earth, water, air, and fire correspondences in biodynamic planting - Root, leaf, flower, and fruit constellation groups - Four-plot comparative timing protocol at the Goetheanum - Harvest quantity, crop form, ripening, and germination observations - BD 500 and BD 501 use within intensive timing trials - Astronomical constellation positions and unequal zodiac spans - Four-hour transition windows in Stella Natura - Grower record keeping and repeated seasonal verification - Bovine digestive anatomy and preparation-making materials - Stuffing, burial, recovery, and processing of BD preparations - Four-year horn silica burial cycle - Pest ashing and hands-on preparation education ## Related JPI resources - [Biodynamic calendar guide](https://go.jpibd.org/guide-calendar), [cosmic rhythms guide](https://go.jpibd.org/guide-cosmos), and [Stella Natura](https://go.jpibd.org/calendar-stella) - [BD 500 Horn Manure](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bd-500), [guide](https://go.jpibd.org/guide-bd-500), and [instructions](https://go.jpibd.org/instructions-bd-500) - [BD 501 Horn Silica](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bd-501), [guide](https://go.jpibd.org/guide-bd-501), and [instructions](https://go.jpibd.org/instructions-bd-501) - [Barrel Compound](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bc), [guide](https://go.jpibd.org/guide-bc), and [instructions](https://go.jpibd.org/instructions-bc) - [BD 502–507 Compost Preparation Set](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bd-502-507-set) and [instructions](https://go.jpibd.org/instructions-bd-502-507) - [Making and Using the Biodynamic Preparations](https://go.jpibd.org/instructions-preparations) ## Citation _Applied Biodynamics_, Issue 080, Josephine Porter Institute for Applied Biodynamics, Spring 2013. [**Download Issue 080 PDF**](https://go.jpibd.org/ab-080) **Tags:** Applied Biodynamics Archive, Research Methods --- > Source: [The Josephine Porter Institute](https://www.jpibiodynamics.org/blogs/applied-biodynamics/applied-biodynamics-issue-080-spring-2013)