Applied Biodynamics — Issue 001 (Fall 1992)
يشارك
Issue 001 (Fall 1992) inaugurates Applied Biodynamics as the quarterly newsletter of the Josephine Porter Institute (JPI), explicitly positioning the publication as a practical, test-oriented forum for biodynamic agriculture rather than a vehicle for fixed doctrine. The issue establishes the newsletter’s mission, editorial structure, research priorities, and economic strategies, while situating the work within both Rudolf Steiner’s agricultural lectures and the seasonal context of Michaelmas.
The opening editorial, “A Newsletter Is Born,” explains that the primary purpose of the newsletter is to provide a forum for testing assumptions about biodynamic preparations. The text explicitly warns against stagnation and dogma, asserting that biodynamic practice must remain dynamic through observation, questioning, and shared experience. The article outlines future recurring columns, including nutrition, questions and answers on preparation use, reports from practitioners, board reports, preparation-specific discussions, farming and gardening practices, and engagement with Steiner’s agricultural lectures as they apply to contemporary conditions.
The Mission Statement of the Josephine Porter Institute defines JPI as an organization founded to produce high-quality biodynamic preparations based on Rudolf Steiner’s spiritual-scientific research. The mission emphasizes both production and education, explicitly framing preparation work as a means toward healing the Earth. The Institute is described as a living memorial to Josephine Porter, acknowledging her role as a pioneer of biodynamic preparation work in the United States.
The Nutrition section introduces nutrition as a central evaluative lens for biodynamics, emphasizing the vitality of foods and their implications for human health. Rather than offering dietary prescriptions, the newsletter frames nutrition as an outcome of agricultural processes, implicitly linking soil vitality, biodynamic preparations, and food quality.
The Research section lays out a concrete research agenda and actively solicits participation from farmers and gardeners. Three specific research questions are identified, including the efficacy and shelf life of pre-potentized horn manure (BD 500X), and comparisons to standard BD 500.
A substantial portion of the issue is devoted to “Searching for an Economic Reality,” which proposes a CSA-style economic model supported by high-quality preparations available in our biodynamic preparations collection. Under this model, biodynamic practitioners contract to support JPI at an appropriate acreage level, ensuring access to key preparations such as BD 501. The article specifies storage requirements, payment timelines, acreage tiers, and detailed preparation allotments for backyard gardeners, market gardeners, and larger farms.
The Michaelmas reflection situates the birth of the newsletter within the Michaelmas period, drawing on Rudolf Steiner’s imagery of St. Michael, courage, and moral action. It frames biodynamic preparation work as an act of responsibility and service rather than self-interest, connecting inner moral development with outward agricultural practice, reinforcing that healing the Earth and human ethical growth are mutually reinforcing processes.
Overall, Issue 001 functions as a foundational charter. It establishes editorial intent, defines biodynamics as an experimental and observational practice, outlines a participatory research program, and introduces an economic structure designed to sustain preparation work while fostering shared responsibility and accountability.
Articles
- A Newsletter is Born
- A JPI Perspective on Biodynamics
- Searching for an Economic Reality: A Solution Michaelmas
Key Topics Covered
- Founding purpose of the Applied Bio-Dynamics newsletter
- Anti-dogmatic framework for testing biodynamic preparation assumptions
- Mission and organizational role of the Josephine Porter Institute
- Nutrition as an indicator of agricultural vitality
- Practitioner question-and-answer support on preparation use
- Defined research questions on BD 500 and BD 501 efficacy
- Sequential spraying as a testable meteorological practice
- CSA-style associative economic model for biodynamic preparations
- Detailed preparation allotments by acreage tier
- Michaelmas as a seasonal and ethical framework for biodynamic work
Citation
Applied Bio-Dynamics, Issue 001, Fall 1992. Josephine Porter Institute for Applied Biodynamics, Woolwine, Virginia.