Cosmic Journal #014

Originally published 2024-02-06. By Russell Blackstone, Max Leyf.

Biodynamic Calendar February 2024

IN wintry depths
the warmth of being abides;
out of surface semblance,
inner truth is spun
by the heart as ceaseless weaver;
so when the cold of outer worlds waxes,
it kindles inwardly a fire
in the hearth of human souls

From Rudolf Steiner’s The Calendar of the Soul, 

Week Forty-Three, translated by Max Leyf

Greetings fellow land stewards and astral travelers,

Today is Tuesday, February 6th and it is 9am Eastern Standard Time here in North America. The ascension out of Winter has just begun and over the next month we will experience the mineral and plant kingdoms begin to awaken.  

Following the Sidereal Zodiac, the Sun is in the constellation of Capricorn and the Moon today moves into the Fire sign of Sagittarius bringing our focus and intentions as farmers to our fruit trees and shrubs.  In the morning, we might spend time pruning our orchards or tending to plants that are still dormant, preparing for the season ahead. 

At 12pm today, the Moon reaches its lowest point in the Sky (in relation to the horizon) and it will begin to ascend over the next 2 weeks - this low point marks the end of the Transplanting Time cycle.  

Following along in your own Biodynamic calendar, we see that the Moon remains in Sagittarius on Wednesday February 7th so we continue to work outwardly with our fruiting plants while internally bringing attention to the elements of abundance, Love and feelings of warmth that exist within us and in our lives. 

On Thursday, February 8th the Moon moves into the Earth constellation of Capricorn at 7am and we shift our focus onto root crops, the soil we have the privilege to build relationships with and the greater environment that surrounds and supports us.  Feeling the influence of the upcoming New Moon energy , we might spend time today continuing to look deeper inwards, dropping down into our heart space in order to connect with the embers within ourselves that we can nurture into flames. 

The Moon remains in Capricorn through the day on Friday, February 9th and we continue to work with our soul and spirit, while we experience together alongside our farm’s soil the darkness of the New Moon at 6pm.  

At 3am on Saturday, February 10th, the Moon transitions into Aquarius which has an affinity to flowering plants, the movement of Air and the ether of Light. In the Sky we can see the thinnest crescent Moon begin to shine and we remember the embers within our hearts that also brightly glow.  The Moon will appear larger than usual as well today, especially during its rise and fall along the horizon since it reaches Perigee this afternoon, the point at which it's closest to the Earth. Due to the Moon’s strong influence on plants, it is recommended that we refrain from soil and plant work today. 

On Sunday, February 11th, the Moon continues to transit through the Air sign of Aquarius influencing us as farmers to care and tend to flowering crops. At 7pm, the Moon will continue its cycle through the Zodiac into the Water sign of Pisces.

The Moon will be in Pisces on Monday, February 12th and on Tuesday, February 13th.  Looking at our Biodynamic calendars, we can see that these days are shown in Grey which means that it is recommended to refrain from soil and plant work at this time. At 12pm on Tuesday,  the Moon’s path in the sky crosses the Sun’s path (called the ecliptic) which generally has a negative effect on plant growth.  This crossing point is referred to as a node and every two weeks the Moon passes up or down through the Sun’s ecliptic.  This current ascending node affects us and our decisions on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week. 

At 9am on Wednesday, February 14th, the Moon transitions into the Fire sign of Aries and we bring our care back to fruiting plants.  Like before, we devote our work today to our own personal evolution and fruition, continuing to kindle the Fire of our Soul through our Spiritual, Biodynamic practices of tuning into the daily cosmic influences and setting our intentions and actions on bringing the world into harmony.

The Moon continues to shine on us in Aries all day on Thursday, February 15th and we witness the Sun beginning to make its way into the constellation of Aquarius.  While this timing differs than the astrological notes of the Tropical Zodiac, Biodynamics consciously looks at the current conditions of the sky above (referred to as the Sidereal Zodiac) and the relationships of the Earth, neighboring planets, stars, constellations and other celestial bodies to influence our work and relationships with plants.

On Friday, February 16th at 3am, the Moon transitions from Aries into the Earth sign of Taurus encouraging us to spend the day tending to root crops and the soil.  

With the Moon in Taurus on Saturday, February 17th as well as Sunday, February 18th, any afternoon/early evening this weekend would be a great time to offer BD500 Horn Manure, the Pfeiffer Field Spray or Barrel Compost to your farm or garden with the intention of enlivening the life forces of the soil/minerals, roots and Earthly beings.  During our spray, we give thanks to the earthworms, microbes, fungi and other healthy soil contributors and we ask for their continued support and (ultimately) sacrifice this season which continues to make our Human lives possible.  

At 10pm on Sunday night, the Moon makes its way into the Air sign of Gemini and then at 4am on Monday, February 19th it reaches its highest point in the sky.  This marks the beginning of the Transplanting Time and for the next two weeks as the Moon descends, it will be the ideal time to transplant seedlings since life forces are being drawn into the earth, supporting the growth and establishment of roots. With this descent of forces, we might also think ahead about the next weekend fruit tree pruning opportunity which will be on February 23rd - 25th. Following this, on February 26th - 29th the Moon will be in Virgo making it also a prime opportunity for Spring soil cultivation and more Biodynamic offerings. 

If you chose to offer BD500 or another related preparation this weekend early in February, Monday morning serves as an ideal time to bring balance to your farm through the stirring and spraying of BD501 Horn Silica.  We use BD501 to support plant health and to aid in the formation of quality crops through the early morning offering of a fine mist of living mineral energies, containing the Life Force of the Sun (Light) and our own Human focused Will Force.

More discussion on When to Spray Biodynamic Preparations can be found in Stewart Lundy’s recent Josephine Porter Institute article which explores the importance of place-based decision making and our intimate connections to the land.  

As the Moon continues to descend over the next two weeks into early March, we will continue to prepare our farms for the season ahead and we can practice experiencing the elemental influences each day by tuning into the cosmic rhythms of our lives.  In our next Journal, we will continue to explore the Biodynamic calendar and we hope you continue to follow alongside us on this journey. 

Two unique calendar versions are available at JPI – the Celestial Planting Calendar and the Stella Natura Biodynamic Calendar - both are great resources and will help further your personal understanding of the information outlined above in this article.  

Thanks so much and blessings to you all - Russell

Editor’s note: A previous version mistakenly said Cancer moon instead of Pisces moon.