Applied Biodynamics — Issue 031 (Winter 2000–2001)
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Applied Biodynamics Issue 031 is intentionally focused and programmatic. It pairs experiential reflection with method-building, using the Michaelmas impulse as both a moral orientation and a practical organizing principle for collective work in the year ahead.
Hugh Courtney’s “The Michaelmas 2000 Impulse – A Personal Experience” recounts Michaelmas not as a festival abstraction but as an experienced moment of resolve and responsibility. Courtney frames Michaelmas as a call to conscious engagement with adversity—inner and outer—emphasizing clarity, courage, and follow-through. The piece is explicitly experiential, yet disciplined: the impulse is presented as something tested through action and consequence rather than affirmed through sentiment.
Peter Smith’s companion article, “The Michaelmas Impulse: Giving Us the Direction We Need for the Year Ahead,” translates that experience into orientation and planning. Smith situates Michaelmas as a seasonal hinge that can guide practical priorities, urging practitioners to align intention with concrete work rather than diffuse aspiration. The article emphasizes direction-setting, accountability, and coherence across the coming year’s agricultural decisions.
The issue then pivots decisively from reflection to method with “Valerian Experiment – A Call for Participants” and the accompanying BD #507 Valerian Experiment – Data Sheet. These materials establish a coordinated, multi-site observational effort focused on BD 507. The call specifies participation expectations and stresses comparability across sites. The data sheet formalizes observation by standardizing entries for location, timing, application conditions, and observed outcomes. This structure is presented as necessary to move beyond isolated testimony toward shared evaluation.
Taken together, the issue uses the Michaelmas impulse to justify disciplined collaboration. Inner resolve is explicitly linked to shared protocol, demonstrating how biodynamics can integrate moral orientation with structured, repeatable observation.
Articles
- The Michaelmas 2000 Impulse – A Personal Experience (H. Courtney)
- The Michaelmas Impulse: Giving Us the Direction We Need for the Year Ahead (P. Smith)
- Valerian Experiment – A Call for Participants BD #507 Valerian Experiment – Data Sheet
Key Topics Covered
- Michaelmas as a lived impulse grounded in experience
- Direction-setting and accountability for the agricultural year
- Translation of inner resolve into practical planning
- Launch of a coordinated BD 507 valerian experiment
- Standardized data collection for comparative observation
- Multi-site participation and shared evaluation criteria
Citation
Source: Applied Biodynamics, Issue 031, Josephine Porter Institute, Winter 2000–2001.