Perspectives

Research, field notes, and practical guidance for healthier soil, stronger farms, and biodynamic practice.

56 articles in the archive.

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Explore current perspectives, practical resources, and stories from the biodynamic community.

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Gifts for the Soil - The Josephine Porter Institute

Gifts for the Soil

With biodynamics we are gifting to the soil a concentration of forces and a kind of "sweetness" that naturally wouldn't occur by chance in nature. And that is the secret of alchemy: taking things to their fulfillment...

Gifts for the Soil

With biodynamics we are gifting to the soil a concentration of forces and a kind of "sweetness" that naturally wouldn't occur by chance in nature. And that is the secret of alchemy: taking things to their fulfillment...

The Way, the Truth, and the Life - The Josephine Porter Institute

The Way, the Truth, and the Life

Biodynamics centers around fostering, of these three, LIFE. How people choose to use their life remains under their own free power, but the principle of Steiner's impulse centers around everything being in service of life itself. He...

The Way, the Truth, and the Life

Biodynamics centers around fostering, of these three, LIFE. How people choose to use their life remains under their own free power, but the principle of Steiner's impulse centers around everything being in service of life itself. He...

Devils & Angels - The Josephine Porter Institute

Devils & Angels

In Steiner's terminology, there are two aspects to what is often described as a single being in conventional Christian theology. This is the figures of Lucifer and Ahriman. Ahriman is the tendency embodied by the traditional hoofed devil that...

Devils & Angels

In Steiner's terminology, there are two aspects to what is often described as a single being in conventional Christian theology. This is the figures of Lucifer and Ahriman. Ahriman is the tendency embodied by the traditional hoofed devil that...

Leavening Your Soil - The Josephine Porter Institute

Leavening Your Soil

The biodynamic preparations work a bit like specialized "yeasts" in compost and create a better final product. Are the biodynamic preparations absolutely necessary? 

Leavening Your Soil

The biodynamic preparations work a bit like specialized "yeasts" in compost and create a better final product. Are the biodynamic preparations absolutely necessary? 

Rudolf Steiner - The Josephine Porter Institute

Rudolf Steiner

How do we restore healthy life to the soil? We do this with responsible common sense farming, incorporating the latest scientific research plus biodynamic preparations. We don't have to exclude anything that works.

Rudolf Steiner

How do we restore healthy life to the soil? We do this with responsible common sense farming, incorporating the latest scientific research plus biodynamic preparations. We don't have to exclude anything that works.

What are pest peppers? - The Josephine Porter Institute

What are pest peppers?

The charred dandelion seed can only rot, but the charred seed can only rot in a dandelionish way. This means you're really creating a pathogen vector by rotting these seeds, specifically something that will corrupt the seed-forming process...

What are pest peppers?

The charred dandelion seed can only rot, but the charred seed can only rot in a dandelionish way. This means you're really creating a pathogen vector by rotting these seeds, specifically something that will corrupt the seed-forming process...

Is Biodynamics Pseudosience? - The Josephine Porter Institute

Is Biodynamics Pseudosience?

What hypothesis does biodynamics as an intuition advance? That these special biodynamic preparations will measurably improve the quality of compost, hasten the formation of humus and the build-up of organic matter in the soil, and increase the nutritional value of...

Is Biodynamics Pseudosience?

What hypothesis does biodynamics as an intuition advance? That these special biodynamic preparations will measurably improve the quality of compost, hasten the formation of humus and the build-up of organic matter in the soil, and increase the nutritional value of...

Build Soil Rapidly - The Josephine Porter Institute

Build Soil Rapidly

“In the early days we ran trials. Depleted soil was deep ripped. We sowed the right species and applied 500 and had the well known results. In six years we raised the organic matter levels from 0.9% in the top...

Build Soil Rapidly

“In the early days we ran trials. Depleted soil was deep ripped. We sowed the right species and applied 500 and had the well known results. In six years we raised the organic matter levels from 0.9% in the top...

Common Sense & The Biodynamic Planting Calendar - The Josephine Porter Institute

Common Sense & The Biodynamic Planting Calendar

If we plow when the soil is completely saturated, we will just create a horrible mess even if we make such a mistake on the "ideal" calendar time. Common sense must prevail when it comes to using...

Common Sense & The Biodynamic Planting Calendar

If we plow when the soil is completely saturated, we will just create a horrible mess even if we make such a mistake on the "ideal" calendar time. Common sense must prevail when it comes to using...