Field Notes
Letter from the President
In this Michaelmas 2026 letter, JPI president Teresa O’Shaughnessy shares the move of packing and shipping to Perennial Roots Farm and introduces the people carrying the work forward. The update renews JPI’s commitment to accessible preparations while honoring a season of rest for its Floyd...
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Cosmic Journal #030
The harvest season turns toward Michaelmas in this September 2024 Cosmic Journal. Horn silica, autumn soil sprays, preparation making, and the care of fall crops accompany reflections on courage, inner initiative, and gratitude for the beings that have supported the garden’s growth.
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Hugh Courtney & DIY Quality Testing Biodynamic Preparations
A jar of water can reveal much about the character of a biodynamic preparation. Stewart Lundy shares Hugh Courtney’s simple observation method, comparing texture, coherence, cloudiness, floating material, and aroma as ways to become more familiar with the transformation of manure into living humus.
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Join Us for Our Fall Biodynamic Celebration
This September 2024 invitation introduced a fall biodynamic gathering at Perennial Roots Farm in Accomac, Virginia. Preparation making, farm-grown meals, spiritual study, and community support formed the heart of the planned weekend, alongside seasonal reflections on compost and gifts to the elemental world.
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Cosmic Journal #029
September’s changing light brings fall successions, ripening apples, and renewed soil care into focus. This 2024 Cosmic Journal follows the lunar calendar toward the autumn equinox, connecting preparation offerings and crop work with gratitude for summer and attention to the season ahead.
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On Building the Alchemical Vessel
Writing from IKÚ farm in Nayarit, Mexico, Alejandro Altamirano explores the farm organism as an alchemical work held in the farmer’s heart. His reflection joins practical cultivation, community nourishment, and inner transformation with an account of the devastating August 2024 flood and the relationships sustaining...
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Everything is Emblematic
Part four of the warmth series explores living beings as expressions of a larger spiritual world. Stewart Lundy follows warmth, movement, and growing independence through plants, animals, and human life, connecting biodynamic preparation work with enthusiasm, understanding, and the cultivation of wholeness.
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Cosmic Journal #028
Late summer harvests make way for cover crops, saved seed, and the next season’s plantings in this August 2024 Cosmic Journal. Lunar guidance accompanies practical soil care and preparation offerings, with invitations to notice ripeness, renew intentions, and carry summer’s abundance into autumn.
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The Human Being as a Preparation for a Sick Society
What can biodynamic compost teach us about caring for society? Stewart Lundy uses the concentrated work of the preparations as an image for inner development, compassionate presence, and the patient task of helping difficult transitions leave fertile possibilities for those who come after us.
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Inside Out Biodynamics
A small change in making chamomile preparation opens a larger inquiry into living sheaths and careful observation. Stewart Lundy shares his experience turning cattle intestines inside out, hanging the filled preparation through summer, and finding a supporting instruction in Ehrenfried Pfeiffer’s archival notes.
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Cosmic Journal #027
The first half of August brings summer ripeness and renewed attention to autumn crops. This 2024 Cosmic Journal follows harvests, soil preparation, compost care, and horn silica work while inviting growers to connect practical decisions with observation, gratitude, and their farm’s individual rhythm.
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Horsetail Herb–Equisetum Arvense–BD 508
From the summer 1994 Applied Biodynamics archive, Hugh Williams shares his experience making and using fermented horsetail preparation. The article explores boiling, careful fermentation, dilution, and rhythmic soil applications as part of a practical biodynamic approach to the farm’s water balance.
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Press Release: METAMORPHOSIS
In this July 2024 statement, JPI’s board announced a new phase of the institute’s development, including the decision to sell its Floyd farm. The message reaffirmed preparation making and education while placing greater emphasis on outreach, regional collaboration, and the community supporting JPI’s future.
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