JPI Agriculture Course Study Group — First Thursdays in 2027

Biodynamics can seem confusing and even impractical. Beginning January 7, JPI will host a monthly study group to help us understand Rudolf Steiner’s Agriculture Course well enough to put it to work on our farms and in our gardens.

The group will meet on Zoom on the first Thursday of each month, 6:30–8:00 p.m. Eastern, with Stewart Lundy as the facilitator. We’ll read the eight lectures over twelve months, giving two months apiece to Lectures 2, 3, 4, and 5. After Lecture 8, the reading cycle begins again.

Sign up for free listening or paid participation · Read the syllabus and monthly assignments

Reading Before Speaking

The first rule of initiation is to keep silent. With a text, this means setting ourselves aside to read, read, and reread. Reading is deep listening.

Anyone who wishes to speak must have read the assigned passage that month. Having read it years ago does not count. This applies to everyone on the panel, including the facilitator and JPI staff. If you haven’t done the reading, you’re welcome to attend and listen.

Participants will take turns introducing portions of the text. You don’t need to be an expert. Say what you understand in your own words, be honest about what you don’t, and bring a concise question. The facilitator will develop the discussion from what participants bring.

Two ways to take part

Free listening: Choose the $0 Listening Only subscription on Zeffy. You’ll receive the syllabus and the public Zoom invitation. Public attendees watch and listen, with cameras unavailable, microphones muted, and chat closed unless the facilitator opens participation.

Paid participation: Monthly subscriptions begin at $15, with suggested amounts of $20, $25, or $30, or a higher amount of your choosing. All paid subscribers have the same panelist access. Zoom sends each subscriber a personal panelist invitation. Keep that invitation for the monthly meetings and do not share its link.

The Biodynamic Agriculture Study Group carries the discussion between meetings. Anyone may read it; invited paid subscribers may post.

These are live discussions. There will be no video recordings or replays.

The book

We’ll use Agriculture: Spiritual-Scientific Foundations for Agricultural Renewal, the definitive centenary edition translated by Simon Blaxland-de Lange (paperback ISBN 9781855846661). Please purchase your copy through JPI. The separate question-and-answer sessions and appendices are optional reading.

2027 dates

January 7 · February 4 · March 4 · April 1 · May 6 · June 3 · July 1 · August 5 · September 2 · October 7 · November 4 · December 2.

Each meeting is 6:30–8:00 p.m. Eastern. January’s assignment is Lecture 1 in full. The syllabus gives the full reading schedule and the divisions of the longer lectures.

Join the public Zoom webinar (watch and listen). Webinar ID: 852 2684 5502. Passcode: 520129. Paid subscribers should use the personal panelist link in their Zoom invitation.

Subscribe to JPI’s events calendar to keep the dates in your calendar. Questions can go to jpiadmin@jpibiodynamics.org.