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...
From the Field Notes archive
Latest writing
Cosmic Journal #033
As autumn deepens, Russell Blackstone reflects on preparation making, the Earth’s inward movement, and the living work of the elemental world. This October 2024 journal pairs seasonal garden guidance with All Souls reflections and a renewed appreciation for horn silica’s balancing role.
Read the article
Update: Fall Biodynamic Workshop 2024
A photo-rich account of the October 2024 biodynamic workshop at Perennial Roots Farm celebrates preparation making, shared meals, and community. Stewart Lundy reflects on practice as a path of the will while recounting the gathering’s horn manure work, Barrel Compound making, and conversations.
Read the article
In Search of Vitality
Gaby González and Marcela Armas introduce Mirrors of the Holobiont, an artistic inquiry into the relationships between people and living soil. Through soil chromatograms and iris imagery, the project explores biography, inherited patterns, beauty, and the interconnected wholeness of land and life.
Read the article
Cosmic Jounal #032
This October 2024 Cosmic Journal follows the deepening autumn through harvest, preparation making, and the courage of Michaelmas. Russell Blackstone brings lunar rhythms into conversation with daily farm care, community warmth, and the work of carrying inner light toward winter.
Read the article
Towards a New Herbalism
Stewart Kahn Lundy explores a renewed herbal imagination through close observation of plants, their growing conditions, and their transformations. Drawing on Paracelsus and Rudolf Steiner, he considers how living relationships among root, leaf, flower, and environment can inspire future biodynamic preparations.
Read the article
Cosmic Forces & Earthly Substance
Stewart Kahn Lundy revisits the Agriculture Course through the living relationships between roots, flowers, fruits, and seeds. This illustrated meditation traces cosmic forces and earthly substance into practical garden decisions, revealing plant growth as an interplay of nourishment, generosity, and balance.
Read the article
From the Vault: The Heart of Clay
Dennis Klocek explores how careful cultivation can awaken the “heart” of heavy clay soil. Reprinted from Fall 1995, this practical essay brings together compost preparations, rhythmic fermentation, plant materials, and attentive soil work to cultivate a porous, living garden loam.
Read the article
Rebuilding Trust and Open Communication
In this October 2024 letter, JPI President Teresa O’Shaughnessy calls for renewed trust, transparent communication, and a listening relationship with the wider community. She introduces the new board’s direction and clarifies the timing of preparation work and consideration of the Institute’s land.
Read the article
Cosmic Journal #031
Russell Blackstone welcomes autumn with Michaelmas reflections, gratitude for the elemental world, and practical care for living soil. This September 2024 Cosmic Journal connects fall planting, cover crops, biodynamic sprays, and the inward movement of the season with courageous spiritual development.
Read the article
Sequential Spraying: Illusion, Remarkable Coincidence, or Reality?
Hugh Courtney recounts the development of sequential spraying, bringing all nine biodynamic preparations into a concentrated period of farm care. This Winter 1993 archive essay shares field experiences, celestial timing, and the thoughtful observation behind a practice intended to harmonize the agricultural organism.
Read the article
Foundations of The Pfeiffer Recipe
Archival notes illuminate the care behind Pfeiffer Field and Garden Spray. Stewart Lundy traces its preparation-based foundation, sprouted enzyme base, diverse plant materials, rhythmic mixing, and monitored maturation, offering a view into the craftsmanship of this concentrated approach to biodynamic soil care.
Read the article
Biodynamic Preparations as Esoteric Fruits
What if preparation making were understood as cultivating a special kind of fruit? Stewart Lundy follows the transformation of herbs through summer hanging and winter burial, exploring the concentration of living qualities and the farmer’s creative participation in bringing Earth and sky together.
Read the article