Applied Biodynamics — Issue 033 (Summer 2001)

Issue 033 is structured around methodological self-correction: clarifying intent, correcting habit, and re-examining long-standing assumptions in biodynamic practice through textual precision and experimental invitation.

In “Michaelmas 2000 Revisited for Clarification,” Hugh Courtney responds to reactions following an earlier Michaelmas article. The clarification distinguishes between preparation making and preparation distribution, identifying distribution logistics and fiscal sustainability as the primary institutional challenge at the Josephine Porter Institute rather than the craft of preparation making itself. Courtney explains that his intention was not withdrawal from biodynamics, but a call to address the real costs and labor involved in maintaining national access to preparations. The article frames Michaelmas reflection as a catalyst for community-wide responsibility, encouraging dialogue beyond subscribers and highlighting the need for economically viable structures if preparation work is to continue with integrity.

The article also introduces a response letter from Joseph Stevens, which reframes biodynamic preparations as spiritual-practical remedies whose agricultural effects are secondary indicators of deeper human and social transformation. While philosophical in tone, the letter contains a concrete methodological demand: biodynamic practice must demonstrate results compelling enough to satisfy modern expectations of proof, including measurable soil structure, crop quality, and market response. Stevens identifies Alex Podolinsky’s work as the only existing large-scale example meeting this standard and proposes that JPI adopt a similar research-driven, results-demonstrating role in North America.

“Preparations Making Seminar at JPI – June 2001” documents a four-day, hands-on workshop involving participants from multiple countries. The report focuses on process rather than pedagogy, describing participants actively making preparations rather than observing demonstrations. Activities include harvesting valerian flowers for BD 507, harvesting and handling stinging nettle for BD 504 with safety protocols, assembling yarrow preparations (BD 502) with cheesecloth ties, examining unearthed nettle preparation to assess maturity, and adding the six compost preparations into Biodynamic Compound Preparation (BC). The seminar is presented as experiential training designed to develop judgment through tactile engagement, visual inspection, and shared observation rather than reliance on written instruction alone.

The issue’s most technically consequential contribution is “New Insights on the Valerian Preparation – A Call to Examine Old Habits in Biodynamics,” by Hugh Courtney, followed by Joseph Stevens’ extended analytical essay “Prepared Valerian: The Secret of Finished Compost.” Courtney introduces the section by identifying a recurring problem: biodynamic practitioners often rely on inherited habit rather than close reading of Steiner’s actual words. Drawing parallels to misinterpretations surrounding the stinging nettle preparation, Courtney invites readers to suspend judgment and participate in experiments concerning the correct timing of BD 507 application.

Stevens’ essay develops a detailed textual and process-based argument that prepared valerian should be applied only to finished compost, not to an actively decomposing pile. The argument hinges on precise translation and interpretation of Steiner’s language, particularly the distinction between “manure” and “fertilizer,” and on polarity analysis: winter crystallization versus summer blossoming, solid versus liquid, below-ground versus above-ground processes. Stevens argues that the first five compost preparations build a colloidal humus structure through winter-like processes, and that valerian—being a potentized liquid preparation—acts as a momentary activating impulse that requires an already-formed humus structure to be effective. When applied too early, the effect is dissipated rather than integrated.

The article explicitly invites experimental verification, encouraging practitioners to compare finished-compost valerian application against traditional methods and to document changes in soil depth, structure, and vitality over time. Podolinsky’s “Prepared 500” is cited as a working example of this sequence, with claims of extraordinary soil development attributed in part to correct valerian timing. The essay is presented as a work in progress, emphasizing that biodynamic knowledge advances through careful reading, disciplined experimentation, and willingness to revise custom when evidence and method demand it.

Articles

• Michaelmas 2000 Revisited for Clarification (H. Courtney)
• Preparations Making Seminar at JPI – June 2001 
• New Insights on the Valerian Preparation – A Call to Examine  Old Habits in Biodynamics (H. Courtney)  
• Prepared Valerian: The Secret of Finished Compost (J. Stevens)  Valerian Experiment Form  
• Book Review: Summer with the Leprechauns: A True Story by T.  Helliwell (C. Korrow)  

Key Topics Covered

• Clarification of Michaelmas intent regarding JPI leadership and fiscal realities
• Distinction between preparation making and preparation distribution responsibilities
• Call for economically sustainable preparation infrastructure
• Community dialogue initiated through Michaelmas reflection
• Hands-on preparation-making seminar emphasizing participant practice
• Harvest and handling of valerian and stinging nettle with safety controls
• Assessment of preparation maturity through excavation and inspection
• Assembly of compost preparations into Biodynamic Compound Preparation
• Close reading of Steiner’s language governing preparation use
• Distinction between manure and fertilizer in valerian application timing
• Polarity analysis of solid winter preparations versus liquid summer valerian
• Argument for applying BD 507 only to finished compost
• Invitation for side-by-side experimentation to verify correct valerian use

Citation

Source: Applied Biodynamics, Issue 033, Josephine Porter Institute, Summer 2001.