Picture-Forming Methods of Qualitative Analysis — Seeing the Invisible

What Are Picture-Forming Methods?

In biodynamics, we do not ask only, "What is in the soil?" but "What is the quality of the life in it?" Picture-forming methods like sensitive crystallization and circular chromatography allow us to observe the invisible forces in living substances—what Steiner called the etheric realm.

The process of sensitive crystallization is a unique and powerful method used to illustrate and assess the life forces or energy fields behind matter.
– Hunter Francis, introduction to an interview with Philippe Coderey, Applied Biodynamics, no. 75 (2011–2012).¹

These methods don’t measure chemistry—they reveal form, pattern, and coherence. They are like photographs of vitality itself.

How These Methods Work

Sensitive crystallization involves mixing copper chloride with small samples of compost, plant sap, or other organic matter. As the mixture evaporates, it forms crystals whose patterns reveal the vitality of the sample. More radiant, organized forms reflect healthier, more life-filled matter.

To make the solution, I take twenty-five grams of the dry copper chloride and dissolve it into two hundred fifty milliliters of purified water. This is according to the original Pfeiffer recipe. Everyone doing crystallizations around the world uses that recipe.
– Philippe Coderey, Applied Biodynamics, no. 75 (2011–2012).²

Circular chromatography, developed by Ehrenfried Pfeiffer from Kolisko’s earlier work, involves drawing liquid samples up filter paper that has been sensitized with silver nitrate. The patterns that emerge—circular waves, color bands, and radial tendrils—tell us about humus formation, microbial vitality, and trace element balance.

These methods are used to evaluate compost, compare soil treatments, and study the effects of biodynamic preparations.

The Spiritual Science of Making the Etheric Visible

Rudolf Steiner gave Lili Kolisko the task of developing a method to make visible the effects of formative (etheric) forces. This became the foundation of her lifelong work in capillary dynamolysis and picture-forming experimentation.

Steiner had earlier asked Lily to find a method of demonstrating the activity of what he referred to as ‘formative forces,’ and she developed the method of capillary dynamolysis for this purpose.
– Hugh J. Courtney, Biodynamics for Beginners³

In biodynamics, this work is not seen as artistic metaphor. It is scientific visualization of the etheric realm. Philippe Coderey has continued this tradition:

The crystallizations I did with soil samples exposed to the word ‘gratitude’ showed visibly higher levels of harmony and integration. The same soil treated with insulted language had patterns that were less organized.
– Philippe Coderey, Applied Biodynamics⁴

These methods offer a bridge between the material and the spiritual, training our perception and strengthening our reverence for the formative forces that animate life.

📚 Footnotes

1. Hunter Francis, introduction to interview with Philippe Coderey, Applied Biodynamics, no. 75 (2011–2012).
   
2. Philippe Coderey, interview, Applied Biodynamics, no. 75 (2011–2012).
   
3. Hugh J. Courtney, Biodynamics for Beginners (Woolwine, VA: Josephine Porter Institute, 2023), 22.
   
4. Philippe Coderey, Applied Biodynamics, no. 75 (2011–2012).