Blog – Tagged "holistic"– The Josephine Porter Institute

May 19, 2023

Light Ether

The value of humus comes from light. As such, it's easy to see why cultures would venerate the Sun. The Sun shines on the righteous and wicked alike, sharing with impartiality to all. If we wish to make plants more receptive to the light streaming in from the cosmos, we must add some carefully decomposed byproducts of light (humus and biodynamic preparations) so the plants "remember" who they are.

May 3, 2023

Jacob Boehme

Steiner offers a fascinating suggestion about Boehme and the alchemist Paracelsus: “One needs only to know Paracelsus...

May 1, 2023

Freedom & Farming

Imagine every farm being free in itself (freedom within the boundaries of the farm), of itself (free from dependence on outside inputs), and for itself (free to pursue its own creative expression within the farm). Moreover, imagine countries doing the same. People ask, "Is biodynamics scalable?" If it means freedom, then, yes, it's one of the only things worth scaling.

Apr 21, 2023

Is Biodynamics Pseudosience?

What hypothesis does biodynamics as an intuition advance? That these special biodynamic preparations will measurably improve the quality of compost, hasten the formation of humus and the build-up of organic matter in the soil, and increase the nutritional value of crops. This hypothesis must be tested, but funding for research is a very different question!

Apr 10, 2023

As If

One of the most useful ways to think of something is as if. We don't have to accept that the farm literally is an "o...

Apr 5, 2023

Wholeness & Holistic Farming

On the farm, we should imagine the farm as if it's a living thing that can be healthy or unhealthy and watch for where there's stagnation or inflammation. Look out at the field and you'll see dry spots or water-logged areas. Imagine that in your body as arthritis or bloating and you'll quickly grow more sensitive to how the farm organism "feels" and how to make it healthier.

Apr 3, 2023

Love & Farming

Do you need biodynamics? Not if you really love your land. I don't mean loving your land in a mere affectionate way. ...

Mar 24, 2023

Music of the Spheres

Everything relates to everything else, so to create holistic fertilizers, we should include "a bit of everything" in a way that mirrors the manifesting power of Creation itself.

Mar 20, 2023

Beyond Organic

Biodynamics helps you go beyond merely avoiding what is toxic and helps you include what is vitalizing.

Mar 18, 2023

Reinventing the Wheel

Biodynamics does not seek to "reinvent the wheel" nor should it. Instead, biodynamics seeks to supply the necessary kinds of vitality necessary for each stage of plant growth.

Mar 16, 2023

Liturgical Farming

In an often forgotten view of the world, the human being is a microcosm of the cosmos. Everything that might exist in...

Mar 14, 2023

What is Biodynamics?

If you plug a lightbulb into a socket without enough energy, it doesn't shine very brightly. The same goes with putting plants into dead soil. We have to "recharge" tired soils with vitality from the cosmos.