What Is the Three Kings Preparation?
The Three Kings Preparation is unlike any other in biodynamics. Created by Hugo Erbe, a German biodynamic farmer and spiritual researcher, this ritual substance is applied only once a year: on Epiphany, January 6, to bring protection, balance, and spiritual nourishment to the elemental beings that inhabit the land.
Its ingredients are as ancient as the name implies: gold (aurum), frankincense, and myrrh. Ground by hand at midnight on New Year’s Eve and dispersed on January 6, the Three Kings Preparation forms a protective etheric shield against invasive energies.
Hugo Erbe, a longtime biodynamic farmer in Germany (1895–1965), had a very close connection with the Elemental world. After the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, he observed a massive disruption and flight of beneficial elemental beings from his farmland.
– Applied Biodynamics, no. 35 (2001–2002), 237.¹
How It Is Made and Used
This is not a compost preparation or a field spray. It is a ritualized sacrament, made with deep reverence and exact timing. The materials and timing are nonnegotiable:
5g Aurum metallicum D2 (gold)
5g Olibanum (frankincense)
5g Myrrh (resin myrrh)
The preparation of the gold, frankincense, and myrrh with the mortar and pestle is done on New Year’s Eve for one hour from 11:30 to 12:30. This is a very significant time.
– German-Michael Hahn, Applied Biodynamics, no. 35 (2001–2002), 245.²
After grinding and warming the substances on New Year's Eve, they are stored in a lidded jar and kept out of the light until dawn on January 6. Then they are dissolved in water and stirred for one hour using the standard biodynamic rhythm (chaos and order). The liquid is then walked around the boundaries of the property in silence, in prayer, or in meditation. Some farms add incensing or choral elements. It is reverently sprayed outward from the boundary of the land thus creating a safe home for all the elemental beings within. It is a pledge that all the biodynamic preparations will be available on this land for their nourishment throughout the year.
The Spiritual Responsibility of Its Use
Unlike other biodynamic practices, this preparation carries an explicit moral obligation. It is not meant for experimentation or convenience. Using it calls in elemental beings and opens etheric thresholds, and those who apply it must follow up with the full biodynamic program, especially compost preparations and BD 500.
When using the Three Kings Preparation, you are in essence sending a message to the elemental kingdom that here within a ‘magic circle,’ they will be provided a safe haven as well as the profound spiritual nourishment of the biodynamic preparations… Failure to provide that nourishment both before and after using the Three Kings Preparation is tantamount to another betrayal of the elemental world by humanity.
– Applied Biodynamics, no. 35 (2001–2002), 238.³
The Three Kings Preparation is thus a kind of covenant—not a tool, but a promise. When used with devotion and integrity, it becomes one of the most beautiful and protective gestures a biodynamic steward can offer.
Special Note
In light of the events in the world today, it is increasingly important that more people consciously take up the use of the Three Kings Preparation and thereby express a willingness to work with the elemental kingdom, whether they have a direct awareness of it or not. Humanity has so frequently ignored and betrayed the elemental beings by its desecration of nature. The mere fact that these beings are invisible to the majority of human beings does not mean they do not exist, and the sooner we take positive action to inform them that we wish to work with them, the sooner we can counter much of the chaos so apparent in the world. No other action on our part can send this message to the elemental kingdom quite as well as our use of the Three Kings Preparation.
There is one quite fundamental warning that must be issued to those who would take up the use of this preparation: under no circumstances should one use the Three Kings Preparation unless one has first used all nine of the biodynamic preparations on the area to be treated. This is a necessity because the nine biodynamic preparations serve to balance as well as to ground and enhance the existing forces, thereby establishing a foundation for the elemental kingdom to build upon. Bear in mind that the biodynamic preparations need to be regarded as forces, not substances. To apply only the Three Kings Preparation is the equivalent of placing a fence around livestock, thereby securing them from predators, but failing to ensure that the pasture or hay supply is adequate in the area where they are enclosed. That is why it is of utmost importance that one should make an additional commitment to continue to use, in a diligent manner, Steiner’s nine basic biodynamic preparations on the area treated with the Three Kings Preparation.
When using the Three Kings Preparation, you are in essence sending a message to the elemental kingdom that here within the protected area they will find a haven, as well as the profound spiritual nourishment of the biodynamic preparations. However, failure to provide that nourishment both before and after using the Three Kings Preparation is tantamount to another betrayal of the elemental world.
📚 Footnotes
-
Applied Biodynamics, no. 35 (2001–2002): 237.
- German-Michael Hahn, “The Three Kings Preparation,” Applied Biodynamics, no. 35 (2001–2002): 245.
-
Ibid., 238.
Frequently asked questions
The Three Kings Preparation is a ritual designed for protection and reconnection, often used to create a sacred space or to enhance spiritual practices.
To perform the Three Kings Preparation ritual, you typically need specific materials and follow a series of steps intended to invoke protection and foster reconnection with spiritual energies.
The materials for the Three Kings Preparation may include natural elements like herbs or incense, and possibly other items specific to the ritual's tradition.
Yes, beginners can perform the Three Kings Preparation ritual by carefully following the instructions and using the correct materials, making it a meaningful practice for those new to spiritual rituals.
