The Three Kings Preparation – A Ritual of Protection and Reconnection
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 at dawn 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. They were being demonized.
— Applied Biodynamics, no. 35 (2001–2002), 237.¹
How It Is Made and Used
This is not a compost preparation or field spray. It is a ritualized sacrament, made with deep reverence and exact timing. The materials and timing are non-negotiable:
30g Aurum metallicum D2 (gold)
30g Olibanum (frankincense)
30g 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, 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, often with prayer or meditation. Some farms add incensing or choral elements.
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.
📚 Footnotes
- Applied Biodynamics, no. 35 (2001–2002): 237.
- German-Michael Hahn, “The Three Kings Preparation,” Applied Biodynamics, no. 35 (2001–2002): 245.
- Ibid., 238.