Before Breaking Ground

Rudolf Steiner (see www.rudolfsteiner.org) inspired what became called biodynamic agriculture with a series of innovative, trail-blazing lectures to landworkers in 1924.* With artistic, meditative and practical activities, we will explore the transformative nature of spiritual science through this new holistic international agriculture movement. Come ready to prepare your inner soil, your soul, on behalf of all the life you steward. The course material includes the 2024 Stella Natura Biodynamic Planting calendar, the 2024 Maria Thun Planting calendar, How to Know Higher Worlds, The Agriculture Lectures and Six Steps in Self-Development. We will begin by introducing:

• The farm becoming an organism—a balance and biodiversity of soils-plants-animals-human beings.

• The gardener/farmer’s thinking-feeling-willing between earth and cosmos.

• The movements and rhythms of moon, sun, fixed and moving celestial bodies.

• Compost-making and biodynamic preparations.

• Biodynamic farms as centers for the new festival life.

• Multi-layered mapping of our piece of God’s green earth.

Barbara Booth

Barb (BA Geography, MS, Environmental Science) has worked with local farmers in Africa, India, and the Dominican Republic as well as in several USA locations. Her biodynamic training began in the 80s with seven years in Kimberton Hills Camphill Village. She co-founded and managed an off-grid biodynamic CSA farm in northern New Mexico. She led a team of teachers in founding a Waldorf high school in New Mexico before serving as a consultant in other diverse Waldorf school settings. Barb developed and taught garden classes grades 1-7,a Farm Experience and a Forest Ecology block for Waldorf high schools. She is completing a 13-month Illuminated Herbalism certification program when not occupied with being nana for her already wise two-year old granddaughter.