When you are short, it is important to stick close to an adult! Negotiating with Dasher. Last month my great niece, five year old Olivia, visited with her grandmother, my sister Judy. We did the usual things when people visit: spent an afternoon on the paths through the redwood giants of Armstrong… Read more »
Biodynamic Preparation 505: Oak Bark
The bark of an old friend. Biodynamic Preparation 505: Oak Bark Our first introduction to Biodynamic Compost Preparation 505, Oak Bark, was as one of the ten sprays our biodynamic consultant used to ripen a failing mountain vineyard. It was already late September and the grapes were six weeks behind schedule. The winemaker informed us… Read more »
Biodynamic Prep 503: Chamomile
Biodynamic Prep 503: Chamomile By the time your read this, my second grandson may be born. His due date is today, August 1. This topic seems particularly appropriate as I associate chamomile with children, and particularly babies. The homeopathic remedy chamomile is often used for a newborn colicky baby to help sooth a digestive system… Read more »
Biodynamic Prep 507: Challenges of Valerian
Valerian in our garden. Biodynamic Prep 507: Challenges of Valerian Until I was well into my Jungian analysis and had personally experienced the paradox of dark light, I could not have understood the mystery of valerian. We planted the seeds in our garden, not knowing the looks of the plant. When the seeds vigorously sprouted and… Read more »
Biodynamic Compost Prep 504: Stinging Nettle: Vitality
Balleymoney, Ireland Biodynamic Compost Prep 504: Stinging Nettle: Vitality When Donald and I traveled to Ireland to trace my family lineage, we visited cemeteries in which we had to wade through stinging nettle so tall that it was waist deep in places. There was a certain irritation in having to do so! Stinging nettle gets… Read more »
Biodynamic Prep 506: Dandelion
Dandelion on our ranch. Biodynamic Prep 506: Dandelion Dandelion (French: dent de lion, lion’s tooth, referring to the teeth of the serrated leaves) is a flower Rudolf Steiner called a “messenger from heaven” (Agriculture, 103). It is another plant that works in homeopathic ways over a region. Because of its own silicic acid relationship with… Read more »
Distillation and Donald
Distillation and Donald Lavender distillation has begun on our ranch! We distill in very small batches, which inadvertently has allowed us to discover that each piece of earth growing lavender has its own terroir, its essential oil distinct and unique. The following is an excerpt from my book Farming Soul: A Tale of Initiation. It… Read more »
Marked by Fire Featured in Two Interviews, a Book Club, and A Book Event in July
Marked by Fire Featured in Two Interviews, a Book Club, and A Book Event in July Bonnie Bright, founder of Depth Psychology Alliance, is truly one of those bee kind of people who pollinate, and the Alliance website is one worth visiting over and over to benefit from her gathering! Noami Lowinsky and I are… Read more »
Wild Strawberries and Poets
Wild Strawberries and Poets Wild strawberries are like poems of the Earth. You don’t propagate them; you come upon them—and when you least expect. At first you see a hint of deep red in the three leaf clusters lying so close to the ground. You bend down, pick the tiny berry— tiny, at least, by… Read more »
The Smell of the Living Earth
The Smell of the Living Earth Once my sister and I dug a “raccoon trap” in the fall stubble of my father’s corn field, a 3’ by 4’ hole about 3’ deep. In the bottom we placed marshmallows and then disguised the hole with dried corn stalks. The only thing we ever “caught” was the… Read more »
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