News From The Garden: The Spring Equinox

Easter comes a week or so after the Spring Equinox this year, The immediately noticeable consequence of this is our days becoming longer than the nights, The changes around sunrise and sunset are at their most dramatic at this time in the year. We can observe the quality of light changing most rapidly, there is a mighty rush of light increasing daily, and what’s happening in the plant world is visible evidence of this. Flowers, tree buds, tadpoles, bees, birds are all bursting with growth and activity. However, it is reported that all this is happening about four weeks earlier than it used to. The warmth seems to be moving ahead of the light.

It is a wonderful moment in the year to just sit and be absorbed by all that is going on around one. This could be just a relaxed moment, a study in Nature observation, pure contemplation or even deep prayer and exchange with the elemental beings, or genius loci of a place. It is a great time to record what you are experiencing, journaling, photographing, collecting, pressing flowers, sound recording, drawing, painting, all manner of ways exist to take Nature into one’s soul life and let one’s soul pour into nature.

Meanwhile in other parts of the garden we are not so much just absorbing this wonderful world as being active in cultivating it. This is Gardening. Gardening too can be very in harmony with Nature. We can plant with the Moon, be conscious of the elemental beings and choose to work with them, ask for their help, tune in to the rhythms that are alive in all plant growth and soil life. Being very conscious that we wish no harm to Mother Nature and all her kin we might tend toward an ‘organic’ approach to our gardening practice, seeking to create a virtuous circle of matter, nothing wasted, everything incorporated, composting material, and finding remedies for imbalances in the growth of our crops through natural means.

And then there are certain indications given by Rudolf Steiner about the need to consider the cosmic as well as the earthly environment of our garden, or farm, or any other piece of land we feel connected with. How the influence of the planets works into plant growth, the spiritual nature of the elements and how they work into the question of nutrition. Nature in the being of animals, plants and minerals is only one half of what ‘feeds’ us. As we go about our gardening, we are drawing forth a stream of cosmic nutrition too, essential to our well-being beyond the purely material foodstuffs we eat.

This practical living and working with awareness of the Spirit is well expressed in a verse given by Rudolf Steiner

“Seek the truly practical material life
But seek it so that it does not numb you to the
spirit which is active in it.

Seek the spirit, but seek it not in passion for the super-sensible.
Seek it because you wish to apply it selflessly in
practical life in the practical world.

Turn to the ancient principle,
Matter is never without spirit; spirit is never without matter
In such a way that we say

We will do all things in the light of the spirit,
And we will so seek that light of the spirit that it
evokes warmth for us in our practical activities.”

Written by Ian Bailey

Ian is Trustee of the Biodynamic Association, has a strong interest in astronomy and the biodynamic planting calendar, biodynamic gardening and also teaches on the biodynamic work based diploma.