Stella Natura®
Biodynamic Planting Calendar
The 2027 Calendar is COMING SOON!
The Stella Natura® Biodynamic Planting Calendar joins in the long ancestral tradition of orienting our work on the land with the rhythms of the cosmos. Founded on the work of Rudolf Steiner, the approach taken in the Stella Natura Calendar seeks to renew ancestral agrarian wisdom through modern spiritual scientific research. Since Steiner’s time, great contributions towards developing this new star wisdom have been taken by Lilly Kolisko, Elisabeth Vreede, Willi Sucher, Maria Thun, as well as contemporary colleagues like Sherry Wildfeuer, Dennis Klocek, Jonathan Hilton, Mary Stewart Adams, Brian Gray, Malcolm Gardner, and many more.
There are many different streams of star knowledge, including
astrology, astronomy, astrosophy, indigenous wisdom, etc. which
carry many different stories and characterizations of the heavenly
bodies and their connection to our life here on Earth. The Stella
Natura Calendar acknowledges these, and is especially curious
about indications from these streams of knowledge that pertain
to agricultural life. The mission of this Calendar is to help awaken
human partnership with the cosmos in the service of tending to the
farm, garden, and natural world, especially plants! To this end, the
Sun and Moon are the planetary bodies upon which this Calendar
places the strongest emphasis, as the rhythms of their relationships
and influences are most closely observable and practically applied in
relation to plant growth.
The charts of this calendar offer advice for when to sow seeds and cultivate garden and farm crops to enhance their roots (carrots, beets, etc.), flowers (chamomile, zinnias, etc.), leaves (lettuce, spinach, kale …), or fruits (squash, beans, tomatoes, …). This is based on the Moon’s passage through the constellations of the zodiac. Unfavorable times for sowing are also indicated, to help avoid those inexplicable crop failures.
A mindful act of succession ~ Stella Natura’s new home at Spikenard Farm Honeybee Sanctuary
Initiated by Sherry Wildfeuer in 1978, Stella Natura has been heartfully produced by her since that time. After 46 years at the helm, Sherry identified Alex Tuchman, director of Spikenard Farm Honeybee Sanctuary, as her chosen successor in this work. Alex and Sherry have worked mindfully and joyously together on this transition and have collaborated closely on the last several issues. While Sherry remains in close colleagueship and proceeds continue to benefit Camphill Kimberton Hills, the editing, publication, production, and distribution have all been transferred to Alex and staff at Spikenard Farm.
Free Introductory Webinar
In the free Introduction to Stella Natura webinar, Alex gives a good grounding in the astronomic principles behind the Calendar along with its history and background and a practical ways to observe the indications given, in an illustrative and approachable manner. This webinar covers the same material as the calendar’s introductory article “How to Use and Understand this Calendar” and is therefore given freely as an accompaniment to the calendar itself.
Get Involved ~ Share your research, anecdotes, and observations
We are collecting experiences, anecdotes, observations, and research on several questions that we are carrying, and we’d love for you to join us! Please share with us what questions or rhythms you are tracking, or help us collect data on the following:
• How do each of the twelve zodiacal constellations individually
engage the Moon as it passes through them? For example,
instead of simplifying the days when the Moon is in an earth sign
all the same as “root days”, can you perceive what is different or
similar between Virgo days, Taurus days, and Capricorn days?
• Similar to above, how do you characterize the different
qualities of the twelve zodiacal constellations as they individually
engage the Sun as it passes through each for roughly one month
per year? Pay attention also to the transition period between
one constellation and the next.
• Some growers try to avoid seeding and planting during
the two weeks between eclipses example, between the 2027
August 2nd Solar Eclipse and the August 17th Lunar Eclipse.
What experiences do you have (esp. with seed germination,
transplanting, making cuttings) during this time?
• Saturn and Moon Opposition (monthly rhythm) – positive
effect on plant growth, sowing, root development? BD
practitioner Hugh Courtney tuned his students in to the
potentially positive effects of this relationship on seeding, plant
growth and development.
• How do you fully understand and experience the relationship
of the four elements and accompanying etheric/life forces with
the zodiacal constellations?
Please share your insights, questions, research, and feedback with us:
email: stellanatura@spikenardfarm.org phone: 540-745-2238
