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“Shall I not have intelligence with the earth? Am I not partly leaves and vegetable mould myself.” ~Henry David Thoreau Hello Fellow Gardeners, Last week we discussed the biodynamic preparations for the soil. This week we will continue our discussion of the soil, starting with a little history of two pioneers in the field of natural health. Max Gerson and Rudolf Steiner were born 20 years apart, Gerson in 1881, Steiner 20 years earlier. Steiner, a scientist, philosopher, architect and mystic was born in Austria. Gerson, a medical doctor, was born in Germany. Steiner initiated the agricultural process that has become known as biodynamics. Gerson developed a therapy for cancer and other chronic diseases. There is no evidence that the two men ever met but in the 1920's these two brilliant and innovative thinkers both spoke out about one of the greatest threats to human health and survival. In the early 1920's a group of farmers who were concerned about the decline of their crops and livestock came to Steiner, a lifelong student of life forces, for advice. His response was “Heal the soil.” Biodynamic agriculture developed from a series of lectures given by Steiner in 1924 in which he gave very detailed information on how to restore the soil to life and maintain a balanced relationship between trees, animals, soil and water. For more information please read: Biodynamic Farmers: Backbone of a Spiritual (R)evolution by Victor “Vyasa” Landa. http://www.schooloflife.org/sfnm/farmers.html At about the same time that Steiner was developing the Agriculture Lectures, Max Gerson became convinced that the denaturing of the soil by artificial fertilizers and poisoning of the plants with pesticides were largely responsible for the increasing incidence of degenerative diseases. He began working for his regional government as a consultant on agricultural practices. In 1948 he wrote a paper entitled, The Significance of the Content of Soil to Human Disease and in 1955 two more papers proposing that Cancer is a Problem of Soil, Nutrition and Metabolism. Where did the understanding of these two men about the relationship between the soil and human health lead? Gerson's realization that the depletion of the soil was a major factor in the rise of degenerative diseases led him to develop a nutrition-based therapy to combat this 20th century epidemic. Over a period of almost 40 years he developed a healing therapy that has cured thousands of people of all types of so-called “incurable” chronic and degenerative diseases. This therapy has been carried on to this day by his daughter, Charlotte, through the Gerson Institute. Although Rudolf Steiner died shortly after he gave the Agriculture Lectures, the information that he left behind gave rise to the development of biodynamic (which literally means life-force) agriculture. In complete contrast with the greed-based corporate agriculture movement, biodynamic farming embraces all the forces of nature, including those in the spiritual realm. It has been a slow process but, as awareness of the profound relationship between what we eat and the state of our physical, mental and spiritual health grows, more farmers are recognizing the ancient truths behind Steiners teachings and turning to biodynamics. There are presently about 90 BD farms in the United States and far more in Europe where the concepts have been quicker to take root. In a few weeks we will be planting our gardens. How well they grow and the nutritional value of the fruits of our labor will depend on the condition of the soil. Here are some things you can do now to nourish and protect the soil in your garden. Obtain some composted manure from a local dairy farm or horse stable (cow manure is the best) and work it into your garden. When you go to the farm or stable, ask whether the owner would mind if you take some of their manure. Some will gladly give it away, others may not be so willing. If they comply with your request, take the older, more composted manure. It will be relatively dry, not steaming and mixed with straw. Make sure you bring a shovel or pitch fork, a large bucket or a trash can, a plastic sheet or tarp for your vehicle and a towel. For a square foot garden 15 pounds of manure will be more than enough. Work it well into your soil to a depth of 8 – 10 inches and let it sit. This is something that you should do ASAP so the manure will be well “cured” before you plant your garden. As an alternative you can buy bags of an organic compost and manure mixture at Home Depot. To decrease the chances of certain types of creepy-crawly things in your garden, cover the garden area with a sheet of heavy clear plastic and bury the edges. As the days get warmer and sunnier, the plastic will help to heat the soil thereby discouraging the proliferation of common garden pests like nematodes. Keep the plastic over the garden until you're ready to plant. A
couple of notes: One of our “gardening angels,” Jennifer Valentino, has suggested that, since most of our gardens will not require a whole packet of any one kind of seed, we should get together and share our seeds. Those of you in the Pittsburgh area who would be interested in doing so can contact Jennifer at i69express@yahoo.com. Perhaps our Bethesda/Washington gardeners could get together and do the same. Reflection:
There are all kinds of healers. Rudolf Steiner and Max Gerson were
healers, healers of the earth, healers of humanity. Another of their
contemporaries, Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Dr. Albert Schweitzer, in
his famous Declaration of Conscience, warned of the effects of
radioactive fallout on the soil and consequently on everything we eat.
Schweitzer recognized the enormous importance of the work Max Gerson
was doing and said of him, "I see in Dr. Max
Gerson one of the most eminent geniuses in the history of medicine.”
"We praise the healers of the earth, They who know the secrets of the herbs and plants; To the healers hath the Angel of Earth Revealed her ancient knowledge. The Lord hath created medicines out of the earth, And he that is wise shall use them. Was not the water made sweet with wood, That the virtue thereof might be known? And to certain of the brothers he hath given skill, That the Law might be honored and fulfilled. With such do they heal men, And taketh away their pains, And of their works there is no end; And from them is peace over all the earth. Then give place to the healers, and honor them, For the Heavenly Father hath created them:
In case you missed any of the previous lessons, www.makegardensnotwar.com www.globalcoalitionforpeace.net
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