Secrets of the Farmer's Almanac
Related Article
The Power of Perception. The Spontanous Healing of Emma McKinley on December 24th, 2011 in Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
Today's Biodynamic
Gardening originated from the Farmer's Almanac, which showed the best
times to plant and harvest crops. In rural American Farm Communities,
some farms still use what's known as "the moon signs" to plant, harvest
and
butcher animals by. These Farmer's Almanacs began when farmers
past tested their most important farm duties (harvesting, butchering,
weaning, planting etc.) according to what sign the moon was in until
the farmer was sure that the results were consistent over time.
Over time he would see that a pattern emerged year after year. It
was from this that the Farmer's Almanac was born. Today some households
still have a farmer's almanac hanging on a nail behind the kitchen
stove. Almost all of these almanacs will have a nude figure of a man
with his viscera cut open and peeled back, surrounded by a circle of
animals and other figures that represent the 12 zodiacal
constellations.
When consulting the
moon signs, one refers to the part
of the body that the constellation is in, according to the approximate
time the moon is rising in the eastern sky. These body regions
also have meaning in regards to crops that grow above and below the
ground as I shall show in detail later on.
fWelcome
to Biodynamic Gardening
In biodynamic gardening, it is said that crops that grow above the
ground are best planted in the first 6 constellation signs or so, than
after
Sagittarius, crops that grow below the ground are best planted during
the
remaining 6 signs. Crops that grow below the ground are best
planted when the Moon is in any of the signs that represent the lower
portion of the body. Crops that grow above the ground are best planted
when the Moon is in any of the signs above the body; with the best sign
being Gemini, followed by Cancer. Examples include - squash, cucumbers,
tomatoes, watermelons, cantaloupes, beans and peas.
Research by Hyatt
(816) states that the seeds of all crops that grow below the ground
(root crops) grow very well when planted during the dark of the moon
and when the Moon is in any of the signs that represent the lower
portion of the body; especially Pisces. Examples include carrots,
parsnips, potatoes, turnips and radishes.
Cancer = The best time to plant
seeds. Seeds planted during this time germinate very quickly,
especially tomatoes.
The moon in any of the following signs are said to be barren and
negative for planting seeds - Gemini, Virgo, Capricorn and Aquarius.
Gemini, like Leo, is said to be a good time for killing weeds, briers
poison ivy and other pests.
The Rexall Almanac states that anything planted in Gemini or Virgo
grows poorly, except if you want lots of flowers plant when the Moon is
in Virgo with some farmer's stating that seeds planted during Aquarius
or Capricorn will be harder to grow. Rawleigh's Almanac states that
Gemini and especially Aquarius is a good time to stir the soil or kill
weeds.
It is interesting to note that both the Virgo and Sagittarius
constellations have black holes in them. I would like to point out here
that the Sagittarius constellation is right next to the center of our
Milky Way Galaxy, which also has a large black hole(s).
Other Almanacs state to kill weeds in Leo, Gemini and Virgo (Randolph,
p. 41).
Brown Coll. (8363), as well as other almanacs, state that if you want
to plant purely for flowers, and lots of flowers, than plant when the
Moon is in Virgo with the second best time when the Moon is in Libra,
which is just after the constellation Virgo (Brown Coll., 8361).
The
Multiplication of Crops
It is universally accepted that when the Moon is in Gemini, that crops
planted during this sign will exhibit multiplication and abundance, as
well as the spreading of vines. Foods include beans, cucumbers and
peas. The symbol for Gemini is the twins, a perfect representation of
multiplication. Hyatt, (1072) states that potatoes planted when the
Moon is in Gemini will yield twice as much, however they may be rough
and covered with small patches due to the extreme energy emitted
when the Moon is in Gemini. Hyatt (1110) and Cutting (p. 26) also state
that tomatoes will be long-bearing and smooth textured and beans will
grow to a longer length (Hyatt, 974; Brown Coll., 8068) and that corn
will be longer than average (Cutting, p. 45). Gemini is also used for
killing weeds (Randolph p. 41).
Head
Signs
When the Moon is in Aries, which rules the head of the body, planting
vegetables that have a round / oval shape grow well. These
include cabbage, beets and potatoes (Whitney-Bullock, 1124).
It is interesting to note that the sap of trees will gather at the very
top portions of a tree or the very bottom, depending upon the moon
phase. During waning Moons, liquids in a plant or tree will gather
around the roots. During waxing Moons, the sap in trees or plants
rises upwards and gathers at the tips of plants and the top portion of
trees (Paungger and Poppe, 1991).
Libra
for Weight
Planting when the Moon is in Libra is said to give the vegetables more
weight or to make them larger in size as well as more resistant
to drought.
Leo,
Aries and Taurus for Strength
If strength of plants
are desired they are best planted when the Moon is in Aries, Leo or
Taurus.
It is said that planting when the Moon is in Leo gives plants strength
and makes beets more red than average. Soap and Vinegar work best made
during Leo to make them strong and firm (Whitney-Bullock, 1238, 1245)
and eggs hatch best in a fruitful sign (Cuting p. 22).
Additional
Tips for using the Moon and its Coresponding Constellation
From personal experience, I have discovered that when I do power hiking (10+ miles over rugged mountainous terrain) that when I do it when the moon is in the descending signs (from Sagittarius towards Pisces) that my recovery time is much, much smoother and rapid compared to doing power hikes when the moon is in the upper signs (Aries to Heart).
Planting foods such as carrots, radishes, parsnips or potatoes is said
to make them more longer and smooth textured.
Cancer and Leo are best for Hunting (Hyatt, 8961; Thomas, 2293) and
fishing is best done when the moon is in Pisces.
Cotton does well planted when the Moon is in Gemini (Brown Coll.,
8048), tobacco in Cancer (Brown Coll., 8263), alfalfa and clover in
Libra (Cutting, p. 47) and corn does well when the Moon is in either
Aries, Gemini and Scorpio.
Grafting,
Budding and Transplanting
These work best when the Moon is in Cancer
Pruning
to Encourage Plant Growth
This is best done when the Moon is in Aries, Leo or Sagittarius and
according to moon phase, pruning is best done during the moon's 1st and
2nd quarters.
Pruning
to Discourage Plant Growth
Best done when the moon is also in Aries, Leo or Sagittarius and when
using the moon this is best done during the moon's 3rd and 4th quarters.
Hence, the moon appears to have an amplification effect of the energies
of a constellation when it comes
to encouraging or discouraging plant growth in the above signs. From my
experience over the years of holding my hands over my heart while
allowing the Tai Chi Regenerative Energy to flow through them, I have
found
that the most energy felt is when the hands are held over the heart and
the kidney regions. Please read my book about QI Gong Energy titled The Emerald Tablets Exercise to
learn more about this facinating QI Gong science.
Some farmers will not
wean their stock during the barren signs (Aries, Leo and Virgo),
especially if there is a strong easterly wind. Hence, the strong winds
may enhance the energy of the constellations. It is said that the
Calves will bawl for months on end and pigs will become big eared and
big nosed. When it comes to weaning children, folk wisdom states that a
baby should be weaned when the astrological sign is heading down the
legs towards the feet and never in the head or heart signs with Pisces
being the best sign.
Moon in Cancer
This is a time when anything planted tends to grow well; tomatoes grow
like crazy when the Moon is in Cancer. The moon in Cancer
represents the Liver region of the body.
The Moon in Leo is so strong that it is used to remove weeds, pests and
any undesirable plant life. It is said that shrubs, briers,
alders and weeds will wither and die when cut when the Moon is in
Leo. Because the LST Precognition Calendar (shown below) shows
that certain
stars and constellations rising in the east are favorable for enhancing
one's Intuition, it may work very well if you have an entire hill of
unwanted weeds or shrubs and to cut them when the brightest star in Leo
(Regulus) is undergoing its Helical Rising. This would make for an
interesting science experiment. Compare the cutting down of
unwanted weeds when the star Regulus is undergoing its helical rising
and cut another large region when the Moon is in a water sign such as
Cancer and see which period exhibits the best reduction in weeds.
According to folklore
wisdom, the Moon in Leo can also be over destructive. For example
some farmers who trimmed their clover or alfalfa crops of weeds when
the Moon
was in Leo were said to have lost their entire crop (Randolph, p. 41)
and other farmers lost entire fields of cabbage (Hyatt, 993) because
the blade they used to remove the weeds came into contact with their
clover or alfalfa. Hence, it may have been the shock of just cutting a
few clover or alfalfa during this time that caused the entire crop to
fail.
Because Cancer is such a powerful sign, it is said that people born
when the sun is in Cancer will be "courageous" or exhibit traits that
make him / her "forward and bold in life". Pisces exerts similar
effects. People born when the Sun is in Pisces are said to be fond of
water, or drawn to aquatic water sports. It is said that marriages
should be avoided when the Moon or Sun are in Scorpio (Hoke, p. .13; cf
Brown Coll 4763) and that teeth are best extracted at Moon in
Sagittarius (Hyatt, 3047-3048). Teeth pulling should always be avoided
when the Moon sign is in the regions that represent the head
(Hyatt).
Some farmers would not alter stock when the astrological sign was below
the knees because it was said to result in an enhanced susceptibility
to infection or death (Western Folklore. Apr 1957. Vol 16 No 2. Pge 78).
Vegetables like beans and peas will yield better crops when planted
when the sign is in the feet (Pisces) (Brown Coll., 8214 and 7999).
Fruitful and Water signs (the feet) become destructive when it comes to
gathering and harvesting as they will tend to accumulate mold and have
a tendency to rot (Cutting p. 51 and Brown Coll., 8424).
Vegetables planted when the moon is in the water signs are said to help
them withstand dry weather and drought. Examples include potatoes
or cucumbers
which are highly susceptible to such conditions.
The best time to
harvest is during Leo, Sagittarius, Capricorn and Aquarius, with Leo
being the best time to Harvest.
Because nature consists of opposites, there are also moon signs which
are barren, dry and fiery. The most barren ones are Aries, Leo and
Sagittarius, with Sagittarius and Leo having the strongest
influences. These are times when seeds planted do not do well. It
is said that potatoes planted during Sagittarius will fail to produce a
single potato (Hyatt, 1076). Could this have partly contributed
to the great Irish Potato Famine?
Summary
It is interesting to note that because when the Moon is in Leo that it
is a good time to destroy pests (see
the Emma
Mc Kinley Article for more details). Because Leo
represents the Heart, could it be that exercises that help strengthen
the heart work best during the Moon's Fourth Quarter? This would
make for an excellent research project to see if people recover faster
from heart surgery when the Moon is in the Fourth Quarter or if
cardiovascular exercises practiced during the Moon's Fourth Quarter
lead to a stronger heart etc.
Also the foods Kale
and Collards grow above the ground and are very leafy vegetables. These
are the best foods for maintaining dental health. Could eating
more of these foods at the Moon's First Quarter lead to overall reduced
cavities? or would harvesting them during the full moon show that
Kale and Collards contain more nutrients. Once again, this would make
for an excellent research
study.
Biodynamic
Gardening for Removal of Pests
According to the concepts of Biodynamic Gardening the methods used to
get rid of pests involves the use of what's known as "Vertebrate
Peppers". These are created by burning the pest or the seeds of a
weed to ash over a slow, medium heat. Excess red heat used to
turn the pest to ash causes the power to be lost, but low to medium
heat until the subject matter has turned to a brown ash gets the best
results.
For the natural removal of Field Mice
The process involves trapping a fairly young mouse when the
constellation Scorpio is behind the planet Venus. The ash can be
created either when Venus is the morning star or the evening star. Next
the mouse is skinned, especially the face and front paws, and burnt to
an ash while the constellation Scorpio is behind the planet Venus. Next
the ash is sprinkled over the corespondening fields. Other people have
placed mice into a barrel until they rot down completely and than the
'compost' is mixed with the ash from the burnt skins. This
is interesting because in my book Correspondences of
Geomancy, the 8 Trigrams, I CHING and Planetary Magickal Charts in
the charts section a chart titled: Constellation, Element and
Planet (shown below), shows that the constellation Scorpio is
represented by the planet Venus and the element of Water. Perhaps
the planet Jupiter also has some type of effect...
Speaking
from personal experience, I have had great success removing field mice
by using a mice bait called "just one bite". I put this out when
the moon is in its last quarter (or about to go totally dark) and when
the moon is in Leo. This has wiped out the mice for approximately
7 to 10 months at a time, compared to only a few weeks at a time not
using this method. I also tried it during the nights when the
Helical rising of Regulus began, which is the brightest star in Leo,
and had very good results.
For the natural removal of Insects
The entire insect is burned or allowed to decay when the Sun is in the
sign of Taurus (which is usually the season of spring in the Northern
Hemisphere). After the insect or weeds have been incinerated, one may
also add the biodynamic preparations 501 and 502. 502 (yarrow) / 501
(horn silica) to enhance the cosmic light of the constellations into
the soil (thus inhibiting the forces of the Moon that create pests).
This preparation can also be sprayed after weeding or mowing for a
reduction of 50% or more of weeds. Of course best results occur after
repeat treatments.
For the natural removal of Weeds
The strongest seeds of the weeds are used. A wood burning flame is used
to burn the seeds until they have turned to ash. The weeds are
incinerated when the Moon (or 2 to 3 days before a full moon) is in
opposition to Mercury and / or during the full moon. This
ash is than scattered over the fields. After a second year far
less weeds will be present. Because everything in nature is subject to
a complete cycle of four years, by year four (after continued
sprinkling of the ash) the weeds may have been eradicated completely .
Concentraing the Power in the Ash
If you have a large region to cover, it has been advised to mix the ash
with water. Once the ash is collected it is placed in water and stirred
for a few seconds until the ash has fully dissolved. After this the
mixture is then strained through filter paper, and the remaining water
is discarded. Next the filter paper is then dried out and the ash is
recollected. This ash can then be
spread out as needed. Other people have gotten good results
stirring the ashes an hour prior to applying them.
Making the Ash go Further
If you have a large region to cover and not enough ash, some people
have mixed the ash by triturating it in quarry sand [0.7mm
screen].
One Example
One person on a small farm near Otorohanga in New Zealand stated that
during the year 1973 they had 100% results by pulling the weeds from a
pasture and drying the seeds and roots. Next these were crushed up and
burned in a vessel during the full moon (perhaps at moon in Taurus?)
[An Old
milk can lid in this case]. The resulting ash was then filterd,
dried and crushed with an old mortar and pestle. Next one level
teaspoon of ash was mixed with sand (the trituration process) in a
commercial concrete mixer for an hour or so. Next the resulting
mixture was evenly spread out over a five-acre pasture during the next
new
moon and at a perigee moon (when the moon is closest to earth).
Venus and the Pentragram
It is interesting to note that the conjunctions of the Sun and Venus
create a static pentagram of 5 conjunctions over a total period of 8
years. This causes them to appear in front of the constellations of -
Sagittarius, Scorpio, Libra, Pisces and Taurus. Pentragrams are
commonly used as a protection symbol by visualizing it in a blue light.
The LST Precognition Chart
If one looks at the EZ3DBIZ.com LST Precognition Chart, one can see
that these 5 constellations Libra, Pisces, Scorpio, Sagittarius and
Taurus (as they are rising in the east) all have peaks of intuition,
with Sagattarius having the largest peak. Perhaps intent accompanies
the burning of the ash and is somehow solidified into the ash causing
the pests to be repelled.
How does this Work?
The sideral Moon is a
bridge for forces that descend from the 12 constellations, with the
Moon bringing the force of the Sun to Earth to support plant growth.
The hypothesis is that incineration of a pest creates an ash which
causes a rapid and
complete SEPERATION of its etheric energy which is responsible for
creating the pest. Scattering its ashes or spraying them on a field
when the moon is in a particular constellation establishes a clear
signal of separation between the etheric and the
physical; so the elemental beings that are linked to the pest no longer
wish to incarnate and take up residence in the accompaning plant or its
soil. When
the cosmic forces can be ‘pulled or pushed out’ the accompanying
environment which supports such can no longer exist and therefore die
out. This is THE solution to all disease and pests.
Additional
Biodynamic Gardening Actions for the Removal of Weeds and Pests
For the removal of field mice
- skin, birds skin and feathers -
Venus in Scorpio (Venus behind the Sun) and the moon is in Taurus
For the removal of Insects -
Sun in Taurus (Sun in Aquarius, Pisces,
Aries and Gemini on to Cancer. Lesser results with Sun in Aquarius and
Cancer)
For the removal of Stable fly -
Sun and Moon in Gemini
For the removal of Wax moth -
Sun and Moon in Aries
For the removal of Cabbage fly,
Varroa Mite and turnip gall weevil
Colorado beetle - Sun and Moon in Taurus
For the removal of Mole cricket
- Moon in Scorpio, Sun in Taurus
For the removal of Slugs and snails
- Moon in Cancer
During the moon's longer nodal periods animal pests can become more
prevalent. Saturn causes the animal pests to attack the roots and
Jupiter causes pests to attack leafy regions of a plant.
Biodynamic
Preparations
These preparations I
am about to mention are placed into a compost or
manure pile where they radiate their effects outwards and throughout
the material.
Yarrow is connected
to the potassium and sulphur processes of soil. It helps draw in
substances that are finely distributed in the atmosphere. Yarrow
replenishes
soil grown tired through many years of cultivation.
Chamomile is connected with living calcium. It helps stabilize plant
nutrients, invigorates plant growth and dampens out excessive
fermentation.
Stinging Nettle has an affinity to iron. It creates sensitive soil and
helps stabilize nitrogen.
Oak Bark is rich in calcium and helps ward off plant diseases and
fungal attacks.
The spring plant dandelion is connected with the silica
processes. It draws down light influences into the soil and
allows the interrelationships of nature to become more effective.
Valerian has a strong affinity to phosphorous. It provides a warm
blanket of
warmth to the compost heap and earthworms love it.
