Dear Allan,As I have discussed in some detail, the facts show that Rudolf Steiner's ideas have really not permeated agriculture. I have discussed the reasons that this has happened, or more precisely, failed to happen. I have pointed out that biodynamics is an invention of the organizations and individuals who took it upon themselves to bring what they understood as Steiner's ideas into society but have failed because they don't understand it. We do, by the way, see this failure in their rudimentary descriptive terms such as "Steiner indicated", "biodynamic preparations", "ethericity", "astrality" and "egoity" just to name a few. Terms that are completely out of date and misleading in today's world. (A real important footnote: their definitions of "ether" and "astral" are opposite the ancient yoga sutras. There, astral is between ether and physical matter in order of vibrational fineness or grossness. This leads me to conclude that either Steiner got it wrong or his minions got it wrong. Since nearly 100% of his talks were transcribed, I tend to think the latter.) Another major problem with biodynamics is that it has become encumbered by one "official" way of doing it. That is, Demeter certification. I prefer to call it Demeter Calcification. Ossified. The Demeter regulations are little more than "organic" standards plus the use of "BD Preps Horn Manure and Horn Silica" once a year plus some compost. The don't have the slightest understanding of Steiner's understanding of the Universal Laws and Principles underpinning his conceptions. If we understand these laws and principles, working as RS did, from both a spiritual science point of view and a physical science point of view, we can begin the process of fixing what is a disaster for humanity created by the Anthros and the BDidiots. Saints, Avatars and the great Wise Men and Women of the Ages don't visit Earth randomly. They come for a purpose at a time when they are needed. In a phrase, God sent them. ("God sent His only begotten son.") The message that they bring is important, even vital, to all the Earth as a schoolhouse for souls to develop Unconditional Love. This little corner of the Universe is unique. It is a place for souls to advance quickly in their quest to return to their Creator, from whence they commeth. The idea is to keep this place going. The Forces if Evil, ignorant of God, finite in their lives and perspective, would seek to take the Earth and its surrounds away from souls seeking this return to the Heavenly Father - Divine Mother, thus hindering their quest for perfection and restoral just as they have chosen for themselves. Steiner, a great saint in his own right, described this in great detail. But, as said Shakespeare, here's the rub. All souls live in the Thought of God. Everyone plays by the same rules. Let's look at these rules. First, there is the Law of Unity. All exists in the One. It is God's thought that holds all of Creation together. God is in all things and all things are in God. So, when you see a flower, you are seeing an Individualized Expression of Spirit, or God. Second is the Law of Duality. This might be called the Law of Opposites or the Law of Contrasts. In action it is light-dark, up-down, in-out, good-bad, life-death. Life is a search for Truth. It is God's way of teaching His children the difference between truth and lies. On the Earthly plane, if we did not have these contrasting forces at work, we would have no understanding of the relative differences between, for example, doing good or evil. Duality exists in Unity. Everything is a reflection of God. It is no other option. Which leads us to the third most important Universal Law, the Law of Free Will. This too is described in great detail by RS in his lectures, The Hierarchy of Angels. On this plane, human souls are, in a sense, furthest away from God, the Divine Creator of All Things. He/She has granted souls an opportunity to do just about anything they want to do. This great Double Edged Sword can lead to great good or great evil. But most importantly, it leads to great advancement for the soul. The Laws that define the Universe are not so forgiving on other planes of existence. In those Realms, there is no pure Free Will, thus the advancement of souls is slower but there is less pain and suffering. God's Children come here to advance quickly. It's a very tough school. It wasn't meant to be easy. But greater strides can be made here in a shorter period of time. It is possible, through Kriya Yoga, to pay off the Karmic debt of thousands of lifetimes in one short life. A million years of Karma in only 20 years of intense and sincere practice. "Seek and ye shall find, ask and you shall be given." God is not so unforgiving that He does not give each of us a quick way back to Him. Having Free Will has its attendant consequences. The Law of Cause and Effect, or Karma, the Law of Consequences, or, said another way, "you reap what you sow" is understood by just about everyone. "What goes around, comes around." The Bible and the Bhagavad Gita both teach that we are rewarded for what we do - good or bad. We pay or receive the consequences. Of course, there are other Laws, and Principles, that effect us, but these are the Prime Four. I once identified no less than 27 of them. They are all immutable. They do not change. They are not imaginings. We all live by them consciously or unconsciously. You can choose to ignore them, but that doesn't change them. Like it or not, believe it or not, we all play by the same rules. See Ernest Holmes' book, The Science of Mind. In it, he describes how it is possible for a Voodoo Witch Doctor to perform the same "miracles" as a saint. Both work with the same laws, principles and forces. One reaps good rewards, the other, bad rewards. Think of it this way. Jesus said to his disciples Let's move into our physical world. Here some of us study something called "economics". In the dictionary, economics is "the social science that deals with the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services and with the theory and management of economics or economic systems". Fundamental to understanding economic theory it is essential to understand what is called Macro Economic Theory. The first law is the Law of Supply and Demand. Put simply, as the demand for a product or service increases, so does the supply, and vice versa. Seems intuitive, doesn't it? Also, as supply increases, usually the cost and/or the price goes down. Nevertheless, what this means is as the demand for, say, "BD Preps" increases, the supply should increase and although there may be a short term increase in the price, as other producers enter the marketplace, the price should decrease if the demand remains the same. Competition being what it is, i.e. competitive, and rational people by nature looking for a better price, quality and all other factors being equal, they will buy at the lowest cost to themselves. How is this "marketplace" defined? Well, we have to look first at a continuum of economic systems. In Economics, this is called "Comparative Economics". On one end of the scale, we have complete government control. On the other, we have Laissez Faire. The American Heritage Dictionary defines it as "an economic doctrine that opposes governmental regulation of or interference in commerce". Also, "noninterference in the affairs of others." The economic system of every country in the world fits somewhere into this continuum. We can it call Communism, Socialism or Capitalism but the variations between these so-called systems is great as well. What's in a name? North Korea calls itself the "Democratic National People's Republic of Korea". It is hardly democratic (majority rules and dominates), nor is it a republic (majority rule with consideration for and consensus by the minority). It is a Stalinist dictatorship. A completely managed economy ruled and regulated by a small cadre of managers, everything owned by the state. No private property. Capitalism, which used to be called "Free Enterprise" before the socialists and liberals read Karl Marx, is what some free countries enjoy. Until China took over Hong Kong, it was the epitome of a Free Enterprise economy. Now it's more controlled. We have the God Given right of Free Will. The God Given right to do pretty much whatever we want to do if we are willing to accept the consequences - one way or the other. Which system reflects Free Will more accurately? Government control of individual's lives, or no government control. (I'm not going to get into social responsibility. We're talking economic theory here. Okay?) The answer is Free Enterprise. Each individual in our world, free by birthright, yearning to be free, free to think whatever thoughts they may have (unless the P.C. thought police have their way on "precrimes") and is more or less free to act them out. In the end, the first step to fixing Steiner Agriculture is to get it to succeed in the marketplace of free ideas. Now, there are forces working against this all time. Anthroposophy and the self-appointed "official" biodynamic organizations - the BDA, JPI and Demeter - have decided what you should know and do, based on their limited understanding of what Steiner said. If their ideas fail to inspire people to follow them, then they should go out of business in a free market economy and be replaced by something better that does work. We always have these counter forces at work in an economy. Control v. Noncontrol. So it goes without saying that each side is constantly throwing a "ringer" into the equation. In the case of the BDA, they get people to give them money (and a farm or two) and this keeps them going even though their ideas are bankrupt. (References to P.T. Barnum and the Catholic Church are almost irresistible.) On the other hand, there are those of us, such as myself, who are in direct competition with the BDA, JPI and Demeter. We don't have the support of philanthropists in Europe. We have to go it alone and starve, on occasion. We have to make it on the effectiveness of our products and ideas. We can't skew the game with cushions of money. So we keep getting better and better at what we do, which, in this case, is Steiner Agriculture. My point is that we have to remember that there are always immutable laws in effect in our game. Sooner or later, the BDA, Demeter and JPI, if they don't do their job right, will fall. That inspires me every day. Unless they develop new ideas, innovate, develop, inspire, investigate scientifically and a myriad of other things, they will fall down of their own accord. So I ask you Allan, and the rest of the lurkers on the BDNOW list these questions: Who has better products? Who knows more about Steiner and how what he said works? Who can give better service? Who can give someone a better return on their investment? Who can teach others practical, cost effective ways to make Steiner's ideas work? Who has performed the scientific tests to back it up? Who has a track record of success? Is biodynamics a religion? Is it a belief system? Is it a real farm management system based on science? We can keep going ad nauseam. You get the point. If the free market forces had their way, the BDA, Demeter and JPI would have been out of business years ago. Without the support of money from overseas, they would be as bankrupt as their ideas. That is their future. Biodynamics is dead. They killed it. They have no one else to blame but themselves. No amount of ad hominem attacks on the messenger(s) of these sad tidings will resurrect it. It's just a matter of time before the USDA officially takes over regulating "biodynamic" agriculture as just a variation of "organic" agriculture. (Biodynamics is defined as "of or relating to a system [sic] of organic crop cultivation" - see above.) Then, demand for an alternative will begin to expand. It's already on the USDA's "hit list". You can't fight the government and win very often. Demeter has already lost this battle. They just don't won't admit it yet. I'm not concerned about biodynamics anymore. I care far more about the future of Steiner Agriculture done the way it is supposed to be done. Greg Willis Next in the Restoration of Steiner Agriculture: Steps each individual can take to understand Steiner Agriculture, rather than have some halfwits try to teach you what they themselves don't understand.
