Lecture by Alan Chadwick in Saratoga, May 9, 1972

Lecture 2, Part 2.6

An Introduction to Alan Chadwick's Lectures and a Glossary of Terms

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Contents of this Segment:

Winter dormancy; Moon cycle; Interplay between sun influence and moon influence; Effect on tides and all water by the moon; Seed germination is an effect of water and therefore affected by moon; Keep seed bed moist during germination; Avoid watering in the full sun; Polarity of air to soil as balance to each other.

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Villa Montalvo Lecture Series

Saratoga, California, 1972, Lecture 2,

Propagation, Part 6

... their huge blooming the next inclination year. And so you go through the fall equinox when again the gales sweep the world. But all the time it’s closing down, it’s more destructive, putting to sleep, killing, knocking down the dead branches, bringing down the loose tops of mountains. Everything that isn’t safe. “Go on, get to sleep.” And so it goes into the huge dormancy of total atmospheric rest, which is the very opposite to the primavera, which is every day and night excitement of birth.

Now, with that inclination and declination of the sun, goes the cycles of twelve of the moon of inclination and declination. And none of them are, of course, at all equal. It is again an infusion of change. So that in January the inclination of the moon, rising with the inclination of the sun is reasonably ineffectual. By February, after the moon has declined in January and begins to rise in February, the excitement of the magnetism of that moon is beginning to be very noticeable indeed.

And when I say the magnetism of the moon, you must be aware that it is a geographical matter. And anybody who has been to sea, and navigates, knows that the tide will rise at full moon in a certain given place thirty-two feet. That water, that ocean, will rise thirty-two feet in a certain place when the moon is full in the equinoctial full-tide period. And when that moon is down that rise of that water will be two feet. And that practically the entire matter is the magnetism of the moon. Eight-ninths, to put it as an approximation.

That it is not the ocean tides that are just being magnetized by the moon, this enormous pulsation in and out of the tides. It is not just the ocean water; it is all water that the moon magnetizes. Springs, lakes, rivers, ponds, and the water in the air between two leaves, and the very moisture in your skin, which is why so many people at the full moon simply can’t sleep, and why all the mushrooms pop up, and why the fish all feed.

And so, do you understand that when you moisten seed, the husks of a little soul and embryo, which is sitting between two little dormant leaves covered with two dry husks, which have now got water on them, which has seeped through onto those two leaves. And the soul is lush inside. That the moon, in inclining two nights before the new moon begins to ascend, starts its first magnetism. And it says, “Come on…, wake up.” And the next night, “Come on, I said, wake up.” And then, until the moon is half, there is little change. But at half moon to full, every night it is a voluptuous excitement like that huge inclination of the sun through the equinox of the primavera.

And so you go through periods that are changes of acceleration of pulsation. And at half moon to full no seed of the period that is moistened can resist germination. And they will simply burst up. Therefore understand that this magnetism of the moon is the major cause of germination of seed. And that it is in conjunction with the other planets, of which tonight, of course, we can’t speak. But it is very much in conjunction also with the inclination of the sun and this primavera of atmosphere.

Now you understand why it is so important, when you have sown your seed, to keep it moist until germination. If you allow that seed bed to dry out, the magnetism of that moon cannot possibly draw the moisture which is in that closed seed, which is very tight. For it’s had to protect it through all the winter climates of cold, which have sealed it with its waxes and linens and silks and veneers to keep that little soul alive inside. But now these moistures are sitting on this husk. And every night the pulling of the moon, and suddenly [clap] it splits open.

It isn’t the soul inside that’s done it. It is, just like the moon makes the tide pulse, it has drawn this seed open. And now it begins to grow. And remember that you may water those two little baby leaves of a seed overhead, whether it be in the sun or not. But that once the actual leaves of the plant are developed, you must not water those in the full sun. Evening and morning are the times to water. And remember it should be tepid water or water in relationship to the temperature of the atmosphere.

Now, an interesting matter, just before we stop for the break, about biodynamics concerning this cycle. You see, at all times, nature, creation, has an absolute total hold on the consumateness of everything. And you will observe that in the primavera period of the equinox, something is happening deep down in the world, in the soil, which is astonishing. And you can sense it by watching nature. You will see the buds begin to open. You think, “Ah, the peaches, the apricots, are all going to be in bloom.” And suddenly it all stops. And you think, “Oh, gracious, what’s happened?”

And what is happening, of course, is this: That you always get in biodynamics the opposite. The whole infusion is birth, excitement. “Come on, come on, come to life. It’s time to live, don’t you realize? You see how beautiful everything is?” And all the time, deep down, because of that enormous death and sleep, it has gone right into the world into the soil deep down into the waters in the soil where the moon has said, “Sleep.” And so it is cold and full of sleep.

And as the atmosphere is all vibrating with excitement, this every time says, “Oh, be careful, it’s not summer yet. It’s cold down here.” And every night this comes up and says, “Steady now, steady. It’s not spring yet. Every day doesn’t make a swallow.” And in the fall you get the exact opposite matter in the equinox, again this huge control. What have you got? The whole atmosphere of the declination of the sun, of the closing in of everything saying, “Close the windows, draw the blinds, my dear. It’s time to go to bed and go to sleep.” And the whole soil, the whole atmosphere, the very stems of trees, the very air in the soil and the water in the soil and the depths of lakes have all been filled with the whole inclination. And it’s vital. It’s absolutely vital and full of it.

And so every night when everything is saying, “Get ready now. Time to go to bed.” It’s, “Don’t be so silly. It’s not time to go to bed yet. Go on. Keep going.” And you suddenly see all this thing of all the fall blossoming: the michaelmas daisies, the chrysanthemums all saying, “Ah, but it’s heaven here, let’s make the best of it.” And so you get this huge balance of control where nothing really runs away with the whole thing. And here we learn the enormous law of the acute delicacy of our touch in the soil of tangibility. How acute nature is at keeping a beautiful control on things.

The world of cuttings and strikes. The propagation of.

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