Tuesday 20th January

Tuesday 20th January
Biodynamics works with earthly and cosmic rhythms, consciously orchestrated by the farmer or gardener, who seeks to deepen their intention and attentiveness. Rudolf Steiner noted that the peasant farmers of ancient times were deeply connected to these rhythms and forces, perhaps without naming or conceptualising them. Their knowing was instinctive, born of close relationship with land, seasons, and sky. To reach a similar state within today’s conscious, material world requires something different: training, guidance, and sustained practice. Through this path, the modern practitioner gradually cultivates an intuitive, living relationship with biodynamic processes rather than merely applying techniques.

Monday 19th January

Monday 19th January
With the Moon in Capricorn for the whole day, mid-January carries a mood of gravity and quiet strength. We may feel more serious, inward, or aware of responsibility, with a natural pull toward realism and restraint. Biodynamically, this is a time of crystallisation, as formative forces settle into the soil and give structure to what will come. Growth is held back, yet foundations are being clarified and strengthened below the surface. In the garden, this supports tending boundaries, paths, and compost rather than sowing or planting. What is shaped today — in soil and in ourselves — is built to endure.

Sunday 18th January

Sunday 18th January
The Moon rises in the constellation of Sagittarius, but moves into Capricorn in the evening. Today we are greeted by a New Moon, with the Sun also crossing from Sagittarius into Capricorn. As we move from a warmth constellation into an earth constellation, we may feel a shift from outward enthusiasm toward inward gravity. What is initiated and aimed for in Sagittarius now needs to be contained, structured, and made durable through Capricorn, so it can endure. It is a day for striving and aiming, while also practising restraint — shaping vision into something that can stand the test of time.

Saturday 17th January

Saturday 17th January
Today the Moon spends the whole day in Sagittarius, appearing only as a fine silver sliver in the sky as we approach the New Moon. In the evening, Saturn and Jupiter stand like distant guides, offering steadiness and familiarity against the deepening darkness. Under Sagittarius, emotions often turn toward questions of direction and purpose, and we may feel restless, idealistic, or quietly reflective, sensing a need to realign with what feels true rather than what is habitual. With so little moonlight, feelings arise subtly, more as intuitions than clear thoughts. Sagittarius invites trust that a new orientation is forming, even if its shape is not yet visible.

Friday 16th January

Friday 16th January
Today the Moon moves from Scorpio into Sagittarius to meet the Sun, while also reaching its lowest point on the horizon in its sidereal rhythm. From this threshold, the Moon begins to ascend for the next two weeks, shifting the gesture from inward gathering to upward movement. In biodynamic understanding, this supports the rising of sap in plants and the gradual awakening of growth above the ground. Strengthening winter light and Sagittarius’ quality of direction encourage what has been held in darkness to begin lifting towards form and purpose. In the garden, this is a moment to sense intention and orientation, allowing future activity to arise from this quiet but decisive turning.

Thursday 15th January

Thursday 15th January
Today the Moon moves through Scorpio, descending in its sidereal rhythm, drawing forces downward into the Earth and supporting depth, concentration, and inner work. Although it is mid-January, the light is now clearly increasing with momentum, and this strengthening solar impulse meets Scorpio’s capacity for regeneration and transformation. What has been resting in darkness begins to stir inwardly, like compost gently warming at its core. In the garden, this is a good day for grounding tasks such as tending compost, observing soil structure, and supporting processes of breakdown and renewal rather than outward growth.

Wednesday 14th January

Wednesday 14th January
Biodynamic agriculture works with Rudolf Steiner’s fourfold understanding of the human being. This includes the physical or mineral body, the etheric body — comparable to qi in Chinese medicine as the life force present in plants — and the astral body, which brings qualities of sensation, emotion, and imagination in animals and humans. Human beings alone also possess the Ego or “I”, the unique spiritual core of individuality. This principle of fourfoldness runs throughout Steiner’s work and is also used in anthroposophical medicine, which approaches health holistically. From this perspective, modern medicine focuses mainly on the physical body, while many alternative therapies work with the etheric. Anthroposophical medicine seeks to bring the etheric and astral into greater harmony, supporting integrated human health.

Tuesday 13th January

Tuesday 13th January
With the Moon in Libra all day, the garden is held in a gesture of light, balance, and orientation. Libra, a sign of light, lifts us away from heaviness and toward clarity and proportion. As the Moon reaches apogee — its furthest point from the Earth — there is an intensification of light forces. In biodynamic understanding, apogee can overrule the qualities of a constellation; in this case, it further strengthens Libra’s capacity for light rather than diminishing it. This creates a day less suited to sowing or planting and more supportive of observation, planning, and inward preparation. In mid-winter, when the garden continues its inward descent, this heightened light does not call for action, but for orientation — clarifying intentions, shaping ideas, and finding balance before future work takes form at the right time.

Monday 12th January

Monday 12th January
With the Moon in Virgo, the day supports reflection and discernment — gathering inspiration, reviewing the year ahead, and quietly shaping new projects and collaborations. While the garden moves slowly in mid-winter, continuing its inward descent, this apparent stillness is not emptiness. Do not be fooled by outer appearances: beneath the soil, everything is held as potential. As the Moon moves into Libra, thoughts turn toward balance and relationship — how ideas may be carried with others, and how future actions can be placed in right proportion. Like the garden, we work inwardly now, allowing plans and intentions to take form beneath the surface, before they move into outward manifestation at the right time.

Sunday 11th January

Sunday 11th January
With the Moon in Virgo, mid-winter draws our attention to the small, precise acts that sustain life, where nothing is wasted, nothing hurried, and care is expressed through detail. In the hive, honey bees gather into a tight winter cluster, the queen held at the warm centre, regulating the colony’s temperature through subtle collective movement and maintaining a warmth close to that of the human body even as external temperatures fall far below freezing. The natural beekeeping movement is turning toward log hives, to offer honey bees spaces they can swarm to in spring, recognising that heavily manipulated colonies have become dependent on constant human intervention. Honey bees predate human beings by millions of years, and Virgo reminds us that true stewardship is not control but careful adjustment — creating the conditions in which life can continue its own intelligent work.

Saturday 10th January

Saturday 10th January
The Moon has now reached its half phase after the Full Moon and stands in Virgo, bringing a mood of assessment and quiet correction. This is a moment to pause and take stock, rather than to rush ahead. In the garden, January asks for careful preparation: reviewing seed stocks, noting what remains viable, and ordering only what truly belongs to your soil and situation. Virgo supports practical tasks such as cleaning tools, sharpening blades, repairing trays and pots, and tidying the shed so that future work can flow smoothly. On this waning half-moon day, we are invited to adjust our plans — refining rather than expanding — ensuring that what we intend to grow this year is rooted in realism, care, and thoughtful attention to detail.

Friday 9th January

Friday 9th January
With the Moon held in Virgo throughout the day, a clarifying quality settles over both land and mind. Virgo invites focus, discernment, and careful attention to what truly nourishes. This is a favourable moment to plan the garden for the year ahead: to ask what you enjoy eating, which crops sustain you, and which flowers you wish to live alongside in the coming season. Under this influence, intention becomes practical. Whether turning toward the garden, your work, or your wider life, Virgo helps us order our thoughts and bring vision into form. Today supports quiet planning — choosing the seeds, both literal and inward, that will allow your garden to grow in alignment with what you truly wish to cultivate.

Thursday 8th January

Thursday 8th January
The Moon begins the day in Leo, carrying a quiet courage and heart-warmth, before moving into Virgo in the afternoon, where attention turns toward care, discernment, and the healing gesture of service. In its sidereal rhythm the Moon is descending, drawing forces inward, and it continues to wane after the fullness reached only a few days ago. This is a time for consolidation rather than expansion — for allowing impressions to settle into the body and the soil. As dusk falls, Jupiter and Saturn shine like bright jewels in the evening sky, reminding us of wisdom gained over time and the patience required for what wishes to endure. Today invites gentle tending: of the land, of our work, and of the quiet order that supports life beneath the surface.

Wednesday 7th January

Wednesday 7th January
The Moon rises in the constellation of Leo, carrying a gesture of warmth and quiet radiance into the midst of winter’s outer cold. Under such skies, we are reminded of the human capacity to kindle inner fire when the world appears dormant. Rudolf Steiner, the founder of biodynamics, gave over 6,000 lectures during his lifetime, yet it was in the final years of his life that his insights poured forth most intensively. Responding to the needs of his time, he brought new light to education, medicine, social threefolding, and architecture, applying a holistic worldview shaped by philosophy, lived experience, and spiritual perception. As Leo lifts the heart and strengthens the will, today invites us to tend our own inner warmth — that quiet courage which, when held through winter, can become a guiding force for renewal in the year ahead.

Tuesday 6th January

Tuesday 6th January
On Epiphany, we reach the culmination of the Twelve Holy Nights, when the journey of the Three Kings comes to fulfilment and what was held inwardly begins to turn outward. In biodynamic practice, this day is associated with the Three Kings Preparation, made from gold, frankincense, and myrrh — the gifts of the Magi. The preparation is stirred in a barrel for an hour and then spread along the boundaries of the farm or garden, offering a gesture of protection, orientation, and care for the year ahead. With the Moon in Leo all day, a sign linked to the heart and courage, there is a sense of steady inner warmth and quiet confidence. It is a day to stand clearly in one’s place, allowing intentions shaped through the Holy Nights to be carried forward with calm strength rather than force.

Monday 5th January

Monday 5th January
Biodynamic farmers and anthroposophical practitioners often honour the Twelve Holy Nights, from 24 December to 6 January, as a sacred period of reflection, recalling the journey of the Three Wise Men, known in the Bible as the Magi — Zoroastrian priests who read the language of the stars and followed a guiding light toward the birth of Christ. During this time, outer life grows quiet and the inner life becomes more audible, inviting us to gently reflect on what we love by naming the books, music, subjects, and ways of knowing that truly nourish us. We might ask whether these passions are being tended or are beginning to change, and, like the Magi moving step by step without certainty, hold one simple question as a companion for the year ahead: what is one area of life or knowledge you would like to deepen?

Sunday 4th January

Sunday 4th January
Today the Moon moves through Gemini, bringing a light, airy tone to the day. Thoughts may feel quick and curious, with a desire to talk, connect, or take in new ideas, though this can also bring a sense of restlessness or mental busyness. As the Moon later moves into Cancer, the energy turns inward and softens. Sensitivity increases, and there may be a stronger need for comfort, familiarity, and emotional safety. This gentle transition carries us from thinking into feeling, inviting the day to end in warmth, care, and quiet presence rather than outward activity.

Saturday 3rd January

Saturday 3rd January
Today we are greeted by the Full Moon in Gemini, rising close to the threshold of the New Year and standing opposite the Sun in Sagittarius. Its light is fully reflected back toward the Earth, illuminating both the outer landscape and our inner life. Gemini brings a quality of lightness and movement, inviting clear seeing and listening rather than immediate decision. Like moonlight on winter ground, this Full Moon reveals what is present and quietly orients us as the light of the year continues to return.

Friday 2nd January

Friday 2nd January
The Moon rises in the constellation of Taurus, reaching its zenith in the sidereal rhythm. From here it begins its two-week descent, drawing forces inward and downward into the Earth, supporting root development and the quiet, formative activity of the soil. This lunar gesture mirrors the wider seasonal movement from 15th December to 15th January, when the Earth holds its life most deeply within. During this time the soil is not dormant but inwardly alive, slowly composting the past year into future fertility. Within this inward phase lie the Holy Nights, when earthly time loosens and cosmic influences touch the Earth more directly. Just as the soil gathers and protects its warmth, the human soul is invited to become still, attentive, and receptive. What is quietly held now — in soil and in soul — becomes the hidden foundation for growth in the year ahead.

Wednesday 31st December

Wednesday 31st December
It is New Year’s Eve, a moment poised between ending and beginning. The Moon moves from Aries into Taurus at the very start of the day, carrying the last spark of Aries’ initiating fire into the steady, grounding presence of Earth. What begins as impulse is quickly asked to become embodied. Taurus brings weight, substance, and continuity, reminding us that true renewal is not sustained by will alone, but by care, rhythm, and patience. As the year draws to a close, this gesture invites us to root our intentions, allowing what is carried forward to settle quietly into the soil of the coming year, ready to grow in its own time.