What Is Biodynamics: A Way to Heal and Revitalize the Earth

Rudolf Steiner
Rudolf Steiner (b. Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner, 1861–1925) was born in the small village of Kraljevec, Austro-Hungarian Empire (now in Croatia), where he grew up. As a young man, he lived in Weimar and Berlin, where he became a well-published scientific, literary, and philosophical scholar, known especially for his work with Goethe’s scientific writings. At the beginning of the twentieth century, he began to develop his early philosophical principles into an approach to systematic research into psychological and spiritual phenomena. Formally beginning his spiritual teaching career under the auspices of the Theosophical Society, Steiner came to use the term Anthroposophy (and spiritual science) for his philosophy, spiritual research, and findings. The influence of Steiner’s multifaceted genius has led to innovative and holistic approaches in medicine, various therapies, philosophy, religious renewal, Waldorf education, education for special needs, threefold economics, biodynamic agriculture, Goethean science, architecture, and the arts of drama, speech, and eurythmy. In 1924, Rudolf Steiner founded the General Anthroposophical Society, which today has branches throughout the world. He died in Dornach, Switzerland.

Hugh J. Courtney
Hugh J. Courtney (1932–2020), a veteran and librarian, discovered Steiner’s agriculture course in 1975 at a health food store in College Park, Maryland. This led him to Josephine Porter, who was making biodynamic preparations according to Steiner’s indications. He apprenticed under Josephine and, when she died in 1984, took up her work. He created the Josephine Porter Institute in Woolwine, VA, where he has been making and selling preparations (six compost preparations and 3 others), editing the newsletter Applied Biodynamics, and consulting on all aspects of the biodynamic approach. Hugh Jordan Courtney passed the threshold quietly in his sleep on June 15, 2020, at the age of 87 in Woolwine, Virginia.