Early in 2024, Monique Macfarlane travelled to the Goetheanum in Switzerland, supported by Kete Ora Trust and the Anthroposophical Society in New Zealand. You can read our previous article about her trip here, along with the first three of seven events she delivered as part of the funding agreement.
An indepth report on Monique’s trip to the Goetheanum was published in the most recent Harvests magazine – Spring/Summer 2024, which you can read here (PDF, 539.85 kB). Thanks to Biodynamics New Zealand for sharing this article – find more information about Harvests here.
Monique delivered a further four events in 2024, including a second ‘Spiritual Gardening’ course in Rotorua plus these creative opportunities to share her expertise and love for her work:
Blessings on the Earth: “In this expansive afternoon, timed to coincide with Organic Week, we came together in community to explore ritual, connection and gratitude with the earth. Embracing the interconnectedness of everything, we created nature mandalas, dropped into various states of presence, and beautifully held a biodynamic preparation 500 stir and spread - an incredibly connected blessing ritual for the earth.”
Introduction to the Biodynamic Calendar “It is always such a nourishing experience to introduce people to biodynamics through the Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Calendar. Two of the workshops in the series were based around this, and it is always well received through the lived experience I personally have with the calendar.”
You can purchase the recording of Monique’s ‘Introduction to the Biodynamic Calendar Online Workshop’ from Biodynamic New Zealand here.
Weaving the New Zealand impulse through Preparation 500. 
“At the centennial celebrations, Su Hoskin and I co-facilitated a beautiful expansive experience with the attendees on Sunday Afternoon. A call out in the weeks leading up to the event, sourced preparation 500 from Honeymoon Bay in the far North, down to Central Otago in the South, as well as Cow Pat Pit from various locations around New Zealand. It was wonderful to be able to experience an array of preparation 500 that had arrived, and beautifully weave them together to strengthen the New Zealand impulse at a pivotal time. Sound exploration, resonance, connection was explored, as well as lively discussions and sharing of information throughout the experience.”
GOETHEANUM 2025 Another very happy outcome from Monique’s first trip to the Goetheanum was an invitation to be a keynote speaker at the 2025 event, which ran from 5 – 8 February. Monique explains, “A particular Michael Letter is chosen in accordance with the theme, which this year is - Michael’s Task in the Sphere of Ahriman. T
Monique and Eduardo Rincon, the new Section for Agriculture leader, opened the three part series of the Michael Letter, which was held across three mornings. “We were investigating ‘feeling the earth as a living being’, and in the following mornings there was ‘thinking the earth as a living being’, and ‘awakening the will for the earth as a living being’”. You can see the full programme here.
Congratulations, Monique, and thanks for all your inspiring work!
Posted: 10 February 2025
