“A crystallisation of a pathway forward.”
We were very pleased to support the Anthroposophical Society’s application to fund Monique Macfarlane’s attendance at the Goetheanum Conference in Germany in February 2024, and for her to follow this up with a series of seven events in Aotearoa on her return.
Monique soaked up a ‘full, illuminating and nourishing week’ through lectures, workshops, artistic courses and open space sessions - a rich tapestry of experiences that has guided the next phase in Monique’s work.
The workshop, ‘Enlivening plant vitality with preparations: how to perceive and choose the right techniques’, ran across three days and was led by Olivier Clisson, Peter Kearney and Luca Montellier. ‘Connecting with the beings of nature through Rudolf Steiner’s six exercises’, run by Susan Raven, was the topic of the artistic course, and in the open spaces programme, Monique looked at ways to help people connect to agriculture under the leadership of Vincent Eichholz and Paul Stender: ‘The next generation in biodynamics: shaping the future’. Amongst the many lectures, a presentation by Andrea D’Angelo and Paz Bernaschina, ‘The Biodynamic Preparations’ was pivotal. “… I have witnessed many conversations anout the preparation plants, their place in New Zealand, and the authenticity of it all. This lecture was pivotal, it was permission. And again it wove into the thread of the inner work of the practitioner.”
Monique also visited the Rudolph Steiner Archive in Dornach - an utter highlight. “To hear the richness of the stories of the land, how the Goetheanum came to be, the impulses that arose here..
.to have the opportunity to hold a notebook in my hands. Pulling from then, and into now, the path has laid before me.”
She has been very busy on her return, sharing her insights and enthusiasm at three workshops to date, with more planned:
Gardening by the Moon - part of the Earthbeat Festival in Auckland in March.
This was a 90-minute workshop introducing the Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Calendar and how to easily incorporate it in a garden setting. Monique received very positive feedback - “incredibly gifted … balancing knowledge, humour and content.”
Make your own Natural Fertilisers - This was a free four-hour workshop held at Monique’s farm in Waihi in April.
Attendees explored the biodynamic preparations, buried Preparation 500 and made a Cow Pat Pit. Participants enjoyed “sensing the magic” and “practical aspects alongside cosmic and spiritual guidance…”
Spiritual Gardening - also at Monique’s farm - a free hands-on workshop to explore the interwoven connections of the cosmos and holistic gardening concepts.
The group discussed frameworks for authentic conversations with nature, gardening by the moon and homeopathic preparations as blessings for the land. Participants particularly enjoyed how it was “held on a property that showcases the benefits of this practice.”
We’re very much looking forward to hearing more from Monique as she continues to share her insights and passion.
Posted: 1 May 2024
