GLEN ATKINSON PHD
Within biodynamics there is a quirky idea' entitled 'Seed Chaos. This is the period in a plant's growth when the star forces, which carry the 'architectural' species impulse of a plant, joins with the growing plant, to direct the new seed and its subsequent plant, through its growth cycle.
In his book 'The Working of the Planets and the Life Processes in Man and Earth' Bernard Lievegoed identifies this as the 'Saturn 1' process, once this star force reaches the planetary sphere. (Lievegoed, 1951). It is fair to ask, why does this matter?
It is important because, if it is possible to influence the architectural plans of a species, it could be possible to make dramatic steps in plant development, such as having a perennial coriander plant, which will not rush off to seed immediately, or some other significant trait we might like. The specifics of how to do this is a separate topic and a suggestion is offered in 'A Suggestion for Plant Development' (Atkinson, 2020).
First, we must establish when, Seed Chaos occurs.
It is very common to hear that this 'Seed Chaos' event takes place at germination. I contend that it occurs at pollination.
Several 'big names' within the biodynamic movement promote this. Maria Thun is often quoted, however as close as I have found her say is "The moment at which the seed is entrusted to the Earth has the strongest formative influence." (Thun, 1999).
US researcher, Hugh Courtney offers in his Applied Biodynamics newsletter "Seed soaks are useful to help bring plants back to their connection with the plant cosmic archetype or the "blueprint" for that plant... even organic seeds have often lost their connection to their archetype. It takes several generations for seeds to come back to their proper connection with the cosmic archetype. Seed soaks will assist this connection and help the seeds in germination and growth.
This assistance happens from the moment of germination with the use of seed soaks." (Courtney, 2020)
Alex Podolinsky provides pictures in his book Living Knowledge of trials he carried out to conclude. "Chaos took place between 24 and 36 hours' (after sowing). (Podolinsky, 2002)
Italian researcher, Enzo Nastati makes it one of the central premise of his book 'Basic BD Agriculture in 9 Meetings'. Quoting the Podolinsky trials he says "Initially it happened that the seed becomes chaoticised. It begins to swell and life which is latent in the previous season begins to show itself, Afterwards this life collapses in order to begin again, and the moment in which it collapses into chaos is when 'the idea' enters'." (Nastati, 2018).
This collective belief gives the 'moon planting' movement a 'glittering' philosophic justification, for the many scientific trials that do show, the time of sowing seed has some influence upon the subsequent growth of the plant. A keen observer of plant growth, however, will have noted that there are many such possible moments in a plant's development. Thun says even tilling the soil can make significant changes in the plant. Also, whether there is light or not. whether it is a wet season or not, and what biodynamic sprays are apolied and when, al can be seen to have a significant effect on the subsequent plant development. So yes, sowing time does influence plant growth, but is this the event that can influence the way in which a species expresses itself. is Steiner's description of this seed chaos event, talking about germination?
My study of Rudolf Steiner's comments regarding Seed Chaos, shows he saw it as occurring at pollination. The money shot is in the Agriculture Course, in the Discussion after Lecture IV - If there is fertilised seed at all, the chaos is complete." (Steiner, 1924). I would have thought this would be the end of the matter, however as we can see, the 'germination' belief is very much alive and well.
During 2018, while addressing Rudolf Steiner's Plant Growth story (Dr Steiner's Plant Story - GLENOPATHY, 2020) and Enzo's lectures, I had a discussion with, a fellow BD enthusiast, Stewart Lundy, on this topic. He was very helpfuf with various lecture quotes and has compiled his "fruits" of that conversation into an essay entitled "Bringing Order to Seed Chaos". (Lundy, 2020) He gives a more scholarly presentation than I have, and provides a broader context of other instances of Diffused Chaos" discussed by Steiner. This is a good contribution to the conversation and well worth reading.
So, let's allow Dr Steiner speak for himself:
Koberwitz. June 10, 1924"It is that we know the conditions which the forces of the cosmic spaces can work upon the earthly realm. Let us begin with seed formation. The seed which gives rise to the embryo of the plant is generally regarded as a molecular structure of exceptional complexity, and science lays great stress upon this interpretation.
What happens is that when the embryonic structure has reached the highest stage of complexity in the earth domain it falls to pieces and becomes a "little chaos".
It breaks up and dissolves, one might say, into "world-dust". (DNA splitting - Ed).
And when this little chaos of world-dust is there, the whole surrounding cosmos begins to work upon it to stamp it with its own image and to build up in it a structure conditioned by the forces of the Universe, working in upon it from every side (see drawing). Thus, the seed becomes an image of the Cosmos.
Every time this happens, and seed formation is carried throuen to the point of chaos, the new organism is built up from the seed-chaos by the activity of the cosmos.
The parent organism has only the tendency to bring the seed to such cosmic position that through Its affinity with this cosmic position the cosmic forces will act in the proper direction so that, e.g. d dandelion will give rise to another dandelion and not a ververs.
But the new thing that is built up is always the image of some cosmic constellation. It is built up out of the cosmos. And if in the Earth we would make effective the forces of the cosmos, we must drive the earthly elements into the state of greatest possible chaos. This has to be the case whenever we want the cosmos to act upon our Earth.
In the case of plant-growth this is in a certain sense provided for by nature herself. But just because every new organism is built up by the Cosmos it is necessary that the cosmic principles must be allowed freedom to work in the organisms until the seed-formation is completed."
Remembering the "money shot", in the Discussion after Lecture IV -
"If there is fertilised seed at all, the chaos is complete." (Steiner, 2013).
If I draw the organism here (see below), and here the germ - and therefore the beginning of the embryo - the germ is the most chaotic of all as far as the conglomeration of material substance is concerned.
This germ is something that has emancipated itself from all forces of crystallization, from all chemical forces of the mineral kingdom, and so on. Absolute chaos has arisen in this one spot, which is held together only by the rest of the organism.
Because of the fact that here this chaotic protein has appeared, there is the possibility for the forces of the entire universe to act upon this protein, so that this protein is in fact a copy of the forces of the entire universe. Precisely those forces that then become formative forces for the etheric body and for the astral body are present in the female egg cell. without fertilization yet having taken place. Through fertilization, this formation also acquires the physical body and the l, the sheath of the l, and therefore that which constitutes the formation of the l. This arises through fertilization."
Lecture 3. Domach, July 1, 1924
What more needs to be said, but how do we test and use this knowledge?