Lunar Gardening

If you've ever seen the first green shoot of a seed you've planted poking up out of the soil, you already know that seeds are kind of magical. Seeds, no matter how small, have within them the complete blueprint for what they're capable of becoming. No matter how you stick them in the ground, they know how to reach up into the light and down into the soil for what they need. A seed holds no doubt about its ability to grow and thrive. It never worries. Its faith is complete. It's a master creator. To me, seeds are sacred - like humbly-packaged divine gifts, sprinkled all over the earth. Within those unassuming shells are beautiful flowers to please our senses, magnificent trees to shade and shelter us, or blades of grass to carpet the ground we walk upon. Their leaves and roots nourish us. They are packed with physical and energetic medicine. I believe all of life is relational and that we can honor a seed's sacred nature by working to understand it and come into deeper relationship with it. That means not only gaining knowledge of obvious environmental factors like nutrient and sunlight availability, frost dates, etc., but also working to understand the more subtle forces affecting a seed. Life is held in balance by the complex interplay of opposing forces - light and dark, birth and death, winter and summer. Everything moves in cycles of rising and falling energies. If you've ever kept a garden, you know there are times when plants seem to be growing right before your eyes and other times when there appears to be nothing happening. What you're witnessing is the collective effect of the rising and falling lunar, celestial and earth energies.

EARTH ENERGIES By their nature, plants are deeply connected to the earth. Their roots conduct not only water and nutrients, but subtle earth energies, like signals being transmitted over a telegraph line. These subtle energies rise and fall, as the earth appears to breathe in and breathe out. According to Rudolf Steiner, the earth inhales and exhales on a daily, monthly and yearly basis. The daily exhale begins in the morning and continues until early afternoon. During this time, the earth's energy moves upward and outward. In the late afternoon and evening, the inhale begins, and the earth's energy is drawn back down.

The monthly rising and falling cycle is aligned with the moon. As the moon waxes, the earth exhales, sending energy out. As the moon wanes, the earth inhales, drawing energy back in. The long, yearly exhale begins at the spring equinox and continues until the fall equinox. During this time, earth elementals are released and we witness the rapid growth and greening of the planet. The yearly inhale begins at the fall equinox, when the earth elementals return and the earth's energy is withdrawn in preparation for winter. With each of these exhales, earth energy flows upward through a plant, like sap rising. With each inhale, earth energy flows downward, withdrawing to the roots. LUNAR AND CELESTIAL ENERGIES The moon’s gravity exerts a great influence on the movement of water, and therefore on all life whose survival depends on it. The ocean rises and falls as a result of the gravitational forces acting upon it, most primarily the gravitational pull of the moon. Tidal patterns cycle daily and monthly. Each day there are two high tides and two low tides. Larger than normal high tides occur at the new moon and the full moon, and lower than normal low tides occur at the first and last quarter moon. All water on the planet is affected by these rising and falling cycles. At the new moon and full moon, water is drawn upward by the rising energy. For plants, that means it's easier to develop upward growth. At the first and last quarter moon, water is drawn downward by the descending energy, making it easier for plants to develop deep roots. In addition, the light of the moon increases during the waxing part of the cycle, reaching its peak at the full moon and providing plants with maximum light for photosynthesis. The amount of light decreases during the waning moon, reaching its lowest level and creating the darkest nighttime environment at the time of the new moon. As the moon travels through its phases, it's also passing through each of the twelve signs of the zodiac. Each of these signs corresponds to one of the four elements (earth, air, fire, water), and exert a subtle influence for two or three days each. In general, water signs are ideal for leafy growth, and earth signs for root growth. Fire signs are good for pruning, weeding and harvesting. Cultivating the soil and harvesting (especially for storage) are supported under the influence of an air sign, as it tends to dry things out. All of these cycles within cycles are occurring simultaneously, intersecting and interacting to create times that are highly conducive to specific activities and specific types of plant growth. It might seem like a lot to keep track of, but lunar gardening is an ancient practice that's being reclaimed and modernized, so there are lots of resources to help you if you're interested in giving it a try. (I've also made a chart below to help you keep track of the basics. I always suggest starting small and building as time allows and as your confidence grows.)

Just remember, to everything there is a season. Seeds hold this ancient wisdom and are attuned to what's needed and what's ready to come forth. By understanding and aligning with these subtle natural forces, you'll not only be encouraging healthy, happy plants, but coming into communion with the deeper mystery and sacred nature of seeds.

For help calculating the moon phase, check out the online Farmer's Almanac moon phase calendar. For help calculating planting days based on the zodiac, see their Zodiac Calendar. You can also purchase a print calendar from Gardening by the Moon.

Also, for information on the seed programming and planting ritual described in The Ringing Cedar series by Vladimir Megre, check out Seed Programming for Health.