Powdery Mildew

A reply to a question

………. seems you have not had much response to your request.
I am looking into this topic at present and so might be able to stir your enquiry some.
Seems to me there is some confusion as to the processes behind the appearance of PM. There is the indications in lecture 5 ( re Oak Bark ) and lecture 6, in which Equisetum is indicated for fungus. But which type? Both of these references describe a situation where there is far too much moisture coming from ‘below’ in the soil, which pushes off the incoming astrality. The Oak Bark seeks to pull this excess moon activity to the soil, while the Equisetum is suggested to push it into the soil. Hence the common belief of Eq is bringing in the astrality to balance the upward moisture. The only problem is – is PM a problem caused by excess moisture? The books tell us it is a hot dry disease. So it seems to me dec 5 and 6 are describing rotting fungus………
RS suggests we examine the way Eq. works with the human kidney for an more exact image of how this is working. This is quite a study, and somewhat challenging and confusing, if we stay within the simple, ‘growth and differentiation’ of many BD world views. Which might be why there is no literature addressing this subject.
The medical literature provides several insights into this Eq. kidney story. see ‘The Healing Processes’ 1923-24 for several indications. These tell the story of an overly active Nerve Sense pole – as one of several stimuli – pushing into the metabolism and replacing the activity of the internal astral function within in the kidneys, which in turn then can not activate the etheric activity there, so the kidney function reduces. Eq. reactivates the internal astrally in the metabolism, to stimulate the internal etheric, which then pushes back the the nerves sense Spirit and Astral activity. – for a Ag course reference to this story see dec 4 , where RS talks of cow manure and horns. So we can see some similarity to the lecture 6 story of Head /Soil activity being pushed upwards into the Metabolic zone, however in the human it is not an excessive ‘water’ activity, but an excessive light, Astral / nervous activity causing the problem.
‘The search’ becomes somewhat more confused when we notice RS talks in the 23-24 lectures a lot about the role of his artificial Eq. – Bidor remedy as a solution for Migraine – which is characterised as an overly active metabolic process , causing inflammation and pushing into the head region. Here this suggests again that the internal Astral and more so the Spirit has lost control of the metabolic etheric processes, which then become rampant and causes inflammation, which pushes into the head. Here the aim is to stimulate the internal astrally and Spirit to control the ‘free’ metabolic etheric activity. In both cases it is the stimulation of the internal Astrality, that is being used to ‘solve the problem. But are these stories related to Powdery Mildew?
There is another approach to fungus presented in 1921 April lecture 5 http://wn.rsarchive.org/Lectures/Dates/19210415a01.html(link is external) and this describes fungal attack as an overly strong World ‘astral’ movement, which seems to have more relevant indications for PM. My trials on this approach have been good so far.
The simple inward moving above and outward moving below interpretation of Biodynamics, does not adequately cope with these stories. Once we take the lecture 8 pictures seriously and appreciate the working of the Physical Formative forces described as Cosmic force, Cosmic Substance, Earthly Forces and Earthly Substance, we have a framework for approaching this discussion. Eq, becomes a preparation for stimulating the Cosmic Substance. This then can play a role in pushing off the World Astral intrusion, suggested by PM. But there can surely be more we can do to push off the World Astrality ………