How this lunar calendar works

This calendar works like other lunar calendars, which indicates the phases of the moon for each day, but it differs by detailing the best times of each month to carry out certain tasks in the field and which can be extrapolated to other personal or beauty care and even home care. For this it is based on the criteria of the lunar calendar of biodynamic agriculture.

The first thing the calendar offers you is power identify how the Moon is each daythat is, what lunar phase it is in. The phases of the Moon are basic information of any lunar calendar and those of Full Moon and New Moon They appear marked month by month. By looking at when they are, you will be able to know if the day you want to look at the Moon is in the waning or waxing phase. On days of last quarter or first quarter, the Moon appears illuminated exactly halfway.

In the northern hemisphere, The Moon in the waning phase draws a «C» with its illuminated partwhile in the crescent phase it draws a «D». In the southern hemisphere the opposite happens, but the days of the full moon and new moon coincide.

What makes this lunar calendar different

What this calendar proposes It is not just knowing what Moon there is each day, but taking it into account to live more in tune with the lunar cycle. It is a fact that living in tune with natural cycles is positive for our well-being.

Live in tune with the rhythms of nature

Science has extensively studied how Natural cycles influence life at the cellular level and, although much remains to be known about what role the influence of the Moon plays in this, there is evidence that many living beings modify their behavior depending on the lunar cycle. Some studies also suggest that the Moon could have its effect on people, for example on the quality and duration of sleep, although beyond this aspect the results on lunar influence are controversial.

What there is no doubt about is the influence of the Moon on the tides. Every day, due to the action of our satellite, millions of cubic meters of water move and remind us that there are forces that we do not see but that act on the Earth. It is not unreasonable to think that, with this influence that the Moon exerts on the enormous mass of water that covers our planet, there could also be a influence on the living beings that live in it. After all, both plants, people and animals we are made up mostly of water.

That is the basis of some of the recommendations made in this lunar calendar, although not the only one.

The influence of the moon reflected in the calendar

Human beings have been looking to the sky for centuries to program their crops and knowledge acquired through observationand trial and error, have been transmitted from generation to generation and reflected in agricultural almanacs, many of whose recommendations were and are made following the lunar calendar.

Today the lunar calendars remain a tool appreciated by lovers of horticulture and gardeningespecially those who seek to take care of their plants in an ecological way. The concentration of water in the upper or lower part of the plant Due to the influence of the Moon, it can make tasks such as planting, pruning, transplanting, grafting or harvesting more or less advisable.

There are different traditions and methods to calculate in the lunar calendars when it is time to perform each of those tasks. These calculations are extrapolated to determine the optimal time to carry out Other tasks that lunar energy can influence. It is considered that the energy necessary to Hair growth also varies depending on the phase and orbit of the Moonwhich may make it more or less advisable to cut your hair or wax depending on the moment.

Where is the data obtained from?

For this lunar calendar the data is obtained specifically following the criteria of the biodynamic agriculturea branch of anthroposophic philosophy and one of the current pioneers in betting on working the land with ecological methods and connected with the rhythms of nature. The influences that are also taken into account can be applied to other areas of life everyday life, such as foot and nail care, the effectiveness of massages, following fasts or cleansing diets or the fermentation of foods and drinks.

The recommendations of this lunar calendar are made with the data offered each year in the Maria Thun Biodynamic Farming Lunar Calendarwhich every year the Rudolf Steiner publishing house adapts for Spain from the German original. It is the calendar chosen by Bodymind to obtain the haircut and waxing data.

Maria Thun, a disciple of Rudolf Steiner, dedicated her life to studying how it influences the position and movement of the Moon and other stars of the solar system on plants. His calendar became increasingly more complex, as little by little he incorporated the influence of other phenomena such as planetary oppositions, conjunctions or eclipses into his calculations. Over time, it has become a valuable tool for farmers to achieve good harvests.

How the garden calendar works

By looking at the lunar phases we can already begin to have an idea of ​​what care will be more or less recommended in general terms, but biodynamic agriculture It looks not only at the phases of the Moon but also at its orbit, its height in the firmament and other planetary aspects. With these observations, the lunar calendar establishes what it calls «leaf periods or days», «root periods or days», «flower periods or days» or «fruit periods or days».

The orbit of the moon

In some lunar calendars, especially biodynamic ones, you can sometimes see day by day whether the Moon is in ascending or descending motion. To know you, you can look for a landmark in the landscape and look at the same time every night towards that point: is the Moon higher or lower than the night before? There you will get your answer.

• When the moon is ascending: The sap is concentrated in the upper part of the plants, in their leaves, stems and flowers. This makes it unwise to do severe pruning, since then it could be more difficult for the plants to heal and recover. If it is good time to perform graftssince the union between the plants will be faster than with a descending moon. It is also a favorable time for sowing and harvesting fleshy fruits, vegetables, vegetables and seeds. All this will be even more favored if the phase of the Moon is waxing.
• When the moon is descending: The sap goes down and concentrates in the roots, so it is good time to perform intense pruning on trees and bushes, cutting vines that you want to clean up or any other type of relevant aerial work. The plants will recover better than with the rising moon. Also recommended for transplantssince with the moon descending the plants adapt better to their new location. In general, soil work will help strengthen the roots and root and tuber crops They will give better results.

The orbit of the Moon is reversed in the northern hemisphere and in the southern hemisphere, which makes it difficult to deduce haircut and waxing dates in the southern hemisphere from dates in the northern hemisphere. Therefore, if you are in the southern hemisphere, we recommend that you directly consult the data already calculated for the southern hemisphere.

when to sow or harvest according to the moon

When sowing, keep in mind that the waning Moon tends to favor the germination of roots and tubers, while The growing Moon favors the germination of flowers and fruits. Now, in biodynamic agriculture this is especially true when planting on days or periods in which lunar energy favors those specific parts of the plants.

These periods are known in biodynamic agriculture as root, leaf, flower or fruit periods:

• Root periods: They take place when the Moon passes before the constellations of Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn, the so-called «earth constellations.» In the garden it is recommended to work in those plants that we grow for their roots or tubersthat is, those «fruits» that grow underground, such as carrots, radishes, sweet potatoes, parsnips, potatoes… They are also good for work the landsince this will generally stimulate the growth of the roots of any plant.
• Leaf periods: When the Moon moves before the constellations of Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces, the «water constellations», in the biodynamic lunar calendar it is considered the optimal time to sow and stimulate the growth of leafy vegetables, aromatic plants and any plant that interests us because of its leaves and stems. Harvesting is not usually recommended.
• Flower periods: These days the Moon passes before the constellations of Gemini, Libra and Aquarius, the «air constellations.» They are considered optimal for sowing and cultivating plants whose «fruit» is the flowersuch as broccoli or artichoke, but also ornamental flowering plants. They are also good days for cut flowers if you want to make a bouquet or put them in the vase, because they keep longer and their smell is more intense.
• Fruit periods: The focus should be on the plants that we grow for their fruits and seeds that do not grow underground, from fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumbers or pumpkins to peas, cereals or nuts. These days the Moon passes before the so-called «fire» constellations, that is, before Aries, Leo and Sagittarius.

How to know when to cut your hair or wax

In most lunar calendars it is considered that The waning moon phase is the best for cutting hair and shaving. Hair will keep its shape better for longer and body hair will take longer to grow out. The growing phase is considered optimal to trim ends and stimulate rapid growth and healthy hair.

In the biodynamic lunar calendar, however, these considerations are added to the orbit and height of the Moon, among other aspects, and from there come those leaf, root, flower and fruit periods which we explained in the previous section and which appear reflected in our lunar calendar.

He best time to get a haircut It depends on whether you want to strengthen it from the roots and keep its shape longer or if you want to stimulate its rapid growth.

• To cut your hair and make it grow strongthe optimal thing is to choose the periods marked in lilac on the calendar, which correspond to «root days» and the descending Moon.
• To cut your hair and make it grow fasttake advantage of the moments marked in green, which correspond to «leaf days» in which the Moon is also descending.
• To shavein the lunar calendar the best moments are marked in yellow and correspond to «flower periods» in which the Moon…