Dear Friends,

We had the amazing opportunity to travel to Germany and Switzerland this Spring to visit biodynamic gardens and anthroposophic clinics. As you may have picked up from earlier issues of our newsletter, biodynamic farming and creating space for a clinic that will include an anthroposophic physician are two new endeavors for Harmony Farm (joining our existing programs of body work and education). We traveled to Europe with the intention of immersing ourselves in the Anthroposphic world, helping us to more clearly define our own vision for the farm.

We were welcomed with open arms in Germany, visiting Wala Gardens in BadBoll/Eckwalden and Weleda Gardens in Schwabisch,Gmund. These gardens reach an international market and yet they are surprisingly small (25-45 acres) with much of the farming/gardening being done by hand. Rather than having a large field of one crop, you see the biodiversity in one field with many plots, each plot containing several rows of different flowers, herbs, etc. There were areas created throughout the gardens that offered habitats for bugs, bees, and small animals, honoring the importance of all of these things to the wholeness of the farm. If you’ve read any of the works of Rudolf Steiner (Austrian visionary who founded anthroposophy in the early 20th century) you may have experienced how challenging it is to understand. The wonderful “teachers” we met at the gardens live Steiner’s philosophy day to day and articulated it in such a simple yet profound way. As Rolf Bucher, head gardener at Wala said, “go out and walk the land, your footsteps are the fertilizer for the soil”.

We spent three days in Arlesheim, Switzerland, visiting The Lukas Klinik (inpatient and outpatient facility dedicated to the treatment of cancer), Hiscia Institute (where Iscador, used to treat cancer, is prepared from mistletoe) , Ita Wegman Klinik (anthroposophic hospital), and the Goetheanum in Dornach which is the world center for the Anthroposophical movement. I don’t have the space here to adequately address all the experiences so I’m extending to each of you a personal invitation to visit us at Harmony and we will share our dreams, show you what has already started and where the vision is going. (For additional information on our travel destinations and anthroposophy, see the following links: www.goetheanum.org, www.anthroposophy.org, http://www.wala.de/english/, http://www.weleda-naturals.com/, http://www.lukasklinik.ch, www.wegmanklinik.ch, )

Meanwhile, “back at the farm” opportunities for “Being” continue to grow. The meditation circle held on the first and third Thursday evening of each month and led by Don Kramer, Ph.D. has been a wonderful success. Please feel free to drop in any time, you are always welcome. Dr. Annie Stacey, offering chiropractic and nutritional services has officially joined Harmony Farm. See her article for all the details. We are also excited to announce that Susan Downey, a gifted licensed massage therapist and part of the Harmony Farm Circle for a number of years, has completed her certification in Reflexology. Learn all about what she has to offer in this issue of the newsletter.

I am delighted to share that Brugh Joy, M.D. will be returning to Harmony Farm in August (7th thru the 10th). This venue is designed to give new and current students an opportunity to gather for an enriching and nurturing weekend of soul-deepening and heart-centered development. I encourage each of you to learn more about Brugh (www.brughjoy.com) and consider experiencing this weekend at Harmony Farm. Further details online at www.harmonyfarmonline.com or call Sally at 937-667-8311.

Be in Peace