Under the guiding principle ‘Working with the intelligence of life’ and with a particular focus on the microbiome, the upcoming Agriculture Conference from 4 to 7 February 2027 will explore our relationship with the ethereal forces and practical ways of working with them. You are warmly invited to submit a proposal for a working group by 31 August. We look forward to your ideas!

Submit a workshop proposal now

Working with the Intelligence of Life

In the past two Agriculture Conferences, we have dedicated ourselves to the understanding of life and the life processes (2025), as well as to the social and community-building aspects of biodynamics (2026).

At the upcoming Agriculture Conference 2027, we now seek to broaden our understanding of community by exploring the relationships we enter into with the intelligent forces of life that surround us and are present in our work with the earth. How can we perceive these forces of life—the etheric or formative forces—and how do we work with them in agriculture, nutrition, and therapeutic farming?

Microbiome Research as a Bridge to the Etheric

In recent years, advances in microbiome research have reshaped the scientific understanding of life. The classical view of living beings as separate entities is now being replaced by an integrative biology that understands life as networks of dynamic relationships connecting soil, plants, animals, humans, and ecosystems. The components of the agricultural organism—starting from the soil biome all the way to the digestive microbiome in humans and animals—are understood as deeply interconnected. They communicate and regulate one another in complex and adaptive ways through the involved microorganisms, bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Microbiome research gives rise to an image of living beings that are internally and externally engaged in rhythmic relationships, on microcosmic and macrocosmic levels. With such an integrative perspective, microbiome science can serve as a bridge to our biodynamic methods and to our work with the etheric realm: Our understanding of life resonates with the scientific insights from emerging microbiome research.

The Question of Inquiry

The evolving understanding of the interconnectedness of life leads us to a deeper question: what is the appropriate way of inquiry when working with etheric and formative forces? In biodynamics, different approaches come together: scientific methodology, spiritual-scientific work, Goetheanistic and meditative training of our human perception, and ultimately, practical activity on the farm itself, from which an experience-based intuition can emerge.

Together, these approaches aim not only to explain what is life, but to perceive it—beyond the purely intellectual—as a living reality in its own right. At the upcoming Agriculture Conference, we want to explore this question further: can a more expansive approach to engaging with the etheric emerge—one that includes the human capacity for intuitive, living perception? In the words of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: “One sees clearly only with the heart”?

Working with Life as an Art

The vast array of biodynamic methods enables us to consciously participate in shaping life’s processes—stimulating, regulating, rhythmizing, healing, and vitalizing them, for example through the use of preparations and by working along the rhythms of nature and the cosmos. Biodynamics is not merely the application of knowledge and technique: it becomes an art of co-creation with the intelligent forces of life. Those who work with the etheric do not encounter an object, but find themselves within living relationships. A dialogical way of working emerges: perceiving, responding, co-creating. Agriculture becomes an art—an art of co-creation within the relationships of life. This leads us to further questions for the upcoming conference: in what ways can we work with the intelligence of life? Which advanced methods allow us to guide and synchronize processes, rhythms, and relationships? How can we engage co-creatively with etheric processes in ways that support and foster life on multiple levels?

Submit a workshop proposal now