presented at the 1997 East Coast Biodynamic Conference on October 5, 1997
(for conference info, contact Allan Balliett, POB 3047, Sheperdstown, WV 25443)
[The cosmic pipe workshop was held on Sunday morning,
and hosted by Hugh Lovel of the Union Agricultural Institute.
Over three hours was devoted to an explanation of the technology,
display of the various components, and an extensive question and
answer session. During the workshop an original Hieronymous cosmic
pipe was cut open and modified with a second circuit for atmospheric
energies.
Interested parties should refer to Hugh's article entitled
"Farming the Atmosphere" in the June 1997 issue of Acres USA. This article includes
an overview of etheric forces, as well as detailed schematics
and instructions for building cosmic pipes. A more extensive presentation
of etheric forces, including an explanation of how and why biodynamic
preparations work, may be found in Hugh's two part article "The
Nature of Forces" in issues #211 and #212 of BIODYNAMICS.
An abridged version of "The
Nature of Forces" appeared in earthlight!
magazine issue #7.
At the onset of the workshop Hugh stressed that the cosmic
pipe is merely an experimental device, and is not a miracle solution.
Later he emphasized that working with the pipes requires a very
high level of moral integrity, and that mis-use or inattentive-use
may be harmful to crops and other inhabitants of the farm. ]
The cosmic pipe was first created by T. Galen Hieronymous.
As a young engineer in Kansas City, Hieronymous was asked to build
some unusual electrical devices for his neighbor, Dr. Planck.
Later he discovered that the devices were radionic instruments,
originally designed by Dr. Albert Abrams of San Francisco. This
sparked his interest in radionic technology. In 1949, Hieronymous
became the first (and only) person to successfully patent a radionic
analyzer in this country (US patent #2,482,773).
Hieronymous believed that his device detected a previously
unknown form of energy that was emitted continuously by all elements.
Once calibrated, he found he could use the device to identify
unknown mineral samples. This ability was demonstrated to the
satisfaction of the US patent office. The circuitry in his device
utilized both electrical and optical components. The story goes
that the patent examiner insisted that this mysterious energy
have a name, so Hieronymous called it "el-optic" energy.
Hugh believes that the designation "eloptic"
is a misnomer, and that the operative principle involved in both
radionic devices and cosmic pipes lies outside the electromagnetic
spectrum.
Using terminology developed by Rudolf Steiner, Hugh describes
two parallel streams of cosmic, or "etheric" forces.
One stream flows downward, into the earth, and is associated with
moisture, soil fertility, and digestive processes. The other stream
flows upward, into the atmosphere, and is associated with dryness,
fruiting, and ripening processes.
The inspiration for cosmic pipes came from an early experiment
by Hieronymous, in which several cigar boxes were filled with
soil and grain seeds, then placed in a basement. Some boxes had
copper plates installed in the lids, and some of these were connected
by wire to a large copper plate mounted on his roof. The seeds
in all boxes germinated, but only those connected to the roof
plate grew sprouts that were green and healthy. Hieronymous reasoned
that a downward flow of cosmic energy was responsible for the
healthy growth.
Over the years Hieronymous constructed large pipes containing
circuitry to collect this energy from at least 6 to 8 feet overhead,
and conduct it into the soil. These "cosmic pipes" included
a reagent well in which minute specimens could be placed. The
vibrational patterns from the specimen is then imparted to the
energy stream (like a radio program on a carrier wave) and broadcast
into the soil.
An unknown number of cosmic pipes were sold to experimental
farmers over the years, as mentioned briefly in "Secrets
of the Soil" by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird. Hugh
Lovel was given a pipe by Hieronymous himself, and conducted experiments
on his farm in Georgia for many years, using BD preparation 500
(horn manure) in the reagent well.
Hugh states that the pipe was clearly doing something in
his fields. Over a period of 9 years, he observed an area of severely
eroded, damaged soil transform into healthy, brownish topsoil.
When put into cultivation, Hugh found that his tomatoes grew very
well in this soil, but died before producing any fruit. This frustrating
situation persisted for 6 years. Eventually he concluded that
the pipe had created an imbalance of cosmic forces, and resolved
to incorporate a second, upward-directed circuit into the design.
Hugh began constructing cosmic pipes that contained dual
circuits, with separate reagent wells and coils for both upward
and downward streaming forces. He placed BD 500 into the bottom
well, and BD 501 (horn silica) into the upper well. Immediately
he noticed a dramatic improvement. Hugh reported a bumper crop
of tomatoes the very next season, after six years of dismal results.
Hugh explained the design of the cosmic pipe in great detail,
and passed around various components. He emphasized repeatedly
that his design is experimental and by no means final. In fact,
he felt that some improvements might be possible through further
experimentation.
The outer structure is assembled from sections of 4 inch
white PVC pipe, with "tee" joints in two places to house
the reagent wells. Inside there are two large coils, one for each
stream with 7 full turns of wire on each. The significance of
7 turns is related to the many seven-fold phenomena in nature,
including rainbows, and suggests that each coil enables a full
octave of energy to be employed.
Around each reagent jar is another coil with seven turns,
connected to a smaller coil wrapped tightly around a crystal.
When asked if the crystal amplified vibrations from the reagent,
Hugh replied that perhaps "drawing" the vibrations was
more accurate. He agreed that crystal selection may be an important
variable, and relied on intuition for his selections.
Hugh described the two small circuit boards in great detail.
Since electric circuits work better with resistance, a resistor
is included. Also present is a choke coil, a standard AC component
that limits the range of frequencies that pass through the device.
The stated purpose of the choke coil was to exclude man-made frequencies
associated with electric power lines and radio.
The crystal coils are connected to the main circuit through
a diode, which functions as a one-way gate, ensuring that each
stream of energy is influenced by only one reagent well.
When fully assembled, the cosmic pipe is mounted about
2 feet into the ground, standing another 9 or 10 feet tall. An
important refinement over earlier designs was to have the lower,
ground coil begin at about 1 inch of depth below the soil. This
was to ensure that the upper, living region of soil receives maximum
influence from the pipe. The specific location and soil quality
at the mounting site is important, as soil characteristics around
the base seem to radiate outwards into surrounding areas.
The pipe should mounted near the center of the test field.
Using Biodynamic preparations in the pipe, he estimated the effective
range to be up to 1/2 mile. With empty wells, he felt the effectiveness
would be limited to only 30 feet or so.
It is necessary to tune the cosmic pipe before use. The
first step is to mark out the target area on an aerial photo or
map. Hugh recommends drawing careful boundaries around the area,
and writing down one's intention to limit the pipe's influence
on the photograph. He reminded the group that the pipe is experimental,
and suggested that trials should be performed on limited areas,
and never on another person's property without their informed
consent.
The next step is to prepare a set of two reagents that
are appropriate for the site. He offers this service as part of
the purchase price. He asks for a soil sample and aerial photo
by mail. These are analyzed radionically, and a blended reagent
is prepared on sugar tablets. Hugh noted that using liquid preparations
directly in the pipe could create problems due to freezing.
At this point the workshop split into two tracks, with
Hugh modifying the Hieronymous pipe and answering further questions,
while Lorraine Cahill demonstrated how she uses radionic equipment
to mix reagents for the pipe. She showed us cards that contained
a graphical representation for each Biodynamic preparation. These
cards were specially made in England from a reference set of preps
and function as well as (and perhaps more reliably than) the real
thing. Lorraine discussed the history of radionics briefly, and
recommended a definitive reference work on the subject, "Dimensions
of Radionics", by David Tansley.
Hugh uses BD 500 and 501 year round in the pipes. Additional
preparations may be added at certain times, depending on the needs
of the soil and crops. A major advantage of the cosmic pipe is
that the preparations are applied constantly, instead of only
2 or 3 times per year as commonly practiced. He feels this method
will prove to be more cost-effective than spraying.
Hugh strongly cautioned against using any toxic substance
in the wells. Hugh feels the Biodynamic preparations to be safe,
but would never sanction the use of pesticides or herbicides.
The effect of the pipes is powerful and not fully understood;
he recommends caution and careful observation of changing field
conditions.
It was a very interesting and thought-provoking session.
At least one attendee came away feeling he had witnessed the dawn
of a new era in Agriculture, one in which the radionic application
of Biodynamic preparations makes the conversion of even the largest
farms possible.
[This report was compiled by Guy McCarthy (email: guy@twelvestar.com). An extensive discussion of the original Hieronymous radionic analyzer, complete with schematics and photographs, appeared in the pulp magazine "Astounding Science Fiction" in June 1956.]