Meeting John and Nancy, visionaries and creators of Sunhawk Farms in Mendocino county was a life-changing event. Long had I dreamed of working with farmers who related to plants as deeply as we do in the distillation. At Sunhawk Farms many visions, including mine have been made real.

The care and intention that the lavender (lavendula X intermedia) was infused with made me want to only work with biodynamic plants in the future. Of course the geometrically sacred pattern of the field had it’s part in this deeper intention. Waking up before the sun and walking through the plants with the rising sun was one of my favorite things to do on this trip.

The Lavendin grown by John and Nancy has very sweet and fragrant top notes with a camphorous middle and woody bottom. I decided to try and harvest as much flower as possible, leaving most of the stem on the plants and out of the flasks. I knew that doing so I could bring out the sweetness in the essences more, while minimizing the more medicinal odor of this species. I also asked myself if that wasn’t necessarily what was needed, as the full profile of the lavendin is what it is. Why would I care to make apples out of pears, even if some people including me, liked them more?!

In this way I observed and felt the plant material while we harvested and during the distillation. One thing was once again made very clear to me: The intention I hold has a huge impact on the process and the outcome. And my questions and observations are part of the deeper process of distillation.

Biodynamics, as explored through the work of Rudolf Steiner, has opened a vast horizon for my inner Exploration. Meeting biodynamic growers and plants has inspired me more then a book could have to dive deeper into the world of Steiner.