Bees are earnest, hardworking, and democratic. The Bee personality is a delight to be around, especially when there’s a team project on the horizon. Bees love to work steadily and thoughtfully until the final task is complete. They are sensitive creatures, aware of many subtleties at once…For the most part they have bustling, joyous personalities…until they’re too tired from all the work…then they gripe. And then sting.
Kim Krans, Animal Spirit Guidebook
We have two new additions to the Lopemede Farm Family – two hives of bees that have been placed next to the agroforestry area that’s being planted up with apple and cherry trees. There’s plenty of hawthorn, elder, willow, oak, phacelia, and wildflowers for the bees to begin foraging on, with the apple and cherry blossom to come when the trees mature a little more.
We had our first bee keeping lesson yesterday; three of us suited up in pristine whites like astronauts stepping onto the moon for the first time. And clambering over the barbed wire fence really did feel like stepping into another world. There was such beauty in the contrast between the delicate calm and care of the experienced bee keeper that was showing us the ropes, and the industrious buzzing of the workers and the drones. I thought I would be scared, flinching each time a bee approached, fearful of the piercing sting. But instead I found myself wanting to be still, to observe, feeling privileged to witness these insectoid lightworkers dancing in the dappled sunlight. I’ve never thought of bees as beautiful things before, but viewed close up, seeing the intricate detail of their waggling abdomens and flickering wings, you felt as though you were watching the very will of God at play.
There does seem to be a mindless intent to their action, the way they frenetically move around organising, building, and communicating with each other. But you do also appreciate the levels of exquisite coordination required for that many sentient beings to function as one. Although they are individuals, there can’t be any competition or conflict, or the hive would not survive. There must be some common purpose, a common goal or aim, or the honeycomb structure of the cells could not be as precise as it is, and the survival of the larvae and the Queen could not be assured. And how interesting that at the heart of it all lies the Queen. The most important element of it all. The one who gives life and meaning to the whole hive. She is the one who lays the eggs, produces the workers, the seekers, the reason for the honey. The reason that they are alive at all. When a swarm is moved, it is the Queen that you look for first. As soon as she has been relocated, the rest of the swarm will follow.
And the noise, the hum, the buzz. There is a melodious calm and energising quality to the sound that both soothes and balances. You feel the sound resonate through your body, and when it changes in pitch, you are immediately alert to the change. One hive was slow and focused, not at all bothered by our inquisitive hands. The other more frantic, swirling around us in a buzzing whirlwind as if they feared there was no time to get all their work done and that we were interfering and getting in the way, Working with bees forces you to be present, to hone all your attention into what you are doing; how the bees are moving, what they have built, where the Queen is located, are there young, are there eggs, are there signs of vibrant life. Some people say that you live much longer if you look after bees, and that the frequency of their hum is healing to the body, set to a frequency that encourages the cells to return to a state of heath. There are solfeggio frequencies of harmony, oneness, unity, and transformation within this frequency band, and you can’t help but wonder if when you become resonant with bees, you also become resonant with Gaia, with Spirit and the whole of creation.
And the honey – sweet, liquid gold. Imagine the miracle of turning flowers into the elixir of life. Every drop of honey created by the hard work of these bees holds the experience of every blossom they have visited, every piece of pollen and nectar they have tasted, the flutter of the wings, the waggle of the body, the touch of their limbs. It is intended to feed their young and guarantee the survival of their hive, and perhaps it helps our survival too. A sacred product indeed. But we don’t consider this when scouting the supermarket shelves for cheap runny honey to pour over pancakes and waffles. A privilege that we take for granted.
What is the message of the bees: ‘being in the present moment with all of your consciousness, with calm and focused attention, is the key to opening the doorway to divine experiences only available to you when you slow down and connect with the hidden magic of nature’. So the next time you take a spoonful of honey from a warm sticky jar, try to pause, taste, close your eyes, and pay silent homage to the community of bees that turned potential into liquid gold.