Honey Bees and Spiritual Community
Last night I was awake for a long time thinking of honey bees.
How they live always in a related community. All are sisters from the same mother. Hopefully there are different fathers because within the hive the variety of dna is important to support hive health.
How a hive is one being. A bien, according to Gunter Hauk. In German 'bien' means 'bee', but I love that it has another meaning in Spanish, 'good'. The layers of bee good and good bee add a little sweetness.
A hive is one being made up of hundreds or, more often, thousands of individual beings. Each bee works for the greater good of the entire colony and never for her (and yes, they are mostly female) individual good. Bees will always sacrifice the 'me' for the 'we'.
Bees orient toward the sun, toward light. Hives that thrive have their doors facing E or SE so that the morning sun arrives at the entry first. That being said, honey bees also live their entire lives in a hive that is absolutely dark inside. They will propolize any hole that is not an entrance. To propolize is to seal off with a stick substance that is much harder than wax. I've heard stories of bees propolizing mouse nests (with the mice in them!) and bugs and spiders.
In other words they cocoon into the Shadow but are always guided by the Light.
Honey bees spend their lives moving and growing, from one job to the next, and their work is to raise young, create sweetness, and to protect the Queen and hive.
And I was considering how all of this relates to being a member of a community and how sweet this experience can be. Obviously this came up after spending a weekend in space with the Temple of Ascension folks. A whole bunch of folks who show up, who are at ease moving between Shadow and Light, who orient in the direction of Light and who know the sweetness of cocooning into the inner worlds.
It also reminded me of the importance of connecting to and growing community in the world. Of inviting humans into this spiritual community that lives through the Priestess Path, the Magdalene Mysteries, and moves on into the Temple of Ascenion--the etheric temple birthed through my friend and teacher, Raven Sinclaire.
I am so blessed. And I am also responsible for nurturing the growth of our hive, for sharing this sweetness with the world. I feel that an it's not heavy, not at all, it feels more like life, like sunshine on my wings and pollen, golden and glowing.
