Table of Contents
Foreword Susan Chernak McElroy ix
Introduction 1
How I Fell in Love with Bees 1
Becoming Kin 3
The Hive Is a Holy Place 4
About This Book 6
I The Song of Unity: How Bees See Themselves, Their Colony, and the World 9
Wholeness: Embedded in the Task 10
The Bien: Living in Unity 12
Collapsing Colonies: All Damage Has an Effect 15
II The Song of Belonging: The Sacred Work of the Queen, Drones, Maidens, and Pips 21
The Maidens: Messengers of Light 22
The Drones: The Holiest of Beings 26
The Queen: The Sun in Our Constellation 30
The Queen's Gift and the Drone's Promise 39
The Nursery: The Heart of the Hive 44
The Pips: Before We Have Thought, We Have Knowing 47
III The Song of Communion: How Bees Create a Perfect Home 53
Comb: A Language of Thought and Feeling 54
Constructing the Comb: We Build as One 58
Temperature: Enhancing Perception 60
Scent: Expanding Our Consciousness 63
Sound: Constant Communication with All That Is 69
Propolis: The Envelope of Our Medicine 74
Defense: A Challenge of Unification 81
IV The Song of the World: The Communion of Bees and Flowers 87
Enlivening the Green World: Libraries of Honey and Pollen 88
Flight and Light: Emanating Life Force 97
Pollen, Field Cake, and the Microbiome: Spiritual Nourishment 101
Winter Dreamtime: The Memory of the Sun's Light 105
V The Song of Increase: The Blessings of the Swarm and the Ascension of a New Queen 113
The Swarm: Birth of a New Colony 113
The Ascension of a Queen: Blessed by the Light 127
Conventional Beekeeping and the Song of Increase 133
VI The Song of Abundance: The Generosity of Bees 137
Honey: Kindling the Heart of Fellowship 138
The Sting: The Fire of Love 142
Evolutionary Medicine: Bathed in a Sacred Illumination 148
Quantum Healing: A Temple of Unity 151
Visionary Bees: Realm of All Possibility 156
VII The Song of Sharing: How We Can Help Our Bee Friends 159
Planting for Bees: Light Anchored in the Ground 161
Opening the Hive: Let Your Heart Precede You 166
The Whole and Holy Life: The Evolution of All Beings 168
Epilogue: Bee Sleepover 171
Glossary 175
Works Cited 181
Resources 183
Acknowledgments 187
About the Author 189