Druid Animal Oracle: Bee

[Meditation journeys based upon Philip & Stephanie Carr-Gomm's oracle deck.]

Illustration by Bill Worthington

Today's Card: BEE-- "Beach" in Gaelic. Community, Celebration, Organization.

The card shows a close-up of a bee sunning itself on a rock on a bright, sunny day- only a few high, hazy clouds in the sky. The line-counting figure for '5' is etched upon that rock. In the background, there is a path winding through upright stones, or dolmen, leading towards an ancient Celtic community hut, reminiscent of a beehive shape. The closest dolmen is also an ancient Celtic art figure as well.

I step through the doorway to find myself uncomfortably close to a stone dolmen, almost nose to stone! I move to the left and step back, and the bee crawls and wriggles her way around the upright stone. She turns to look at me, and I realize I hear drums in the distance. Its coming from the 'hive'-like community house. It sounds powerful and thunders into the day, and there is excitement in the air...

I'm feeling pretty eager to head towards the sound, and the bee seems to be on board with this. She flies to the next dolmen, which is also the Celtic figure from the Neolithic Age. I walk along the path to the figure, watching as the bee crawls over the face. I am reminded that even long ago, humans kept bees for honey, and to create alcoholic beverages out of it like mead. (Note: I love mead!) I notice while I stand there that other bees are busily flying around and landing upon the heather and gorse that seems to be everywhere in the surrounds. We seem to be in a region of low hills covered by such flora, like an area of moors.

I feel the collective energy of the bees, and I sense that the bee is telling me humans have our own form of 'hive'. We're very social animals, that is why I'm so excited to join the other people in their community house.

I continue down the path to the next dolmen and then the next and the next... I touch each as I pass it, feeling the rough stone beneath my hands. I realize the zigzag pattern of the path between the stones resembles the pattern bees make to communicate to each other in their bee 'dances.' I realize the Bee has brought my attention to this.

As I move up the path (we actually are going uphill slightly) I take all this in and enjoy the warm feeling of the sun upon me. The sound of drums gets ever louder and deeper, and soon I am at the entrance. I hear whoops and singing as well! At the doorway are two men, both dressed in bee outfits! They wave me in with smiles, and so I join the exuberant party.

Within, I see there is a festival going on, with honeycakes and mead. I'm IN!! I get my share and notice everyone is in a merry mood as I find a seat. Bee is still with me. She alights upon my hand (but I have no fear of being stung) and I offer her a bit of the honey dripping off my cake. She partakes with satisfaction. Around the hut-like enclosure, I notice bronze swords hanging off the walls. Bee thinks of them as human stingers.

I then commune with her silently, and I get that not only this party required a crowd, but an entire community was needed to build the large round building as well as the excavating and moving all those extremely heavy dolmen stones. There are some things that require a hive, or a village, to do. But more than that, bees and humans found a way to help each other. Bees who provide us honey have been transplanted and assisted to survive all over the globe. We have developed a symbiotic relationship to our mutual benefit.

I finish my mead and cake and think about all the comforts and the feeling of safety and belonging that can only occur in an organized community. Despite all the 'drama' and political headaches of dealing with groups of people, when things run well, life feels so much more right this way!

The people fade out slowly, like ghosts. Sadly, so does my mead mug! I look up at the high ceiling and call out, only to hear an echo of my own voice. It sounds lonely...  So I leave the way I came, with Bee flying beside me. As I make my way back to the doorway down the zigzag path, I realize that I totally missed that a bee hive was next to that first stone!

I take a little time to watch the many thousands of bees flying in and out of the hive. It is constructed to resemble the community house! Very adorable. I feel very comfortable with the bee energy here, and all that it means, but all the same I step through back into my own realm, bidding the Bee good-bye with an air-kiss.