THE BEE:In the early part of European civilization, the symbol for royalty in Lower Egypt meant "he who belongs to the bee." Bees were called the tears of the Sun god Ra, and represented birth, death, and resurrection. Honey was one of the preservatives known to the ancient cultures. In religious rites honey was used as a symbol of preservation after death. The Hindu gods Vishnu, Krishna, and Indra are called "madhava", the "nectar-born ones", in the Rig Veda. Vishnu is often symbolized by a blue bee sitting on a lotus, while Krishna has a blue bee on his forehead. In Minoan Crete the bee and the bull had similar mystical meanings. Seals and gemstones often showed a bee on one side and a bull on the other. An onyx gem was found in Knossos which shows the Goddess with the head and eyes of a bee and on her head double bull horns with a labyrs between them. The sacredness of the bee has a long history in Greece. Aristotle, Pliny, and others wrote that good souls could come back as bees. To the Greeks, the bee symbolized industry, prosperity, purity, and immortality. Bees were lunar creatures when connected with the goddesses Demeter, Cybele, Artemis/Diana, and Rhea. With the goddess Demeter as the Queen Bee, her priestesses were called Melissae, or the Bees. The name Melissa was once the title of a priestess at Delphi as the Delphic Bee. The title, Melissae, on occasion carried over to the priestesses of Apollo, probably because bees were said to have erected some of the temples at Delphi. These insects are shown on statues of Artemis, this title was also used for the priestesses, while the eunuchpriests were called "essenes" (drones, King Bees), according to the ancient writer, Pausanias. The Greek myths tell how both Zeus and Dionysus were fed by bees when they were babies. Legend says that Dionysus made the first hives and introduced the use of honey to the people; he was offered honey-cakes at his shrines. Both Pan and Priapus were gods who protected and kept bees. To see a swarm of bees in China was considered lucky. To the Romans, hwoever, a swarm meant misfortune, defeat in battle, or death. The Koran says that bees symbolize wisdom, harmfulness, and the faithful. In the Celtic cultures, bees were said to have a secret wisdom that came directly from the Otherworlds. Even the Aztecs made reference to a Bee God. SuperstitionsBee venom, now used in the form of a cream, is a very ancient remedy for joint disease, such as arthritis.Celtic country folk still say that you must tell the bees if someone in the family dies, or they will fly away. The same applies to a marriage. If a bee flies into a house, a stranger is coming. Stolen bees will not thrive, but die. In Wales, to give a hive to someone will bring good luck, but they will not sell bees. However, it is permissable to barter for a hive. Supposedly bees hum loudly on Christmas Eve. It is considered to be unlucky to kill a bee because they are called "the little servants of God; this designation of the bee as a servant originated with the Goddess religions. Supposedly, any girl who is a virgin can pass through a swarm of bees without getting stung. Medievil scholars believed that bees were born from the dead bodies of cows and calves. These blood maggots were said to be the early stages of the bee. They also believed that bees were ruled by kings. Magickal AttributesConcentration necessary to carry out a task.Planning and saving for the future. Prosperity Astral traveling to the realm of the Goddess to better understand the cycle of reincarnation. Talking to a deceased person. Helping an Earth bound spirit move on to its proper place. ChantYou have lost your way, Earth spirit.Tell me what you still seek, What keeps you bound to this place. I will call upon your loved ones in spirit. They will guide you to realms of peace and healing. Follow them to the pathway of Light. |
