Parting the Mists

While it may seem odd to have a card about community right now, the fact is that even during a pandemic when many of us are isolated community is important. The communal spirit encourages people to take care of each other, which is needed at a time when many face financial and medical challenges.

Blessings!

BEE (Beach) – Community, Celebration, Organization

The card shows a queen bee resting on a stone. In the background we see the House of Mead Circling at Tara as it may have looked at the height of its powers. In the sky, the noonday sun shines brightly and we see Ur, heather, growing by the rock that is carved with the Ur Ogham.

Meaning: Beach invites us to celebrate. You may have special reason for celebration, or you may simply need to celebrate the wonder of being alive. You may like to enjoy a glass or two of mead, which – if it has been made in Scotland – will carry the scent of heather, and will bring you closer to the spirit of the highlands. In the Druid tradition there are occasions to celebrate every six weeks or so. As human beings we need to have times when we can come together to enjoy each other’s company. The bee tells us that we can live together in harmony, however, impossible as this may sometimes seem. By being at one with the natural world, by paying homage to the sun, by centering our lives around Spirit or the Goddess, we can work together in community.

The card may also indicate that you are feeling out of place – unsure of your role in the world. A beehive functions harmoniously because each bee knows its role and the work it must do – consequently it is highly productive and plays an important role in the local ecology. We talk of a productive work environment as a hive of activity. If you find you are lacking in motivation or are feeling isolated from the community that surrounds you, you may need some bee medicine. A modern English folk healer uses bee stings therapeutically to cure asthma and other ailments, and you may need to prod yourself into action before others do the prodding for you. If you find this applies to you, spend some time thinking about your role in life, and then make decisions in accordance with your sense of purpose and the resulting goals that this engenders. Remember that the bee knows the value of organization, of paying homage to the Goddess and the sun, and of working hard. Remember too that she call us to a celebration of life and an inner recognition of our membership of the community of all Nature.

Druid Animal Oracle by authors Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm and artist Will Worthington