THE DIVINE FEMININE

As busy as a bee is a common saying acknowledging humanity’s dedication to industry and creativity. More often than not to be busy as a bee is a sign of one’s dedication to duty and selfless service to community. But when a swarm of them landed on the Jamaica Plum tree in my front yard, no such lofty thoughts of human endeavor entered my mind. I was scared as hell. What Trini version of the much feared Africanised bees had arrived in my yard? What kind of madness is this? And so near to the street! What if they attacked passer-bys, my dogs,or me? What is the meaning of this on this beautiful sunshiny morning? It was only much later I would discover that bees are one of the most ancient totemic insects that tells of the Goddess presence among us. Apparently the invasion was more of a wake up message to myself and humanity and this was the message the swarm of bees left with me.

THE BEE’S CALL

One by one things are dying around us

People, animals, birds, institutions, policies

All dead, dead, dead

What are we to do?

Remain silent witnesses to all these fatalities?

Well some say, what can I do?

I am too small to matter

And besides it is not my turn yet

I will not go down like that, like them.

Really? Yes. 

I have done the work, fixed myself

I will not be taken out like that.

But who is exempt? Who can say when?

Who can give us a pass, a word?

Wait, I hear humming. 

Humming? Yes humming!

Bees. Hundreds, thousands are buzzing in my head.

No. They are outside, in my yard.

Oh God! The dogs! I must get them before

The black teeming mass of angry stingers attack

They have converged on my Jamaica plum tree

Turning my once red blood to water

As fear creep up my jelled spine.

Am I to go down from bee-stings?

Has my own death arrived on honeyed wings?

No, says the beekeeper at the National Apiaries

Their queen is probably tired and wants to rest on your tree

My tree? Why my tree?

There is something meaningful here

I release panic. I relent. 

The queen is exhausted 

And she has chosen to rest in my tree.

Poor thing, weary, just like some of us

Household queens and industry overlords

Stretching our royal selves thin and wide

In vainglorious effort to achieve a certain lifestyle.

 She too has flown too far and too high

Ambition far beyond her insect size 

Now she has flopped down in my front yard

With all her loyal subjects in tow. 

Descending to earth from their lofty height

To stumble into my humble plum tree branch.

Oh! What a queen she is 

As her drooling drones drown her

In their sonic winged protection

Faithful followers too besotted 

To care whether they live or die

All they know is that they must follow

Wherever their queen, the majestic bee flies.

Much the same way manic humanity 

Blindly follows the social status quo.

Fascinated am I by this show of nature

Even as so many fall in death 

Duty to their queen their only raison d’etre

A not unheard-of state in our own human rat race

An increasingly common scourge in the hum-drum work place

But the bees’ activities are too much to for me to contemplate

What in this modern life seems to be unfair and taxing

For those bees, I then feared

Are a real threat to my personal safety  

For there is real power in their huge numbers.

I must do something

The bee-keeper assures me that 

They will be gone in an hour or two

The queen would have rested and ready to go

He is too far away anyway

And has thirteen other bee calls to answer

Before he can make it to my plum tree.

I cannot deny that 

Their frantic movement energise my flagging spirits

But I cannot leave them on the tree 

So close to the passers-by on the street

I must find a way to send them on their way.

Ancient anxieties arise within me 

Of being stung almost to death by active hives

Angered by my lack of political correctness

And freedom loving lifestyle.

Those wicked, wagging, uninformed tongues 

Did leave worded stingers in my bruised young flesh

But sacred Goddess work retracted thepoisoned stings

Turning the gossip barbs into wisdom teachings

And many more pretty and precious things.

I call my neighbor to see the bees 

And she advises me knowingly

Use prayers that will get them going

Yes. I feel her sincerity. I will try that.

Goddess sacred work again to the rescue!

I call on the Might of the Holy One

Please rid me of these buzzing stingers 

Before they do real damage to me, my dogs and my tree

 O God Almighty, help me in my calamity

And send these bees off to Eternity.

With this I raise my hand and direct my gaze

Right into the center of the buzzing activity

As if by some magic the Queen feels this sacred energy  

And rises from her perch, deep in the folds of the swarm’s safety

With a spiral dance of unity of sound and movement 

Thousands of wings flutter up in divine agreement 

The black cloud zoom off into the blue and white western sky.

They will be in Chaguaramas or Nelson Island just about noon

Wherever their queen goes all of them will follow

So said the bee-keeper from the National Apiaries

And so they did  in less than the hour he had said.

Now only stunned stragglers land on the Jamaica Plum tree branch

As they search and cleave to their queen’s faint scent.

But she and her swarm left me much more 

For in their sacred spiral dance 

She quietly intoned that her visit 

Was much more than a chance to rest.

She and her frantic followers had come

 To touch me with their creative energy

Awake from your single-minded contemplation of death

It is not yet your time to go

There are things to do 

Light to shine in dark places

Books to write

Young people to guide

Relationships to heal

Get up from your sleep

God’s work is waiting to be done

Did you not know what my buzzing bees are? 

The Goddess’ spiritual reminder to the human’s soul. 

You promised to ground  the next phase of the New Earth Energies.

Be conscious of your little winged friends

They are much more than honeyed sweeteners!

All over the world there is a renewal of interest in the role of my bees 

Their importance to the earth’s eco-system cannot be over-stated

So too your spiritual awareness of Mother Nature

Get up from your sleep, your death without dying 

And harken to the Bees Call. 

It is the Goddess Call to awaken!