Three weeks ago the Old Man, who lives in one of the other units in the complex I reside at, told me he had something to show me. A wild swarm of honeybees which were resting in a medium-sized bushy tree less than 25 yards from my unit. The tree is right up against the fence between our complex of units and the adjacent ones, about three feet from the fence.
The Old Man said that they were probably just having a rest on the way to somewhere else. It was a coldish drizzly day and he told me that the Queen would be in the middle of the swarm and the bees were vibrating their wings to keep her warm.
The Old Man said he used to keep bees in his youth. Like me, he shares a child-like delight in these chance encounters with nature. Although he doesn’t love the Urban Possum population so much because they eat his vegetables. It is a running banter between us where I say I don’t believe they are the culprits because I am feeding them good tucker each evening up the road in my backyard.
It is ironic that I lived in country Victoria for seven years and had no close encounters of the possum kind and now that I am living in the dark heart of suburbia, there is a tribe of five possums that regularly hang out (literally) on my washing line waiting for their snackies each evening.
Today I strolled down to see if the bees were still there. I live in a heavily built up urban area and expected that somebody would have called the Council by now to have them removed. Much to my delight they were still there and, fascinated, I watched them waggling on pure white honeycomb. They are setting up home.
There’s something about bees. I pray for the bees since I learned how they are in crisis with Colony Collapse Disorder and the varroa mite. Back in 2000, I had a mystical experience with a swarm of bees in South Australia and, well, there’s just been a lot of charming encounters with the little brownies over the whole of my life.
A couple of months ago, I had a whimsical thought that I would like to keep bees, however I neither have a tree or a flower garden and living in a residential area, wouldn’t be practical to stick a skep in my backyard.
So when The Old Man showed me the wild swarm, I went “Hmmmmm, something is definitely happening”.
Five years ago, a colleague of Australian Shaman Spiritualist Scott Alexander King of “Animal Dreaming” fame, told me a little secret about bees: that their medicine is about the energy of money. Since then I have researched the history, mythology and folklore of beekeeping and the Ancient bee-goddesses and have been drawn deeper into following, in my solitary way, the pollen path.
The arrival of this wild swarm in my immediate vicinity could be perceived as a harbinger of change in my fortunes……I do not know.
Bees - Wells Cathedral, UK - Spring 2008
I am currently dipping and scooping through ‘Thick Face, Black Heart’ by Chin-Ning Chu, a most interesting book. I had borrowed it out from the library a year or so ago and just never got around to reading it. Chapter 4 Dharma and Destiny has been extraordinarily pertinent to the micro-drama that is happening in my life right now with The Landlady.
Before reading this chapter, I had not read much about dharma or its nuances. You could say that the wisdom of Dharma was missing from my tool box and, despite the title, Thick Face, Black Heart – the mystical wisdom the authoress expresses is in synergy with that taught by Caroline Myss and Julia Cameron.
I am always alert to patterns and right now, I have serendipitiously surrounded myself with books written by three women. This is Triple Goddess support in the most sacred ordinary way.
Chin-Nung Chu writes:
By simply being aware that there is a Divine plan for your life that waits to unfold in the course of life itself, you will begin to be consciously in tune with every incident that comes into your professional and personal life. Treat each incident with the eye of a good detective and try to unveil the mystery of your fate. This is the first and the most essential Dharma in discovering your destiny and your life path.
The opportunity for victory is provided by the enemy. – Sun Tzu’s Art of War.
After my blog post yesterday, you can imagine my surprise when I read that pithy little quote which perfectly described the quintessence of my confrontation with The Landlady. You betcha sweet honey bippy I am on to the Divine plan unfolding in my life.
Dharma is the understanding of proper actions in any given circumstance. It means “to act in accordance with one’s duty”. The grace of Dharma works in subtle and mysterious ways throughout our lives. Where there is Dharma, there is victory.
I slept with the comfort of knowledge last night that I have acted in accordance with my duty as a tenant. Plus the realization that I have always pursued (without knowing) the Dharma inherent in any and all situations I have found myself in. Well, mebbe not all – I wasn’t such a great wife, however methinks a Dharma within Dharma thang went down there, where it wasn’t about being a wife for the rest of my life; but to be a catalyst for soul-growth for The Groom and as The Bride, to have my soul stripped bare. Knowing when the Quitting Point arrives is always the tricky part with relationships. It’s also the tricky part with jobs. Umm……also with rentals. *cough*
Today, I less full of passion and self-righteous fury in regards to The Landlady. However, I am sure glad I am not in her shoes because when you betray your Dharma – life opens a can of whoop ass. That’s a promise.
Crisis = change and opportunity. I welcome this opportunity for change. I am grateful that I am conscious of the lessons inherent in every micro-drama in my life and my ability to learn them and adjust my attitudes, behaviours and reactions accordingly to stay in congruency with Dharma.
On page 87 of her book, Chin-Nung Chu writes:
For a truly spiritual individual, the path of spirituality is like walking on a razor’s edge; it is a diligent pursuit of one’s perfection. However, for others, the pursuit of spirituality is merely a vague notion; it actually is a pretext, an excuse to practice inertia and avoidance of life’s challenges.
Being a good detective, I noted that it was in 1987, that while sitting at my desk performing my duty as Chief-Fixer-Upper-of-Stupid-Mistakes-Made-By-Poorly-Trained-Staff; I put down my pen and looked out the window and thought: there has to be something better than this. There has to be something more to my life than this.
Twenty-two years ago, unbeknownst to me, I invited the Grace of Mystery into my life. This is how it starts – this is how sacred ordinary life really is. How the Gods hear everything and answer your wishes.
By living under the grace and guidance of Dharma, life itself becomes the eternal wish-fulfilling tree. – Chin-Nung Chu
The Violet Hour 