My emphasis on bees in the preamble of the previous post has caused a bit of confusion. Was “Mother” a bee? No. She appeared as a mutant mix of spider, beetle, and praying mantis. And while she is definitely a hive queen, she is no bee. If anything, her behavior was more wasp related.
What import then, do I place on bees that would cause me to dream of them so often?
They have a special place in my lexicon. Every time bees appear in a dream, they fill a certain role. So much so that when I spy a bee out of place in the Waking, I immediately look for how to fulfill that role for myself.
First and foremost, bees represent a zen state of calm. No matter how chaotic the circumstances are in the dream, when bees appear it is time to be the vortex in the whirlwind, the fulcrum of the lever, the center of movement.
This is not the time for random movement. Observe the situation, plan your action, perform the action, and observe the results. Deliberate action, or if required, deliberate inaction is how the bees move.
After the calm, comes the peace. The two states are not identical. One can be outwardly calm and inwardly worried. The bees remind me to be at peace within as well.
This doesn’t mean to be a pushover, allowing everyone in the world to treat me like a doormat. Instead I am to accept I am doing the best I can under the circumstances given, and not indulge in Coulda-Woulda-Shoulda.
In my dreams, when I achieve this calm peaceful state, I receive the fullness of the bees’ gifts. I am encouraged. My will is strengthened. I receive help, and become a help to myself and to others. Whatever obstacle that was placed in my path, physical or metaphorical, is easily overcome the moment I choose to move past it.
But that is in my dreams. How could a stinging, indifferent bee that I am mildly allergic to in the Waking be all that for me?
By reminding me that I am still the same person that I am in my lucid dreams. (Almost the same, can’t fly without wings just yet. Gimme a parachute and some whiskey and I’ll try!)
The same calm and peace I take on in my lucid dreams, I can take on in this rough and tumble waking. I just have to choose to.
An aside: After posting the writeup of the troubling nightmare “Life For Mother”, I headed home from the neutral space coffeehouse I had sequestered myself in for the morning. I did not notice a bee had came along for the ride until I was at full speed on the freeway, whizzing along at the lazy speed of 70mph.
I’m “mildly” allergic to bees. A sting would not be life threatening, but it would not be a mere annoyance either. It is something I should avoid at all possible.
As the bee buzzed around my head, looking for a way out of the car, I was reminded of the multitude of dreams where I stood still and allowed swarms of bees to crawl all over my body.
I summoned up the calm and peace from those dreams, refrained from panic, and continued the short drive home.
Along the way, I lost my fear of the nightmare recurring. I was not afraid to encounter “Mother” again in some dark dreamy corner. I was able to reflect on the dream and my reactions to it without judgment or criticism.
By the time I arrived home, I was at peace with the dream and myself. I opened the car door, and my passenger disembarked and buzzed merrily away.
This the entry for bees in Keri’s Lexicon of Dreams and Visions:
Bee: (singular) A representation of individual will and guidance. When appearing in a dream, acts as a type of animal guide. Will lead either to the necessary object required to continue, to the next waypoint or landmark, or to a path or place of safety that will cause the dream to end.
Bees, swarm of: (plural) A representation of order amidst chaos. A reflection of the mind set in order, of a river in normal flow. Often reminds the dreamer to cease complicating simple structures. If the swarm is static (in one place), indicating to the dreamer a time of reflection and planning is required. If the swarm is mobile, may indicate a change in thought is required. The swarm may appear as a “character” in a dream scenario. In this case, the circumstances of the swarm’s appearance and behaviors must also be taken into account.
Notice, I made no mention of hive behavior. The bees have never meant anything related to physical order to me. They have always related to mental and emotional states to me.
I hope this clears up all the buzzing about from my mention of bees.