Adventures at the Collage of the Melissae and the Goddess Temple

A few weeks ago my family and I drove down to California from where we live here in B.C, this trip has become a bit of an annual one, as both Sohrab’s brother and sister both live in the bay area, and it has become one we look forward to each summer.

This year though I had connected with Laura Ferguson the director of The Collage of the Melissae/Center for Sacred Beekeeping and wanted to actually met her in person and see what she has created over this past year.

Laura lives in Ashland and the center is located at a beautiful hot springs on the same land as the Goddess temple Ashland so I could not be more excited!

If you were to go to the web–site you would see that the model and syllabus says this: “The College of the Melissae offers a community-centered hands-on approach to beekeeping science, art, craft, culture and ceremony. Modeled after ancient village-based temple educational systems, the college will offer a multi-faceted curriculum that will train students to become proficient beekeepers as well as develop the skills to provide action-based magic and leadership in these changing times.

We intend to go beyond current beekeeping practices by delving into the Sacred and developing a deep resonant interaction with Apis Mellifera. Through collective envisioning and prayer we will celebrate and strengthen community and learn from one of Nature’s greatest emissaries, the Mysterious Honey Bee.”

The collage where the student beekeepers gather is in a dome shaped structure with a lovely wood floor and smells of the sweet heavenly smell of beeswax and honey.

This is a perfect place for their community to gather and learn, and I was spellbound and fully inspired by what they have created in such a short time!

Laura greeted me on the path to the goddess temple and the bee temple and took me deep into the gardens on the property, we spoke at length about our own ideas and philosophies on beekeeping and were delighted to realize that we both share the same out look with regards to sacred beekeeping–We need to meet the bees where they are, not the other way around!

Laura is a humble gentle woman with a HUGE amount of energy, which is good, because she is at the forefront of this new and exciting movement with regards to the honey bee and gathering community to bring awareness and support to the honey bee, as Colony Collapse has affected millions of bees and pollinators each year and it is getting worse!

Laura guided me up the hill and onto the sacred site where the students keep their bees, stopping at the base to ground and settle ourselves before entering the bee yard, which I appreciated because between the two of us the energy was high as we excitedly talked and shared. Once we got to the top and my eyes met the hives I was stilled and humbled as I heard the buzzing and happenings of the bees in the individual worlds of their hives.

Each student took the time to paint their boxes, creating beautiful pieces of art for the bees to live in. As we walked through the hives Laura explained the consciousness of each hive to me, and related it to be similar to the personality of the man or woman who was their beekeeper. I have long thought this to be true as my bees recognize me and reflect my moods back to me while I am in the hives. This makes me more aware of the state of mind and pushes me to “bee” more mindful in my life.

I was also struck by the acceptance of men into the structure of the collage, as typically spiritual melissae are woman only, but Laura has created both Bee priestesses and Priests as both men and women come together to work in a sacred manner with the bees. For in the end, no matter what you call us, all that really matters is that we are doing the work we feel called to do, and in my opinion if this helps the decline of the honey bee, I am all for it!

There are many exciting things to come at the collage, right now they have approx 15 hives{to my count} on the property, with more to come I am sure! Laura and I only had a precious hour to spend together before she had to run off to work, but we managed to cram it all in, parting ways with promises to keep in touch and to collaborate on the new on-line course that is developing.  It is my hope to support the school in any way I can, offering some of the shamanic wisdom of the bees that I have learned from my ancestors over these past years and helping to spread the word of the work she is doing.

Once she left I wandered down to the Goddess Temple and the Red Tent tipi that is there and made offerings of copies of our Moon Mysteries book, prayers and other sweet things I had brought with me….

I will leave this post now with some of the photos I took of the Goddess temple, for really there are no words to describe the peaceful energy that resides there, nor my experience as I sat alone taking it all in–other then to say I left with a deep peace in my heart, and an inner fire in my belly to follow my heart and path as a priestess of the Melissae.

The Goddess Temple Ashland:

The Red Tent at the Goddess temple: