Bee Thou My Vision

We were kicking around the back roads of Prince Edward County yesterday (they're all kinda back roads) in the County when we came upon a lavender farm which is probably a little past peak, but not by much. We stopped and meandered about, taking in the sight and the fragrance. We noticed that the bees were there in their legions, working the blossoms. I checked later and it turns out they keep bees and sell lavender honey. Honey takes on different flavours and colours depending on the blossoms. I like buckwheat honey, which is darker and has a fairly strong taste -- sort of the porter of honeys.


We know that bees are having a tough time these days, European honey bees and the hundreds of other varieties of native bees, which pollinate just about everything. We're managing to kill off bees en masse with pesticides and diseases, yet without them our food supplies would be in serious trouble. We humans really are adept at fouling our own nests. There seem to be new books about beekeeping buzzing in from everywhere these days, perhaps because we "don't know what you've got 'til it's gone," or at least threatened.



My heart lifts when I see bees, in part because it's good to know that they are still around in places where they are encouraged to thrive, and because I shared several hives with a friend many years ago. I've also grown aware of the connection between bees and religion. The bee is an ancient Christian symbol, and virtually every major religion has bee imagery in their sacred texts. Monasteries, such as Buckfast Abbey seen above, have kept bees for centuries, and the modern portable bee hive with removable frames was developed by Rev. Lorenzo Langstroth during the 19th century. Along with the practical benefits of beekeeping there is a contemplative quality to apiculture despite the occasional sting.

And of course, one of my favourite hymns is Bee Thou My Vision...isn't that the title?