Bee shamanism may well be the most ancient and enigmatic branch of shamanism. It exists throughout the world – wherever, in fact, the honeybee exists. Its medicinal tools – such as honey, pollen, propolis and royal jelly – are now in common usage and even the origins of Chinese acupuncture can be traced back to the ancient practice of applying bee stings to the body’s meridians.
In this authoritative ethnography and spiritual memoir, Simon Buxton, an elder of the Path of Pollen, reveals for the first time the richness of this tradition: its subtle intelligence; its sights, sounds and smells; and its unique ceremonies, which, until now, have been known only to initiates. Buxton unknowingly took his first steps on the Path of Pollen at age nine, when a neighbour – an Australian bee shaman – cured him of a near-fatal bout of encephalitis. This early contact prepared him for his later meeting with an elder of the tradition who took him on as an apprentice. Following an intense initiation that opened him to the mysteries of the hive mind, Buxton learned over the next 13 years the practices, rituals and tools of bee shamanism. He experienced the healing and spiritual powers of honey and other bee products, including the “flying ointment” once used by mediaeval witches, as well as ritual initiations with the female members of the tradition the Mellisae – and the application of magico-sexual “nectars” that promote longevity and ecstasy. “The Shamanic Way Of The Bee” is a rare view into the secret wisdom of this age-old tradition.
About the author:
Simon Buxton is the Founder/Director of The Sacred Trust and British faculty for The Foundation For Shamanic Studies, the foremost core-shamanic training organisation in the world, directed by Dr Michael Harner. Simon has worked and trained within shamanic traditions for nearly three decades, including a thirteen-year apprenticeship to a European Bee Master, as detailed within his book The Shamanic Way of the Bee, which was the recipient of the 2005 Canizares Book Award for non-fiction. He is also the co-author of Darkness Visible, and his third book, The Serpent Flight of the Honeybee is in preparation.