“There is a saying that “we should walk like the bees”.
When the bees fly, they fly better together and look after each other and the interest of the whole community of bees. They live in harmony together, and increase the biodiversity in the forest with their actions, like we do.
- Chaiprasert Phoka, community leader of HIn Lad Nai
When the bees fly, they fly better together and look after each other and the interest of the whole community of bees. They live in harmony together, and increase the biodiversity in the forest with their actions, like we do.
- Chaiprasert Phoka, community leader of HIn Lad Nai
In addition to his founding work with the Jamtse Sponsorship Project, through the support from the Jamtse School of Yin Yoga Biff has also begun to fund a local project called the Mettowee Valley Pollinator Protection Project. The intention of this project is to provide support to pollinators through education, habitat protection and improved apiary and farming techniques.
We are providing grants to begin an educational program to help consumers understand the importance of supporting local, organic farming particularly as it applies to preservation of bee habitat. We are providing grants for equipment and supplies that will allow farmers to use methods which, rather than strain pollinator habitat, can support it. We will provide funding to educate homeowners about the importance of pollinator habitat, and to show them how they can create habitat on their property.
We believe that pollinator protection is of grave importance today and we feel that we have the opportunity to make a difference in this area.
Our Connection to Pollinators Through Yoga
A lot of what our yoga teaching is about is community and relationship. It is of course about the relationship with ourselves through the practice of yoga and meditation, but it is also about relationship with each other through the community of the circles we create together.
But there has always been another part of our teaching and that is our relationship with the world, with nature. As we quietly observe the world around us right now we begin to see a more subtle community full of relationship.
As many of you know the Jamtse sponsorship project began to look in a broader way at how we could support the children of the earth. To that end, in cooperation with Trifolium farms, we began the Mettawee Valley Pollination Project, realizing that the health of the earth which we will leave to our children is heavily dependent on the health of the pollinators, for without the pollinators no life on earth is possible. The life of the pollinator is dedicated to assuring that the flowers, the plants and all living beings can survive.
As I thought about this I thought how can we as a yoga community and circle support these pollinators, for this is one way we can support the children. How can we connect more deeply with the community and circle of nature? The first step I believe is to increase our awareness of what it is. We realize that this is only a start, but we know from our yoga practice that the first step, is always awareness.
- Biff Mithoefer
But there has always been another part of our teaching and that is our relationship with the world, with nature. As we quietly observe the world around us right now we begin to see a more subtle community full of relationship.
As many of you know the Jamtse sponsorship project began to look in a broader way at how we could support the children of the earth. To that end, in cooperation with Trifolium farms, we began the Mettawee Valley Pollination Project, realizing that the health of the earth which we will leave to our children is heavily dependent on the health of the pollinators, for without the pollinators no life on earth is possible. The life of the pollinator is dedicated to assuring that the flowers, the plants and all living beings can survive.
As I thought about this I thought how can we as a yoga community and circle support these pollinators, for this is one way we can support the children. How can we connect more deeply with the community and circle of nature? The first step I believe is to increase our awareness of what it is. We realize that this is only a start, but we know from our yoga practice that the first step, is always awareness.
- Biff Mithoefer
POLLINATORS IN MYTH, LEGEND & STORYTELLING
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MYAN BEE WORSHIP Mayan Culture is one of the only ancient cultures known to have worshiped bees in a primarily masculine form, though they did refer to bees as ‘Our Ladies’. Their bee god was called Ah Muzen Cab and his temple was Tulum. Ah Muzen Cab is associated with world creation in Mayan mythology. Shamans from the Mayan tradition still use a form of humming, based on the sound of bees, in their trance-inducing and healing chants today. THE HOPI BUTTERFLY DANCE The butterfly was a prominent figure in the myth and ritual of the Hopi. This insect occurs frequently on prehistoric pottery and in the “Butterfly Dance”. The Butterfly Dance, a traditional social dance of the Hopi, is held in August or September after the gathering of the harvest and presentation of the Snake Dance. It is a ceremony for the harvest, chiefly for the corn crop. Like most Hopi ceremonies, the Butterfly Dance is a petition for rain, good health, and long life for all living things. The dance also recognizes the butterfly for its beauty and its contribution to pollinating plant life. BEE's IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY The most important oracular site of ancient Greece, Delphi, was said to have been constructed by bees. The oracle of the temple itself was an object called an Omphalos, a carved stone, shaped like a beehive, and covered in bee-like images linked in a beautiful pattern. Phythia, the chief priestess at Delphi, was called ‘The Delphic Bee’. Priestesses of Greece were called Queen Bees. It was believed they entered states of spiritual trance that involved the use of honey. In Artemis we have our most renowned bee patroness. As the goddess of nature and the hunt, forests, hills, rocks and rivers, she oversaw the home territory of wild bees. A particularly fascinating part of her history is her temple community, in Ionia, at Ephesus, today’s Turkey. Some believe it was a matriarchal community of beekeeping priestesses that worshiped Artemis. In her Ephesus form, she’s depicted covered in egg-like carvings, that for a beekeeper, can only resemble the cells queen bees are born from in the hive. At her feet are two Omphalos stones. BLACKFOOT BUTTERFLY MYTH For the Blackfeet, the butterfly was associated with sleeping and dreaming. They believed that butterflies delivered dreams. It was the custom for a Blackfoot woman to embroider the sign of a butterfly on a small piece of buckskin and tie this in her baby’s hair when she wishes it to go to sleep. At the same time, she sings to the child a lullaby in which the butterfly is asked to come flying about and put the child to sleep. |
CHEROKEE BEE LEGEND
Back in ancient times when the people were more pure and could converse with the animals and the Creator would visit with them, the people asked the Creator for something that was 'sweet' to taste. So the Creator sent the Bee, but the Bee had no stinger. Down came the Bee and it found a suitable tree in which they could build their hive, live in, produce honey, multiply and feed its young. Soon the people came to the Bee and asked for some of the sweet syrup and the Bee gave each person a container full. The people loved the syrup and greedily ate it, then went back to the Bee for more. But the Bee replied, "I have no more to give you for a while. You will have to wait." The people were not happy, as they craved the sweet syrup. So they called upon the Creator, saying "the Bee does not give us enough of the golden syrup. We want more!!!" The Creator listened and sent down the Flower People. The Flower People began to spread all types of flowers across the land giving the Bees greater access and variety of flowers to pollinate and make more honey. The Flower People spread all kinds of beautiful wild flowers around to attract the Bees; bright blue, red, orange, purple and yellow. More Bees were created to help pollinate the flowers. The hive grew to be very large. The people seeing how big the hive was went to get more of the sweet syrup. So the Bees gave all the syrup to the people but left enough to feed their young. The people devoured the syrup and wanted more. The Bee responded, "We don't have any more, you will have to wait." The people were angry and asked the Flower People to make more flowers so they could have more of the golden syrup to eat. The Flower People responded, "We made all the flowers we could and they are all pollinated. You will have to wait until Spring." "No", said the people. "We want more now!" So they went back to the bee's hive and tore it apart killing almost all of the Bees and taking the syrup. The remaining Bees were angry. They asked the Creator what to do. The Creator was also annoyed at the behaviour of the people, so he told the Flower People to create some 'briar bushes' and for the Bees to eat the briars. The Bees did as the Creator said, they ate the briars and these were transformed into stingers. The Flower People created an entire briar patch around the Bee's tree. The next day, the people came back and started toward the Bee's hive for more syrup; but the briars around the tree scratched and tore at their bodies. Some of the people made it through the briars to the hive. Covered in welts, they yelled at the Bees, "Give us some more syrup now or we will do the same as we did yesterday, kill your young and destroy your home!" The Bees became angry and a loud hum came from the hive in the tree, and out they swarmed. The Bees stung the people all over until they were covered in welts and sent them running. After that day, the people treated the Bees, flowers and plants with great respected and always promised to replace whatever they asked for and never be greedy or take more than they needed. |
WAYS TO SUPPORT POLLINATORS
1. PLANT FOR POLLINATORS
2. Utilize plants native to your area
3. Plant in clusters to create a "target" for pollinators to find
4. As much as possible Plant for continuous bloom throughout the growing season
5. Select a site that is removed from wind, has at least partial sun, and can provide water
6. Allow material from dead branches and logs remain as nesting sites; reduce mulch to allow patches of bare ground for ground-nesting bees to utilize, consider installing blocks for wood nesting natives.
7. Reduce or eliminate the impact of pesticides
8. Practice Integrated Pest Management
9. Support local bees and beekeepers Buying local honey supports the beekeepers in your area
10. buy organic products as much as possible
11. Conserve resources; use less and reduce your impact
2. Utilize plants native to your area
3. Plant in clusters to create a "target" for pollinators to find
4. As much as possible Plant for continuous bloom throughout the growing season
5. Select a site that is removed from wind, has at least partial sun, and can provide water
6. Allow material from dead branches and logs remain as nesting sites; reduce mulch to allow patches of bare ground for ground-nesting bees to utilize, consider installing blocks for wood nesting natives.
7. Reduce or eliminate the impact of pesticides
8. Practice Integrated Pest Management
9. Support local bees and beekeepers Buying local honey supports the beekeepers in your area
10. buy organic products as much as possible
11. Conserve resources; use less and reduce your impact
