The Flight of the Bumblebee

"Aerodynamically, the bumblebee shouldn't be able to fly, but the bumblebee doesn't know it so it goes on flying anyway."

 Have you had an animal show up and guide you, or point out something poignant to you, make sure that you're paying attention to the moment, the place, the thought, the action?  Often the animal will show up repeatedly as its way of guiding or reminding or highlighting.  Sometimes its presence will just alert you to a bigger picture.  It will remind you that Spirit has a role in what's happening and to surrender to the process.

The bumble bee is one of my animal guides.  It accompanied me on the Camino, the Celtic Camino and my time in England last summer.  Every time that I saw or heard it, I knew to pay attention.

It first showed up when I was eating with Sue Kenney at a little restaurant in Toronto just before we were going to go the airport to fly to Madrid.  It was on the window near our table and somehow I knew to pay attention to it.  What was so interesting was that Sue didn't notice it at all.  Her animal guide for our Camino was the butterfly, even showing up on the cheap watch she bought so that one of us had the time.

There was this magnificent, large and loud bumblebee buzzing on the window, as if to say,  "Here I am for you.   Notice me.  Pay attention to me.  I am here to let you know that you are on your path and that all is well."

Now I'd never had much interaction with bumblebees before this.  Yet, on my pilgrimages, I saw bumblebees frequently.  I would just be walking along and all of a sudden, there would be one dancing in front of me.  I should get out my journal and see where I wrote about it, but I know that even at the time, I felt guided and somehow even protected by this small, beautiful animal.

When I was with my cousin in Somerset in England, we went to see this beautiful home and walk around its gardens.  There was a flowery bush filled with buzzing bumblebees.  I was so struck by how many there were.  This is a picture taken by my cousin.

It felt as though they were there for me.  When I returned home, I spent some time researching the symbolism, messages and meaning of the bumblebee.  I found some great material, and as I  just revisited the pages I had found, this is what stood out for me:

Their movement from one plant to another symbolizes the interconnectedness of all living things. The bumblebee is a messenger that holds the secrets of life and service.  If your energy is scattered the bumblebee can show you how to regain focus. If it stings you, it is saying, wake up and follow the rhythm of your own heartbeat. When a bumblebee buzzes you it is asking you to follow its lead. In so doing you will arrive at the destination most appropriate for your new life awakening.                                         Source: http://www.sayahda.com/cycle.htm

I added the italics for emphasis.

Just yesterday, I found a bumblebee in my shower,  Unfortunately, it had died but was in perfect shape.  I felt as though it had died so that I would touch it and receive its medicine through actually holding it and touching it.  

And then this morning, as I go on the computer, I opened up a weekly newsletter from Therapy in Transition that had an interesting article, What Flight Path Would Your Inner Bumblebee Take?  That grabbed my attention and actually provided the catalyst for this blog. 

The bumblebee is reminding me that I can do what I think I can't do, and that following my own heartbeat, and at the same time, to follow the lead of the bumblebee, will guide me where I need to go for my soul's awakening.  I am on the path.  I am in the flow.

I feel that in my belly!  I feel the path revealing itself in front of me.  I feel a cohesiveness inside of myself that feels both unfamiliar and deeply familiar at the same time.  I am so grateful for the split to guide me and bring me back to my path.  Sometimes we have to get lost to find our clarity again.  Sometimes we have to split to experience our wholeness.

The flight of the bumblebee is not straight, or predictable.  Remember, it shouldn't even be to able to fly, but because it doesn't know this, and does it anyway, it cross pollinates and serves the world in a much larger way than just the individual flowers that it visits.  It is full of life and beauty, and "holds the secret of life and service." 

Thank you, dear Bumblebee, for coming to me, guiding me and waking me up to my path, and my life's service.  I will continue to notice you and follow your lead.

Suseya!

Sahara