Oh wise, industrious little Honey Bee,
Buzzing away in your studio of creation.
Will you energise us with your song and nourish us with your honey?

The bee is a perfect symbol for artists of all kinds. It’s dual nature symbolises not only the material but also the spiritual aspect of life.

Working with the symbol of the bee can be especially helpful for someone who is feeling listless or uninspired creatively. Contemplating the bee can encourage us to let go of our egos in order to return to the flow of creative activity.

The bee symbol is a good reminder that our works of art can nourish and sustain our community as well as ourselves.

Because of the major role of the queen bee and the thousands of female ‘workers’, the bee has long been associated with the feminine aspects of nature. Therefore she can be used to develop the creative feminine aspects within us all.

Historically the bee has been employed by many cultures. The ancient Egyptians used the bee symbol within their hieroglyphs to depict royalty. Incidentally in my research I found that the honey bee would also be a good symbol for any women out there called Melissa, as the name has a Greek origin meaning ‘honey bee’.

What sets the honey bee apart from insects like the equally industrious ant, is it’s ability to fly, it’s very important flower pollinating duties, and the act of distilling honey from the nectar of flowers.

The bee is equally revered for it’s collective work within the hive as well as it’s individual qualities.
As an individual she has been used to symbolise the vital principle, and is an incarnate of the soul.

“Busy as a Bee”
“Working bee”
“A bee in your bonnet”
These relatively modern uses of the word ‘bee’ all invoke focussed and busy activity. Either working collectively or individually.