Dear Yogis,

I think in these tough times, it is a good idea (well I think so), to indulge ourselves, but always with goodness.  No cream, no buns, not an emphasis on wine, but how about MEAD!  Sometimes described as a straw-coloured liquid which foams into the glass – the one that I made months ago and decanted today filled the bill.  It was gorgeous.

Mead is a drink made with honey, older than the wheel, and often called THE DUID FLUID.

“The juice of bees, not bacchus here behold,
Which British Bards were won’t to quaff of old,
The berries of the grape which furies swell,
But in the honey comb the Graces Dwell”.

Mead is one of the ancient alcoholic drinks  made by our ancestors, but sadly few of you I think will have tasted it.

 This is a special mixture known as metheglin or in the ancient tongue medcylglin – medicine. It was known as the nectar of the Gods, and the Greeks called it ambrosia or nectar.  It was known to have magical properties, a sacred brew a drink of the Gods which was made of the heavens dew gathered by bees.  It is said to prolong life, bestow health, strength, virility, creative powers, great wit and poetry!  I believe it works.  I am still 21 on the inside.  No that is incorrect – I am healthier than I have ever been and 21 holds no joys for me.  I don’t look backwards.

It is said in Celtic law that there is a river of mead running through paradise.  The mythology has not died.  Even the word HONEYMOON is all about the ancient custom of giving the bridal couple a moon’s worth of mead, which was said to be enough to ensure a fruitful union. You can be sure that the mead maker was given a large tip when a child soon arrived into the family.  The magic medicine had borne fruit, it even smells and tastes magical, mysterious.  

The bee keeper knows that the “The Path of Pollen” contains a hidden universe.

This covid isolation has brought to the front of mind things that we can do for ourselves to care for hearth and home.  What better than to have a bee hive in the back yard.  If you can’t do that, at the very least look after the bees that come to your garden.  plant crocus (they flower in the cold), snowdrops, bergamot, forget me not, hyssop, sage, mignonette, daisies, lavender, mallow,  rosemary and broom.  Hawthorn and lime (linden) were grown for their high yield of nectar.

The Aborigines have a very clever way to follow the bees to the wild hives.  They wait by the waterholes where bees gather to collect water. Then they use a special feathery, sticky weed to flick a piece of feather fluff onto the back of the bee.  This slows the bee and weighs it down so that they can easily follow it back through the bush to the tree where the wild hive is located.

Remember, proximity to the sacred will itself provide answers.

Get into the garden on these sunny days, and plant a garden of bee desire, and don’t buy cheap, “fortified” honey.  Go to your local Farmers market and buy from the bee keeper direct.

SEE YOU ON ZOOM.  LOOK AT “CLASSES”, THE “HOME PAGE”, OR “BLOG” FOR ALL THE DETAILS. IF YOU WANT MORE INFORMATION ON ANYTHING, EMAIL ME AT yogafirst2@bigpond.com

NAMASTE.  JAHNE