The Shamanic Way of the Bee: Ancient Wisdom and Healing Practices of the Bee Masters

Rating:
Summary: Shamanism did exist in Ancient Europe! Hail the Bees!
Review:
I just finished this book, and I can happily suggest it to anyone.

There are a lot of people out there, including those who have written reviews of this book here, that are very suspicious of anything they feel might be "too new agey". It is true that the "new age" world has torn up many once-serious cultural traditions, and the abuse of the term "shamanism" is commonplace.

This book presents a fascinating insight into a form of mystical awareness of nature, oriented around Bees. Bees appear as important features of all European Pagan religions, and mystical systems, worldwide- anywhere there were bees, there were mystical ideas surrounding them.

While there is probably no such thing as a "direct survival" of any "stone age" religion or mystical practise, there are certain elements of the human being that do not fade. Our sacramental relationship to Nature, which can be celebrated in many forms, is one. Bees are bees, now just as they were then- and the symbolism of the Bee is profound. This book explores that concept in detail.

While the term "shaman" is, indeed, a Siberian term, used by anthropologists to refer to all worldwide cultural Ecstatics, and people who dealt with altered states of awareness to contact the Otherworld, the term "shaman" has a use for us today. The ancient Celts, for instance, had people who used trances and inspiration techniques to achieve Otherworldly experience, chiefly for the memory of tribe and for the creation of sacred verse or poetry- such is the "shamanic" function which we see worldwide, expressed in many forms.

The Celts didn't use the word "Shaman", of course, but they used a term from their own language that referred to an equivalent. And Celtic mystics produced amazingly beautiful verse- one verse of which runs "I am the Queen of every Hive..."

This is an allusion to a Mother Goddess figure, setting the stage for her Sovereign authority over the creatures she acted as "Mother" to- including humans! That a bee metaphor was chosen is not accidental. In the Word-Oghams from the same culture, the Spirit of the Willow Tree is referred to as being resonant with the "Activity of Bees".

I suggest this book to anyone who wishes to learn more about Bees and native European spiritualities. It may not be a survival, but it's not pure "fiction" as others would present it. It's somewhere in-between- and the same can be said for all of the things that we treasure from the distant past.




Rating:
Summary: Powerful, poetic and potent
Review: As both a beekeeper and a shamanic practitioner I was amazed and delighted by this book, as it confirmed so much that I had intuitively realised through my shamanic practice and my work with bees over many years.

Other than Martin Prechtel (author of Teachings of the Talking Jaguar) I can't think of any other author of shamanism who writes so eloquently on the subject, and the intelligence, poetry and wisdom of the `Path of Pollen' that Buxton writes about radiates from every page.

Whilst this book is shamanically accurate in aspects of presentation, ritual and belief it is in many ways more about the authors teacher - a Welsh `Bee Master' - than the author himself, and furthermore is the most exquisite eulogy to the honeybee I've ever come across. The book is almost scriptural in its resonance's whilst at the same time is as gripping as a thriller, to the point that I read it in a single sitting, which is unusual for me. I'm now going over it more slowly and am uncovering some of its many layers. My only criticism? It wasn't long enough!

I also notice that an earlier review comments on the use of smoke within bee-keeping, careful readers of this book will note that Simon Buxton's teacher never uses smoke with the hives.


Rating:
Summary: Poetic, Inspirational.. Fiction.
Review: I really admire Simon Buxtons story telling ability. He really does have a way with words which is very visionary. However, I don't believe this to be non-fiction. This isn't to say that fiction doesn't have value, but honestly, "The Path of Pollen"?? Is that some kind of joke? Did anyone REALLY take this seriously? Scientifically, we've only really been studying bees, polination and other related subjects for a few hundred years. Ancient "shamans" wouldn't have called their practices the "Path of Pollen" because they wouldn't have really been aware of the whole "Pollen = bee spit = honey = YUMMY" thing, now would they?

Also, just as a side note, I LOVE it when authors get their friends (or, in some sad instances, make up various accounts by themselves..) to come on and write reviews for them. You can always tell when they do that by the FIVE STAR reviews coming from reviewers who, gee golly, have never reviewed anything ever before. And the honest reviews, the 2-3 star reviews, come from other reviewers who have a couple of pages of reviews (or, at least more than ONE review) . Mmmhmm. I guess I should have known, since Brooke Medicine Eagle, the plastic medicine woman who has been conning people out of money for years wrote a small recommendation blurb on the back cover. Silly me.

But seriously. I'm not trying to knock on Mr. Buxton. For all we know, he could be a very sincere individual, who, for some reason, stumbled upon a completely undocumented form of Bee-Shamanism in Europe. A place which is WELL known for it's anthropological documentation of folk customs. Yeah. Riiiiiight. I guess it theoretically *could* happen. Maybe I'm just a Doubting Katrina due to all the other people I've met claiming lineage to some made-up thing or another, but until I see other signs to back it up (that don't come from people just parroting this book, so, in other words, PRE DATE this work) I'll trust my gut instinct and advise others to enjoy this as an inspiring piece of *fiction*.



Rating:
Summary: Magical
Review: Lovingly written, this rather personal account of a journey into the world of sacred speaks through the poetry of its' language, revealing a deep well of ancient knowledge and wisdom to all who wish to drink from it.

But first it invites us to release the rational and surrender to immediate realities! Then, it tells of magic that opens through direct communication and total communion with Nature and Spirit of Life which presents itself in everything, including the smallest and simplest detail of the world constantly evolving with and around us. Finally it leaves every reader free in making a choice about what gifts and meanings this, hidden from the eyes yet well preserved shamanic tradition, 'bee-holds' for them as well as all other dreamers of the Future.

I truly enjoyed this book and will continuosly return to drawing more 'honey' from it. My happy recomendation to all readers.

Rating:
Summary: Who cares if it's true?
Review: Simon Buxton does claim that this book is non fiction, and seeing as I've never met him, I don't know whether to believe him or not. Regardless, his story is nothing short of amazing, fiction of non. This book will certainly not bore you. I read it in two sittings. I would suggest this book to anyone interested in shamanism, or bees, or nature in general. And shamanism by its very nature is something that defies science. And science has taken many of its terms and words from people who had experience with a plant or animal before scientists did. So it is very plausible that the path of pollen existed or exists. If you live your life within the confounds of what science explains as real or not, you will be very bored and you will not gain anything from this book. Read this book and forget about whether it's true or not, because the bottom line is it's an amazing story.

Rating:
Summary: Magical, lovely, and honest
Review: Simon Buxton's "Shamanic Way of the Bee" is beautifully written and passionately told. Mr. Buxton's story of his shamanic training is completely captivating! I can only hope that he will keep on writing as I will keep on reading his work. Perhaps we will hear from the Melissae as well. Thanks for sharing the magic.

Rating:
Summary: From shamanic visions to cheap romance novel
Review: This book starts out very nicely. Good background on the authors life as it relates to the subject. Nice writing style overall in the beginning. Along with the meeting of the bee master and wisdom flowing like honey. The novice undergoes the 23 day hibernation/initiation transported by visions of transformation into the mind of the bee and the hive.

Then the story falls apart.

After the initiation the initiate meets the bee mistress and her enchanting apprentices. At this point the writing becomes chaotic and you end up with people smearing our heros naked body with honey so he can have some kind of ritualized sexathon with one (or more) of the bee mistresses.

This story had great promise but literally fell apart half way through. I consider it either a misguided set of sex fiction or a really weird sex cult. Too bad.

Rating:
Summary: Dare to Be
Review: This extraordinary tale has a potent capacity to challenge and recreate certain conceptions and brought to light a truth within my deepest being that has been long awaited. Permeating between the lines I found little jewels of wisdom pointing to a way of being that weaves the primordial and chaotic with a profound simplicity encompassing respect for all life.
Admidst the buzz of the golden bee and the resonance of my own bones I came to realise that there is more to life, and woman, than we are brought up to percieve in this society; where 'mystery' is violated in its absence due to its incomprehensibility by the rational mind. The compelling gift of this book is to take ones senses into a feeling dream, where to experience is to know. Recommended.


Rating:
Summary: Follow the Bee
Review: This fascinating book will surprise, and might even shake a few people. It's often what happens before some kind of awakening. An adventurer of the mind, sincere and determined,will recognise the taste of a truth and wisdom coming from a very remote past, our common legacy. A reader with an enquiring mind will appreciate the savour of extraordinary adventures.
After reading this story, you will never again eat honey in the same way. Follow the bee !

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable read, but mostly nonsense
Review: This is an enjoyable exercise in fantasy, but there is no path here for would-be "shamans". Anyone who can communicate with bees, as Mr. Buxton suggests his teacher, "Bridge" can do, would not use smoke when working around hives.

Smoke disturbs the hive and forces the bees to go into emergency mode, and I don't believe that any right thinking bee would ever fail to communicate the disruptive effect of this to a beekeeper, much less a "master". I certainly figured this out early in my beekeeping experience. It is easy to work around hives without smoke, and I have never found the need to use it.

I am not a shaman (see Mircea Eliade's work if you want to know what real shamans have to go through to achieve this status), but I am pretty sure that disrupting the hive in this way is contrary to how real shamans would conduct themselves.

I have extensive experience with honey and propolis clinically, and recommend that anyone with an interest consider their value. (I have a review of the therapeutic uses of honey at my website, www.drgrotte.com).

Honey bee venom is also of value for certain disorders, though I never used it until I could manage a method to prevent the bee's loss of its stinger, and thus her death. Those who are interested in this subject will find a wealth of resources at Mihaly Simics' www.beevenom.com.

I also recommend that those with an interest become beekeepers. This will provide you with a wealth of connection to nature and some small understanding of the complexity and wonder of bee behavior. An essay on this subject can also be found at my website, entitled, "Offerings to the Earth".


Where there's smoke....

Sophia suggests that I am mistaken to suggest that Bridge uses smoke with the hives. More careful readers will find that on page 40, while being "smoked" himself, Buxton indeed confirms that Bridge uses smoke with the hives. He even, on page 41, lists the ingredients that Bridge uses to smoke bees. He "would often burn herbs and resins..."Among those he used included Scotch pine resin, verbena, mugwort, mistletoe...,and hops...".

I stand by my review but allow that others may find value in this fantasy.