FAQ

What do you mean, this program is participatory?

The monthly Saturday calls are mandatory, with an exception of missing up to 2 sessions. Exceptions granted for illness/emergency/moments of disfavor by the gods of technology. All other live offers are optional.

What timezones work for the apprenticeship?

The live calls are all in the mornings PST. This means the program will be suited to those in the Americas and Europe. However you can join from other, less conducive time zones if you feel like a late night/early morning. I’ve had students from Hawaii, Australia, South Africa, Malaysia, and New Zealand all enjoy this program. A note: since the program is participatory, I do request you miss no more than 3 live calls.

What will be recorded? The monthly 3-hour teaching session and the monthly walks.

Are there any pre-requisites? Nope

How much coursework is it? If you attend both the sessions, you will be on zoom 4.5 hours a month. The reading/course content varies and is a go at your own pace kind of thing. It’s a lot of material to work through, but you can revisit it any time. There are homework assignments which vary, but can include writing down your dreams and sharing them (20 min), weekly land sit practice (10-20min), daily - weekly meditations (5-25), monthly communicating with the hive (20- 30 min).

The coursework is heavy at the beginning and then lightens during peak bee season. This is because prep for bee season is a lot of work and I want you to feel ready. As example: The months of January and February have about 8 hours of coursework each. The months of May and June are about 3 hours.

I am already a beekeeper. Will I still benefit from this course? Yes! Many established beekeepers have taken the course and added to their understanding of bees, natural beekeeping, and earth-centered spirituality. Consider it another lens to look through on your beekeeping journey.

Do I need to have beekeeping experience? Not at all! This course is designed for new beekeepers, or even people who don’t intend on keeping bees for some time. If you are choosing to attend only for the bee shamanism aspect, you may want to try other courses with me first.

What if I don’t intend to get bees any time soon? That’s fine. This course will prepare you for when you do choose to care for bees, but it will also educate you about the bees at large, how to connect with them, and how to deepen into your own spiritual practices with the support of the honey bee tradition.

I don’t have a computer, can I take the course from my iphone? You can access Zoom and the online portal from your iphone, but it will be harder to navigate and may lead to some frustration, especially when slide presentations are shared. I recommend a computer if at all possible.

I thought bee animism was called the Path of Pollen, but you keep saying the Lyceum or the Forest Way, which is it exactly? The pathway of European bee animism is indefinitely ancient and ever new. It has had more than one name. To best describe its current public manifestation as taught at the Sacred Trust in England, it has most recently been named as The Lyceum. The Lyceum represents the women’s work that was previously listed under The Path of Pollen. Prior to it’s being titled “The Path of Pollen” it bore the name The Forest Way. Ultimately, this is not a tradition that is named in the way we often think of titles for things.

What do you mean by women’s tradition? I’m non-binary, can i still participate? Yes, absolutely. However, the work of the Lyceum is gynocentric and placed tremendous import on the healing and intuitive powers of the womb. Everything taught is body based and asks us to continued to deepen into a more embodied state. We will be doing meditations and exercises connected to your womb as a vessel of wisdom. However, if for whatever reason you do not have a womb, but still identify as woman or are non-binary and don’t identify with the physical womb, then you would work with the idea of a spiritual womb center or the great cosmic womb as a reference point. This is also true for anyone who may have had a hysterectomy. The womb can be experienced as a spiritual center within the body, even if there is no physical womb space. It is up to you and your comfort level in regards to how you would like to explore this work. I do reference women, goddess tradition, the feminine and women’s bodies throughout the program.

How long will the recordings and teaching portal be available? Since beekeeping is learned over time and refreshers are really helpful, the material will be available for as long as I’m still doing this work and the internet exists!

I want to do payments, but not in monthly installments, what else is possible? I take monthly payments, 2 installments or 4 installments. Monthly payments are $260 a month for those paying the normal rate, in include the fees of regular debits. It’s cheaper to pay in full or in 2-4 installments. All payments are debited automatically using a 3rd party platform.

What’s your favorite apiary in the world? The forest.

Aside from sitting next to a beehive with a cup of tea, what’s your ideal way to spend a morning? I’m not gonna lie, it’s going to be a cafe in Paris with a book, a journal, and a croissant. Or a campfire in the woods.

What the best part about beekeeping for you? Watching the bees fly to and from the hive on a spring day.