BEES, HONEY AND THE HIVE: Circumambulating the Centre: A Jungian exploration of the symbolism and psychology by Frith Luton – Title 131

The symbolism of bees, honey and the hive intertwine, but at the core is the imagery of the circumambulation of the centre. For bees, this is a dynamic in the service of the queen bee and the preservation of the hive. In depth psychological terms, circumambulation is linked with mandala symbolism or the archetype of inner order, an archetype that Jung said was perhaps the most important.

This work explores the alchemical union of opposites through symbolism related to the life and nature of the bee. Some particular opposites associated with bees, honey and the hive include those of love
and war, sweetness and bitterness, the individual and multiplicity, light and dark, order and chaos, industry and laziness, earth and heaven/the sky, sun and moon, spirit and matter, fertility and sterility, regeneration and death.

The author brings together her practical experience as a beekeeper and insights gained in her work in depth psychology, particularly through an appreciation of Jung’s final work, Mysterium Coniunctionis: An Inquiry into the Separation and Synthesis of Psychic Opposites in Alchemy.

Frith Luton, M.A., completed her analyst training in Zurich. Her passionate interest in nature, literature and the symbolic life has been strong since childhood. She has been a professional book editor for over twenty years. She has a B.A. in history and an M.A. in analytical psychology. In her youth she was a beekeeper for ten years and now has a private analytic practice in Melbourne, Australia.