Today is World Bee Day—a day to celebrate and honor bees.

These little furry beings are truly amazing—and now, they’re in danger.
Without them, there is no honey, and no cross-pollination for many of the plants that produce our food.

Between pesticides, cell towers, and a general lack of concern or awareness about bees’ essential role in our ecosystem, we’re headed in the wrong direction.

In the past, bees were honored.
The bee was a common symbol of royalty and was associated with several goddesses, including Oshun and Aphrodite. The “Queen Bee” is more than a pop culture term—it represents a female in charge, one who is worthy of protection.

Roughly 4,000 years ago—before patriarchy took hold—the Great Goddess was revered, and women held a vital place in society. There was relative peace, with men and women working in balance.
Women were often in leadership roles, and property and assets were passed down through the maternal line.

Many of the innovations we benefit from today—agriculture, medicine (especially herbal knowledge), pottery, the use of fire, art, writing, language—originated with wise women.

Then came the Bronze Age and the discovery of iron weaponry. War began.
Raiding, raping, pillaging, and plundering followed. Might became right.

Violence toward women and others became a means to gain property and power. Along with this came a forced shift away from nature-based spirituality.

The Great Goddess—and what later came to be known as paganism (or “the old religion”)—was demonized and reinterpreted. Women were no longer valued or placed in positions of power.

Mythologies were rewritten. Goddesses were erased or diminished, replaced by gods who were framed as the true sources of power. All roads began to lead to Rome, and Rome’s ideology took hold.

The fact that women give birth to humans posed a challenge.
Menstrual blood was declared unclean.
Birth—the most powerful act of creation—was something men couldn’t do, and so control over women’s reproductive abilities became essential.

Men could rape, own, and control women and their children, especially male children. This became the norm—and in many ways, it still is.

I don’t usually venture into religion or politics, but today I will.

Fast forward a couple of thousand years after the Bronze Age to the time of Christ. The story of Mary’s virgin conception became a turning point—a narrative designed to center a man and his son as the divine, rather than a goddess.

This furthered the agenda to erase the earth-based, female-centered spirituality that had existed for thousands of years. A “sky god” became the one and only deity—accessible only through male intermediaries like disciples and priests.
Only by following their rules could we hope to conquer sin and reach heaven (eventually).

I don’t believe this was Christ’s original message. I believe it was fabricated by those seeking power after his death.
Some of my Christian followers may disagree, but I stand by this. It’s hard to erase 2,000+ years of systemic indoctrination.

Consider the Old Testament and its warnings about women as sources of sin (Eve and the serpent, anyone?).
But remember—the Bible was written by men.
The concept of “sin” was largely a Christian invention that pointed the finger squarely at women.

Every major religion—including Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, and Confucianism—is male-centered. Each promotes keeping men in power while ensuring that women remain submissive participants in the system—worker bees, child bearers, and food growers.

You’d think that after slavery, colonialism, five hundred years of Inquisition atrocities, and the Holocaust, we would have evolved past patriarchy. But we haven’t. We’re still deeply entangled in it.

Religion has played a key role in persuading people to comply. It’s now so ingrained in our collective consciousness that it feels like it has always been this way—even though it hasn’t.

And now, we have social media, AI, and other technologies fueling new forms of distraction and division.

One of patriarchy’s oldest strategies is divide and conquer:
Man vs. woman. Black vs. white. Christian vs. Jew. Us vs. them.

Fear and military force keep people in check.
This is at the very heart of fascism.

Violence and war are justified in God’s name.
The Earth is treated as property.
Profit and endless consumption are justified under patriarchal systems.

But let’s be honest—it’s not working.
Not for the bees.
Not for the planet.
Not for us.

So today, on World Bee Day, I ask you to:

— Honor Mother Earth, and your own mother
— Bee kind. Bee wise. Especially to those you don’t naturally align with
— Don’t buy into false narratives or belief systems
— Educate yourself. Ask hard questions.
— Study history and read from reputable sources—especially when it comes to current events
— Plant bee-friendly flowers
— Speak your truth with respect—to friends, neighbors, and your elected officials

Don’t go along just to get along.
The hive needs conscious, courageous bees—willing to question, protect, and awaken.

And above all, remember:
The Goddess is still here—just as she has always been.
And you are the Goddess.