It’s a beautiful day in the Pacific Northwest. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping and cawing, and the forest is lush and vibrant. I’ve been here for five days now sharing The Wisdom of the Hive. Whenever Amy, my co-author and best friend, and I discuss the book and its medicine, we always begin with a meditation to connect people to the hive—its inner workings and beauty. We share stories and lessons about how the bees have changed our hearts and lives. We always end by sharing a practice of attunement, a humming practice as it were. I think about attunement quite a bit because so much is out of tune and imbalanced around me, and this lack of attunement leads to more imbalance. It’s really simple math. When I am not grounded and attuned to myself, it is impossible for me to attune to others and my environment. Attunement is precisely what we need to practice if we desire liberation and balance. 

 

At our reading on Friday, Amy and I were accompanied by the most beautiful peonies. Mine bloomed in North Carolina back at the end of April, and it is always lovely to be met with a second coming of flowers while visiting a different region. The peonies were a mix of pink, fuchsia, and white. They filled the room with their heady scent. Yesterday, on our car ride home from the ferry dock, Amy saw some peonies on a roadside stand, which led her to wonder if her peonies, the ones in her yard, were in bloom yet. I said to her, “Have you looked to see?” She said, “Well, I looked last week and they weren’t open yet.” Once we made it back to her house and got out of the car, Amy darted into her garden to see if, in fact, the peonies were putting on the spectacular show they do every year. To her delight, they were in bloom. She made a beautiful bouquet of them for me. Thank you, Amy. 

 

My question to her about whether or not she had looked to see if they were in bloom made me think about attunement once again. So much can change within a week. So. Much. When we slow down or pause to notice our internal and external landscapes within and around us, we see so much more. We feel so much more. We remember so much more. It is through this remembrance that we find balance. When I stop to notice what is going on within me while maintaining a connection to the outer world, when I attune to myself and my surroundings, I can create balance. Attunement is an essential practice. It’s like turning the dial to the exact station you want to hear on the radio and the satisfied feeling once you find it. We can be better to one another and the more-than-human world when we are centered, and the only way to find center is through attunement. 

 

You can attune by pausing, exhaling, practicing conscious breathing, humming, making slow and steady movements, and becoming aware of your surroundings, including the peonies or whatever might be in bloom in your garden. You can attune by digging in the dirt and planting your own seeds. You can attune by connecting with others, furry companions, good friends, or someone who is a grounding presence. You can attune by connecting to the Earth's energy and drawing this energy into yourself. There are so many ways. Find one. Practice. Let me know what happens.

 

Join Michelle C. Johnson and Amy Burtaine for bee magic to celebrate the turning of seasons.

 

Amy and Michelle, authors of The Wisdom of the Hive, are bee lovers and tenders, activists, and people who are deeply committed to healing work that supports bringing individuals, the collective, and our entire ecosystem back into balance. As each season gives way to another, they want to share wisdom from the honeybees with you.

During these 90-minute sessions, Michelle and Amy will share how the bees relate to each seasonal shift, share rituals aligned with the approaching season, and share medicine and wisdom from the lens of the honeybee hive.

 

Each session will include meditation, wisdom sharing, a ritual, somatic practice, and a mantra.

 

The Wisdom of the Hive: What Honeybees Can Teach Us about Collective Wellbeing is a profound, potent, and insightful exploration of how we can look to honeybees and the more-than-human world as teachers. When we do this, we begin to examine our relationships with ourselves, with each other, and with the world at large. Honeybees illustrate communal interdependence, attunement to nature, coexistence with darkness, and so much more—lessons worthy of emulating within our own human world.

 

Learn more about these themes and engage in a community of practice in The Wisdom of the Hive six-week book club. 

 

What can honeybees teach us about life? About humanity? That's the question Michelle Cassandra Johnson has been exploring lately. In her newest book (with Amy Burtaine), Michelle highlights lessons we all could learn from honeybees: attunement with nature, coexistence with darkness, and so much more.

 

For this virtual author event, join Michelle Cassandra Johnson in conversation with Good Grief Network's founders, LaUra Schmidt & Aimee Lewis Reau as we dig deep and open our hearts to the wisdom of the hive.

 

Join me for an immersion in August at Omega!

 

Yoga is an ancient practice designed to support us in meeting whatever might arise, moment to moment. In this 5-day immersion, we explore how we can engage in spiritual practice to meet the personal and collective suffering we experience.

 

Join spiritual teacher and author of Illuminating Our True Nature, Michelle Cassandra Johnson, for a weeklong immersion focused on freeing ourselves from suffering.