Happenings

Beeing the Medicine with the Landscape

Align your inner landscape harmoniously with earth’s energy and reciprocate love in sacred relationship
Play with nature beings and re-establish your full presence and connection within the energy web of life
Weave your own unique magic with the help of plant, animal, and spirit allies to gift to the greater hive
Listen to the guidance of all around to engage most fully with the present moment
Connect with like-minded souls
Make plant medicine in a community to begin or expand your apothecary

What will this look like? We will meet in person in western Massachusetts, mostly near the Mt Tom landscape, once a month from April through November on Fridays from 10am – 3pm. We will walk through the woods and be outside much of the time, though I do have indoor space if the weather does not allow for outside time. We will make plant medicines together to allow everyone a chance to begin an apothecary, participate in rituals to deepen our relationships with earth and all of the beings living in the local landscape and with ourselves, and dive into practices designed to create a centered presence from which to engage with all that is present in our lives.

Why work with me? Each day will be unique and based on the energies of the exact moment in the season, the group’s yearnings and dreamings, and of course of the beings in the landscape and the landscape itself. I have taught in the experiential realm for twenty years. From working with pre-schoolers, elementary-aged, middle and high school students in the outdoors, I have learned to be fully present to the needs and energy of those right in front of me, while having an awareness of my environment and how to integrate at all times. I have honed my skills on how to listen, be fun and fully adaptable! Many teachers may not like change to the schedule, yet I fully thrive on working with the energy present in the moment.

I have learned much from my environment and very intimately from bees, and so my teachings are guided by the loving presence of these heart-opening beings. In other words, we will interact with the landscape and all of our activities with the flavor of bee essence, as I work with bees physically and in my dreams. I have taught about bees for seven years and graduated from the College of the Melissae, after finding my way to the teaching of bee through a dream. I have always been someone who engages with my natural environment directly and it is from that experience, along with many wonderful magical and herbal teachers along my path, that I offer my teachings.

The dreamscape of one day may look something like this…

A circle of connection on a blanket laid by a birch tree, while we connect in and stretch to open the flow within our bodies. A conversation about the magic and medicine of birch, while we spray birch oil onto our arms and faces to integrate its presence into our cells. It may be time to write our intention for our meandering walk and communion with the landscape, followed by the creation of a nature mandala as an offering to the landscape. Perhaps we gather by the pond to receive a guided drum mediation followed by time to eat our lunches and digest our journeys. A bit more conversation, now about a specific plant ally that is in season at the moment and time to connect to it before we make medicine together. We decide to close with our feet in the stream to offer a prayer to be carried out to the ocean before we say goodbye to our friends.

Friday Dates:

April 29, 2022
May 13, 2022
June 10, 2022
July 22, 2022
August 19, 2022
September 16, 2022
October 14, 2022
November 4, 2022

Energy Exchange:

You can sign up for each class separately, though the more classes you sign up for early, the more discount you get!

10% will be available for equal opportunity for all. If you are interested and do not have full funds, ask about equal opportunity options. Please do not let funds stop our conversation before it starts.

10% will be donated to Kestrel Land Trust because I am indebted to my local environment for my well-being and want to support a local organization who directly works to protect the landscape who care for me.

Interested? Have questions? Want to sign up? Go Here.
Most recent offerings and ceremonies:

Whispers from the Bee Group Hive: (Online on Facebook – 2021)

I invite you into the Whispers from the Bee Group Hive. This will be a community for the people within this group that are looking for a supportive place to go deeper into their intuitive connection to bees. I will place bits of pollen I have collected over time from spending time with the bees inside with the invitation to taste the pollen and add your own unique enzymes and wisdom.

This will be a safe space to discuss what is moving within your inner being as you touch in with bee wisdom. A place to share, to ask, to expand, to create…with others that are seekers.

I will keep the pollen full, though I hope that you add your own! If you are interested in joining, please contact me at Melissa@aylatree.com with questions or sign up here. The cost is $15 for 6 months.

Dreaming with the Landscape – (Creating with Presence)

Find out more here.

A Gift for the Bees – (ArtWeek 2020, May 2, 2020)

Bees have inspired art and creativity for thousands of years, from ancient cave drawings to bee goddess figurines. Bees offer us so much beauty in our world and it is time for us to offer our thanks back! Come listen to music inspired by bees as you make a bumblebee nest to put out in your yard for bee habitat to attract bumblebee queens. Perhaps some of the bee symbols from ancient cultures provided as examples will inspire you with your own artwork. Information about bumble bee locations and how to place will be provided. Plant a seed or two for your bees to take home as well. ($25/bee home, families can make one for the group or as many as wanted to take home.)
Sacred Bee Journey:

Sacred Creation (Women’s Group/Identify as Woman) – Jan – March 2019

This group will meet at my private residence in Holyoke, Massachusetts on Fridays (6:30pm – 8:30pm) close to the New and Full Moons between Jan 24, 2020 and April 10, 2020.

We will follow the sacred bee calendar and be guided by the wisdom of bees in a journey of creation together. We will begin each evening with a shared vegetarian meal (I will provide) and then engage in activities designed to bring out our sacred connection and creativity. We each have many gifts to share with the world and now is the time it is needed most. Let’s engage in bringing about our sacred gifts. I will be your adventure guide as we journey through guided meditations, shared dream space, craftings, and ceremonies. Prepare to fall in love with bees as you reconnect with your wild self. The bees are calling us to rewild ourselves. Are you ready?

Source to Sea Cleanup of the Connecticut River with Honoring

September 28th, 2019, 9am – noon

Holyoke Fish Ladder, Holyoke, MA

Come prepared to pick up trash and let the river know we are actively doing our part of bring about clean water. Water is life.

Sacred Bee Teachings

Radiant Moon Gathering at The Bark Eater (Keene, NY)

Bees have been revered in just about every ancient culture. From the divining powers of the Thriae and the Delphic Bee, to the Melissae Priestesses of Artemis/Aphrodite, to an Egyptian goddess temple known as the Temple of the
Bee, to carving of bees in caves in Spain and Australia as old as 9000 years old, it is safe to say that bees have witnessed civilization evolve from a distinct viewpoint, both wild and domesticated and always full of love. We will dive into their messages that they share about this time and space we share and try out some techniques that help us to connect with our wild selves, the parts in us that remember the language of love that we share with bees.

Water Honoring Ceremony

August 15, 2019

Holyoke Fish Ladder, Holyoke, MA

We gather informally to send our thanks to the Connecticut River. There is nothing you need to bring and you are welcome to bring fruit and/or flowers to add to the beauty.

Mourning the loss of Honeybees