wisdom from the hive

Leave a comment March 18, 2015 nourishinggrace

Or go to the honeybee, And learn how she is a worker And how solemnly she does her work, Whose labors kings and common people use for health; And she is desirable to all and glorious; And although she is weak in bodily strength, She leads the way in honoring wisdom.

Proverbs 6:10-12

A hive of bees is centered around the fullness and joyful labor of their common life together.

An observer to a beehive is struck at the seeming joy the bees take in each of their appointed tasks. Over her life, a bee will have provided for the sustenance of the hive by laboring at every available position to support the colony.

As soon as she is born, a young bee gets right to work as a nursemaid. In this role she feeds and tends to the eggs and larvae of the hive. At about two weeks of age, she will begin producing wax- and despite the sheer darkness within the hive, the bee will effortlessly draw out beautifully perfect geometric combs for the storage of nectar as it becomes honey.

Then there are the bee chefs… and they produce royal jelly and beebread. If you are fan of fermentation, then you will appreciate the production of beebread. Beebread is a combination of fermented pollen, sweet little bee secretions and honey and it’s kind of like a bee sourdough!

As she grows and matures, the bee will learn to guard the hive at the entrance and will also get into great shape constantly fanning her wings for the cooling or warming of the hive.

Once she is about three weeks old, this little lady then really spreads her wings – gathering floral sunshine as she forages for nectar and pollen.

It is this foraging for nectar which is the bees most precious gift for mankind. Although we crave their honey, it is their pollination that is vital to our wellbeing. When a bee finds a rich source of nectar, she will dance a joyful circular little bee folk dance, for her sisters. This lets the other bees know where to locate the forage. Her dancing directions are remarkably accurate and reference flight patterns focused on angles of the sun.

At one point in her life she will even take on the merciful task of undertaker – that is removing the bodies of any bees that die in the hive. There are no idle moments for bees, they work day and night, and live for about six weeks. When her body finally succumbs to death, the industrious and watchful bee will never have slept a moment in her life.

Nature never taught me that there exists a God of glory and infinite majesty.

I had to learn that in other ways. But nature gave the word glory a meaning for me.

I still do not know where else I could have found one.”–C.S. Lewis

A hive of bees is considered a single organism – a body. And each little bee is a but a tiny part of the body of the hive, yet collectively their common labor yields a wonderful harvest. There is no “down time” and certainly not a lot of distraction in a hive. Collectively, as members of the body, they labor toward what is needful and beneficial for life.

In this way, one senses neither judgement nor conflict amongst the bees. Despite the various roles a bee will take on over the course of her life, each bee appears quite satisfied exerting herself with the current task at hand, focusing on her own labor but also indebted to the roles of her fellow laborers in the hive.

Bees live and act as one, and all of this is for the common good of the colony. It is a life of service, as evidenced by their communal labor and the constant droning buzz, which is the eison of life and of service within the hive.

“… I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, just as your soul prospers.”

3 John 2

kollyva – a sweet offering

Leave a comment November 8, 2014 nourishinggrace

In our lives as Orthodox Christians we journey through many seasons, both within the year of the liturgical cycle in the Church, and also through out our lives, and the lives of our families and friendships. There are seasons of preparation, fasting and feasting. There are seasons of joy and of lament; seasons of birth and death, of growing and of learning.

And you know what? Sometimes, there are even seasons of unlearning, but as liturgical beings, we experience the changes of our lives within the steadfast constancy of the Church.

These bonds of love we forge in our lives are strong; and so even after the loss of family or friend, that love always remains. Their absence from our daily lives can leave a great pain.

Unlike the ways of this world, Faith tends to be counter-intuitive. The modern world, in all of it’s conventional wisdom markets us to pursue happiness ~ mostly economic ~ and mostly through gain and acquisition – but not of what is needful. There isn’t really a plan for loss. The modern formula to deal with tragedy usually involves pharmaceuticals and generally those are offered within weeks after it occurs. This can leave a person fractured and tangled in the wrong net. But there is another way…

“Whoever does not have the Church as his mother cannot have God as his father.”
Saint Cyprian of Carthage

Herein lies a great blessing! For a mother provides wisdom, nourishment and guidance for her children. And so it is that one finds through loss, the possibility to become whole. When we embrace the prayers offered by our Mother the Church, Christ grafts healing and mends within our hearts the fullness of a fiercely gentle but unyielding hope.

A sacrifice of thanksgiving… Again and again, praying for our departed loved ones, we fix our gaze toward Eternity, rather than focus on our loss and there ~ in that space ~ it is despite our burden ~ or precisely because of it, that we find rest in the yoke of His Resurrection.

Death is a threshold, not an end. We do not grieve as those who have no hope, but rest in the assurance that God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. ( 1 Thessalonians 4:14)

It is traditional for Orthodox families to offer a memorial service in Church on the third, ninth and fourtieth day after the passing of a loved one; and then each year commemorating the anniversary of their death. During our memorial service, the family of the departed offers a sweet wheat known as kollyva. Kollyva is boiled wheat with sugar and raisins, spices and nuts. It is usually decorated with powdered sugar and jordan almonds.

This offering of boiled wheat is a remembrance of the resurrection ~ for as a grain of wheat must be buried before it can bring forth fruit, so a man must be buried in order to be resurrected for eternity.

During an Orthodox Memorial Service a candle will be placed in the wheat and then the memorial service is chanted for the soul of the departed.

With the saints give rest, O Christ to the soul of your servants, Where sickness and sorrow are no more, but life everlasting.

May the memory of all of our departed loved ones be eternal!!

There are several different recipes for kollyva but the main ingredient is soft white wheat and sugar. This is the recipe our family uses, but many other ones may be found here.

Kollyva Ingredients:

1 pound soft white wheat
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cardamom
1-1/2 cups golden raisins
1 to 1-1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 to 1-1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds
powdered sugar
jordan almonds
parchment or wax paper for smoothing sugar

Kollyva Preparation

Add the wheat to boiling water and let simmer for a half and hour. You want the wheat to be soft but not mushy so be careful not to overcook it.
Once it is cooked, strain and rinse the wheat with cold water to stop the cooking. Place it on a dry white tablecloth and spread it out. Cover with another white cloth. Let it sit for two hours or overnight. This drains the water from the wheat.
After the wheat has rested, place in a large bowl with remaining ingredients and stir well.
Shape the top of the wheat so that it is smooth. You may smooth it so it is flat within the vessel you are using or rounded like ours.
Top the wheat with powdered sugar. It should be about 1/4 inch thick all over. Then take parchment to flatten and smooth the sugar.
Now decorate with jordan almonds.

bee-lieve

Leave a comment June 10, 2014 nourishinggrace

Last year we lost all of our bees, and really through no fault of their own. They needed some care and intervention and, being overcome with events, we did not come to their aide. We realized there was a problem with the hives in late summer and tried to help them recuperate, but then we were taken away again and they had to fend for themselves.

One hive may have swarmed, but you can never be sure.

Last summer, within a three month period, our family was besought with two deaths.

This life is a time of preparation. Death is inescapable, yet somehow we are always unprepared – even when it is looming.

One death was expected, our aging father. A kind and gentle man, he left us in the early morning of July 4th. Wise in his age, he was always reminding you that “your problem is that you have no problem.” Words to carry with you forever. His was a beautiful death and we were with him to the moment of his repose and into the day. Our priest arrived just minutes after his passing and spent time with our family and in the most uncommon act of normalcy, even brought the grandchildren in to see their newly departed Papou.

Then on October 11th, a severe blow, we lost our brother. Taken from us in his prime, he was only forty and just coming into his own wisdom. Our last days with him were seven sleepless days and nights in Trauma ICU, following a horrible car accident.

To hear the last breath of your loved ones… this is a sorrow filled and blessed gift… and one that is filled with immeasurable Grace.

The time of mourning the loss of two beloved in your family, departing so near in time to one another leaves an indelible mark on your life and places you undoubtedly in an unfamiliar new season.

The season of mourning and praying for the departed.

From the depths of the heart confronted with death, praying for the departed makes you feel alive again. An action of Faith ~ grief and bereavement bleed with the hope of Life and Resurrection.

At the onset of mourning, the heart filled with the heaviness of sorrow is tempered only by the lightness of prayer.

Memory Eternal… we pray for them because we love them, and in praying for them, they pray for us and so our relationship continues. After all, they are still our family and we don’t forget them but continue these prayers for the rest of our lives. This is the Orthodox way.

Prayer for the departed is the joy filled sorrow of another season in our journey as our lives continue here.

In the coming weeks our garden will have the buzzing of bees once again. The whole family is preparing for our wonderful little pollinators!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

“Someone who thinks that death is the scariest thing in the world, doesn’t know a thing about life.” Sue Monk Kidd – The Secret Life of Bees

“O Death, where is your sting? O Hell, where is your victory? … Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice. Christ is risen, and life reigns…. For Christ, being risen from the dead, is become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. To Him be glory and dominion unto ages of ages. Amen.” Saint John Chrysostom

Fasting : nourishment for the hungry soul

Leave a comment February 28, 2014 nourishinggrace

“Let Thy food be Thy medicine and let Thy medicine be Thy food.” Hippocrates

This is a quote used widely within the circles of holistic nutrition… indeed in our quest for health nutrition has practically become a religion unto itself. Many will change their diets and fast for outward physical health to an extreme, but what about spiritual health?

For Orthodox Christians, the Great Fast of the Church is upon us.

Already, these last weeks in Church we have been preparing for Lent, slowly giving up meat and this week we partake of our last bits of dairy. These weeks of preparation culminate this Sunday, when Orthodox Christians around the world will voluntarily deprive themselves of meat, eggs and dairy for the next forty days as we make the Lenten journey.

Despite what might seem to be fairly strict dietary guidelines, the Fast is not aimed at physical deprivation, but spiritual health and sobriety.

In fact, the very first act of the Fast and the ushering of Great Lent is the Sunday of Forgiveness – a time where we genuinely seek mutual reconciliation with our brothers and sisters. “For He then who hates his brother is separated from God, since God is Love.” (Saint John of Karpathos)

You see, without love for neighbor, there is no Fast.

Great Lent is a struggle and also a holistic journey of healing and rejuvenation. Each fasts to the best of their ability, age, physical health and medical circumstance in accordance with their Priest or Spiritual Father. We struggle in abstinence from foods, but perhaps the greater struggle is to forgive or find humility or to reconcile, to love and to pray.

It’s counterintuitive, but the Lenten dietary restrictions actually take the focus off of what we’re eating so that we might flesh out what’s eating us – and our relationships – with God and one another.

Orthodox Fasting is medicine and nourishment for the hungry soul.

The Fast is not about eating perfectly but is rather the salt of devotion and the quest for closeness to God. There are some who would say that this seasonal deprivation of certain foods is mindless or ritual, but to them the question, where is the ritual in the heart seeking God?

Others call Fasting a tool and that is true. It’s the anaphoric lever – lifting our hearts to God, Who is Love.

We eat less but are enriched and fortified with the spiritual nourishment of greater alms giving – love for our neighbor through charity and goodness; prayer; watchfulness and greater attendance at the services of the Fast. All of that is not to be taken lightly.

Fasting is joy, dependence on God, who is Life ~ and our thankfulness to Him, for all things. It is eating to live rather than living to eat.

Great Lent is about Love…

…because He first loved us. Lent is a spiritual movement. An interior progression – becoming closer, rekindling and renewing our relationship with God or perhaps even discovering it for the first time. This kinetic cooperation, our movement in Christ, spans the whole of our lives and is about the heart.

In that sense, the Fast is about the Greatest Commandment – to love God above all and love our neighbor as ourselves.

We fast for the Resurrection and the Life of the age to come!

Wishing us all a joyous and profitable Lent.

Nourishment for the Fast:

† The Lenten Prayer of Saint Ephraim the Syrian †

“Lord and Master of my life,take away from me the spirit of idleness, of despondency, of ambition and of unprofitable words. But give to me, Thy servant, the spirit of chastity, humility, of patience and of love. Teach me O Lord, to see mine own faults, and not to judge my brother. For Thou art blessed unto ages and ages. Amen”

† Saint Silouan – Wisdom from Mount Athos ~ On Love †

The man who knows the delight and love of God – when warmed by grace, loves both God and her brother – knows in part that ‘the kingdom of God is within us.’ Blessed is the soul that loves her brother, for our brother is our life.”

† Prayer of the Optina Elders †

Grant unto me, my Lord, that with peace of mind I may face all that this new day is to bring. Grant unto me Grace to surrender myself completely to Thy Holy Will. For every hour of this day instruct and prepare me in all things. Whatsoever tidings I may receive during the day, do Thou teach me to accept tranquilly, in the firm conviction that all eventualities fulfill Thy Holy Will. Govern Thou my feelings and thoughts in all I do and say. When unforeseen things occur, let me not forget that all cometh from Thee. Teach me to behave sincerely and reasonably toward every member of my family, that I may bring them no confusion or sorrow. Bestow upon me, my Lord, strength to endure the fatigue of the day, and to bear my part in all it’s passing events. Guide Thou my will and teach me to pray, to believe, to hope, to suffer and to love. Amen.

Papou’s Lentils ~ Soup for the Soul

This is a Lenten Staple…

Ingredients

1/2 pound dried lentils – soaked over night in water

1 onion chopped fine

2 cloves garlic chopped fine

1 small can tomato sauce, or 3 tsp tomato paste

salt and pepper to taste

4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons flour

7 cups water

The night before, place lentils in a bowl and fill with water three inches above the lentils. Let stand overnight. (You know, just like our grandmothers did… this breaks down some of the less digestible starches in the lentils and therefore provides greater nutrient availability at mealtime. It also reduces gas!)

Place lentils and all ingredients (except vinegar and flour) in large stock pot. Cover and bring to slow boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 and a half hours. In small bowl mix flour and vinegar until no chunks of flour remain. Stir into soup and cook for 10 more minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with toasted bread and a green side salad – with lemon or orange juice dressing!

Resources:

The Lenten Triodion, Introduction

Manley, J. (1990). The Bible and the Holy Fathers for Orthodox: daily scripture readings and commentary for Orthodox Christians. Menlo Park, Calif.: Monastery Books. (pages 680 and 690)

culitvate love

Leave a comment December 5, 2013 nourishinggrace

“Prayer is to approach everything made by God with love.”

Saint Porphyrios

“I enjoyed the garden. I bought a hand held cultivator to prepare the ground as well as possible. The garden had everything: tomatoes, aubergines, pumpkins, onions, garlic and so on. My great love was for the trees. I was filled with joy to look at them. I planted four hundred trees: walnut trees, plum trees, pear trees, apple trees, peach trees, almond trees, hazelnut trees, medlar trees and pomegranate trees. I loved the work. I always said and still say: “Work as if you were immortal, and live as if you were on the point of death. That is, plant walnut trees, fig trees and olive trees, even if you are ninety years old!”

Saint Porphyrios

“Love Christ and put nothing before His Love. He is joy, He is life, He is light. Christ is Everything. He is the ultimate desire, He is everything. Everything beautiful is in Christ.”