Bees and whales

The Whales and the Bee

At De Hoop, in the stillness between land and sea, I saw something I had never seen before — and yet, it felt ancient. Familiar.

Honeybees flew out from their wild nests in the sandstone caves, their small bodies crossing open water to where the whales were resting just offshore. First one bee landed on a whale, while three kept flying above. They returned to the colony. Minutes later, they came again. The next day, with no wind, all four landed gently on the whale’s body.

The whale remained still — calm, present, aware of the bees. It did not dive. It waited. It held the meeting.

I believe the bees were collecting something — oils, perhaps, or minerals. But what passed between them was more than substance. It was recognition. A quiet exchange between beings who have known each other across time.

In my body, it felt like a reunion — as though two ancient kin had found each other again. In that moment, I glimpsed the field that both whales and bees still remember. A field of deep knowing. Of trust. Of right relation.

This is the field I am learning to return to.