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There are somewhere around 20,000 species of bees on Earth, and they are on every continent except the Antarctica. This fact made me wonder – What do bees do in the winter? Honeybees which are social and live in hives have evolved a behavior called clustering. This behavior gets them and their queen through the winter.
Once the outside temperature drops to 55 degrees F, inside the hive the Honeybees huddle around the queen shivering and fluttering their wings to create heat. At the core of the cluster temperatures range anywhere in the 80’s. The bees continually rotate their position so no bee gets to cold. As the temperature falls the cluster becomes tighter and tighter. The bees live on the honey they have collected in the hive through out the summer. For Bumblebees, also social, the whole hive dies in the fall except for the Queen. Her fattened self digs a burrow, hides out for the winter and in the spring lays a whole new hive.
Solitary bees have evolved two ways to make it through the winter. Either the female lays her eggs in a nest full of pollen and nectar and seals it up for the winter. Then she and the male die leaving their eggs to hatch into larva and eat through the larder she has provided through the winter. Or other both genders of solitary bee, like the carpenter bee and other burrowing bees, find a nice dry place to cocoon away until spring. These bees’ nests are underground, in your wood pile or they hollow out reeds and stems of dying plants. So if you see a hole in your firewood about bee size don’t burn up that piece, or leave a few large stem plants to die off in your garden for the winter, to give these bees a winter condo.
The photos in this article are photographed by Sam Droege a wildlife biologists. See his series of photos he calls Eye Candy which shows the amazing diversity of bee. Below are just a few.
P.S. Remember signs with an * it’s a big week for you. And please share.
*Aries – Star
Last week the Death card asked you some hard questions like: What cycles are you starting up again? What ideas or projects do you want to store and work on next year? What do you want to let die or finish before spring? The Star card continues the theme of introspection by adding the questions: What do you need to heal, so you can move in to 2019 with a lighter load? And if you could hope for an outcome what would it be?
Taurus – Three of Wands
Last week the Strength card had you assess the hows and whys of your internal struggle to get things done. This week the Three of Wands wants you to continue pondering those questions, but also would like you planning your focuses for the winter season. What three things would you like to get done that will carry you into the spring of 2019?
Continue reading Tarotcast for Week of December 2, 2019
The Ten of Pentacles brings another week of focusing on building your net worth. What you have going right now is a pretty good gig. Keep at it and adding to it.
The Three of Pentacles foretells you will need help from others if you want to accomplish what you need to do. This week cooperation and collaboration are key.
Last week, the World wanted you to finish up old projects to create room for new projects. And now here comes the Lovers card wanting you to start creating, though this creation period is about working with others to create something new. In its simplest form this can look like making dinner with your love ones. In its more complex form this can be you sharing the creation process on a new project. Either way this week you will need to cooperate and collaborate if you really want to create something out of the ordinary.
The Five of Wands is calling you to arms. You will need to be valiant and noble, so you can bring a sense of light and passion not only into your work place but also into your life. This week fight for something you believe in.
The World is the card of completion and opportunities. In its simplest form it can look like finishing up old projects or finally crossing off your oldest to-do list items. In its more complex form, this can be closing old doors, and throwing away old ideas or ideologies opening you to new opportunities and ways of “doing.”
Workers are fixing a pothole outside my house and they had to stop multiple times because it began to rain. A paradox of mine is I hate the smell of an asphalt roads being laid, but I am also fond of the smell of rain hitting asphalt. During my urban sojourns, it was a sign of a respite from the summer heat. Both these experiences are unique to the modern world and drew me to the photography of Franco Fontana’s asfalti. He is famously known for his 
The Three of Swords continues the theme from the Moon card last week. This week this card advises to continue working with only three of the hidden thoughts you have discovered. This card also advises that these beliefs be not only removed but destroyed. They are based in negative triggers placed in your thought patterns by others.
Messages are the theme for this week. Keep your eyes and mind open. There is a lot of important information coming at you that you will need in the near future. Be the sponge.
Last week you had the theme ‘beauty adorns virtue” This week continues that theme with the Knight of Swords This card suggest that you slow down and take time to smell the roses. Be in each moment.
The artist last week asked you to pay attention to the details. The Four of Wands wants you to focus on the details in your home. Focus on the how to create more harmony in your home. Whether that is adding a calming color or adding some pop, remember harmony does not equate to uniformity.
The painting last week was about standing up for you rights, even if it is seems hopeless. And that beauty arises outside the realm of judgment. The Three of Swords extends this theme by having you deal with three self-defeating thoughts. Your challenge is look at the reason of why you carry around these thoughts through a lens of self-compassion.
The artist’s theme last week was about being aware that you do not have control over reality, but you can nudge it towards your favor. And so the Emperor extends this thought for another week by having you add to and build upon the reality you are in. This can look as simple you have to go to work but can you manipulate the time or space that you do it in.
Last week’s art theme was to see parody(humor) in your life. The Eight of Wands continues that theme of bring in and accepting the positive even joyful energy in your life. Arms and minds open.
Dulle Griet’s hinted about being a bit devilish or against the social norm last week. The Hermit would like you to continue the exploration of the outer edges of societies’ norms, but in theory with meditation and reflection. This is a favorite card of Virgo, for this is a lifelong challenge of balancing your social and solo sides. The challenge with this card is not to seek solitude out of a reaction of being over social but to be proactive about scheduling your need of space and time to decompress. And the bigger challenge is do it without guilt.
Last week your challenge was to met people outside of your normal wanderings. This week the Four of Pentacles takes an about-face from the emotional realm to the physical one. Your goal is to save time, money and space anywhere you can. Your challenge is not to feel selfish about it.
Last week your challenge was two-fold, taking on a challenge and proving the “haters” wrong. This week, the Six of Pentacles’ lesson is around the “give and take” in your life. The goal is lowering your input to people or work that you are not getting something positive in return. The challenge is to do it without them noticing.
Last week your painting was about finding and bonding with your inner horse. The Judgment card challenges you to create a ritual or rite of passage that moves you on to the next act of your life. This can be as simple as lighting a candle and blowing it out to release the old, or as complex as burning all your old journals.
The art last week challenged you to see the boundaries you may be holding on to around your passions or your way of life. The Tower comes this week to break down those walls if you haven’t already. The Tower comes to shake things up because something you have not been dealing with and that doesn’t work, needs to change. The best way to deal with this card is to stand back and enjoy the destruction.
The painting last week advised you to see that your history or past experiences are useful in the present whether you see it or not. The Five of Swords this week continues this theme by challenging you that you can learn more from your mistakes and failures then you can from your successes.
Last week’s painting suggested to come at your life with softer edges. This theme continues with the Four of Cups this week. This card is the card of self-compassion and empathy. To see the world, its people and yourself without sharp edges.
Last week, the Emperor told you to build, create, and conquer. Now the feminine version of that creative energy, the Empress, appears this week. The Empress’s energy is less of the hustle and bustle of Emperor last week energy and more about tending, grooming, and coaxing along your work. The challenge with the Empress is being open to a more organic approach then sticking to plans.
The Ten of Pentacles brings prosperity to those that finish their work. This card is about finishing up projects. Your challenge is to work on the projects that are close to finish first, before starting anything new. You will find the more you can check off your list the more new prosperity will begin to grow.
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