Beehold: The Bee
Our good buddy Andrew Gough (of Arcadia) has finished his detailed (3-part) article on the esoteric history of 'The Bee', and I heartily recommend you make up a brew and take some time out to read it all. 
It's absolutely fascinating, and takes you on a journey through history and across the world, looking at how the bee has been held sacred by civilisations since the dawn of recorded history (and perhaps before). The first instalment, "Beedazzled", sets it all up:
History is rife with lost knowledge and traditions whose meaning has blurred with the passage of time. I believe the ‘Bee’ is one such tradition, and that its symbolism was important to civilizations of all ages. Inexplicably, the Bee is dying and nobody is quite sure why. Legend asserts that when the Bee dies out, man will shortly follow. We will review the implications of the Bee’s apparent demise in due course, however in this - our first instalment, we will examine the genesis of the Bee’s symbolism in the mist of prehistory.
The subsequent parts ("Beewildered" and "Beegotten") cover everything from ancient Egypt and the symbolism of Freemasonry through to scientific analysis of the bees' communicative "waggle dance" and even a shout-out to my own research into the sounds of altered states (see the free PDF "Her Sweet Murmur" on the Darklore website, or perhaps even buy the book if you're feeling generous!).
All three parts of the article are available via the links beside the title, and don't forget that each part is divided into multiple pages, so click through once you get to the bottom of each page. Nice work Andy!
