Bees of the Invisible
- Paul Cotter
- Apr 9
- 1 min read
I came across a quote from the poet Rainer Maria Rilke that struck me like a gong in a temple. It resonated deeply with me because it captures, in a profound metaphor, what I believe to be true about the universe and our shared place in it.
In a letter to a friend, Rilke wrote:
“We are the bees of the invisible, passionately gathering the honey of the visible and storing it in the great golden hive of the invisible.”
His words are often interpreted as referring to the creative process, meaning that artists gather the honey of experience and transform it into something transcendent. But I prefer the deeper, more mystical interpretation.
In this view, we are all bees of the invisible, gathering our experiences and storing them in the golden hive of the unseen mystery. Everything we see and do is experienced by (insert your name for a higher power here, if you believe in one.) When we love and laugh and suffer and explore, our lives add to the infinite honeycomb of memory and awareness.
If this sounds implausible to you, remember that the universe is full of mysteries we can't fully understand. Even the bees themselves can surprise us. Recent research suggests that bees are sentient creatures who have emotions, can recognize different human faces and perhaps even dream.
These are just a few thoughts to ponder as we gather the honey of the visible today.
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