The Wisdom of the Hive
What Honeybees Can Teach Us about Collective Wellbeing
by Michelle Cassandra Johnson; Amy Burtaine
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Pub Date May 20 2025 | Archive Date Jun 20 2025
Sounds True Publishing | Sounds True
Talking about this book? Use #TheWisdomoftheHive #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!
Description
Potent and timely lessons on healing and connection―both individually and collectively―through the wisdom and magic of honeybees.
We’ve heard the refrain to save the bees, but what if the bees can save us too?
Beloved equity educators, authors, and beekeepers Michelle Cassandra Johnson and Amy Burtaine invite us to contemplate this question deeply. By looking at bees as teachers, the authors draw us into an examination of our relationship with each other and the world at large. Honeybees illustrate communal interdependence, attunement to nature, coexistence with darkness, and so much more―lessons worthy of emulating within our own human world.
In times marked by turmoil and uncertainty, honeybees offer a powerful example of how to turn toward each other, to deeply commit to creating conditions for survival of all beings, and to build a future where all can thrive. As Michelle and Amy write, “We won’t survive unless we remember our interconnectedness to all beings and change our ways of being―how we are to ourselves, one another, and the planet.”
This beautiful and thought-provoking book offers:
• Insights from beekeeping, Buddhism, and nature-based shamanic practices
• Stories, meditations, reflection questions, and practices to bring the wisdom of the hive to our own lives and bodies
• Encouragement to connect with nature and each other in new ways
With each chapter, we learn more about the life of a honeybee, our own lives, and our relationship to the collective as a part of an ever-changing ecosystem.
Advance Praise
“This book reads like a woven spell for collective healing. It is a love letter to the honey bee, and how the bees might just help save us in times of uncertainty and ecological collapse. Weaving metaphor, bee biology and behavior, myth, and personal story, the authors gently share pathways back to our truest selves, with bees as our guides.”—Ariella Daly, founder of Honey Bee Wild, beekeeper, and animist
“The Wisdom of the Hive comes when we desperately need strategies and inspiration to heal our planet and strengthen our communities. This book illuminates our disconnection from Earth and allows us to pause, observing the microcosm of all life within the hive. When we receive the honeybee's divine intelligence, we are led back to remembering the interconnectedness of all things.”—Tracee Stanley, author of Radiant Rest and The Luminous Self
“A ritualistic, one-of-a-kind journey into the wisdom of the master alchemists—the honeybees. This work explores the human condition and honors our original ancestor—Mother Earth. This book is a celebration of wholeness and sweetness—may we learn, grow, and deepen in its teachings.”—Mara Branscombe, author of Sage, Huntress, Lover, Queen and Ritual as Remedy
“In The Wisdom of the Hive, authors Michelle Cassandra Johnson and Amy Burtaine call us deeply into the innate wisdom and healing heart of Nature, as expressed by the remarkable honeybee. In a society that has in many ways become unmoored, we long for the way home, to ourselves and to our place in a world that makes sense. This eloquent and timely book is a worthy companion and guide for the journey, sweet with wonder, rich with hope.”—Susannah Ravenswing, Northern Tradition Elder and Wisdomkeeper
“In a world where we have forgotten to respect the animal world as kin, The Wisdom of the Hive is a much-needed reminder. This book redirects our focus on the powerful presence of the bee and the intricate medicine they weave. If we are going to mend our relationship with the earth and one another, we need to listen to the wisdom of the words shared here. A potent book for our times.”— Asha Frost, author of You Are the Medicine, Indigenous Medicine Woman
“In The Wisdom of the Hive, Michelle and Amy skillfully blend personal stories, deep insights, and practical exercises to present apian consciousness as a transformative force for human awakening. The authors invite readers on a journey that encourages stepping outside default ways of being, feeling, and thinking. Drawing parallels between human society and the intricate world of bees, they emphasize the urgent need for renewed intimacy with ourselves and the world around us. The Wisdom of the Hive serves as a call to action—an invitation to awaken our consciousness and actively participate in creating a more compassionate and sustainable world. This inspiring book helps deepen our understanding of honeybees, ourselves, and the complex web of life that envelops us.”—Michael J. Thiele, founder and president, Apis Arborea
Marketing Plan
Promotion via authors’ workshops and affiliations with environmental and social justice organizations
Paid social media campaign featuring meditations, prayers, and nature-based practices
Grassroots mailing to beekeeper and nature conservation organizations
Feature in Sounds True Bookmark eNL
Insights at the Edge podcast with Tami Simon
Amazon advertising campaign, plus Amazon A+ page
National print & digital outreach with a focus on spirituality and mind/body/spirit media
Select podcast outreach, focusing on wellness, spirituality and mind/body/spirit programs
Potential book launch event (s) with tie-in with authors’ speaking schedule
Available Editions
EDITION | Other Format |
ISBN | 9781649633811 |
PRICE | $19.99 (USD) |
PAGES | 272 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews

I'm into honeybees. That makes this title especially grabbing to me. Very few authors can use a metaphor these. authors do and have such a great effect.
Well done.

Thank you NetGalley, Michelle Cassandra Johnson, Amy Burtaine, and Sounds True for this ARC!
On a whim, I decided to take a break from reading fiction. I had began to think I hated reading, because I wasn't finding joy or fulfillment anymore, so I decided to possibly switch it up and read a nonfiction book (something rare to me). While deciding a book, I reached down and felt my bee necklace that I wear on a daily basis and remembered that I was granted access to this ARC. I think the bees were calling to me to read this (they ARE psychopomps, like you say!). This book made me 1. rediscover my love of reading and the fulfillment I always used to get from it and 2. fall in love with the complexities AND the simplicities of one of our most important insects. I've never been one to be frightened of bees, in fact, I've loved them since I was little (hence my necklace), but if I were to have apiphobia, this book would've helped me if not healed me from that. The way Cassandra and Amy write this piece and share their experiences and knowledge is such a breath of fresh air. There is no superiority. There is no overuse of complicated, scientific terms in the attempt to appear intelligent. These women talk to you like they're talking to a new friend who asked what got them into their love of bees. This book is written in a way that you not only feel their incredible knowledge on the subjects they've dedicated their time to but also all the passion they have for these sweet living things. Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for writing this beautiful piece of art and emotion. This will be a staple of my hand-selling for the rest of my time as a bookseller. The honeybees are here to save us, and we are the students of the honeybee hive. <3