Song of Increase

Listening to the Wisdom of Honeybees for Kinder Beekeeping and a Better World

By: Jacqueline Freeman

Narrated by: Jacqueline Freeman, Robin Wise

Length: 6 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's Summary

The most joyful emanation produced by a colony of bees is known as the "song of increase" - declaring that the hive is flourishing and the bees are happy in its abundance. Song of Increase takes us inside the world of the honeybee to glean the wisdom of these fascinating creatures with whom humanity has shared a sacred bond for millennia.

Within these minutes is a bee-centric approach to living with honeybees, rather than advice for simply maximizing the products they provide. Jacqueline Freeman takes us beyond traditional beekeeping and offers a way to work in harmony with honeybees for both their good and ours. "Our way is one of kind observation," she explains. "Where we create supportive homes and fields for bees to live in, and tend the heartfelt relationships we form by being together."

Song of Increase focuses on hidden aspects of apiculture that lead us naturally to more sustainable practices. Freeman illuminates the unity consciousness that guides every action in the colony and how this profound awareness can influence the way we see both the natural world and ourselves. Each chapter presents a wealth of information about the life of bees, including Freeman's personal insights and direct teachings received from the bees themselves.

©2016 Jacqueline Freeman (P)2016 Sounds True

What a lovely book!

This was fulfilling adventure, I learned so much. I am a new beekeeper and I'll be a better beekeeper & better human... because of this book. I really loved it.

What a Beautiful way to look at the world!

Jacqueline Freeman is such a kind teacher and storyteller! I loved this book and want to share it with everyone. My beekeeping practice has been impacted by her message in the best possible ways.

I loved this book!

While it may be a little to esoteric for the average person, The Song of Increase is an insightful look at how honeybees can open our minds to consider our relationships with the world and beings around us.

Written with good intention, but too spiritual

The Author is no doubt a sweet, knowledgable and loving beekeeper... but this title is 20% useful content and 80% new-age pseudoscience. Unless you already subscribe to the ideas of chakras, third-eyes, and natural healing, you will find very little of this book worthwhile.

Couldn't Get Past the First Few Chapters

Although, I agree with some of the positions in this book I simply could not get past all of the religiosity, earth mother, healing crystals aspects of the narration. It was very difficult to keep my eyes from constantly rolling back in my head. There may be some good information that's in this book but I just gave up having to slog through that mess.

The Spirit of beekeeping put into words

What a lovely, entertaining and informative book . Very cleverly written . I enjoyed this book and learned so many things to apply to my own hives . The author put into words the many things I feel about being a beekeeping and communing with the bees .

Excellent

I loved this version of bee story telling and learned a lot in the process!

a new perspective on honey bees

I would like to see this perspective for all animals. Jacqueline reads with warmth, a smile in her voice and surprising skill.

New Age Take on Bees

When I started listening to this audiobook, I thought from the start that is sounded like a New Age make-believe nonsense take on honey bees, but decided to suspend my judgement to give it a try. I listened through the author's musings about learning kindness, love , community, and connecting with the spirit from bees but finally gave up in chapter 8, when bees' connection to ferries came up in absolute seriousness. I believe in kindness, love, and community as well, but anthropomorphizing bees with a touch of magical thinking thrown in for good measure to get that across is just silly. If one wanted to impose human views and values on honeybees, one might just as easily classify a bee colony as a class-based dictatorship, where the sick,, dying or superfluous bees get mercilessly discarded and kicked out of the hive to die abandoned and alone. So if you're into ferries or fairytales, you might get something out this book, otherwise look elsewhere.

Stunning

Absolutely beautiful and so deeply evocative! I will surely listen to this many more times, and then carry my deeper appreciation to my bees as a humble offering.

Much more 'woo' than expected

I only got eight chapters in before having to give up with this book.
I expected a sensitive observation of bees and their behaviour, explaining subtle signs that a beekeeper might miss, and more natural sympathetic processes for keeping bees.

Instead I was surprised to be greeted by a self proclaimed 'bee-whisperer', who believes that she can directly talk with her bees, ask them questions and receive answers, that bees communicate in certain tones to include her and that bees are part of a world which interacts with fairies.

The sections in the bees voice grated on me, a sort of mythical poetic anthropomorphising of the insects delivered in a strange robotic way. The anthropomorphising continues throughout (what I heard of) the book, to the point where eye rolls were happening too often and I had to switch off.

I am baffled by this book.

Wow!

This book.has expanded my feeling for the intelligence and sacredness of ALL life. Thank you.

Narrator

Narrator put me off so did not finish to rate properly.
Perhaps a new narrator could fix the problem

I love bees

Might be too much magical thinking for some people, and occasionally even for me but I enjoyed this to listen to. The narration is great.

Might be too out there dor mainstream

A lot of the revelations made sense and i liked how the narrator differentiated.the story line.

Very good audio if you are a beekeeper

Made me think about how I look after my bees the author has a very open minded aspect on how we think bees live
I love this audio must have listened to it 15 times

No useful information

Very disappointing and no applicable or additional knowledge gained. Maybe it got better but I could only get half way through. I was really looking forward to learning from this book.

Truly wonderful, what a gift!

I am so grateful for this beautiful book!
A blessed insight into the hive and heart of the bees. It was almost a meditative practice listening to it.
I am feeling so much more connected to the bees and more determined than ever to help their cause.