How sweet it is

Once, many years ago, I was fortunate enough to attend an exhibition of a famous calligrapher at the Frye art museum in Seattle.   Her personal signature defined her work from all others by incorporating a gilded rendering of a honeybee somewhere within her alpha creations.  Once an admirer of her craftsmanship knew this, it became a fun adventure to discover this symbol within her many works of art.
Within ‘The Healing Powers’ series of books by author and fellow intuitive, Cal Orey, there is also a very unique and distinctive signature.   She skillfully interweaves an ornate combination of history & facts, myths & legends, remedies & recipes, stories & personal accounts in all of her works of literary art. Her latest contribution, ‘The Healing Powers of Honey’ is no exception and is completely dripping in the natural sweetness of this fascinating subject.

Again, it all boils down to discovery…
…starting with the first time you may have had the pleasure to drizzle this sweet nectar directly on to your tongue…
…or by spreading the whipped version across a warm piece of crunchy toast…
…or by sipping this elixir straight from its natural container and then chewing on the wax of the honeycomb…

There are thousands of things to discover about the goodness of this gift of nature within Cal’s honey book, where she leaves no hive undetected. While reading it, I stirred some fireweed honey in to a cup of hot jasmine tea, lingering for a moment within the steam of their coalesced fragrances to marvel at how the average worker honeybee makes only 1/12 teaspoon of honey in its LIFETIME! Not only that, but, in order to make a mere pound of honey, bees have to visit at least 2 million flowers! Talk about sweet indulgence! This is something I wouldn’t have known had it not been for Cal’s extensive research and it quite literally shocked me as if I had been stung by a bee. I realized at that very moment how much I had taken the magical ingredient of honey for granted and, at the same time gave me a new appreciation for the meaning of my first name, which happens to be ‘bee.’

From the famed beautifying milk and honey baths of Cleopatra, to the warm ambience glow of beeswax candles, to the unique healing power of Manuka honey, to the varietal flavors of honey from different flowers…the discovery located within the pages of Cal’s new book is an adventure in pure honey bliss!
Cal’s book release coincides with National Honey month, is published by Kensington and is available, not only through them, but also in paperback or e-book format from Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com.

To learn more about Cal Orey and her extensive world of wonderful writing go to her website:
http://www.calorey.com/

©2011 Debbie Ballard