Dreaming of bees in Santería: meaning
In Santería honey and sweetness belong to Ochún, the orisha of rivers, love and beauty. In a well-known patakí she brings the warrior Ogún back from the forest with honey. Bees and honey in a dream are therefore often connected with Ochún and with sweetness in Santería readings.
Within this tradition
The stories of Santería, the patakí, tell that Ogún, the orisha of iron and work, once withdrew angrily into the forest. He left his work and no one could persuade him to return, until Ochún came. She danced at the edge of the forest, and smeared some honey on his lips. Enchanted by that sweetness Ogún followed her back to the city, and the work could go on.
The story shows what sweetness means in Santería: not weakness, but the power to soften, to entice and to reconcile. Ochún's colour is yellow, her number five, and in Cuba she is connected with the Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre. Honey belongs to her so closely that according to tradition she always tastes it first herself, to show it is not poisoned.
Along those lines a dream about honey, bees or something sweet is often read in Santería readings as sweetness coming: love, reconciliation or a situation softening. Honey you give to someone can be about persuading with kindness instead of force. A bee sting as the other side of sweetness: what is beautiful can also sting.
Such images are not a determination. Whoever finds a dream weighs heavily discusses it with a padrino or madrina, who can look at it through divination.
Common variations
Eating or receiving honey
Sweetness coming: love, reconciliation or softening.
Giving honey to someone
Persuading with kindness, as Ochún did with Ogún.
A bee or hive by a river
Recalls Ochún, the orisha of rivers and sweetness.
Being stung
The other side of sweetness: what is beautiful can also sting.
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Write your dream in the appFrequently asked questions
What is the story of Ochún and the honey?
A patakí in which Ochún brings the angry Ogún back from the forest with dance and honey.
Why does Ochún taste the honey first?
According to tradition to show it is not poisoned: a sign of trust.
Does such a dream mean this orisha belongs to me?
No. Which orisha belongs to someone is established within the tradition through divination and initiation, never derived from a dream. Discuss a vivid dream with your padrino or madrina.