This session will examine the emblem and symbol of bee/hive, noting the connections between bees and their hives as symbolic of the feminine divine and a matriarchal society, the ancient bee priestess as shaman, and the idea of contemporary Mormon woman as bee priestess. It also examines the connections between the nineteenth- century restoration movement and its restored symbol of bee and hive, and the parallel emergence of the women’s movement and feminist spirituality from the nineteenth century into the twenty-first century.

Elizabeth Russell Quick, Doe Daughtrey