Worship what stops you

My current obsessions are mosquitoes, poison ivy, and bees. I am absolutely not immune to the threats these creatures pose. In fact, I once had a case of poison ivy that went systemic and required I take a course of steroids to treat. I get bit by whatever bites.

How interesting, though, that the creatures that often pester or threaten us the most are so small and seemingly vulnerable.

A recent episode of RadioLab explored the epic battle royale that has existed between humans and mosquitoes for some time now. Full disclosure, I haven't heard the episode yet. I received the second-hand synopsis from Kevin. The program reminded listeners that in parts of the world mosquitoes carry the threat of malaria. I totally get it. My blood is malarial. I was infected while in Zambia in 1999. Of course, I was able to receive treatment, so my only lasting impact is that I can't donate blood. The reality for many is far more dire.

The poison ivy flower is totally pretty!

There has been research into eradicating mosquitoes, for the public health reason of malaria, because people don't like them, and don't know what function they serve.

That last thought troubles me. There are a lot of creatures and phenomena that I don't understand. And yet, I see a multitude of evidence telling me that all natural creatures serve functions. I may not know what they are, but I'm an idiot in a lot of ways.

The researcher on RadioLab made the same case. He's cautioning against various proposals to eradicate mosquito populations exactly because we don't know their exact function. Based on his research, he speculates that mosquitoes may serve as a needed barrier against human settlement. Typically, mosquitoes are dense in tropical regions like the Amazon. Apart from small groups of people who either developed immunity or found salves in the jungle to protect against mosquitoes, the insects created an effective barrier against human encroachment.

Again, this is just a theory. But I LOVE it.

Kevin also recently discovered that poison ivy is a native species, or as native as can be determined at this point. Poison ivy certainly predates European settlement. Poison ivy flowers also offer needed pollen to support bee populations.

And we're all clear on why bees are important, right?

Poison ivy and bees serve multiple known functions. Perhaps, poison ivy, bees, and mosquitoes also serve the needed function of limiting human expansion. Maybe they're all a highly effective warning for humans to leave some regions.

I think we should worship them. I think we should laud and acclaim and support the boundaries. Heeding mosquitoes' warning at the edge of the Amazon could have limited widespread deforestation and left the earth's lungs to support us and the rest of living creatures. Healthy bee populations keep us fed. Perhaps poison ivy is policing forests or other fragile zones.

Blessings to mosquitoes
who shoo me away
Blessings to mosquitoes
marking my skin, pricking
blood to the surface
drawing depths to light
saying, "Don't be
precious, be real."

Prayers to poison ivy
that tattoos my skin,
erecting castles on joints,
dribbling flesh like
sand, saying, "patience,
stay with sensation.
Honor leaves."

Deep bows to bees who
buzz, who hum, who
feed, who flower, who
honor Divine Feminine.
Blessings to bees who
shock me awake, blush
my skin like love, swell
my skin like life.
Praises to bees who remind
me to watch where I
step, to mind what's
small & powerful, to remember
there's sweetness in danger,
to sometimes, be
so still.

Pranams to the boundaries,
to the keepers of the
gate, to sacred limitations,
to reminders blooming
on skin.