Philoxenia
This past summer, I had the pleasure of traveling to Greece with my husband for a much needed vacation. Plus it had been the spirit of the bees that had led me to lead the Dreaming with Bees book project. I had been intuiting that it would help to kickstart fundraising for Aluna Bridge. The book had been released in May and my husband had just completed chemotherapy and radiation treatments for colon cancer. He was scheduled for colon resection surgery the week after we were to return. So in honor of the bees, our book, my husband’s journey through cancer. My own journey through cancer months prior we hopped on a plane and flew to Greece. I was walking around the museum at the Temple of Apollo, the home of the ancient Oracle of Delphi - Home of the bee priestesses known as the Pythia and Melissae. I came around a corner and saw before me the original stone carvings I had first seen only as an image years ago. I have been dreaming of Aluna Bridge since 2016 and had created a website myself just as a sort of claiming of this vision. The very first, and honestly ONLY blog post I added to the site included the image. Seeing the actual stone, feeling the vibrations of ancient memory imprinted into earthen tablets was so powerful. I had come full circle. The bees, the dreaming, the praying and focused intentions held within my heart really had created this new reality. When I saw the stone tablets, I knew Aluna Bridge and Aluna Guesthouse were so near. Below is a copy of the original post from back in 2018:
Philoxenia is a term that goes back to the ancient Greeks. Xenia was what we would today call "hospitality" however, the ancient Greeks had a much deeper understanding of what this was meant to mean. They would welcome strangers into their homes with the goal of making them feel as though it was their own home... Like they were family. It was later that the word grew into Philoxenia, "love of a stranger/neighbor," which was seen as a virtue one held in the highest regard. It was believed that God often sent angels disguised as beggars to test their nature.
"Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels. " Hebrew 13:2
I cannot help but think of the rise in homelessness our city is experiencing as we continue to grow. We as a community need to meditate on the ancient practice of philoxenia and work to offer assistance, even if it is only a smile and a few kind words to those less fortunate. Here at Aluna Guesthouse, we are working to create a comfortable home we can offer to our neighbors as they make the transition from this world into the next. We value your support and are excited to take the next steps on this journey that will eventually lead to a door we will hold wide open for our neighbors in need.
On 2/1, we will have the keys to the door that we have been dreaming about for so long. Aluna Guesthouse will be ready for its first 4 residents on 3/1. Oh blessed bee.