(Originally aired on The Feminine Alchemy Podcast)

In this powerful episode, Stella Porta joins Julie Dean Richards to explore the ancient roots and embodied practice of oracular dreamwork through the lens of the feminine.

Stella shares the origin story behind her dream practice, weaving her lifelong relationship with dreams into a grounded, animistic path of remembrance. Together, they explore how dreams are not just subconscious fragments—but messages, oracles, and creative seeds that shape our waking reality when tended with intention.

Topics covered include:

• What dreamwork really is—and how it differs from modern interpretations

• The practice of animistic dreaming: how to dream with the land, the womb, the bees, and ancient priestesses

• Why Melissae means "bee" in Greek—and how the Melissae were bee and serpent priestesses of the oracle at Delphi

• The connection between the bee, the serpent, the womb, and dream prophecy across goddess traditions

• How ancient oracles like the Pythia channeled prophecy through the womb, not the crown

• What it means to dream from the womb

• The return of dream weaving as a divine skill and collective healing

• Why the symbol of the hexagon offers a portal for protection, insight, and feminine alchemy

This episode is rich with myth, history, and tangible practice. Whether you’re new to dreamwork or deep in your own initiatory journey, Stella’s wisdom will leave you seeing dreams—and your own body—in a whole new light.

✭ The Hive & The Womb: A Doorway to Dreaming Masterclass:

www.honeywomb.com/hiveandwomb

✭ My FREE guide to symbols of the Sacred Feminine: ⁠⁠www.honeywomb.com/symbols-guide⁠⁠

CONNECT WITH STELLA:

✭ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@stella.porta⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

✭ Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.honeywomb.com⁠⁠⁠⁠

✭ Intro & outro music by my love: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Justin Goncalves⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

CONNECT WITH JULIE:

✭ Website: www.femininealchemyst.com

✭ Podcast: Feminine Alchemy

✭ Instagram: @astrologicalattorney

✭ Personal Website: www.astrologicalattorney.com

Journey through the potent symbols of the honeybee, mare, and bull—each representing unique aspects of feminine power, freedom, and sustenance. I share how the honeybees claimed me; opening a path to wisdom held by the Melissae bee priestesses and the Delphic oracles, and revealing honeybees as spiritual messengers connecting the physical and ethereal realms. Together, we’ll explore the entwined symbolism of bees, womb cycles, and feminine rhythms, including their cosmic ties to the Pleiades and Artemis—the revered Queen Bee of ancient myth.

We delve into the transformative power of the serpent as a sacred feminine symbol, a creature interwoven with honeybees in myth and dreamwork. The mare, too, holds her place as a symbol of wild, untamed intuition and prophetic strength—a symbol, like the female bull, once celebrated for her role in fertility and sustenance but later restrained under patriarchal structures.

Through myth, animism, and ancient goddess traditions—from Demeter and Rhea to Artemis and Cybele—we’ll trace the rich lineage of reverence that honored these animals as embodiments of life cycles and the wild, sacred feminine. We’ll also confront the impact of patriarchal distortions on these symbols, reclaiming their ancient power and exploring what it means to re-wild the spirit, tapping into the archetype of the wild woman.

✭ Free guide to symbols of the Sacred Feminine: www.honeywomb.com/symbols-guide

✭ Dreamwork courses, classes, & workshops: ⁠https://www.honeywomb.com/dreamwork

✭ Stella's ⁠colony collapse reel ⁠

CONNECT WITH STELLA:

✭ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@stella.porta⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

✭ Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.honeywomb.com⁠⁠⁠

✭ Intro & outro music by my love: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Justin Goncalves⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

If you want to share your own experiences in the dreamtime or have a question or two, please send in a voice message to be featured in a future episode: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://anchor.fm/dreamweaverpodcast/message⁠⁠⁠⁠

“All the world’s a stage. So...are you the actor, the director, or the writer of your Life story?”

IN THIS EPISODE:

• The concept of celebrating the beginning of a "new year" and whether there's a "correct" date

• A very brief look into astrology's role in current energy dynamics

• The importance of mastering your personal dream language to navigate the wild waters of this world

• Year of the Wood Dragon and the mystical allure of dragons across cultures

• The numerological significance of the current year, focusing on the power of eight (2+0+2+4 = 8)

• How the number eight is constantly found in nature, such as with honeybees and our sun

• Contrasting perspectives on fear from being "awake" vs. "asleep"

• Egyptian dream symbolism and its insights into true wealth

• Distinguishing between darkness and shadow

• Dreaming of books that reveal hidden knowledge of our world

• When your dreams show up as threads in your waking life

• Speculation on the splitting of timelines and its implications—will some people get left behind?

• How to practice the most important skill of our time: discernment

• Addressing collective energies of "doom and gloom" and maintaining inner peace

• The “Agent Smith” syndrome and the illusion of control

• Reflecting on your personal transformation through the metaphor of the butterfly and the moth

CONNECT WITH STELLA:

✭ Dreamwork courses, classes, & workshops: ⁠⁠https://www.honeywomb.com/dreamwork⁠

✭ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@stella.porta⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

✭ Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.honeywomb.com⁠

✭ YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Stella Porta ⁠⁠⁠

✭ Intro & outro music by my love: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Justin Goncalves⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

If you want to share your own experiences in the dreamtime or have a question or two, please send in a voice message to be featured in a future episode: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://anchor.fm/dreamweaverpodcast/message⁠⁠⁠