Anna Love shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Anna, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What do you think is misunderstood about your business?
Most people are not familiar with how bees live and function in nature. So when they hear about bee venom apitherapy and how the Hoshindo practice works, It can be hard to accept that the bee dies when her stinger is removed. It’s common for people to feel upset knowing that honey bees face major challenges today. Most of the issues threatening bees are directly related to the industry that they support– pesticides from agriculture. There is also a big stress on the species due to how the farming industry treats them –they are trucked around from farm to farm, mono crop to mono crop in a way that is not natural. Yet they support the industry that would not exist on this level without them. When people hear about the sacrifice that bees give to a Hoshindo patient, it can be hard to digest. People don’t realize that taking a few bees for a treatment is far less impactful than even buying almonds. Certain crops are significantly damaging to the bee population. I always encourage others to read more about the life of bees and their place in society. We can work together to support more sustainable agricultural practices and try our best to source sustainable and even regenerative farming.
I have a daily gratitude practice thanking the bees for their lives and their medicine. I support two hives of my own, and I only work with bees that are at the end of their lives – the ones that are flying to and from the hive as foragers. I also support the bees through natural beekeeping methods, rather than using miticides, pesticides, antibiotics or sugar. This helps them gain natural immunity towards the factors that often threaten commercial bee keepers like mites, mold, foul brood, etc. Both of the hives I keep naturally swarmed to me from the wild. Each hive can contain anywhere from 10-50,000 or so bees. It’s not easy for me l that their lives are taken during the process. I do my best to support them and find that they support me and my patients with their healing jouneys.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Anna Love, and I am a Hoshindo practitioner in Topanga, CA. Hoshindo is an ancient Japanese practice that is similar to acupuncture. Instead of using needles, I use bee venom, which is administered through the bee stinger. I don’t normally directly sting someone with the bee, I remove the stinger, take her life, and use tweezers to hold the stinger with the bee venom sack attached, tapping along the meridians of the body and administering small micro droplets into the skin. It is painless and very effective.
I first found out about Hoshindo through a friend of a friend who ended up being my Sensei, or teacher. I was struggling with Multiple Sclerosis for about 8 years and finally got diagnosed with Lyme disease as well. I had read a good amount of information about Lyme disease bacteria being killed by bee venom, and decided to drive to Colorado for a 2 week intensive, working with my Sensei and learning and receiving Hoshindo treatments. I felt great afterwards and started seeing improvements in my balance, fatigue and walking abilities. I wanted to learn more about Hoshindo and how to continue to treat myself. Sadly, the Hoshindo institute had just lost its founder, Voyce Durling-Jones who had recently passed away. My Sensei, Basil Webb had been granted teaching abilities to pass on the knowledge to new students. After a two year course, I graduated in November 2024 and have been practicing ever since–on myself and others. I work with people who have symptoms of Lyme, autoimmune disease, skin conditions, arthritis, and other types of inflammation that are looking for symptom relief and to balance their energy. I feel so much joy telling people about how magical bees are, and how there is potential to heal through different types of bee medicine, including propolis, honey, pollen and of course the venom.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
The moment I started receiving Hoshindo was when I began to understand my own power for healing. I had been to many doctors, both holistic and allopathic, and spent a lot of money on therapies and treatments that ultimately didn’t work. Before Hoshindo I didn’t believe that my relationship to nature was crucial to my healing process. The combination of lowering stress, being outside in the sun, caring for the bees, talking to the bees, witnessing the way that bees live and giving myself treatments have all worked towards a more balanced me. Going to sleep when the sun sets and waking when the sun rises is a synchronistic practice with both nature and the bees. I have gained confidence in my abilities as well, helping others makes me feel like I have a purpose. The bees are my greatest teacher, and I will forever be a student, I am constantly learning about how to be a better steward of the bees and the nature around me.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
At one point, I had double vision from a Multiple Sclerosis flare up. I was going through a stressful time in my life and I woke up one day with what felt like crossed eyes. It’s a neurological situation that requires IV steroids to resolve. I was really scared and couldn’t drive anywhere. I had to rely on friends and family to get to my doctor appointments. It felt nice to have the support of my people, but ultimately, it was very lonely to experience that. I remember sitting in the bathtub and crying and giving myself a big hug to self sooth. I knew that I had to rely on myself to mentally get through this all time low. Turning inward and facing my scariest health moments and understanding that I have my own back, through the good and the bad, helped me understand that I can and will get through anything. If I hadn’t had this experience, along with many other health issues surrounding my condition, I don’t think I would have found Hoshindo and the bees. If life hadn’t given me times of suffering and hardship, I wouldn’t understand how lucky I am to be where I am today. I have a daily meditation and gratitude practice which allows me to check in with myself and appreciate the things that are good in my life.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
I believe that I will one day be able to walk for longer than 30 minutes without needing to sit down. I also believe that my balance and walking issues will resolve. I am committed to my healing journey and although I recognize that there is no magic pill, I will keep working towards my goals. It could take another 5-10 years, but I am willing to keep going. Even once I regain my physical ability, I’m sure I will continue to heal other emotional challenges. This is life, you never know what is going to come to you!
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope that when I’m gone, people will see my journey and find it interesting or inspiring. Maybe someone will be hopeful in their own situation by witnessing my desire to heal. It can be hard sometimes to see the positive while facing health challenges. Finding your own understanding and path is key.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @Hoshindo.wellness
- Other: [email protected]
