I have been self employed, running courses in spiritual & personal development for 2 decades now. On the morning of an Abundance course I was running I received a cheque for £4000 completely 'out the blue'. (My techniques obviously work! ;-) )?I decided to go to Mexico and spend time on both coasts of Baja, with the grey whales on the west and the blue whales on the east, on the Sea of Cortez.
I am passionate about all cetaceans, but Blue whales are not only the largest creatures on the planet, they are the largest that have EVER been here. ?I had the most wonderful experiences travelling coast to coast twice. I loved the land, I loved the people, I loved the food but most of all I loved the Cetaceans. Even the Mantas there were full of delight and apparent humour - on one occasion out on the Sea of Cortez, desperate for sightings, the Mantas kept imitating dolphins! They would not only leap out the water, but also swim along with half their bodies turned up out the water looking exactly like a dorsal fin! By this time I had haunted the boat office so much I was being taken out as crew. That evening, after being teased by the Mantas, we spotted a blow in the distance. As the light began to soften, we spotted 3 Blue whales against a small , uninhabited island. At one point they began to serenade us with whale blows - not only visually stunning, but the sound, coming in exact sequence, one after another, then back again, then each outside whale before the middle one - was a gift of incomparable value that I still dream of. I know it was a gift and a message for us. They then swam a while with us, all 3 around the small boat, taking turns to lead and one at each side, till the light faded and we travelled back to harbour in silence and darkness, the dim lights of Loreto in the distance. I sat at the bow, legs dangling, looking out over the dark sea and up into the field of endless bright stars, feeling completely satisfied, whole, complete and unutterably happy. None of us spoke. There was no need.
?On the west coast there are lagoons where the Grey whales come to birth and breed. Magdalena Bay is the most accessible, but therefore the busiest. So I went further north to Guerrero Negro. One day, out in a small panga, a large female headed for the boat. I knew the way she approached that something was about to happen. As she came right up to the small panga, her nose went underneath, she rolled over slightly till her eye faced up - looking directly into mine. At that point I threw my sunglasses away and just accepted her gaze. Our eyes stayed locked for an indeterminate amount of time. All I know is that when she eventually moved on, I had changed. Something had shifted within me, I was never to be the same again.
Back on the east coast, on the Sea of Cortez, I was out one day with Fernando. A large Blue young male seemed interested in us. We hung about with him in eager anticipation. Each time he dived, we would count the minutes till we could expect him to surface again. He, of course, could resurface anywhere. One of my favourite sounds in the whole world is that sound of the blow - especially after the waiting. The silence and anticipation seems to intensify as 7 minutes pass, then 8..... When and where will he surface? All attention is on the water, all eyes looking out, then suddenly there is a HUGE blow and we all turn and squeal in surprise and delight! That particular day the sea had been very rough. (You know you are in trouble if your Mexican host tells you to put on a life jacket! Usually the 'Que Serra' attitude prevails :-) But I seemed to connect with this young male. I could feel him as he approached the boat, even though I couldn't see him. My legs would shake, as if I could sense his huge energy field, I knew when and where he would surface. At one point, a rather envious friend on the other small boat called out, "hey Elizabeth, what's it like having a Blue whale bow ride your boat?"?But the experience that undoubtedly changed my life - shook it by the roots till it all fell apart, was again on the west coast, this time in San Ignacio. I was on a small Eco island, with no electricity and all whale encounters strictly monitored to protect the whales. On my last day on the water we encountered a friendly mother and inquisitive calf. I was in the right place at the right time and managed to actually kiss the nose of the calf. Three times.
Then, as my arms still dangled blissfully in the blue sae, the mother began to turn, headed for the boat and came up between my trailing arms. I hugged her. In that moment, I felt all my desires dissolve, all my needs and attachments fade away. We were in a field of love. Not my love for the whale, not her love for me, but a unified field of non subjective love. This was how I described it to the BBC film crew of 'Ocean Giants' who just happened to be in the area and interviewed me to ask, "What does it feel like to hug a whale?"
?My words were significant though, in ways I could not have foreseen, and perhaps if I had, I would have resisted the contact. I had, indeed, released all attachments, all desires. 2 days later I realised that my home of 23 years, which was in a small woodland with abundant wildlife which I loved, was no longer right for me. And with growing unease, I realised that the relationship I had been in since my teens was also no longer valid. 9 months later, (the symbolism of this didn't escape me,) I moved away to a small house in the north of Scotland, overlooking the sea and the Moray Firth resident population of around 200 dolphins. I bought a small boat and regularly go out to commune with the sea and the dolphins. In summer I also seek the Minke whales and occasional Orcas, as well as abundant whale sharks. Shedding my old life was undoubtedly painful and at times difficult. But 3 years later my life has been completely rewritten. Everything has changed, in ways I could not have possibly imagined. But it is richer, more vibrant and alive, more tenuous, unpredictable, exciting, and I am happy to not know where I will be this time next year. I am content not to know who, (if anyone,) I will be with. I am free. I am willing to be carried by the tides, to be blown on the wind, to be washed up, to be wrung out. For I now know, without the shadow of doubt, that all shall be well. All is as it is meant to be. My journey was not easy, in fact, there were times when I wondered if I wanted to stay, but through that, I have come to a place of deep peace within myself, a place of genuine authenticity. I am truly happy to be who I am, and do not need to alter that for anyone else's comfort or approval. I have no idea where the next phase will take me, but I am happy to dangle my legs in the water and look up at the stars as I am carried by the currents of life.
www.reikitraining.org.uk