Kissed by a Whale
\r\n\r\nI wish to share with you the most astounding experience I have had over 12 years of swimming with whales! Recently, during our Whales of Tonga Retreat in the beautiful Kingdom of Tonga, I experienced the closest encounter ever with a huge female humpback.\r\n\r\nOn our first day out in the boat, we had traveled some hours before coming upon five large adult whales. I held the hand of one of our participants who needed just a little bit of support on this first swim with the enormous beings of the sea.\r\n\r\nAs we gazed down into the blue we could see these friendly whales swimming below about thirty feet or so with one or two gliding up to the surface to swim very close and look into our eyes. At one point, as we were keeping our eyes on one huge female humpback (about fifty feet long!) who was about thirty feet below and maybe fifty feet ahead of us, we saw that she began to head up through the water directly toward us.\r\n\r\nThis was so exciting as we knew she was heading right for us and thought it was wonderful that she was so clearly in contact with us two as we floated on the surface together. When this female got to about ten feet away from our faces, I thought to myself, “Surely she will turn or dive under so as not to hit us!”\r\n\r\nAlas, she just kept coming! I could not believe my eyes when her rostrum (nose) was now looming just about two to three feet from our noses! At that point I admit I panicked a bit thinking, “She is going to really hit us!” Conscious of my responsibility to protect my participant clutching my hand, I instinctively started to push her to the side to avoid the collision, when suddenly, quietly and gently, the whale slipped down beneath us … not a touch or bump! It was as if we were being kissed by the whale! We could have reached out and touched her jaw, which looked as if it was a wall about four feet high!\r\n\r\nWhen the experience was over, my partner in this experience and I let out a breath of awe and felt frozen in disbelief for some moments. She told me that she, in fact, knew the female would not hit us and was in total trust. She said, “I ‘might’ have done the same as you – but not really sure – I had such trust – I felt like I was just completely present with the whale, I didn’t feel separation – I was entirely in the moment. I do think it is natural and instinctive to want to protect.”\r\n\r\nThe whale gave me a telepathic message just then that said, “You must TRUST.” This was such a profound lesson for me to trust the universe. She showed me that even when life seems to be coming at me at times like a freight train and things may look scary or frightful, I must go inside and find the place of deep trust. It also showed me how fully aware and conscious the whales are in their perceptions of space as this large female knew exactly where we were in proximity to her.\r\n\r\nShe told me that we can always trust our souls, our guidance, the universe and all the powers that be that all is in PERFECT DIVINE ORDER. This message seems particularly important in this year of 2012 with its changes that are accelerating at lightening speed. I hope this story inspires you!\r\n\r\nNote: The photo above is not the same whale … my photos did not turn out that day. The photo was taken at another Whales of Tonga Retreat. You can see what it looks like to have a whale coming right to you!
