Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Back From Dolphin Land!

So, I am back from the land of magical dolphins! Key Largo, Florida to be exact.

There is SO much to say but I'm afraid I won't be able to share it ALL with ya'll.

I want to share the highlights for sure!

It feels like I've been gone for weeks not days. It was seriously like I went into another dimension of time. Time was not a reality.

The first day my brother Mark, friend Nancy and I got to the dolphin place, Island Dolphin Care, I was disappointed because my expectations of what I thought was going to happen and what the set up was, was not to be. I was told by my brother that the dolphins were wild and so forth.....I had a good cry, but then brushed myself off and spoke with one of the lovely owners Deena about the center.

I can't really get into all the details of how the set up is and how I came around to realize that the Island Dolphin Care center is a healing sanctuary and the dolphins are REALLY HAPPY!, but i'll give you a feeling of it. I felt, saw and heard their pure joy and love. No question in my mind. They are not wild but they are also not in a pool. Its the sea and lots of sea life live with them. The dolphins come first and fore most. Humans are only allowed no more than 30-40 minutes a day with the dolphins. Most commercial places are all day and over use the dolphins. This is SOOOO different. Humans are guests in the dolphins home.

Its actually very dangerous to swim in the wild with dolphins, dangerous for the dolphins and humans. Of course there are experiences with dolphins in the wild and some magical ones, but mostly its not a good thing from what I learned. They used to let the gate open into the wild at the IDC and the dolphins would come back after a long swim on their own but humans would see them from the beaches around that area and soon there were dozens of people all charging the dolphins and over whelming them. It was dangerous and not respectful of the dolphins. Soon the animal protection people put a stop to it as they should. It was not good for all involved.

I felt the love and joy from the dolphins so strongly it was impossible to deny that they are incredibly happy.

There is one dolphin who had a baby in August. Usually in the wild the mother dolphin will keep her baby under her fin for a long long time for protection. Some baby dolphins born in this center and the center next door have done the same thing but this little dolphin is very very curious and ventures out and about. His name is Tashi. He was named by one of the Dalai Lamas monks that came to visit the dolphins. He felt the momma dolphin Squirt not knowing she was pregnant and first acknowledged she was pregnant and then said that his name will be Toshi. So cool huh? Squirt keeps a close eye on Toshi and will sometimes swim over to herd him back to her but mostly he swims around people pretty close. He seemed to have a special connection with my brother Mark. So sweet to watch.

I got to cradle a couple of dolphins under water, kiss them and have them pull or push me across the water. I felt their heart beat too, the most amazing experience. Can't describe it.

One more thing before I sign off on part one of the dolphin trip......

I connected with one particular dolphin named Bella. She is so full of joy and taught me to play and laugh so much! She painted a picture for me while my brother and I held the cardboard for her and at the end she painted my face and hand, i felt like she was laughing as she did it. The staff and owner said they hadn't seen any of the dolphins ever do that before!! Also, I kept calling Bella ...Maya. I would say "oh and Maya,..I mean Bella..." over and over and over. I was getting mad at myself for doing it. I do have a problem remembering names but this was over the top. Everyone just laughed every time I did it. Near the end of the second day I think it was.....we were all talking about how Bella is pregnant and that maybe I was connecting with her baby and maybe if its a girl her name should be Maya!! That just made me soooo happy! I had forgot in the beginning that Bella was pregnant. So the last day when I got a special treat and got to cradle her again I gave her and her baby lots of reiki  with love and joy and healing. I also sent that out to all of the dolphins there. There are 4 adults and one baby. Also there is Wono the sea lion. Nancy especially loved him.

Part two coming up soon, stay tuned! :)