Call of the Dolphin

It wasn't long after our family migrated to the United States (when I was 16) that I found myself fascinated by dolphins. I'm not sure what it was that drew me to the dolphins, having never heard or seen of one when I was back home in Thailand, and then when we moved to the U.S. we lived in land-locked St. Louis, Missouri. But they reached out to me for some reason, and I heard their call. About 12 years ago I participated in my first Earthwatch expedition: The dolphins of Sarasota, Florida. I spent two weeks with marine biologists studying and capturing data on wild dolphins of Sarasota, Florida. Just as each human has their own unique fingerprint, dolphins have unique fins. We went out in a motor boat early each morning and spent 8-9 hours on the water, following pods of dolphin, taking photos ... I was amazed how the scientists knew the dolphins and could identify them simply by looking at their fins. My heart broke as I saw fins almost ripped to shreds because of motor boats and there was a heaviness in my heart as I learned of how humans are having such a devastating impact on these beautiful, wild free creatures.

I continued to participate in more Earthwatch expeditions. My vacation times were all spent doing volunteer work and learning more about the oceans and dolphins and their world. I went on an expedition to Spain, living on an old Norwegian shipping vessel for 2 weeks with 10 others as we followed and studied the Spanish dolphins. I went to Barbados and participated in a scuba diving expedition as I studied the damselfish and the coral reefs and how our oceans were being impacted by humans. And I spent two weeks on a remote island, Andros islands in the Bahamas, learning more about our oceans and marine mammals and an ecosystem so magnificent. I am awe when I look out into the ocean, with my feet burrowed in the sand as salt water comes rushing over my feet. I am in awe when I am 50 feet underwater and come face to face with a moray eel who pokes its head from a brain coral. I am in awe when I pause to absorb the absolute miracle of our living planet, our solar system and galaxy and the bright stars that light up our night skies. I am in awe when I hold a seed in the palm of my hand, knowing that it will grow into a tree with branches reaching for the sun. When I spent a few years of my life traveling to different parts of the world as a part of Earthwatch expeditions, studying dolphins and the oceans ... I felt so alive; yet at the same time I felt like I was nothing ... a speck, yes a miniscule speck in this incredible universe of which I am blessed to be a part of, for whatever length of time I have.

The dolphins were powerful teachers for me. They taught me to play and to let my spirit free. They taught me about connectedness. They gave me a place to belong, spiritually and emotionally -- a place to feel safe.  

Somehow I drifted from dolphins in recent years and found a place in the world of animal rescue and have immersed myself in rescuing and re-homing dogs and cats. This past year though, I have had health struggles and recently have realized that I need to learn to play again. An astrologer told me, I must learn to "play ... because my life depends on it." I share more about this on my personal blog.

I have booked a vacation for July. I am heading to Bimini, Bahamas on a one week retreat where mornings will begin with meditation/yoga and the remainder of the day with the opportunity to be around wild, free dolphins of Bimini. It has been my dream to swim with wild, free dolphins -- not those in captivity. There is something healing about dolphins for me. I return this year to the healing magic of dolphins. They are calling again ...

I share with you a few facts about dolphins:

• Unlike any other mammal, dolphin babies are born tail first.
• A mother dolphin will stay with a calf for two to three years.
• Some dolphins have been known to dive as deep as 1,000 feet.
• Some dolphins can hold their breath for as long as 30 minutes, while others have to breathe every 20 seconds.
• Bonds form between individual dolphins that may last a lifetime. They've been observed physically supporting sick or dying pod members.
• A dolphin's brain, in relation to the size of its body, is larger than the brains of chimpanzees and great apes.
• Dolphins can jump as high as 20 feet out of the water.

Monarch butterflies: Journey and Transformation

This past weekend I watched a video titled "The Incredible Journey of Butterflies" on PBS Video. It documents the 2,000 mile journey that the fall generation of monarch butterflies make from Canada and Northern America to the highlands of Mexico. I begin with a  few facts:

• Most monarchs live 2 - 6 weeks as an adult. The total time frame for one butterfly's life cycle is 6 - 8 weeks: eggs --> caterpillar --> chrysalis --> butterfly. It grows inside the egg for about 4 days, then munches milkweed and grows as a monarch caterpillar for about 2 more weeks. The caterpillar's life inside the chrysalis is about 10 days before it forms wings and becomes a butterfly.
• Unlike most monarchs, the 4th generation (the fall generation) does not die in the 6-8 weeks. They migrate south (a journey of over 2,000 miles) and live 6-8 months in Mexico or Southern California. They form clusters on trees to stay warm and when spring arrives they awaken and begin their journey back north.
• The Mazahua people believe that the monarch butterflies represent the spirit of their ancestors. The monarch arrive in their community in late October/early November around the time of the Day of the Dead, a holiday where family gather to pray for and remember those who have died. 
• Monarch butterflies are the only insects able to make a 2,000+ mile migration.
• Caterpillars outgrow and shed their skin 4 times - the 5th time, the caterpillar disappears and a butterfly emerges.

Butterflies are a symbol of transformation for many cultures. The butterfly is a symbol of resurrection for Christians. Interesting, that something led me to watch this video on Easter Sunday. Interesting that the butterfly is a symbol of Easter. I didn't know that as a sat and watched the video. The change from a larva, a worm like creature, to a lifeless looking chrysalis, to the emergence of a magnificent, winged butterfly has often been used as a symbol of resurrection.  On Easter morning, I woke up unusually early ... 4:15. I began my morning with meditation/prayer and writing. Then something led me the PBS/Nova website and to the video on butterflies. I reflected that morning on Easter and on the meaning of resurrection. I wrote about it on my blog, MarilouReflects. I was considering writing about butterflies that morning but chose to wait and write about it for our Kaleidescope Spirits blog. If I had known, would it have mattered?

Easter and resurrection have an entirely new meaning for me now. Butterflies remind me how we are all in a constant state of transformation. We all have the ability to soar. Scientists consider the migration of monarchs a mystery - not understanding what triggers the migration of and eventual congregation of millions of monarch butterflies in the highlands of Mexico - to me, it's a miracle. Even when monarchs were displaced to another state (Washington, DC) they were able to change their course from heading straight south, to heading southwest. How did they know to change course? How are they able to find their way? And how do millions of monarchs from across the country know to end up in the same place? Scientists say, "the butterfly is acquiring 'celestial' information" ...  they are unable to explain what happens.

The butterfly has made its presence known to me on Easter sunday ... i've never really paid much attention to butterflies, nor had much of a curiosity to learn more about them in the past. I think the butterfly is telling me something ....

to be born again ...
   to transform ...
       to trust in the journey.