Kissed by a Tiger in the Indian Ocean

Kissed by a Tiger in the Indian Ocean,
Kissed by The Divine in the Deep Blue Sea

Follow me “said” the Whale Shark as I snorkeled next to her, immediately attuning to her humungous presence of moving stillness.

I AM Consciousness “said” the Tiger Shark as she swam directly towards us.

Go with the flow “said” the Water as we entered her currents.

Hi Michelle! “said” the Nemo fish.

It was as if I had spoken to all of them before.

I dove right into the consciousness of the deep blue sea, and into the arms of Mother Earth. I am forever changed.

This writing is my experience and contribution to The Akasha. The field we all come from. The field of One, of creation and unconditional love, The Book of Life. This writing expresses my gratitude for this journey into ocean life consciousness. Gratitude to Mother Earth and All creation.

I answered the call with 12 other souls for a journey to The Maldives. There is one and many reasons we each made the long trek to these beautiful islands in The Indian Ocean.

For me, a reunion with past — or parallel lives as I am coming to know them.

On the surface the trip appeared to be a scuba diving trip to two Maldivian islands to see the whale and tiger sharks. We not only saw the sharks, we connected with the sharks, each in our own way, and yet together.

Being in the presence of another being is a sacred gift. Being in the presence of a shark feels like a BIG gift!

We have been taught to fear sharks. Their huge authentic beingness is something to be admired and respected, not feared. They are necessary for healthy marine life. I was touched so deeply by this awesome creature. Their message was clear, simple and profound. “Look forward, keep swimming, maintain eye contact.”

In other words: “stay present, don’t look back, stay focused.” And permission to BE ME.

A shark doesn’t ask permission to be a shark, and that is, in part, what makes them so awesome. Every creature I saw in the sea is an authentic being of creation. Whale sharks, nurse sharks, reef sharks, fish, turtles, clams, lobsters, octopus, sea horses, and the coral itself. And many more!

I felt the oneness of the sea. I heard the voice within: “this is who you are”: an emanation of creation experiencing itself as one swimming through the water. It was as if I truly belonged there. I was one with The Sea. It was an experience of holiness. My Soul’s expression.

A mystical experience, because I was also still Michelle - wearing a tank of air on my back, and a dive computer on my wrist to make sure I didn’t go “too deep”.

I was home again, within The Sea. Home within myself.

I learned to scuba dive in 1984 when I was 17 years old. I had been snorkeling since I was 10 years. I grew up in Illinois so I learned to snorkel in small lakes leading up to my scuba lessons in Lake Superior.

I went on some scuba trips in the Caribbean islands in my 20s and 30s, then most recently 3 years ago. Each time I entered the water, I felt at home, at peace. I didn’t necessarily verbalize this. It was not something we did in the ‘70s and ‘80s.

I was already accepted into nursing school when I told my dad that I wanted to be a marine biologist. I wanted to Scuba dive. I even looked at a coastal school in Connecticut (a foreshadow of where I would live later in life).

It was when I heard my parents tell a friend that they hoped it was “just a phase”; that I knew it wouldn’t happen. I put the dream aside. I couldn’t disappoint my parents.

And I have no regrets. I had an amazing career over 34 years. I loved my patients, and they loved me.

The Sea is calling, She whispers within. Sometimes I hear her loud and clear while floating in The Gulf of Mexico, where I now live. I also hear her as if I was back in Trout Lake when I was 10; or the Pacific Ocean when I was 22; or the Atlantic when I was 28. I have lived on a coast since 1989.

Divine Mother is always here. Whispering her love to me, to us.

Two days after arriving home from the Maldives, I went to my local dive shop here in Sarasota. I signed up for the next scuba certification class.

I answered the call. I am here. I am home.

With great gratitude to Mother Earth, to the Maldives, and my sea family there.

And of course, their holiness… the Tigers.

All my love,

Soul of the Sea

(aka Michelle)