Welcome.
Have you ever sat by the ocean on a beautiful summer's day,
Feeling the sand beneath your toes,
A warm breeze on your skin,
And wondered what was beneath the waves?
For those of you who have dared to dive into the cool water and feel the intensity of water enveloping all your senses,
This story is for you.
And for those of you who have always wished to know what it would feel like to swim to the bottom of the sea,
Discovering hidden caves,
Dolphins and seals,
Then this story is also for you.
For ever since time began,
The ocean has been a source of mystery,
Adventure and deep healing.
With each step on the sand,
We're walking on grains that are millions of years old,
And as we stand in the water,
All our troubles are in that very moment washed away.
So for those of you who have had the pleasure of digging toes into warm sand,
Perhaps you could remember that feeling now as we begin our story about a girl called Mira.
Mira lived by the ocean's edge in a far off land where the sun nearly always shone,
And the days were long.
Mira's home was on the clifftops.
She shared a beach shack with her parents,
Who spent their days fishing in the long canoe within a small bay.
Mira's favorite spot to look out at the world was swinging in a hammock that her mother had woven out of long grasses that grew on the island.
Shaded by palm trees,
Mira would swing in the breezes,
Kicking her toes on the warm sand and propelling herself higher and higher and higher,
Feeling like she was floating in a beautiful blue sky.
She'd wriggle down into a comfortable position on her back,
Looking for animal shapes in the clouds.
On special days,
She saw unicorns and dragons,
But on this particular day,
Mira spied the shape of a seal and wondered to herself if there were any that could be found on her island.
At night time around the cooking fires,
She'd heard the old people talk of the Selkies that once came to visit.
Mira loved this story.
The Selkies,
They said,
Were seals that had swum to shore on the night a terrible storm had swept across the bay.
The villagers had run to the shore at the sound of their cries,
And beneath the moon they saw an incredible sight.
The seals slipped out of their furskin coats and became human.
That night they had made their way to a cave high in the clifftops,
And the Selkies had sheltered there until the storm was over.
The next morning they had gone,
And so had their sealskin coats.
Mira had been many times to the cave,
High in the clifftops,
But there was never a trace of the visitors,
And she longed to know more.
On this special day,
Mira rose from her hammock and followed the path down to the shore.
The tide was out,
Rock pools glistened in the sunshine,
The seagulls circled overhead looking for crabs.
Mira felt the hot sand beneath her toes and ran down to dip her feet in the cool water.
As she approached the biggest pool,
She saw a beautiful green and blue shell washed onto the rocks.
It was as big as her hand,
The colors glistened like the ocean itself,
And as she held it to one ear,
Mira could hear the roaring of waves,
And as she listened for a moment longer,
She heard something else.
The sound of hundreds of faraway voices singing ever so softly.
She had to strain to hear them.
Mira placed the beautiful shell in her pocket and headed back home.
She had chores to do,
Helping her mother cook the evening meal,
Helping her father pull in the fishing boats.
I wish I could play longer,
She whispered to the waves as she skipped back up the path.
Later that evening,
Just before bedtime,
Mira returned to her hammock.
Sea birds were now all resting,
Curled up,
Beaks tucked into downy wings,
And nests along the cliff tops.
And all she could hear was the gentle sounds of waves on the shore,
And the chatter of her parents in the background.
Mira remembered the shell and once more held it to her ear.
The ocean sounds were quieter now,
The song seemed somehow louder,
Dreamier,
More inviting.
Mira began to hum the tune,
And as the sounds vibrated through her,
She heard words and began to sing.
And as she sang the words,
It was as if she had pulled a blanket over her eyes.
Her body felt warm,
Calm and relaxed,
And the more she sang,
The more words she heard,
Echoing through the shell and the sounds of the sea.
Mira closed her eyes,
Resting and breathing,
Sinking deeply into the hammock,
Just as you're sinking deeply into bed.
And as she did,
She heard the sound of seals below her on the shore.
Yet when she opened her eyes,
Nothing was to be seen.
She closed them once more,
And sang again and again.
And once more,
There was the unmistakable sound of seals,
And as if by magic,
Mira heard words come from the shell.
Thank you for calling the Selkies here once more.
We're always here to help,
For your ancestors gave us refuge when the great storm came.
What is it that you seek?
Mira took a breath and said,
Please take me to your ocean home.
I wish to know more about you.
Close your eyes tight,
Said the Selkies,
And sing with us once more.
Together we'll travel there tonight.
We will give you the gift of inner sight and the ability to travel far,
If you're willing to go there now.
Mira nodded,
And as if by magic,
In the very next breath,
She found herself blowing bubbles beneath the ocean waves.
She was sitting astride a magnificent seal,
Glistened in the moonlight,
And together in gentle waves,
They'd dive and then surface,
Breathing in cool moonlight air,
And diving back deep into the sea again.
For what seemed like hours,
They traveled,
Surging up,
Taking deep,
Cool breaths,
Diving deep,
Until sunrise kissed the waves,
And a magical world appeared below.
The Selkies swam down deep to a cave that glittered with sparkling jewels.
Its walls were lined with amenities,
Coral that was all the colors of the rainbow.
Mira could breathe here,
And the Selkies presented her with a feast of fruits from the sea.
We're so glad you came,
They said.
We've been calling and singing for so long,
Yet you are the only one who's truly heard us.
Mira asked,
What does your song mean?
I want to know what the words are saying,
And the Selkies replied,
They say yonder,
Over here,
We see you,
We hear you,
We love you.
It's a song of connection and healing,
A song of love,
For all creatures of land and sea.
We're not the only ones that sing it.
Whales,
Dolphins,
Fish,
They all sing it too,
Yet their voices are different to ours,
And you humans do not yet speak the language.
Sometimes we come to shore to share our message of love and peace,
But only special humans who can listen from a place of curiosity can hear us.
The Selkies took Mira to the back of the cave and presented her with a clear crystal.
As she peered at it,
She could see the face of her mom and dad,
A shack,
Her beach,
And her favorite hammock.
Use this crystal whenever you want to feel connected to all the things you love,
They said.
It will always help you to feel calm,
And whenever you wish to return,
You simply have to sing our song,
The song of connection and healing,
A song for the Selkies.
Please share it with your friends,
They said.
The more people who sing this around the world,
The more peaceful the seas will be for all.
Mira promised she would.
She was feeling tired,
And as she snuggled into the warm fur of a lira,
The Selkie who had carried her through the waters deep,
She gently drifted off to sleep,
Dreaming of dolphins and the songs of whales.
And it's into this dream that you can go to if you wish to splash with the dolphins and sing their songs of healing through waters near and far,
Knowing that just like Mira,
When morning comes,
You'll find yourself tucked up tight in the warmest of beds,
Comfortable at home,
But feeling like you've swum the oceans far and wide and now know the secrets of the sea.
And just like Mira,
You are brave and strong,
Playful and loving.
You can listen to the messages of all the wild things below and above,
Singing their songs,
Humming their music,
Telling the tales of connection and love in the jeweled glistening waters of the ocean and the warm inviting sands on the shore.
So snuggle down deep,
Eyes closed,
Breath slow.
Perhaps you too can have a special crystal to connect with all you love.
And perhaps in your dreams you'll be given one by a Selkie in a special cave deep undersea.
Maybe you'll hear their song in your dreams,
Maybe you'll sing it to the ocean too.
A song of the Selkies,
Of love and connection,
Holding it deep in your heart and sharing it with the world,
Drifting and dreaming just like the waves go in and out,
Caressing the warm sand,
Warm sand beneath your toes,
Light,
Free,
Like a seabird drifting,
Drifting,
Drifting into the most comfortable place that's deep inside you.
