Selkie Soul Mate

Sunday morning on a beach flung between Neskowin and Haystack Rock, my bare feet on wet sand, I yawn before my first cup for the day. Early sun licks warmth on my upraised arms, instantly drenched by the sea spray, and the ocean wind flutters my cotton skirt. I pay homage to Aphrodite. It never matters how cold the water is, I always walk in up to my knees to do this ritual. As the sun rays lilt on the cresting swells, I ask The Goddess to help me open my heart.

Five minutes later, one of my campmates approaches me and tells of a beached sea lion not far from our site. I walk towards the rock he points out, with an empty cup in my hand, thinking perhaps to hydrate it. Then I see him: a large, brown bull lion, his head thrown back in suppressed agony. Mesmerized by his presence and size, I quietly sit on the rock, facing the ocean where he hunches at the edge of the shoreline.

Another observer tells me he just vomited some green liquid, and I see evidence of this spew coloring the sand in jade green rivulets beyond his massive chest. I watch this sea lion for a few minutes. Fatigued, he finally lays his coppery head on the ground. Moved to comfort him somehow, I hum very softly, unsure of its reception. In a few minutes, I get my answer.
The sea lion grunts, and with much effort, he lifts his head to spot me. He strains his flippers to pull himself up, and then ponderously drags his enormous round mass towards me until he is directly below, and he flops back down. The eye facing sky ward slides open, and with an eloquent liquid brown glance, urges me to continue singing.

I recover from my intense surprise thus encouraged, and I sing, humbly honored. To this ailing creature I sing whatever sweet and gentle songs I know, tying my spirit with his. The sea provides a good chorus for my lyrical tribute and I hold up my hands to Reiki him too. I sing with all my heart, and everything else drops away. As the Reiki energy circles within him, I realize I am singing to ease his passage.

My campmate returns with news that the ranger will not come. I sing to the bull more softly after hearing this, and our magical bond slightly ebbs. I decide to get tea, so I gingerly creep down the rock until I am beside him. His eyes open at my movement and I say ―”I‘ll be back”. He surprises me again. With as much effort as he can muster, this dying sea lion heaves his head off the sand, sways it until it is almost level with my chest, and he plants a whiskered, wet and grateful kiss on my wrist!

While at the campfire, I hear that he dies. I return to the rock and see his body stretched out and still, his tender sweet mouth and nose, which had delivered thanks with dying breath, in eternal repose.

The girls create an altar of driftwood and sea shells. Lovers get married close by and a native brother plays guitar to the stiffening corpse. I caress his pelt, still wet in places, drying in others. So yielding and smooth is the fur of he who bore Aphrodite‘s answer to my prayer.

With that single, soulful, selkie kiss, my heart was cracked open, and I will never be the same.

(Story, originally published by JeM, as JeanMarie, in OPEN WAYs, 2009. Original Painting, JeM YinJoy, 2009)

Notes on story: This is a story about how animal guides act through their real-world counterparts.
Some might feel that wild animals pose a danger to you or children. For an example of such attitudes, here’s an article about a young girl who was pulled off a dock, by a sea lion. The reporter cautions against most peoples’ cavalier attitude towards wild animals. And quite dishonorably, he is very dismissive of his “hippie Mother” who believes in the power of animal communion.
While it is true that wild animals are to be treated with extra care and respect, I encourage all mystical seekers who wish to gain guidance from animal guides in the real world, to follow proper precautions, protect children, do not break any laws, and refrain from mind-altering drugs, or fasts that might interfere with receiving clear messages from your intuition and common sense, while you are so engaged with the animals.
In fact, during the time I encountered the sea lion, I was cautious too. The sea lion might have been dying from a number of causes: such as toxic algae, a poison it ingested, or from an infection by the bacterial pathogen, Leptospira. During my sacred encounter, I kept a safe distance, sitting on the rocks over it, while I sang. The kiss on my wrist took me by surprise, but again, I was paying close attention to my intuition, and trusted in the energy we had created, for that moment, between us. Read more about Leptospira and sea lions here.
As for the little girl who was dragged in; Power animals act through their manifestation in this world, to draw our attention to their lessons. The shamanic message of Sea Lion is:
*Protection during change
* Lucid dreaming
* Protection from danger
* Movement through emotions
* Creativity
From Totem Talk.
Learn more about sea lion and seal mystical connections to humans from Selkie Myths.