“We are cavemen and cavewoman – we live in primitive times.”   Mike Dooley

“Animals don’t have to reincarnate – they don’t need to learn lessons of life like we do. They are pure entities sent from God.”   Sylvia Browne

“Don’t be afraid to cry. It will free your mind of sorrowful thoughts.”   Hopi

If you read my blog last week regarding my visit last year from Euril, an Arcturian, then you likely remember Ektara saying that “in some regards the cetaceans are more advanced” than human beings. Many, many people have their own story about a cetacean called Tilikum. This is mine.

There are ninety or so different species of cetaceans or whales – including dolphins and porpoises.  The whale is the world’s largest mammal and is part of many creation myths. If whale is one of your power animals then it is time to free your creative energies and awaken your deepest inner depths. All whales exhale from their blowholes and Ted Andrews (ANIMAL SPEAK) teaches us that “imitating the spouting breath of whales can aid in freeing your own creative energies.” As you are aware, all whales have blubber – which serves to insulate and store energy for the whale & whale can teach us how to insulate our self and how to use our energy more conservatively. All whales conserve oxygen while underwater by decreasing the blood flow to areas of the body where it is not essential. Whales have ancient knowledge of how to use the creative force of breath for a myriad of purposes.

Whales also have their own form of sonar and this sensitivity to sound links them to the primal creative sounds of life. Sound is the creative force of life and Andrews says that “directing it and responding to its feedback is part of what the whale teaches. This can be used to tap hidden levels of your own mind or even to accelerate the manifestation of goals.” When we learn the power of song from the whale we tap into the creative force of life and manifest in a more timely fashion. “Whales at one time were also symbols of containment, concealment, and even resurrection.” Most of us remember the Biblical story of Jonah who lived in the belly of a whale for three days before he came forth and was given a ‘second birth.’ Whale teaches us that when we go deep within ourselves the creativity that we re-awaken can resurrect our lives; however, we must bring it out of ourselves and apply it. Remember that Jesus said that what we do not bring forth will destroy us and what we do bring forth will set us free – or – something similar! You get my drift. Andrews further reminds us that once in awhile a whale will breach – coming completely out of the water – and Andrews reminds us that we too must sometimes come out of the waters of our own creative powers and stay in contact with what we call the real world. We must ask ourselves when whale comes into our lives a few pertinent questions. Are we becoming a bit lost in our own imagination? Are we not using it in our outer lives? Are we keeping everything pent up inside us and not letting it go? It may be time to breach! To show our own magnificence and our own power. Remember that being creative means blazing your own  trail and applying your own intuition and gifts to old processes and formulas. This gives them power and magic! The whale’s cycle of power is year round.

When we see whales in the wild, in their natural setting, we are immediately in awe. Having grown up in central Canada it was not until I moved to Vancouver Island in 1991 that I saw pods of orcas on my frequent ferry trips between the island and the mainland. I feel it is one of the most beautiful spiritual experiences we can enjoy in our lifetime. I was pleased that I was able to raise my daughter (who was 5 when we moved there) in a location where such sightings are not unusual. Surrounded by ocean and sea creatures, how wonderful is that!

Soon after we arrived on Vancouver Island we heard the local stories that were circulating about Tilikum. Tilikum, we discovered, was an orca in captivity in Victoria and on display for entertainment purposes, kept in a tank. Tilikum’s life began in Iceland. While around 2 years old and feeding on herring with his mother and in a fjord with large pods of orcas, Tilikum was easy prey in the sheltered waterways. So, in the autumn of 1983 Tilikum was ripped away from his mother’s side and was put in a truck and driven off in the night for what was to become a life of captivity. Tilikum, according to research, spent his first year in captivity at Hafnarfjorour Marineland Zoo near Reykajavik waiting to be shipped after purchase to Sealand of the Pacific, Victoria, British Columbia.

His early years at Sealand obviously contributed to the problems he would experience the rest of his life. As a young male he was put in a tank with two dominant females that constantly attacked him; however, research also shows that each night after the shows he was isolated and stored in a tank/module for up to 14 hours at a time. Is it any wonder he developed a psychosis? It was this psychosis we heard about when we moved to Victoria and my daughter came home and told me the story of Tilikum she had heard in the schoolyard and how he had recently submerged his trainer until she drowned while eyewitnesses watched. My daughter, unequivocally, refused to accompany kids from school who were hoping to be taken to see Tilikum. In 1992, following this tragedy – the park in Victoria closed and all three orcas, Tilikum, Haida 11 and Nootka 1v , were sold to SeaWorld, Orlando, Florida, where Tilikum grew to become the largest orca in captivity weighing 12, 000 pounds and over 22 feet long. It is reported, now, that Tilikum’s new trainers were told very little of his previous history and his behavior; therefore, one wonders if they were told about the drowning of his trainer in Victoria?  It is hard to believe, but, perhaps not – as strange as that is. Unfortunately, I was not surprised when I heard in the summer of 1999 a Florida resident who had purposely snuck into the park after closing time and past security had been found, mutilated, hanging across Tilikum’s back when staff arrived in the morning.

In 2010 many of you may remember that a very well-known and highly respected and experienced trainer, Dawn Brancheau, was grabbed by Tilikum, pulled into the pool and rammed repeatedly and drowned while some guests in the park watched  in horror. After Dawn’s death, Tilikum spent the rest of his life in a holding pool in Florida with no human contact due to the obvious reason that his vets and trainers were too scared of him and therefore the only contact he had was when the floor of his medical pool was raised. Research indicates that he continued to be a source of DNA for Sea World’s breeding programme. He apparently sired 21 calves during captivity.

Although they are called killer whales, orcas, in their natural habitat, do not kill people. Research demonstrates that “no orca that lives in the wilds has ever attacked a human being.”  The only recorded attacks on humans have been while in captivity. Humans are actually the orcas only threat to their existence. While canoeing on the Pacific Ocean in British Columbia and aqua-cycling in Hawaii, I was never worried about being attacked by an orca.. Some call them giant dolphins. Their brain is five times our size and are as structured and developed as humans and they are not only very intelligent but also social and curious. They protect their young, ill and injured – as do the awakened of us humans.

Orcas in the wild can live long lives. A male 60 years and a female up to 90 years. Tilikum died @ 36 on Friday, January 6th, surrounded by his vets and trainers, who were afraid of him.  If you watched the documentary on Netflix called Blackfish you will know why  – and Tilikum’s story. Some will say that Tilikum’s life was in vain as it was a tortured one from the time he was captured. However, Tilikum brought a lot of attention to the plight of all God’s creatures in captivity and many, many folks are now expressing the hope and intention that Tilikum be the last orca to die a captive – stopping a practice that incarcerates one of the most awesome and majestic creatures ever to inhabit our planet.  SeaWorld announced on Sunday, two days after Tilikum’s death that it was closing its ONE OCEAN show for good and also ending its breeding programme.

Tilikum, the cage door finally opened. You are free.  Bon Voyage.

Monica