A Need for Balancing and Re-Centering

During our walk on the beach in Port Douglas my body felt unusually tense. This was a strange bodily reaction to have in the midst of a whale trip! While it was fabulous to reunite with the minkes, I realized that a feeling of disharmony had been slowly building during the first week on the boat.

I noticed that there was significantly more ‘effort’ required to connect with the whales than I had experienced in the past. It was as though we weren’t completely tuned to the same channel, or more accurately– it felt like there was static in the water. I was doing my ‘whale love & positive energy vibe thing’… but it was like transmitting energy through a haze of interference. The experience was both draining and disconcerting. 

I knew the cause of my internal discord, but struggled to find a solution because I did not want to attach blame or hurt anyone’s feelings. The static interference was caused by the mixed, divergent intentions of some of the people who were in the water with the whales.

The Frequencies of Focused Intention

Modern science has confirmed that our thoughts and intentions transmit energetic frequencies. Focused intention emanates greater vibrational intensity than passive, generalized, or unfocused attention. We may amplify the intensity of these transmitted frequencies by further refining and directing our intentions.

There are different forms of focused intention/attention, and each ‘kind’ resonates at a different frequency. Mental, emotional, and spiritual intentions each have unique and specific resonances, similar to distinct musical chords. Sometimes the resonances or chords blend well together, and other times they create discord.

Water, and especially salt water, is a highly conductive medium. The energetic frequencies of thoughts/intentions that are consciously or subconsciously transmitted into the water serve to literally saturate the surrounding medium.

Intentions and Minke Whales

When we were in the water with the minke whales, the energetic frequencies of our collective thoughts & intentions permeated the aquatic environment. Since we each appreciated the whales from a different perspective, the resonant quality of our intentions were diverse and in some cases vastly different.

For instance, the researchers’ job was to observe the whales to collect & record data to better understand the species. Due to the scientific orientation of their work, they related to the minkes from a data-driven mind space. This scientific approach to the whales was a distinct form of focused, analytical mind-energy in action.

I represented the other end of the spectrum. My orientation to whales is based on the desire to cultivate an emotional & spiritual relationship between humans and cetaceans. The purpose of the encounter is to extend loving emanations from my heart– and from humankind, to the whales. It’s all about tapping into  Universal Love and facilitating inter-species connection. This is a spiritual approach to the whales and is a form of focused heart-energy in action.

Different Intentions Elicit Different Experiences

There is a significant vibrational difference between analytical mind-energy and heart-energy. Each state emanates a unique frequency, and in turn invites a unique kind of corresponding experience.

In the case of a cetacean encounter, it’s the difference between looking ‘at’ the eye of a whale while counting its spots and measuring its length… vs looking ‘into’ the eye and soul of a cetacean as a sentient, intelligent being.

Neither of these approaches is ‘better’ than the other, and each serves a different and equally valid purpose. However… the difference in the energetic resonance of these two orientations to whale encounters could not be more pronounced.

Mixed Messages: What Happens When Mind & Heart Energies Collide

The mixed intentions of the researchers and the people (like myself) who simply love whales impacted both the energetic ambiance of the aquatic environment and the manner in which the whales responded to us. We were all passionate about the minkes, so our energetic transmissions towards the whales were intense, but divergent and somewhat inharmonious.

As a result of the mixed intentions, I experienced ‘static interference’ in the water, which impacted my connections with the whales. It was like being immersed a dense aquatic field of analytical energy, which I found extremely discordant. I had to ‘work’ to connect with the minkes… whereas usually there is an effortless connection as Universal Love flows through me and into the whales.

One researcher in particular had a strong personality & presence, and he was often the first point of contact for the whales as they approached the line. Though it was unconscious on his part, his pervasive emanation of ‘mind-energy’ towards the whales often set the tone of the interaction.  The whales would ‘study’ us, like we were ‘studying’ them.

I wasn’t there to ‘examine’ the minkes– I was there to connect with them!

And so, during the week of minke encounters, it was like waging a subconscious, aquatic battle between subtle energies to establish the dominant vibrational field. Analysis vs connection. Knowing about a minke vs knowing a minke.

We All Love Minkes!

This discordant-energy struggle was no one’s ‘fault’, and aside from myself, none of the other passengers noticed anything amiss.  (Being sensitive to energy is truly a mixed blessing.)

It was important for me to keep the situation in perspective. The researchers on the minke team have largely dedicated their lives to the study, understanding, and protection of this species. They have provided a wealth of scientific data about dwarf minke whales to the global community. In fact, were it not for their dedication and the guidelines they have established for in-water encounters, we would not be able to be in the water with the dwarf minkes in Australia!

We were all simply doing our ‘jobs’ with the highest respect and love for the whales.

Nevertheless, I found the mind-energy approach to the encounters to be heavy, challenging, & strangely exhausting. Since we were in the water together for many hours each day, I came out of the first week of the trip with my heart chakra in need of repair.

Healing Formula

I knew what I needed to do to reset my energetic equilibrium. Port Douglas had a gym ideally located on its main street– so I exercised vigorously to work the psychic residue out of my body. Then, I found a gifted massage therapist who assisted in clearing any remaining ‘heavy’ energy within my system.

I meditated to expand my heart to allow for a wider & more inclusive orientation to minke encounters. Last but not least, I communicated honestly about my experience to the researchers.

By the end of the day, I was back in alignment with the Universe and Minke Spirit!

And, as an added bonus, the researchers took my feedback to heart. During the 2nd week, they made a concerted effort to tune in to the other passengers, and seemed to adjust their scientific approach to include their hearts in the process of data collection.