As we Celebrate WORLD OCEANS DAY, I am Forever Grateful for the Healing Power of Mother Ocean.
June 8, 2013
When I was a boy in grade school in the 1960’s, I remember watching one of the first animated/live action films. It was an educational piece featuring an animated blood cell with cute little eyes and mouth as a character who interviewed a wise old bespectacled man. The blood cell character asked the wise old man which one liquid on planet earth most resembled human blood. The wise old man smiled broadly and said, “Seawater”. The animated blood cell bowed and said, “You are truly wise, sir.” In fact, about two-thirds of our body is made of what is essentially seawater – there is no doubt we are connected to the sea.
The ocean has therapeutic effects. From just being on the shore listening to the waves, feeling the sea breeze, smelling the salt air and becoming exhilarated by the negative ions created there, to utilizing the healing qualities of sea salts, seaweed, algae and minerals, the ocean has healing power. It even affects our brains, emotions and mood.
In True North, the Shocking Truth about “Yours, Mine and Ours”, I write about how my own mother was emotionally unavailable to me. When I was 13, I miraculously became a scuba diver and in many ways, the ocean became my surrogate mother. Being in the depths of the ocean was like being in the womb, suspended in a liquid environment, listening to my own breathing and heartbeat. Whether it was the serenity and security of being surrounded by this living liquid, or the total distraction of the adventure of the unknown which took me far away from the daily weight of the child abuse and violence at home, I sank beneath the surface, and if only for those few moments, was free.
The ocean was curative for me then and even now continues to sustain my spirit. Just last week I was diving and I thought about how much the ocean has meant to me in my life, to my survival and my continued recovery. Every day I’m filled with gratitude for the healing power of Mother Ocean.