Solstice Depth: Guidance from Mile Deep Diving Whales
Image from Whale and Dolphin Conservation
It’s the last solstice of the decade. Here in the northern hemisphere it’s a winter solstice full of dark days and urgent hungers. There are shallow ways to mark the passing of time, like lists on social media of best and worst ________ of the decade. And then there is the depth work we can’t avoid no matter how much we scroll, asking us what we want to take with us into a new decade and what we need to finally leave behind.
For me this has been a saltwater solstice, not because I am at the beach (I wish) but because it has been an immersion in familiar and new layers of grief, serious cravings for french fries and my mama’s macaroni and cheese and major decisions about my creative and community practices. So, of course, I turn to marine mammals, kindred experts in navigating salt, immersion and breath. Tomorrow night I will be facilitating an online writing solstice prep workshop called “Deep Dive” which will engage a seven step process inspired by mile deep diving whales for how we can go deep this solstice without getting lost, how we can get in and out of our own heads, how we can let our breathing reshape our lives and more. You can sign up for the workshop here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/deep-dive-solstice-prep-session-black-feminist-lessons-from-marine-mammals-tickets-86291166201
And some of the words that will be guiding us are below.
Deep love,
Alexis
Seven. A Guide for Diving Deeper.
(from Cachalot aka Phyester Macrocephalus aka the Sperm Whale who can dive more than a mile deep translated by APG)
one. breathe.
(we sperm whales can replace 90% of the air in our lungs with one breath. we can blow our breath 17 feet high. however deep you are breathing, breathe more, breathe deeper.)
two. take responsibility for your forehead.
(we, for example, have a head full of wax we can solidify like a weight to go deeper, we can melt it to become lighter than water and float. what is going on in your head? be intentional with it.)
three. hush.
(we stretch out our bodies 60 feet long at the surface and then arch our backs facing down, our tails come with us "barely creating a ripple." we are saving our energy for depth. this is not the time to splash.)
four. be flexible.
(deep in the ocean there is pressure. a lot of pressure. it will press on your chest and your lungs will collapse. you call it heartbreak. it is not. it is how what made you embraces you. reshapes you. welcomes you back. let it happen.)
five. be specific in your actions.
(when your lungs collapse you will need the oxygen in your blood. it is deep in your muscles. it was put there by practice. let your practice facilitate depth. it will be there when you need it.)
six. listen.
(we listen underneath our throats, not with our ears. we listen across the planet. we can hear each other click from opposite sides of the globe. though we may seem alone, we never are.)
seven. come back.
(you will know when it has been enough time in the deep. it can vary. attune to your need. account for your nourishment. direct your thoughts, melt them down make them light. and return.)[1
Image Credit: Whale and Dolphin Conservation
Direct quote from Smithsonian Handbook on Whales Dolphins and Porpoises
