Granny

Posted by Mary-J.-Getten in HandPrints Stories & Videos, PawPrints On My Heart | 0 comments

One of my best friends is a whale. I know this might sound strange, but we have been friends for 20 years now. Granny is not just any whale, but an orca, a killer whale, who swims free in Puget Sound. This 100 year-old female is the matriarch of J pod, a family of resident orcas that frequent the waters of Washington State and British Columbia.

I first met Granny in 1991 when I was a naturalist on a whale watch boat in the San Juan Islands. She captivated me and I spent many summers getting to know her and her family members. I was able to identify them by sight and share information about them with my passengers, but our deep and lasting friendship really began in 1996 when I started communicating with her telepathically.

I had taken my first class in animal communication in 1988 when I lived in California and volunteered at the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito. I wanted to help the center by talking with our seal and sea lion patients to understand where it hurt or how long it had been since they had eaten. However, the animal care staff questioned my sanity and didn’t put much stock in my communication, so I put it aside. A few years later when I started leading whale watch trips, I knew it was time to rebuild my telepathic communication skills.

It had been my lifetime desire to do animal research, specifically with Jane Goodall and the chimpanzees. That dream had never materialized but now I realized that I could do research in a new and exciting way – by speaking directly to the animals, and I could do it without equipment or grants or degrees. So after five years of leading whale watch trips and seeing the whales perhaps 100 days a year, I was finally ready to take our relationship to the next level.

 The day I first contacted Granny telepathically is forever etched in my mind. It was sunny and warm when I went to the west side of the island and found a comfortable mossy spot on a cliff looking over Haro Strait to Vancouver Island. The whales often traveled this waterway. After about an hour, a few fins appeared in the distance.  With my binoculars I confirmed that it was J pod by recognizing the tall wavy fin of Ruffles, Granny’s son.  As they neared the shoreline, I closed my eyes and quieted myself, going to that deep place in my heart where animal communication happens.

I called out silently to Granny and waited. Then I asked, “Granny are you here?”  Without hesitation I heard, “Yes dear, I’m here.  I have been waiting for your contact. It is good to speak to you.” For years I had been calling out verbally whenever I saw her, so Granny knew who I was – that crazy woman on the Western Prince.

In the next year, I spent hundreds of hours interviewing Granny and several other whales with my friend and colleague Raphaela Pope. It was my sincere desire to understand who these animals were from THEIR perspective, and they were most gracious and happy to communicate. Eventually I published a lot of this material in Communicating with Orcas; The Whales’ Perspective. 

I stopped leading whale watch trips in 2000 when my animal communication business took off. Now I spend my days communicating with people’s pets, but I keep in touch with Granny telepathically. I got out on the water twice this summer and saw her both times, which was thrilling. She is always in my heart and the things that I have learned from her have shaped and changed the way I interact with the world. For instance, whales are very non-judgmental. They do not blame others or hold grudges, something I now aspire to. They live in the moment, neither attached to nor concerned about the past or the future.

Orcas are the largest of the dolphin family and anyone who has been around dolphins will attest to their spirit of play and fun. They are also the most loving and intelligent species on the planet. If humanity could only adopt the attitudes, habits and practices of the whales and dolphins, we would be living in a completely different world. Now, when I am in a difficult situation, my first thought is, “What would the whales do?” If I follow their example of loving compassion I never go wrong.

I contacted Granny just before Thanksgiving and during our conversation, I asked if she has a message for us about this holiday. Here is what she had to say.

 “Giving thanks is not something that you should do once a year. It is something that you should live and breathe each and every moment of every single day. The whales and dolphins do this – they are always grateful for whatever happens. 

Start by being grateful that you are alive – it’s as simple as that. Be grateful that the sun is shining or the rain is falling. Be grateful that there is an intelligence and wisdom in the universe and that you are not alone. Be grateful that there is air to breathe and water to drink and food to eat.

Even in your darkest hour, there are many, many things to be grateful for. Cultivating this attitude will change your world. We feel the sadness and desperation in humanity. This is occurring because humans are focusing on what is wrong and not on what is right. They must change the way they perceive the world, or the world will never change.

This is why is it so important that humans spend time with whales and dolphins. If they would just observe us and see how we live, they would know the way. The way to happiness and peace and contentment, is to be grateful in every moment for what is occurring and to find the things in each situation that you can be thankful for. You are still breathing. You are still alive. Rejoice in this fact and do not despair. There is much to be thankful for EVERY DAY.”

Photo Whale Featured by rolfhickerphotography.com

Photo Whale Watching by whalewatchingtours.com

Photo Talking Whale by destination-southern-california.com