Big Mama Returns To The Salish Sea

Last night, the International Association for the Study of Dreams (IASD) annual conference kicked off.

It opened with a very artistic performance, almost a Kabuki theater-style presentation. I wish I had captured a photo. It was about how we are gathering as a hive of bees in community.

The performer brought up the mother bee who unites the hive.

I didn’t think much of it at the time. Typical metaphor. The queen bee is important, central to a hive, of course.

This was followed by an academic presentation by Dr. Clare Johnson, evidently the first researcher to be awarded a dissertation in lucid dreaming from the University of Leeds in the UK.

Dr. Johnson began by sharing a story about one of her dearest friends, who has developed brain cancer. She then told us about a dream she had that brought her great joy.

In the dream, she and her friend were standing on a surfboard that lifted into the sky. Below them were dolphins and whales frolicking and breaching the water. She awoke with a profound sense of joy and healing. It was as if the dream was helping her navigate a difficult time.

The image on her slide, shown in the thumbnail for this article, featured a humpback whale breaching the surface and an orca whale, like the ones common to the Salish Sea and Puget Sound.

Then I was reminded of a potential blog topic sitting in my notes.

It simply says:

Big Mama and the Salish Sea

I have no idea why I thought it would make a good blog article, but for some reason I captured it, and it has been sitting there until today.

About a month ago, I saw an article about Big Mama, a humpback whale, returning to the Salish Sea off the coast of Vancouver Island, BC.

Big Mama has, in some ways, become a mythical but very real animal. She has been returning to the Salish Sea for more than 30 years to raise her calves. She has given birth to at least eight humpback whales.

Big Mama is a sign that humpback whales are returning to health in the Salish Sea after being pushed to the brink by commercial whaling.

She doesn’t seem to know it was once unsafe to be there.

She just does her thing.

And the whales are back, baby!

It’s kind of a dream.

A joyful dream.

Dr. Johnson’s recent research focuses on what she calls the “dream body,” which she theorizes is a combination of our life energy and the depth of our consciousness.

Her research suggests that engaging with the dream body can activate four human capacities that help us live better and more fulfilled lives.

By dream body, she means the form you show up in during your dreams.

Sometimes you may not even appear as yourself.

I know what she means because I have experienced things like flying in dreams, out-of-body experiences where I was looking down on myself and others, and dreams where I was older, younger, still a corporate executive, a bandit on the run, and so on.

Action

Dream movement can shape waking-life motor skills.

She shared examples of studies and individuals who practiced physical skills in dreams and later experienced improvements in waking life.

Perception

The dream body seems to reflect subtle physiological signals.

She described people who experienced aches, pains, or unusual sensations in dreams that later corresponded to serious illnesses.

One man repeatedly dreamed that hot coals were burning his neck.

It turned out he had thyroid cancer.

Healing

Her research suggests that the dream body can help heal trauma, emotional pain, broken hearts, and help people integrate ideas into solutions that move them forward.

Transformation

Just like the dream she shared, our dreams can produce feelings of joy, awe, nostalgia, and expanded consciousness.

Yes, I have had all of these kinds of dreams.

Some have even seemed prophetic.

(I sound a little like the guy who flipped me off yesterday morning, huh?)

So there you go.

Big Mama, in my mind, represents these last two dimensions of dreaming: healing and transformation.

She can be an inspiration for our own healing and transformation as we design a life we love and get out on the Highway to Yeah.

A good bit of what we’re talking about in this blog is learning to notice the danger zone we often drift into without realizing it.

Before we know it, we’re there, trying to dig our way out.

Unfortunately, we often shut down.

We block out the pain.

We numb ourselves.

We distract ourselves.

And nothing changes.

But the subtle signals, the quiet dissatisfaction, and the small losses of feeling truly alive are all there if we can learn to tune in, pay attention, and take small but intentional actions.

Look, Big Mama is back in the Salish Sea, overcoming tremendous odds.

She’s a signal that renewal is possible.

She is a reminder that we can step into a life we actually love.

And maybe our dreams can help point the way.

Pay attention to them.

They just might help you find your way out onto the Highway to Yeah.