About Surfing Seal

For me, new and significant endeavours are usually punctuated by the unexpected appearance of an animal. For example, on my first day working at one of my former schools, a rat hopped into my homeroom class and skirted the perimeter, causing quite a ruckus. When I started at my next school, it was a bee swarm that attached itself to the side of our house, temporarily invading the sunroom and study.

Then there was the first time I taught a paid yoga class. One of the ladies apologised for interrupting the flow of the lesson, stating excitedly that we simply must notice the whale and her calf playing joyfully outside the surf club windows. And we did. Gratefully. This felt more personally significant because previously, while I had been on a ten-day yoga training retreat, I had had a “big” dream where I was swimming in a pristine ocean with my husband, accompanied by giant sea turtles, when a whale came up beneath me, lifting me on its back. The sensation of moving upwards, like every other detail in the dream, was extremely vivid. After the yoga class, my husband, dog, and I went down to the rocks where the whales had come in so close we could stare with awe into their deeply intelligent eyes. If I were to start my own yoga studio it would be called, “Breaching Whale Yoga.”

And that brings me to the "Surfing Seal". The name came  about after I had resigned from permanent high school teaching with the idea that, among other pursuits, I would move from reading for friends and acquaintances  to professional mediumship. It was one of those days where there’d been no call for casual work and, so, I had decided to walk on the beach and then take a swim. It was as perfect as any day ever can be and my enjoyment was enhanced on the return stretch when a random dog kept bringing me a stick so I’d throw it for him. While pleasant, this was not that unusual. Then an eagle flew directly overhead like a blessing. Usually sea eagles soar pretty high but I was stunned to see the beautiful patterning in its wings. Yes, that was more remarkable but the best was still to come.

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 The water that day was my idea of perfect: neither too cold nor too rough and the few other people around were on the beach. So, I immersed myself and even decided unselfconsciously that I’d catch a wave. And that’s when it happened. I don’t know if the seal saw me and thought, “That’s not how you catch a wave; this is how you catch a wave,” but in he came, perfectly streamlined and fast as a torpedo. He was less than two-metres away and it was thrilling to watch him up close! Then he turned and with minimal effort was gone. So, I ask you, what else was I going to name my new business?