Carla Person - Shamanic Healer

Journey for a friend of a friend who is dying and has asked for shamanic support in the crossing and process. My journey is to ask the reef how they can help, and to bring healing to her, whatever she needs. Feb 6, 2008

I am on Bonaire and am working with the reef to learn their shamanic ways. Turtle is my main guide, and has been since I first journeyed in the Great Barrier Reef in the late 1980s. 20 years ago perhaps. She was one of my very first teachers.

The parrots always come in strong when I journey here at Kits. The scream and fly!

The bones of the coral are the land we walk on. The Iguana is the god of the land. Grandmother takes me to the ocean and I put the names of the two people I am working for onto the water. A large shiny fish, which I realize is Wahoo, comes and grabs the first name and moves fast down into a dark place in the ocean through a passage and into a cave. I see sparkly lights around me and I float. The fish puts my client’s name into my hands and I hold the intention to heal her and help her crossing. Turtle comes back into the cave and retrieves me and asks what I am doing there. I say I am helping my client, and he grabs me and says “come”. We move quickly to a place where there is grass in the water. We swim strongly, my cheek on his shell. Turtle grass. A barracuda comes up and turtle tells me that barracuda crosses over spirits. This is nursery of the ocean. A round eyed fish looks and disappears.

“Offer your friend to Barracuda.” He passes by and ignores us. But Turtle says “he sees you. Tell him that your friend needs support crossing.” He comes back and says that is his specialty. I give him her name. Barracuda says there are many here who cross over the dead, but I am among the chiefs.

At that moment the parrots came flying in at the apartment, raucous, pulling me back. They do tremendous work and are living spirits actively healing and helping at all times.

You honor me by asking me to help. He swims off and turtle carries me to follow him. We go to the edge of the reef where it falls off into a black hole. They tell me that this hole is the entrance to heaven. I think this may be similar to where Wahoo put me when I first requested. But I had no guide.

I explain that I have been using a black hole like this in the ocean to give back the evil cockroach-like intrusions that man transmits through violence and anger. Barracuda wonders if I am stupid. I say I am and we both laugh. This is not the same hole. There is more than one hole. He says for me to follow him through this hole with my client’s spirit. It feels scary and I wish for a guide. Turtle will not come. He will wait for us. Barracuda asks who my friends are and run through a list of the people I have met. I ask specifically about Eagle Ray and he says, they won’t come down here with you. I’ll take you myself. Barracuda takes me. What must I do to prepare? Wahoo did not prepare you? I look at myself and see shiny silver skin and I say, “I guess he did!”. Barracuda put a string through his mouth so I can hang on, and my lord do we go. Whoosh.

The other side is idyllic. Sandy beach. Perfect ocean, flower and bloom. Barracuda removes the string and says he will wait for us in the ocean. I am to take my friend up the land to the spirits there. I walk up the beach but my legs are heavy. I get bogged and cannot move. A spirit comes from a tree and says “she must walk on her own. You may not walk here.” It is because I am alive. A bird helps her walk and she goes to a clearing where there is a group of people frying plantains on a cooking fire. This inspires me (always hungry!). But this is not a plce for the living. I ask for magical transformation and parrot comes and transforms me into himself. The spirits give my client plantain and fish. She eats it. She says “I did not expect to be here.” They spirits smile and say, “Well we didn’t expect you to be here either.”

The look at us and they say “Come down girl.” They give me a drink (yum) and ask, “Why did you bring her here? She is not from here.”

“Well I must tell you I am an explorer and I am here because I have been connecting with the spirits of the water and the reef in the Caribbean, and my friend Turtle introduced me to Barracuda and he brought us here. He waits for me out there.”

So the man smiles and says, “Oh so you are just coming to get to know us. Are you going to come here when you die?” I reply “I don’t know sir. I have my people, my tribe. I really come from a different place, but I don’t know. I am not dead yet.” They turn to my client and ask her if she will come here when she dies. And she says that she would like to be with her family. The man says “Well since you have come this way, let us show you around. You may want to stay.”

The whole place becomes alive like a beautiful parrot fish. The reef is alive, the coral stone at our feet is alive, the whole place shimmers. The land around me on Bonaire is the same, alive and shimmering and I see that I am in both places at once. There is no clear distinction. The man instructs parrot to get back in and ground me. The man tells me, “Be without the distinctions and you will be in your bliss.” He means that the distinctions between the worlds. I think about it. When I am diving the thing that keeps me in ordinary reality is my life support system and my determination to pay attention to it. It is like carrying one reality into another. It is a whole lot like journeying. Without they support my bones would be consumed in a very short time, and my soul would join the reef. The spirits laugh at my recognition and say “you can stay here if you like and join us.” I say “I want to stay in my body”. They laugh and say “Well you better pay attention to that.”

And now they are taking my friend and the do a ritual for her. The sit her on a log and adorn her wrists and ankles with bracelets made of shells. Her hair is woven with the reeds of the sea. She dances with the people, all laughing. There are lots of people here, no claim to one tribe. Back, white, brown, the people all belong. The distinction we make in OR is not made here, who belongs and who doesn’t.

The spirits ask my client if she has what she needs. They put a wrap around her waist to protect her body. The goddess here calls out and a large animal comes in. I can’t tell if it is whale, hammer head, or what. Feels mostly whaleish. This large animal comes in and takes the woman and they leave. The spirits say “Go with her and you shall see.” I ask, “But what about barracuda?” They laugh and say “If you want to go back you had better connect with them him first.” I thank them and run back to the water. He is gone, but I see his tail flashing. I realize that I must leave my client. I cannot follow her. They will take her where she belongs.

Barracuda gives me the ropes. It is all I can do to stay on. I want to stay with my clients. I get pulled and I hear Turtle calling me, calling me. calling me. I come through and there are my friends. I am not all the way back. It is very hard. The friends circle me. My very favorite friends of the reef come and look at me. Spotted drum, I love you. Parrot fish. They interact with me. Someone grabs my hand. I don’t know this one but I follow. I am coming back through the memory of the black hole. My head is out of the water. Hot sun on my head. Turtle tells me to grab his shell and we plunge down again. I swim through the waves and I see the sun above, warm on my back. Turtle says “I will take you to where you were.” Yesterday’s dive with Eagle Ray.

There I am with Spotted Eagle Ray. They come to me and say, “She is back. Where is her can?” Turtle says, “I breath for her” and puts air into my lungs. Ray says I should use gills. He merges with me and feel his breathing. We dig and get munchies. So good! He apologizes to the crab as we eat it. He honors his food. I can feel the sensory world around me bright and strong. I sense electrically who is with me. The body of the ray can sense. It feels safe. Ray asks me what I want to do. I want to go home, back into my body. Turtle gets me and brings me home.