There was a community that resided on a most beautiful island, surrounded on all sides by the sea, nestled into the bossom of the middle of the Universe. The people who lived on this island took the paradise for granted. They didn't smile at the shade offered to them by the huge palm trees, nor were they gracious as they drank the nectar of the sweet young coconuts that were a gift of the tree. They took fish from the sea with greed and without gratitude. They abused the land, became lazy and complacent, and existed without joy or excitement. And so it was, they took more than was needed, left little for the others around them, and not once smiled to the sky with satisfaction....
Mother Earth was hurt by this lack of respect, so her husband, the Sea, decided to take form and pay them a visit, to tease them out of their ignorance and complacency. Though at first glance he looked like a normal fisherman, it was told that he had the strength of 10 thousand men, was more intelligent than all of the sages in the world, and that no task was too great or too difficult for him to remedy. He was armed with a spear gun, a pocket knife, and a spool of fishing line. He had a laugh that came from the depth of his being, the beard of a pirate, and a constant layer of sea salt on his face. It was his eyes though that gave his magic away, as they twinkled the most vibrant blue, reflecting his true identity....the almighty, auspicious ocean. He spent his days teaching the people how to live off of the land. He taught them to build boats, tie knots, catch fish and how to prepare them. He taught them prayer, which was used after every kill -- acknowledging the abundance that Mother Earth has blessed them with. He taught them the importance of preservation, conservation, and adoration. He taught them the power of coming together to provide for one another, but most of all he taught them how to laugh. For without laughter, what is life worth? As the sun would go down he would prepare meals for the whole village, and then tell stories into the evening about the magnificent Mother Earth and her far off snow-capped mountains, dry and desolate deserts, and never-ending green Plains. The villagers would go to bed at night with their bellies full, with smiles on their faces, and with gratitude in their hearts....thankful for all of the blessings they had received and for the beautiful island...and all that it so humbly shared with them.
Once everyone was asleep, the Son of Neptune would walk down to the beach. He spent his nights under the stars, nestled into the sand so he could be lulled to sleep by the sound of the waves crashing, while dreaming of his wife.
Missing his beloved, one night he ordered an evening of music to serenade her sweet skies and abundant ground. And so, they sat along the shore...one on a sitar, another on a tabla, and the third playing the violin. Son of Neptune told the troupe to play the most beautiful song that existed in all of the Universe, one worthy of his beloved. As they began to play, the Son of Neptune found himself overwhelmed with emotion. The song was indeed the most beautiful song, one that matched the magnificence of his other half. He missed his wife, and was feeling lonely on the island. Moved by this sadness, his wife decided to send him a daughter to keep him company. Sitting next to the crashing waves of the Arabian Sea, overwhelmed by the beautiful song and love for his wife, he shed a tear, and from this devotion, from this fallen tear, came his daughter. They called her (She of Song and Sea).
The two spent their days in constant play, always diving into some exciting adventure. They swam with the dolphins, climbed the highest trees, and would see who could tie [fishing] knots the fastest. Her hair was wavy like the seaweed that sways at the bottom of the ocean, and her voice was as beautiful as the music that inspired her birth. Her father crafted her a little ukulele from the wood of a local tree, and to pass the heat of the afternoons they would sit in the shade and she'd sing for him. She was incredibly tiny, only about two feet tall, but when she'd sing you could hear her song across the sea. During the day her father taught her all he knew about living off of the Earth and at night he would tell her bedtime stories about her majestic Mother, and how much she loved her.
One day, the Son of Neptune knew that the timehad come for him to return. He explained to his daughter that he must go...he had known that his time on the island would be temporary. He came to share his message and now his job was finished. He told her that he had taught her everything that he knew, so she shouldn't worry...she had all that she needed to survive. And just before he returned to his beloved, he reminded his daughter that he was always with her, a part of her, and that they would see each other again some day. He told her to sit by the ocean and she would remember....remember the love that they had, the strength that pulses through her veins, and the place from which she came. He gave her his pocket knife as a gift and reminded her that when she sings a song, he would be there. (She of Song and Sea) couldn't understand why he was leaving, but she trusted her father and bid him a tearful farewell.
As the days passed, young (She of Song and Sea) pulled away from the village. She spent her time crying in the shade of the coconut trees and floating for hours on end in the Sea. But she didn't feel her father. Where was he? She was here...why wasn't he? Time continued to move along, but she stayed in one place. She sang at first when he had left, but the songs didn't bring him back, so she stopped singing. At the same time, the villagers once again lost their connection to Mother Earth, and began to revert back to their old ways. They became greedy, ungrateful, jealous and lazy. They pulled all the fish from the sea, leaving nothing to swim free. One night, they captured a beautiful whale in their net, which they victoriously drug up onto the shore. A huge fight erupted as the fishermen argued over who would get to keep this enormous catch. (She of Song and Sea) could hear the whales cry over her own tears, and then hearing the shouts of the fishermen, she made her way to the west end of the Island to investigate. When she saw the whale, she was overwhelmed with anger. The whale asked the little girl for help, but she replied that she was too small and too weak to do anything. At first she was angry at the villagers for this cruelty, but then as she looked into her heart, she became angry at herself. Her father had taught her so much, in hopes that she would continue to radiate his Light. She had been so consumed in her own grief that she had neglected the world in which she lived! Fueled by this fierce anger, by the fishermens greed and disregard for Mother Nature, she confronted the fishermen and demanded that they set the whale free. They laughed at the little girl and told her to "go away", that she was "too small to do anything about it". And at first, she believed these voices telling her that she wasn't enough. (She of Song and Sea) sat in defeat next to the imprisoned whale, tears streaming down her face. To comfort the dying whale she began to sing a song, the first song she sang since her father had left. As the song continued, (She of Song and Sea) was reminded of how powerful she was...that her father was IN her, a PART of her, and with that she sang louder. Though she was only two feet tall, she channeled the strength of her father as she swiftly used her pocket knife to cut the nets and then hoisted the whale onto her shoulders and began carrying her out to sea. The fishermen didn't know what to do, shocked by the mighty strength of the tiny girl. As she was returning the whale to the sea, she sang louder and stronger. The sadness in her voice roused her parents. Her Mother was furious that the villagers had fallen back into their lazy patterns, and was even more livid at the way they were treating her daughter. To punish the Islanders she asked her husband to teach them one final lesson. The Sea and the Mother joined forces...The waves grew to the size of the largest mountains and the heavens were as black as the bottom of the deepest abyss. The winds were violent and the trees crumpled down as if made of sand. With a tidal wave that reached high above the highest cloud, the Mother and Father washed over the island, killing all of the inhabitants, as (She of Song and Sea) took safety on the back of the whale.
All that died were reborn as fish in the sea, or trees on the beach. They smiled at the lesson learned, and the karma of their rebirth. Now they understood the importance of taking only what was needed and taking with respect for the sacred, gracious Mother. There are new inhabitants now, but they carry with them the stories of their ancestors. It is said that every night you can hear the voice of (She of Song and Sea) as she serenades her parents to sleep, and it serves as a reminder to the villagers to live with presence, laughter, and gratitude. Some fishermen even say that (She of Song and Sea) transformed into a mermaid on that remembered day, and that she is still spotted, seated atop a huge whale, with a pocket knife in one hand and her instrument in the other....
SHE OF SONG AND SEA:
Fisherman always pray to (She of Song and Sea) before heading out to Sea so that they have a safe journey, and abundant catch. They know that (She of Song and Sea) is the joy of her parents hearts, so to keep Mother Earth and the Sea happy they chant praises in (She of Song and Seas) name. Once out to sea they throw a mala of sea daisies overboard and make a blessing to (She of asking and Sea).
Women pray to (She of Song and Sea) to embrace their femininity, as well as their fierce strength, which (She of Song and Sea) clearly displayed can go hand in hand.
She of Song and Sea is associated with....
Inner Strength (both physical and emotional)
Family
Grace
Song / Singing
Nature
The Ocean
Sea life
Grief
Fishermen
Manipura and Vishudda chakra
Transformation child to woman
IMAGE:
She is naked and wears long earrings made of sea shells, and turquoise bangles up the length of both arms.
Her incense is jasmine.
Her mala is turquoise (blue like her fathers eyes, and turquoise of her mothers earth).
ICONOGRAPHY:
Naked- embracing the feminine and vulnerability
Pocket Knife- you don't need a big knife to solve big problems. The pocket knife was sharp and swift in its efforts to release the great whale
Small (2 feet)- strength can come in all shapes and sizes, including small packages. Don't underestimate yourself if your tiny. Or others.
Ukulele- music, song, the power of voice
Whale- whales represent the cycle of death and rebirth and transformation. The represent power of song, intelligence, intuition, creativity and inner depth.
The sea- the sea can change in a minute, representing the fact that we have the choice to make a change....and it's not a process, it begins the moment we make the whole hearted decision.
Death/Rebirth of villagers- represents the fact that we are all connected, and we are in a constant cycle of life, death, and rebirth. The death of the villagers and their rebirth is a reminder that one day you are the taker, and the next you can be the taken. Be mindful of consumption, take what's needed with gratitude, and treat everything with respect as we are all part of the Universes natural cycle and rhythm.
She of Song and Seas birth from a tear: anything is possible when we are moving from a place of pure love
She of Song and Seas transformation- her transformation into a mermaid represents the transformation that we have the choice to make when tragedy strikes. After her father left she did nothing but cry and hold onto her grief....which kept her small and delicate. But once she realized that her father was with her in a different form, she transformed her grief into strength and therefore made the transformation from child to woman.
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