Trip Facilitator:  Teresa Wagner

My Relationship with the Whales

I saw my first humpback whale in 1988 off Provincetown, Cape Cod, in the waters of Stellwagon Bank, important humpback feeding grounds and now a national marine sanctuary. It changed my life irrevocably. While we saw dozens of whales that day from the Dolphin Fleet whale watch boat, one came right to the side of the boat and stayed for almost an hour. I was mesmerized. I went on this weekend jaunt with a fellow corporate yuppie friend, having no idea I was about to transform my life because of a whale. But the moment I saw this whale I was smitten. I was in awe of his beauty and grace. And I was overwhelmed by the trust he showed, coming to a boat with humans in the very same waters in which humans in boats had slaughtered his kind less than twenty five years before.

I had never seen a whale before. I didn't know anything about the history of whales, and came to this trip without any expectations whatsoever about what it would be like. But when I saw this first whale, I knew I was with family. I knew I was somehow home, though I didn't yet understand why. I also knew I was in the presence of a great being. Every hair on my scalp tingled and there were chills running down my spine. I was at one with this whale, a profound oneness I never before experienced with anyone, any species, anywhere. As I cried soft tears of ecstasy, telling him over and over, "I love you, and thank you for coming," I distinctly heard him speak to me. He gently and very knowingly offered detailed, loving guidance on very personal issues in my life, and said he would be honored to continue to be available to assist and guide me through my life. It felt as natural as talking with a wise, close friend.

My traveling friend thought I had absolutely lost my mind as I tried to explain what had happened. I went home changed. Within a few weeks I became a vegetarian, gave away three fur coats, and without a doubt was simply a new person. Seeing this whale began my journey away from a corporate career and a conventional set of values and lifestyle to begin to find my true self and to find ways of creating more meaningful work and living. The experience also sparked vivid memories of conversing with animals as a child, which in turn inspired my telepathic animal communication practice.

I believe that every human has their own unique path to knowing God, to remembering God and the Divine in all beings, and within themselves. I also believe we each have a unique path to learning how to love and be loved. For some of us, this path is lined with animals--being with them, near them, exchanging love with them, being guided and inspired by them, and at times just looking at them. And for some of us, the animals that speak the loudest to us are the whales. From the first moment I saw that first humpback I yearned to see them whenever and wherever I could. And so I did. I have returned to Stellwagon Bank many, many times and have also traveled to Alaska and Hawaii to be reunited with these great beings who continue to guide me. Over time, I remembered having many lives as a humpback, and that my first lives on earth were as a humpback. So the yearning to be "home" with them as I struggled with being human made more and more sense and was less confusing.

Though it was always a thrill and a sacred experience to see them, it also began to feel alienating and even painful to be on boats in the company of others who didn't feel any spiritual connection to the whales. I often found myself with people who saw whales as merely the focus of an ego driven adventure, or as interesting objects to be studied or photographed. Though I have great respect and admiration for the scientists and naturalists who study whales in order to help them, their perspective often seems to preclude even the possibility of telepathic or spiritual connection. This often left me feeling lonely on the whale excursions I took, feeling like I had more in common with the whales in the water than with the humans on the boat. I began to dream of being with whales in the company of like-minded people who also experienced a spiritual relationship with the whales. And for years I dreamt of being in the water with them, in their home, looking into their eyes.

In 1999, my friend and client Sierra Goodman made that dream come true. Owner of Defin Amor Eco Lodge in Costa Rica (www.divinedolphin.com), Sierra invited Penelope Smith and I to join her on a whale swim boat she chartered off the Dominican Republic. She felt that having animal communicators on board would enhance the experience for the group. I was beyond thrilled. I had not known that it was legal anywhere in the world to actually get in the water with whales. I was beside myself with joy. I will never forget the first time I was with the whales in the water. Being with whales on the surface from a boat is exciting. I remember being in a Zodiac in Frederick Sound in Alaska with feeding, sounding, breaching and spouting whales 360 all around me and being in awe. Yet awesome as it is, on the surface we really see only a small percentage of the whales' bodies. Even with breaching, we see the whole body for only seconds. But under the water — oh! The entirety of their magnificent bodies is in full view under us, in front of us, and sometimes very, very slowly moving around us. They are stillness, and otherworldliness, a presence of grace when with the whales under the water. It is the closest thing to heaven on earth I could ever imagine. I was transformed to a better part of myself on that trip, and knew I had to return. I give great thanks to Sierra for starting this great expansion of my life.

And so, every year since that first trip I have chartered the same boat for groups of people who love the whales and want to be with them in the water at Silver Bank. It is a pilgrimage for me to be with the whales. It is going home to visit, honor, play with and talk with my first family on earth. I feel my roots when I am with the whales, I remember where I've come from, I feel the love of my ancestors, their wisdom and their journey inextricably tied to my own. I feel the light and love of whales shining through to my soul. Bringing other people to be with the whales, and helping them learn to hear the guidance the whales have for their individual life journeys, is one of the greatest privileges of my life.

If whales are part of your family too, or part of your life path, I hope you will join us on the Journey to Love with the Humpback Whales, or another whale journey that is just right for you. I wish everyone who deeply loves the whales the perfect connection of time together in the water, in dream state, and the integration into our lives of all they teach us.

Alfie, in the Gulf of Maine, off Provincetown, MA

Wherever on the water the winds shall find you, Wherever the moon or the sun shall move. . .
Deep in my heart I will breathe deeply with you.

~ Robert Siegel, White Whale

Some of my Professional and Educational Background

Though I've talked to animals since childhood, I've been practicing animal communication professionally since 1991. The focus of my practice is to help other humans discover and understand the thoughts, feelings and perspectives of their animal loved ones, and to facilitate problem solving and deepen intimacy between people and the animals they love. In addition to my active animal communication practice I design and facilitate a workshop series based on a client centered approach to animal communication and healing: basic and advanced animal communication, counseling skills for healing practitioners, grief support skills, compassion fatigue, and flower essences for animals and people. And each year I facilitate the whale swim trip Journey to Love with the Humpback Whales. My work is a great fulfillment and blessing in my life. It is being with the whales that bring me to the core of my own soul. With them, I am Home. For several years, I specialized in the field of grief and traumatic stress, and remain passionate about how these issues impact people who love and care for animals. I have facilitated pet loss support groups, authored the audio book Legacies of Love, A Gentle Guide to Healing From the Loss of Your Animal Loved On, and created an extensive web site of supportive material for people grieving the loss of their animal companions. I am deeply concerned about the pet overpopulation epidemic and the trauma this creates not only for the animals but for animal welfare employees as well. For eight years I conducted compassion fatigue workshops for animal shelter workers throughout the U.S. and offer an in depth section on my web site as a place of solace and compassion fatigue education.

Prior to my work with animals and people who love them, I worked for fifteen years as a training and organization development manager for RCA in New York City and New Jersey, and later as an organization development consultant serving numerous corporate, government and academic organizations throughout the U.S. Before my corporate career, immediately following undergraduate school, I worked as a counselor and group home manager for delinquent adolescents in Philadelphia.

My traditional education includes a master’s degree in counseling, an undergraduate degree in psychology, post graduate work at Columbia University and studies with Carl Rogers at the University of Nottingham, England. My healing arts education includes animal communication with Jeri Ryan, flower essence training at FES, Desert Alchemy and Perelandra, energy healing training in Reiki, Therapeutic Touch, Tellington-Touch and psychic studies with Evelyn Isadore. The whales, however, are my constant teachers.

I've been named to Who’s Who of American Women, and have spoken at numerous conferences of animal welfare organizations such as The Humane Society of the United States, American Humane Association, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary and National Association of Professional Pet Sitters. I have served on the boards of several non-profit animal welfare organizations. The whale trip has been featured on PAX televisions network’s Animal Miracles show. My animal communication work has been featured on the television shows Beyond with James Van Praagh and in the documentary Psychic Connection: Exploring the Spiritual Link Between People and Animals. I am a contributing author in Communicating with Animals by Art Myer, and Animal Voices by Dawn Brunke. My work has been featured in Penelope Smith's Species Link journal, The Flower Essence Society's International Journal of Flower Essence Therapy, and various newspaper articles.

I live in Big Sur, California with the two most wonderful cats in the universe, near the whales, harbor seals, sea otters and sea lions of the Monterey Bay, and with the redwood trees, banana slugs, gophers, birds, chipmunks and flowers in my garden.