By Sandy ZoumbariS

Many people have inquired about the three non-human beings represented in the Interspecies Weavings logo.  The dolphin, hummingbird and deer have each played major roles in my interspecies communication journey.  In a previous post, I wrote about an adventure with a special hummingbird friend.   (Click here to see the Hummingbird Bliss blog.) Today I am happy to share about an amazing experience with wild dolphins that I believe planted me firmly on the path to intuitive interspecies communication.

I was visiting my sister and her family at their home in the Atlantic coast city of Virginia Beach, Virginia.  My sister suggested we go on an outing to a special bay where they often were able to see wild dolphins.  My sister and I loaded their sea kayak and my five-year-old niece into the car and headed for the ocean.

As we approached our destination we saw very few humans on the beach. However, we could see a large group of wild dolphins out there in the water!  As soon as our vehicle came to a full stop, we grabbed the kayak and the three of us ran as fast as we could to the ocean.  My sister and I, with my niece seated between us in the kayak, paddled as fast as we could toward the group of dolphins.  As we got close to them, the dolphin pod suddenly vanished!  There was not one dolphin in sight!  Feeling very disappointed, we just sat in the kayak and floated on the water, hoping they might surface again..

Suddenly they were back! Our kayak was surrounded by lots of dolphins everywhere!!!

Then, to our absolute astonishment, a group of three of these beautiful cetaceans surfaced right next to our kayak!  They were so close we could almost touch them.  Even more incredible, this group consisted of two adult dolphins with a baby dolphin swimming between them!  This was way beyond what we hoped to experience and we were giggling and laughing with joy!

All of a sudden, I received what I believe was a very clear message from the dolphins.

“Two adult dolphins with a child between them – meeting two adult humans with a child between them!” 

I shared this with my sister and we just stared at each other with our mouths open in disbelief.  This was NOT a coincidence!  These amazing beings deliberately reached out to us!  We were participants in a wonderful experience of communication between two species!!!

I am not sure how long we continued to share this heartfelt connection with the wild dolphin adults and baby floating beside our kayak.  My niece was enjoying her own conversation with the young dolphin.  She was making soft sounds and using her hands to send playful splashes and bubbles through the water to the dolphin child.  I clearly remember feeling totally filled with wonder and gratitude for this incredible experience.

Suddenly, all of the dolphins disappeared at once, again!  The whole pod was gone and we did not see them again that day.  Had this really happened?  Was it a just dream? 

I have shared conversations with other humans who have experienced life changing encounters with wild dolphins.  The sudden appearance and disappearance seems to be a characteristic trademark.  This dolphin event occurred years before I even learned that there was such a thing as interspecies communication.  I now believe that this incredible meeting opened me up to the possibility of intuitive interspecies communication so that I would be able to fully embrace the idea a few years later.

I hope this story inspires you to just open your heart to something like this happening to you.  If you are open to receive from other species, they will know this.  Every human on this planet is born with the ability to communicate with other species.  There are all kinds of ways that a non-human being might reach out to connect with you.  A similar experience just might be waiting to happen to you!!!

Namaste,
Sandy

(Photos are from a trip to Florida)

By Sandy Zoumbaris

This Wild Weavings adventure is about my experiences connecting with a huge snapping turtle. The types of intuitive, non-verbal forms of communication I employ in Wild Weavings encounters depends upon the situation and the beings involved. I communicated with this snapping turtle both in-person and remotely.  I also used my favorite approach where (with permission, of course) I connect our hearts and weave my consciousness together with their consciousness.  This weaving enables me to experience what the other being is experiencing.  Here are highlights of my interspecies interactions with this snapping turtle.

I was driving home on a sweltering hot Virginia afternoon and was surprised to encounter a very large snapping turtle poised at the end of a driveway.  I pulled over and parked on the road in a manner designed to protect the turtle from being harmed by other vehicles.  I exited my car, introduced myself and confirmed that the turtle did have the intention of crossing to the other side of the road.  Safely moving a giant snapping turtle is not something I could or should attempt alone.  Instead I assured the snapper that I would provide protection from approaching cars while it walked across the road.  The turtle posed for a photo and consented to converse with me after reaching safety.

Our interaction was interrupted by the owners of the driveway and their three barking dogs.  Two additional cars pulled over and the occupants emerged just to look at the huge turtle up close.  The turtle and I agreed to postpone our conversation and connect remotely later on.  A knowledgeable science teacher took the lead and “operation turtle transport” was a complete success. Here is a link to more information about safely moving a snapping turtle out of the road:  https://www.turtleskingston.com/moving-a-turtle#movesnapping

Using the photo that I took earlier, I easily reconnected to the turtle remotely.  I found my friend staying cool in the mud at the bottom of the pond which was her earlier destination.  She was still very willing to communicate with me. She confirmed that she was, indeed, a female returning from burying her eggs. When I inquired as to her age, she responded that she had been crossing this road for many seasons.  In fact, she had deposited her eggs on that same property since long before the home was even built.

My snapping turtle friend welcomed my request to weave my consciousness with hers so I could experience what her life was like.  Immediately, I was aware of the strength of her legs.  I realized we were swimming and was surprised at how fast she could travel.  I became conscious of the rhythm of the movement of her legs.  The words “turtle paddle” came to my mind.  The snapper’s body felt very bulky and, at the same time, very buoyant in the water.  Although turning corners required coordination between all four legs, I was quite amazed at her agility.

The turtle’s underwater vision was pretty good. I began noticing additional information coming in but was not clear how she was receiving this.  Suddenly I got it!  Her Shell! WOW! Her shell is a giant receiver.  As I grew more accustomed to this really sensitive receiver, I realized she could navigate, feel the flow of water currents, locate food and sense objects throughout the pond from the vibrations she received through her shell from the water.

I asked:   “Do you receive the same kind of information through your shell when you are on land?”

Turtle answer: “I use my eyes when I am on land.  I also connect to the Earth with my feet, to the Earth grid. That’s how I find my way.”

I suddenly recalled a question about turtles that bothered me in my younger days.  I grew up in an area where the ice on the lakes was so thick during the winter that people drove trucks right on the ice!  Although I understood that hibernating turtles did not need very much oxygen, I was concerned about how they could get air through the thick covering of ice.   An adult informed me that there was a one inch gap between the ice and the water underneath that provided enough room for the turtles to breathe.  After studying the edge of the ice around some fishing holes I was not satisfied with this answer.  Eventually I just stopped asking the question.

Here it is!  My big opportunity to get the answer right from the source!

Me:  “How do you breathe when you are hibernating?”

Turtle: “I don’t need to.”

Me again:  How do you breathe during the winter?

Turtle again: “I don’t need to.”

I remained perplexed.  Does this mean hibernating turtles don’t breathe at all? 

I decided to consult google.  At the top of my list of search results was an article on the NPR website called “The secret to turtle hibernation: butt-breathing!”  It is clearly stated in this article that “When turtles hibernate, they rely on stored energy and uptake oxygen from the pond water by moving it across body surfaces that are flush with blood vessels. In this way, they can get enough oxygen to support their minimal needs without using their lungs. Turtles have one area that is especially well vascularized – their butts.”

So there is the answer for anyone else who wondered and it is called cloacal respiration. I also learned that two-thirds of the turtle species on this planet are at risk of extinction!  For more amazing information about turtles and turtle butt-breathing, here is the is the link to the article: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/the-secret-to-turtle-hibernation-butt-breathing

My final question for my snapping turtle friend was “Is there anything you want me to tell other humans?”   Her reply did not surprise me at all.  She said “Slow Down.  Slow down and look around you!”

This Wild Weavings post is dedicated to Beth and was inspired by World Turtle Day which happens every year on May 23.

Here is a link for more information about World Turtle Day and how to help protect turtles around the globe: https://www.worldturtleday.org/

Namaste
Sandy

By Sandy Zoumbaris

Welcome to Wild Weavings! I am very excited to share with my fellow humans about my adventures connecting with non-human species.  I really enjoy asking other beings what is it like to be you, show me about your life, and what do you want to say to humans.

I may employ a variety of non-verbal forms of communication in these Wild Weavings interactions.  The encounters might also include my favorite approach where (with their permission, of course) I connect our hearts and weave my consciousness together with their consciousness.  This weaving enables me to experience what the other being is experiencing.  I hope sharing these stories will help expand human awareness about our planetary family members and deepen understanding between species.

HUMMINGBIRD BLISS!
Hummingbirds hold a very special place in my heart.  It is beyond comprehension to me that these incredibly tiny creatures fly all the way to Mexico and Central America each Fall and then fly all the way back to my home again every Spring.  They even have the strength and endurance to complete a non-stop 500 mile crossing of the Gulf of Mexico!!!!  I look to the ruby-throated hummingbirds for personal inspiration when the going gets rough in my own life.  In honor of these beautiful winged beings, I am happy to share a hummingbird story in this very first Wild Weavings post.

One morning, an elder female hummingbird, who I gave the name Sage, flew up and hovered right in front of my face.  I asked if she wanted to share something with me.  “It is time to change the food in the feeder”, she replied. I assured her that I would do so right away. Then, I just had to confess to her how much I admire her ability to hover.  “You can connect with me to see what hovering is like”, she responded.  What an honor to receive that invitation!  Of course I accepted her offer.  I wove my consciousness together with hers, and hung on for an exhilarating aerial adventure!

We paused to drink from the hummingbird feeder so I could experience that, indeed, it was time to replace the food.  Then we raced to the garden at the SPEED OF LIGHT!  I think I held my breath the whole way as we soared up, down, in circles, stopped in mid-flight and, of course, hovered. I now truly understand just HOW MUCH FUN IT IS TO FLY!!

As we approached my own garden I hardly recognized it!  The place looked entirely different through the eyes of Sage. The colors were unbelievably vivid and each individual plant was surrounded by a shimmering light.  Some individual plants were a great deal more luminous than their neighbors. Sage chose to visit one of the most brilliantly glowing flowers in the whole garden – a magnificent coral-colored hollyhock!

My hummer friend hovered in front of the luminous hollyhock and reached out to weave her consciousness with that of the radiant flower.  She then poured her heart out in a beautiful expression of her love and gratitude to this bloom.  What happened next was the most amazing part of the whole journey.  This gorgeous blossom created just one special droplet of nourishing nectar specifically for my tiny winged friend! This was the equivalent of a human going to a restaurant and the chef creating a unique meal designed exclusively for that individual person!

The taste of that tiny drop of living light was beyond description!  I now have a much greater understanding of why hummingbirds prefer the nourishment provided by beautiful living flowers. There is no way the food in the feeder even comes close to the heavenly sweetness of the exquisite droplet of nectar produced by that dazzling hollyhock.

I expressed my feelings of appreciation and love to Sage.  I still cannot believe how fortunate I am to have experience of this wonderful, loving, and supportive interspecies relationship!  The impact of this incredible experience on me was profound. My relationships with the life forms in my own garden and the beings in the natural world around me were forever altered.

There is so much we can learn from our non-human teachers.  I hope sharing this story will help expand humanity’s awareness and understanding of the other-than-human species on this planet and the relationships they have with each other.

Namaste,
Sandy

To find out what flowers to plant to attract hummingbirds:
https://www.birdsandblooms.com/birding/attracting-hummingbirds/top-10-colorful-flowers-hummingbirds-love/

https://www.audubon.org/designing-hummingbird-garden-15-ways-keep-them-coming

Here is an easy recipe for making your own hummingbird food.