Meet Linda “Shay” Nai’a, the founder of Dolphin Heart World, and Dolphin Ambassador for Joyful Living. Dolphin Heart World believes in the power of the inner dolphin connection to bring about transformative experiences. Linda Shay’s mission is to help us establish a meaningful and profound connection with these magnificent beings, right from within ourselves. This extraordinary connection transcends physical boundaries, as the dolphins have shown us time and again through their clever and delightful interactions. MysticMag finds out more.
Can you share more about your first telepathic encounter with a pod of wild Hawaiian spinner dolphins and how it impacted your understanding of the connection between humans and dolphins?
It was 1994, and I was visiting Hawaii to grieve and heal from the loss of two people very close to me.
A friend and I took a tour boat to the island of Lanai. We had heard about a local pod of wild Hawaiian spinner dolphins that hang out close to shore and were hoping to see them from the boat on our way back to Maui.
Sure enough, within minutes of the boat’s departure, a pod of dolphins swam up to the boat. Everyone on board rushed to the front and sides of the boat to see the dolphins. I, however, felt a powerful stream of energy enter my crown chakra, pass through my body and out my feet. It glued me to my spot on the boat.
I witnessed myself projecting the question to the dolphins: “What are you here to teach us?”
“Unity-Community,” was their immediate, crystal-clear reply.
Prior to that encounter, I had been living in Sedona, Arizona, where the mystical aspects of the natural world had opened to me. I was communicating with the red rocks, the trees, the clouds, the wind, etc … So, when this communication occurred with the wild Hawaiian spinner dolphins, it wasn’t unusual. It was another experience of spontaneous communication with the natural world.
Until this moment, however, I had not wondered why, out of all the people on the boat that day, I was the one singled out to receive that message from the dolphins?
It wasn’t until two years later that my profound and transformational inner dolphin journey began at a conscious level.
I am still unpacking the meaning of that two-word communication – Unity-Community.
It tells me that Dolphin (my affectionate term for the vast, wise, and loving Dolphin Consciousness) holds a higher and longer-term view of life on Earth than most of us humans do.
Dolphins are where humanity is going. The physical dolphins on Earth have been living in unity-community for a very long time. We humans have a long way to go to arrive at that state of being that is normal for dolphins.
We view dolphins as our spiritual elders. They are joyous, loving, shining examples of what’s possible for us. The dolphins are offering themselves to us as way-showers and guides to that higher way of loving, living, and BEing on this planet.
To this day, that message I received from the dolphins so many years ago – Unity-Community – is the North Star and guiding light of our work with the Dolphin Consciousness. It is the big-picture outcome of our sacred service together.
The dolphins’ message of “Unity-Community” resonates deeply. How do you believe we can apply this wisdom to our human relationships and create a more connected and loving society?
We’ve been told that about 65 years ago, Dolphin initiated a project on Earth: to heal the hearts of humanity – all of humanity.
So, first and foremost, it’s a matter of healing our hearts.
Most of us, throughout our lives – and even sometimes from previous lifetimes – every time we’re judged, abused, and harmed by others, we tend to erect barriers of protection around our hearts to try to stop the hurt. This is often an unconscious act with the misguided intention to keep us safe and protect ourselves from future pain.
Through my own healing journey, I’ve learned that these barriers create separation and hold human love at bay. The separation I felt from my fellow humans was painful, and I didn’t know how to fix it. Dolphin showed me the way to heal my protected heart, and it changed everything.
When we make the conscious choice to dissolve the barriers that create separation, our hearts can truly heal. When our hearts heal, we are finally able to let in the love and support that’s all around us always. We no longer feel separate and alone. We realize the higher truth that we are deeply connected to all of life.
From this place, we attune to the larger world around us. We begin to care for and about others, and not just ourselves. And beyond that, we begin to care for this planet as a living conscious being. We begin making higher, more loving choices in all areas of life.
A healed heart is an open heart. An open heart leads to an open mind. Open hearts and minds help us dissolve the illusion of separation between self and other. Unity-Community becomes an embodied truth, giving birth to a more connected and loving society, rooted in grace, kindness, gratitude, and generosity.
Could you elaborate on the concept of the “Inner Dolphin Connection” and how individuals can cultivate this profound connection with dolphins from within, regardless of physical proximity?
Happily! From the perspective of Oneness, we all have everything inside of us. We are microcosms of the macrocosm. That means we all have an inner dolphin! And it’s simply a matter of calling it forth and surrendering to your experience.
The first time I experienced my inner dolphin was at a community-building workshop. I had just been invited to bring my brand-new Dolphin School to Europe. But I hadn’t yet healed my own heart and dissolved my feelings of separation from my fellow humans. Healing this separation was my sole purpose for attending this workshop.
The first night of the workshop, the facilitator announced that we were going to do a paired eye gaze exercise with several partners. I went into a panic and wanted to run out of the room. I resisted the urge to escape, and as the first person approached me, I felt a shift inside. I felt excitement and joy and heard the words: “We LOVE this exercise!” inside.
I intuitively knew this was my inner dolphin. She had spontaneously emerged to do the eye gaze exercise through me. With each partner, I witnessed and felt all the feelings of true connection. It was different from anything I’d ever experienced before!
When it was over, several of my partners came up to me and said that of all the people they did that process with, I was the one with whom they felt safe.
Wow! That was a life-changing experience!
Anyone can do this. It’s simply a matter of going within and asking your inner dolphin to emerge.
I recommend doing this in nature first. And then go somewhere with people – like a park or a shopping mall.
- At your location, sit on the ground or on a bench. Relax and get comfortable.
- Look around and take in your surroundings. Notice what you’re thinking and feeling in your normal human state. This isn’t about analyzing and assessing. You’re simply observing and noticing your thoughts, feelings, and experiences.
- And then, when you’re ready, close your eyes, bring your awareness to your heart, and say: “I call forth my inner dolphin.”
- Relax and focus on your breath.
- Notice where, inside of you, a shift begins to happen. This is where your inner dolphin resides.
- Breathe into that spot. Connect with your inner dolphin, and invite its presence to expand. Let it fill all the spaces inside of you, and then expand even more and fill your energy field.
- Now, you’re contained within a sphere of your Inner Dolphin energy.
- Relax, let go, and allow your Inner Dolphin experience to unfold. Look upon your world through the eyes of your Inner Dolphin and notice how you feel.
In what ways have your dolphin spirit friends demonstrated their ability to transcend time, space, and physical limitations? How can we tap into our own limitless potential as humans?
The first demonstrations I had of this was through Dolphin Energy Healing. The very first time I was physically in the water with the Hawaiian spinner dolphins, one of them activated something in me, and that very night other people began telling me they felt dolphin energy flowing through me, into them. They told me it was the same healing energy they felt when they were physically in the water with the dolphins.
This continued when I returned to my home in Sedona, Arizona – the desert, over 1,000 miles from the nearest ocean. As I meditated on the red rocks one day, a group of spirit dolphins swam up and asked me: “Will you be one of our ambassadors on land, and do dolphin energy healing as your career?” Three days later, I said “Yes!” And ever since then, spirit dolphins swim into my healing room and meditation circles. Magic, miracles and healings happen by simply opening to spirit dolphins and welcoming them into my heart and space.
The most dramatic physical world demonstration of dolphin’s remarkable abilities happened a few years later, the second time I went to the Big Island of Hawaii to swim with the spinner dolphins. This was at a time in my journey that my dolphin self was coming more to the surface, and I was really struggling with the harsh state of the human experience. Here is a shortened version of the story as I tell it in my book, Dolphin Love … From Sea to Land:
~~~
As my friends and I swam closer to the dolphin pod, I scanned the scene. There were quite a few kayaks with people in them watching the dolphins. I could only see one person in the water swimming with them.
I eagerly anticipated my first underwater sighting of those precious dark gray forms. My heart raced, as much from the excitement as the swimming. So much for being meditative! An image flashed through my mind: the dolphins encircling me.
And then I saw them … dark gray shapes up ahead. They’re in serious play mode! I’d never seen them like this before. Dolphins were everywhere—darting about at full speed, spiraling, spinning, charging to the depths, and then soaring back to the surface at dizzying speeds. It was exhilarating and exciting!
Then something happened …
I must have blinked. When my eyes opened, a large group of dolphins was arrayed in front of me, swimming in the harmonious, synchronous style I remembered so well from my first encounter. It didn’t occur to me to question how they just appeared in front of me like that. It also didn’t occur to me to question the instantaneous shift in their energy from supercharged play mode to elegant underwater ballet. They were here, I was here, and I was mesmerized.
No one else was around. It was just the dolphins and me. It didn’t occur to me to question that, either.
The dolphins swam about ten feet beneath me while I swam at the surface, watching in awe. I took in every detail. I wanted to remember these precious moments forever.
There were mamas and babies. There was lovemaking. One by one, a few dolphins left their position in the pod to swim by my side for a while, making eye contact. Then they returned to their place in the array. They’re matching my pace, I marveled. In previous encounters, the dolphins always swam just a little bit faster than me, so that our actual eye-to-eye time was brief. Now they swam at my speed, and our eye contact was prolonged.
People always want to know how many dolphins I swim with, so I began counting. I counted to thirty-five and wasn’t even halfway, so I stopped. They’re here. I’m here. We’re together. That’s all that matters.
My awareness expanded. I noticed that the dolphins were swimming in a semicircle in front of me and that the semicircle began immediately at my sides. They’re encircling me! I sensed that they were focused on keeping me in their center. We made a large turn in unison. We had turned a few times by now. I lifted my head above water to get my bearings in the bay. I realized that we were swimming in a large figure-eight pattern … the infinity symbol.
A knowing rose up inside me. These dolphins are welcoming me into their family. I was deeply moved.
It was amazing swimming with the dolphins in this way. I was ecstatic! I began wondering where my friends were. I wanted to share this with them! I looked up out of the water and saw no kayaks … and no people.
How can that be?
I didn’t know what was going on, but I was here now, and I wanted to stay in this experience. Wherever my friends are, dolphins are with them too, I assured myself. I didn’t give it another thought. I continued swimming with my dolphin family.
New understandings flowed through my consciousness. I experienced the divine perfection of me being in my human body and the dolphins being in their dolphin bodies. It doesn’t matter that I am in human form. We are the same. There is no separation; we are one. This is unity consciousness. The dolphins brought me here. I’m so grateful!
Somehow I knew that the dolphins were healing my relationship with humanity—my own humanity, and humanity as a whole. Receiving this direct experience of the higher truth—that there is no separation between us—enabled me to make peace with my humanness. All the grief, anger, and confusion I’d been feeling about being a human in this lifetime dissolved. That was the most precious gift the dolphins could have given me. In that ocean, with those dolphins, I experienced grace.
Where are my friends? I want them to feel this! Again, I looked above the water and saw no people, no kayaks.
I swam with my beloved dolphin family in this cocoon of oneness for perhaps thirty minutes. It was timeless.
Then, in another blink of an eye, I saw a pair of human legs dangling in the water to my left. I recognized Lori’s suit and swam over to her.
“Where were you? That was so amazing!” I exclaimed breathlessly once I reached her.
“Where was I? Where were you?” Lori told me that the dolphins and I had just disappeared. She treaded water and looked everywhere, and we were gone!
The realization came to both of us at the same time. “The dolphins took me into another dimension of reality!” (Years later, our channeled dolphin spirit guide Archie called it “a parallel world.”)
Lori told me that as time passed, and the dolphins and I did not return, she became concerned. “When I tuned in to you, I knew you were fine. But I feel a whole lot better now that you’re back!”
We were exhilarated and relieved to be back together again. ~~~
Falling in love with humanity is a transformative experience you mentioned. How can we cultivate love and compassion for our fellow human beings, even in the face of challenges or differences?
The experiences I’ve already shared, with the guidance and support of Dolphin, helped me heal my heart and open to the human connection in such a profound way.
There are times I’m in a public place with people I don’t know … I look around and take them in as a collective body and can feel overwhelmed with love for them – for my human family. I’ve been told that what I feel in those moments is a fraction of the love Dolphin feels for us humans.
Cultivating a healed and open heart is the first step in opening to love and compassion for our fellow humans, even in the face of challenges or differences.
Cultivating a relationship with a higher power, a higher source, and integrating spiritual practices into our daily lives is key.
Making the shift from living in our heads to living from our hearts.
Connecting with, and cultivating trust in, our internal guidance system – our intuition.
When I read or hear about aspects of this human experience that are painful and challenging, first I feel the feelings that come up, and then I lean into the knowing that we are all Light.
I say a prayer and appeal to the Light within me to see and connect with the Light within others – the Light within a challenging situation. I affirm Love. I affirm Light.
Going back to Unity-Community … to everything residing within us … to each of us being the microcosm of the macrocosm …
When things like mass shootings happen, I go within and ask that the shooter within me be healed and made whole. I acknowledge our connection. I rest in the truth that I am him and he is me. I call forth Love. I call forth Light. And allow the healing to occur.
Tell us about the unique Dolphin gift you are sharing with humanity.
Dolphin is teaching and supporting me in the study of and guidance of humanity. The 7-year inner journey they led me on transformed my human consciousness into something new – a blended human-dolphin consciousness. That gift was not meant for me alone.
My journey gave birth to a new spiritual path for humanity created and guided by Dolphin.
We call this path the Dolphin Attunement Journey. It’s a series of seven spiritual initiations transmitted directly by the Dolphin Consciousness, a month or so apart.
Dolphins have been living on Earth in a higher state of Love, Light and Oneness for over 25 million years. We humans are the new kids on the block. They see us as a very young species, with much to learn. The Dolphin Attunements lead to an evolutionary leap in human consciousness.
I’ll end by sharing this beautiful message from Dolphin:
The awareness that there is a new way upon the planet is spreading.
There is a way of living that is more joyful that humans can reach for …
and there is a pathway …
Reaching for a higher consciousness, reaching for a higher wisdom,
a higher love, is the only thing that will bring this planet to a renewed future.
If you would like to find out more about Linda “Shay” Nai’a, visit https://dolphinheart.world/
