(Caveat! Going out in these conditions requires expert knowledge and experience)

It was gusting 20 knots and intense rain squalls were scouring the sea. It was the weekend, our traditional day of spearfishing for Sunday night dinner. Jwala and I were debating the merits of going out on the boat and into the ocean to catch dinner…

“Let’s go!”, I’d say, then another squall would come pouring across the island, reducing visibility to a wall of water coming in sideways. “Maybe not, I’m not so sure…” I’d add, hesitant to get cold from the drenching sheets of falling rain…

“Do you wanna go?” she’d asked, a break in the rain. “Yes, let’s do it!” my reply, jumping to my feet with excitement, then I’d look out the window and add, “Right.. after.. this.. squall…”

The radar showed a relentless wave of squalls lined up and headed our way… some people (many people!) would say we were crazy to even entertain such an idea. My own brain said the same thing… (“What? Go out in this weather? Are you crazy???).

We bobbed around in the not knowing, between logic and inspiration, for maybe twenty minutes. It seemed foolish, even risky, to leave this warm apartment and go out into the wet weather, but adventure was calling just as loud. I don’t know what it was that tipped the scale, but we both finally agreed – let’s do it!

We put on our wetsuits, grabbed our gear and walked to the boat in the rain, grinning from ear to ear. It didn’t matter what happened next, or if we’d have to turn back from rough seas, for we were wet, committed and having fun. I bailed out multiple buckets of rainwater from the boat while she topped off the inflatable tubes with the foot pump. We loaded the gear, fired up the motor and sped off into the blue, laughing with excitement, feeling like two kids playing hooky from school.

The surf was fine, the swells out on the water were small. The water was cold, green and muddy from all the rain. Our first stop was a sunken barge in 40 feet of water, I’d spotted a big grouper there a few days ago, and schools of yellow and bar jacks frequently cruise past the wreck in search of their own meal. We dropped anchor and got in the water.

It was colder than expected, hard to see clearly from all the rainwater mixing in with the sea, but I saw a jack swimming upcurrent towards us. I dove down to meet him, and as soon as I got ten feet below the surface, the water got warm and clear… it was beautiful!

I speared the jack (yeay, fresh fish tonight!) and after a bit we moved to the next spot, happy as seals for our time in the sea. We didn’t see a single boat out there; we had the entire ocean to ourselves.

Over the next few hours we got three fish; the jack, an ocean tully, a grouper and one big lobster. We were late getting in, just behind sunset, and brought our catch up to the WildQuest family for dinner.

The fresh fish was lovingly received. We filleted them on the dock, they went into the oven, and we brought the boat home in the dark. I got a bit of scolding from my Bahamian friends for coming in after dark, particularly in such intense weather. “Next time don’t bring the girl out into the storm with you!” they said, not knowing the only way I could have gotten Jwala to stay ashore is with lots of rope and chain.

We ran back laughing in the dark rain, cold and shivering, flush from adventure…

Coming back to land in the rain

Exhilarated – a great word to describe the energy in my body and spirit… Being out in the elements in all their passion fired up our own, and after the most incredible hot shower we sat down to a community dinner of fresh caught fish with dear friends.

I’m so glad we went fishing, we almost didn’t. In moments of uncertainty, when the yes and the no collide, what do I do?

I hang out in the moment, I don’t need to know, I just witness the play of thoughts, feelings, beliefs and inspiration…

Ultimately, the passion to join with the sea in her tempest was stronger than the mind, and once we said yes and were committed I knew it was the fun/highest/best choice. By being willing to hang out in the not knowing, free of the need to force a decision, it sorted itself out until the action wasn’t even a choice, it happened of itself.

But was it safe? (The perennial question)… To the mind, certainly not. Prudence would have us stay ashore (and stay warm and dry!). But life is both eternal and fleeting, and the call of the sea and the wind had a grip that was undeniable, and our yes to her beckoning evokes waves of exuberance that I’m feeling still in the remembering.

We all know that voice, it calls us each day to follow our hearts regardless the voice of the mind, fear, conventionality.

Yes I am crazy, happily so!

Crazy Guidance! Head over Heels in a Sacred Circle

Last week Jen and I were traveling around Ireland. Our friend Eugene took us on a tour of some of his favorite sacred sites in the area. The first place he took us was Piper Rocks, an ancient stone circle atop a hill.

“You’re gonna focking love this spot”, he said as we walked past grazing sheep and thistle bushes. The circle became visible as we came to the crest of the hill, a concentric ring of stones averaging three to six feet in height. They were many different shapes; field stones placed deliberately into position eons ago.

We paused at the entrance, each saying a silent prayer of thanks and asking permission to enter. I’ve learned that approaching any sacred site with reverence makes me much more receptive to the energy these places offer.

Silently we entered, each called in our own direction. I moved slowly around the inside perimeter, touching the stones, suspending my ordinary thoughts and simply being present.

I was halfway round the circle when I found myself leaning on one stone in particular, my belly draped comfortably across its crescent shape, chin resting atop its crest. This rock was cozy, and I was quite content to stay here awhile…

Then I hear the strangest thing… ‘Do a headstand here’

What???

There’s an image of me doing a headstand atop this stone… This is crazy…  a headstand – here? This is too dramatic… Eugene might even think its sacrilegious… No way!

But the image remains, as steady as the rock. I ask for clarity and guidance, and still the image remains… Certainly not something I thought up, I decide to finish my walk around the circle before committing to this crazy idea…

I amble over to Eugene, tell him I’ve received a most crazy piece of guidance. “I’m guided to do a headstand on that stone over there”, I say, pointing.

He bursts into a big smile. “I just talked to the spirits of this place, and they said they were curious just how playful you’d be. If you feel comfortable doing it, go for it!”

And then I remember I’m in Leprechaun country! Is this an elemental practical joke?

I get an immediate reply; this is to move energy, to open another channel for yet another frequency of light.

With any doubt about the appropriateness of the act out of the way, I find myself wondering if I can even do a headstand on that rock…

I go over and take a closer look…

The top is rounded, not an easy spot to put my head. I climb up, try and get into position, find myself in an awkward pose getting into place…

“Why couldn’t it have been that stone over there”, I think, “Or that one or that one! All with nice flat tops, it would be simple and easy. But no, it has to be this one”, and I crouch down again, placing my wool cap between my skull and the hard stone…

Headstands are like bike riding; once you can do it, it comes right back to you. Its not part of any regular practice, but I do notice that sometimes I’m called to place my spine upside down and vertical to the earth, usually to move some energy thru my body.

The same thing happens to me when I freedive; when I place my feet directly over my head as I dive into the deep, there’s a dramatic energetic shift, a rush of energy down my spine, that opens my consciousness into a deeper state…

I plant my hands and head, lift my butt into the air and slowly, one at a time, I tip my vertebrae into position…

I feel a powerful energy rising… the straighter my spine gets, the more it builds… perhaps I’m here to do what the humpback whales do when they hang upside down in the deep blue, singing their humpback songs…

Further up my body goes…

The energy rises faster, speeding up toward a crescendo at the same time my awareness expands… time slows, I feel the presence of many spirits around me; guides, angels, elementals and guardians of this sacred place…

My feet come up… energy, light, euphoria surge thru me… we are a union of light…

In the flow of energy my feet keep going back, back…

“Oh my God I’m going over!” The thought of falling backwards and being hurt flashes thru me… I didn’t even check to see the landing spot!!!

I make a conscious choice to relax and surrender… to completely trust this crazy process… a deep sense of peace and ecstasy floods me… over I go!

BAM!

I land crouching on the soles of my feet, my spine free and clear, and then I fall immediately back to the stone and BAM! The back of my head hits the stone with a resounding whack…

I’m in two places at once – The moment the rock hits my head, I simultaneously feel the exact same whack on the root of my spine… skull and sacrum, the exact same pressure at the exact same time…

Then its over… I’m squatting awestruck on the earth, Jen and Eugene rushing up asking if I’m ok… Jen shares that she saw light shooting out my feet as they went vertical into the air.

“I’m fine, I’m fine” I say, rubbing my shaken head. I get up and walk around, a few leftover stars spinning inside my skull, and laugh at the craziness of it all… Following one’s guidance can result in some pretty unexpected behavior!

Then I notice that the crick in my neck, the crunchy gritty spot that every chiropractor I’ve been to in the past 20 years has tried to free up, is gone…

© Joe Noonan

Our world is changing faster and faster… and our hearts are opening just as fast. And more and more, our expanding hearts guide us to be and act in ways we might think are crazy!

I’ve followed some of what felt like crazy guidance lately… things that, when I first heard them, my mind’s reaction was ‘No way’!

The first was doing a headstand in an ancient standing stone circle, the other was jumping into a freezing lake with a half dozen drowning warning signs… (each of these will be their own blog post, for they each taught me something powerful.)

The headstand I thought about for maybe 15 minutes before I acted – (there was a small window of opportunity). The jump in the lake, I had all night to think about…

I made this video on the walk back from the lake!

Love,

Joe

(If you cannot see the video, click here)

Joe Noonan is a Nature Lover, author, speaker and guide. A former guest on FOX TV, National Geographic and Oprah, he leads trips and workshops celebrating the ecstasy of everyday life.  You can get more information about his work at Planetary Partners.