Born Of The Sea

I entered the door of Native Grounds hoping to find my god-neice, Lupe, in residence. She's recently moved into the Castle Street Arts District and can be found most mornings enjoying a steaming mug of Jah's blessings at the cafe. This morning was no exception.

She was sitting near the window with her roommate, Claudia, and they were dressed in a way that left no doubt they traveled in the same circles. They recently met I'm told at the annual pow-wow in the mountains of western Carolina.

Having my coffee in hand, I joined them. 

"Hello, old ancestor," said Lupe.

"Not sure I like that," I said. "Isn't ancestor a title reserved for those who sleep with the stars?"

"Elder then," she said.

"How about, god-uncle?" I said.

"Genome, it is," she said. Claudia giggled.

"I'm happy to see you," said Lupe. "Now tell us a story. Claudia hasn't heard many of your stories and she thinks you're interesting. Although, I can't imagine why."

Claudia's brow wrinkled at Lupe's verbal jab.

"She likes to tease me about my stories," I said. "And yes, it so happens that I do have a story for you." 

"Knew you would," said the verbal jabber.

"Yesterday morning, I felt the need to go to get out on the open road to escape some of the depression that had enveloped me from the moment I woke."

"He talks like that when he's feeling philosophical," Lupe explained to Claudia. Claudia nodded.

"And so I thought I'd drive to Ocean Isle to visit my mother," I said.

"Does your mom live on the island?" asked Claudia. "I'd love to live there."

"Actually, my mother is the ocean," I said.

"The ocean is your mother?" said Claudia. Lupe smiled a knowing smile.

"Right," I said. "I was born of the sea."

"Oh, like Aphrodite!" she said getting into it. "She was born in the sea."

"Claudia," said Lupe, "don't encourage him. Humor him to be sure but don't make his stories illusions of mythology."

"But this is mythological," Claudia said. "And it's heroic mythology."

I was fast taking a strong liking to this new friend of Lupe's.

"Heroic!" said Lupe. "Heroic! That's silly. His stories may be entertaining but that's as far as they go. Nothing heroic."

"But Lupe, we all live in a fantasy of our own making," said Claudia. "We each are the hero of our life's journey. Joseph Campbell described it beautifully."

Lupe looked at Claudia the way one might look at a lost child. I looked at her like my new best friend.

"And so I was born at sea," I said. "Mother brought me to shore and hid me in the dunes among the sea oats. Fiddler crabs fed me and seagulls sang lullabies when the sun set each evening."

"Really?" said a wide-eyed Claudia. Lupe rolled her eyes in silence.

"With the next full moon, baby sea turtles hatched and made their way back to the sea and I followed them."

"Then what happened?"

"I was lifted from the sea and sailed on a wooden ship with brightly painted sails to my first home where I lived with other children like me until we were taken to our forever homes in this dimension."

"Oh," said Claudia. "You must have suffered separation anxiety in a big way."

"It hurt like unrequited love," I said. "But we consoled ourselves with the knowledge that the purpose of our lives was to raise the consciousness of earthlings around us."

"Oh, if only I could place my hands on a really hot stove right now," said Lupe.

I gave Claudia an inquiring look but Claudia was given Lupe one. Apparently, she was unfamiliar with the quote too. Perhaps it's one you know? Shakespeare, Aurelius, Socrates? Leave a comment below.