Letter from the Heart of the Sea

Luisa dragged the rake across the beach, creating the curves of a darker path on the sand for the labyrinth. She followed the directions with the sketch that was with the letter. It arrived without a return address. 

The paper was some kind of parchment texture Luiza had not seen before. The letters seemed to be shaped as if they were from the old fashioned type of pen with a metal nib that you dip into ink. 

The top of the page said, “The words said, “The Spell of the Ocean’s Essence. Follow the directions for the labyrinth and portal.”  

She was determined to find out why she had received it and what it meant. Usually requests for labyrinths honored special events, such as birthdays or anniversaries. Huge letters and names could be raked in the sand along with symbols or pictures.

In some cases the labyrinths were for people to walk and meditate or pray, when there was a loss or a need.  

“What was the reason for this labyrinth? Who had sent the letter? Why was the paper and ink in an ancient style?” Luiza’s mind spiraled in its own labyrinth, asking these questions.

The tide was out now. She had room on the beach to follow the directions in the letter and create a center for the football field sized labyrinth.  Gathering buckets of sand and water, she molded sculptures of sea creatures, including a humpback whale, sea lion, octopus, seagull and crab. Legend said these sculptures honored the creatures of the sea and drew the essence of their spirits.  

The center of the labyrinth, also called a portal, had unique energy and vibrations flowing from the universe’s spiritual power. Standing in the portal enabled a person to go deeper into themselves, finding new insights, and experiencing transformations.

Looking out to sea,  as she finished the whale sculpture, she saw a humpback whale breach, leaping out of the water in a shower of spray, then falling back in with a boom. It seemed like a coincidence.  

Placing a nautilus shell in the center of the sand sculptures, Luiza admired her art work. 

Now the rose toned sun beams escaped through the morning clouds and bathed the scene in a glow.  Luiza saw that even her hands and arms were shimmering in this light.

She gathered more shells and rocks to place at intervals along the paths of the labyrinth, for decoration and to additionally honor the sea creatures.

Starting in the center, Luiza began to walk the temporary paths of the labyrinth, spiraling around between the ocean tidepools and the tall sand dunes. The sun rose higher and she felt an unusual lightness. Her body seemed to weigh less and less, and she felt an uplifting sense of joy. 

Luiza took the letter out of her pocket to look at it again as she strolled the spiraling trail. In only a few hours the ocean would sweep this art back into the waves, like time disappearing.

Pausing in the center of the labyrinth, she closed her eyes and listened to the waves breaking beyond the shore, swishing over the sand, and sending ripples into the tidepools. She loved the sounds of the sea so much she sometimes felt she was part of it.

There was a large splash and she opened her eyes, seeing a whale breach out of the ocean again.

Her body had a strange sensation and she noticed her hands and arms were gleaming in the sun with an almost translucent look. 

The sculptures around her in the labyrinth portal were glowing as if they had auras. The sounds of water flowing smoothly came to her ears, as if she were underwater.

The sight of the beach faded from view and she saw lights and shadows moving. She looked up and saw the sky but it was as if she looked through a glass bowl.

Her body was swaying and she felt a pleasant velvety caress all over. She knew without seeing that her essence had somehow been drawn to the underwater world of the massive, but gentle whales. A huge eye surrounded by gray was looking at her but she felt calm. 

Luiza realized the labyrinth’s portal had brought her essence to meet the whales as they sang underwater.  She heard the long, drawn out tones as they communicated to each other. A smaller baby whale swam up next to the nearest large one, snuggling closer to its mother.

As she listened to the whales, Luiza began understand the feelings and thoughts they had as they spoke.  The pod of whales had strong, affectionate bonds, and they coordinated their movements as a family. The smaller, young whale swam to visit others but returned when its mother called. 

The whales were content, feeling comfortable in their undersea home. The group was in harmony. They perceived Luiza was there and welcomed her, sensing she was not a threat.

The sight of the whales began to fade. Luiza began to see the beach and sand sculptures again. She felt the ocean breeze on her bare arms.

With a long, deep breath, Luiza widened her eyes and looked around, realizing she was back on the beach. 

She sat down on the sand took the letter out of her pocket to look at it for clues about what had happened.

Looking up along the trail to the beach she saw a distant figure standing motionless. Someone was looking back at her. Both paused for a whole minute and Luiza felt something deep inside that was a sense of knowing beyond words.

This must be the letter writer. After all these years of creating sand art and labyrinths on the beaches for others, someone had heard her innermost dreams. 

The deep love she had for the ocean and sea creatures had somehow been captured by this mystical person, who then sent the letter and the directions for the spell.

Luiza looked out at the ocean when she saw a whale breach again, leaping out of the sea. When she looked back at the trail the figure was gone.

The letter in her hand now had some additional words at the bottom. “With love from the heart of the sea.”