Octopus
She is the wise ancient one of the sea, a witch that seems to hold all of the secrets of the world. Her cave is wondrous to behold, with shells and pearls, living coral of every hue, as well as drowned statues, coins and ingots, stretching back many thousands of years. Tales and stories of this wise witch spread into every cranny and canyon of all the seas and oceans. She spends her days dispensing wisdom, healing and curses to all those that come to see her, turning no one away. Many have come seeking the secret to her power and knowledge, but no matter how long they stay or what questions they ask, or how hard the wise ancient one tries to impart her wild knowing, they can never discover what they want to know.
When she is tired or overwhelmed, this wise ancient one of the sea slips out of her wondrous cave, disguised and invisible to her waiting visitors. She becomes as the very rock and slides over it, flattened, until she has slipped past notice. She is different to the others that come to see her. She has tried to teach them what she knows, what comes naturally to her, but they seem unable to learn.
She lets herself drift on the ocean currents, the skin that holds her internal being from the all-embracing waters feeling permeable. Her whole being tastes the messages flowing through the seawater and relaxes into being. She spreads herself thin and wide, each part of her connected with the whole. She sighs gently and even the thin barrier of her skin seems to dissolve and she can feel the flow of everything through her and around her. Her whole body is alive and aware, every inch of her feeling the dissipation of her very self, her already soft and diffuse awareness reaching ever further outwards.
The heartbeat of the ocean ripples through her and is her heartbeat. The voice of the ocean sings out in beautiful harmony and she is the song. The dance at the heart of the waves and tides sway with her motions. She can feel every fish, every whale, every coral, every oyster, every crab, every kelp forest and blade of seagrass, all breathing and singing and dancing as one.
She can also feel the visitors waiting for her at her cave. Her skin wraps reluctantly around her consciousness, enclosing it in eight strong and nimble tentacles and a body that can change shape and colour at will. The wise ancient one of the sea brings herself back into a body and returns to carry on her work, appearing behind her visitors as if by magic.
© Elena Tornberg-Lennox 2023