I talk with whales almost every day-whales living free in the oceans, whales in captivity and whales in spirit. The emotional pain and trauma that captive whales feel is enormous. To be present with and witness to this pain is more than enough for me to know that placing cetaceans in captivity is reprehensible.

Lolita at Miami Seaquarium in a pool barely twice the length of her body

     Whales do not arrive at SeaWorld or other captive facilities by magic or by choice: they are forcefully kidnapped from their families and ocean homes, never to see or touch their pod members again and never to see, smell or swim in the ocean again. In captivity, they are forced to live in small concrete pools in artificial settings, and made to do tricks to entertain humans in order to receive dead fish for food. In the wild, Orca whales swim up to one hundred miles a day and catch live fish for food. In captivity, they are limited to swimming in circles in tiny swimming pools, equivalent to a human living their entire life in a bathroom. Male whales are masturbated by humans in order to collect sperm to create more profit-making whales for captive facility owners or stockholders (I know, it seems unbelievable, but you'll see it on the film). Calling such places "educational" or opportunities for "spiritual transformation" or "animal assisted therapy" that are not available in any other place or way,, or claiming that the only way we can communicate with or have a spiritual connection with cetaceans is by kidnapping them and keeping in captivity is preposterous.

The truth is that we can all connect with cetaceans in meaningful, compassionate ways  without supporting the cruel captivity industry. We can go on a boat in the ocean to see them in their natural home. We can participate in responsible swim trips with wild whales or wild dolphins. We can connect with them telepathically and have conversations for mutual learning, companionship, support and healing. Additionally, we can watch countless films on YouTube, DVDs or in theaters to observe cetacean beauty and learn more about their lives. Captivity does not serve cetaceans; it serves only the egos and bank accounts of humans. But don't take my word for it about the cruelty of captivity--watch Blackfish. The 80-minute fact filled information will forever change your perception of cetacean captivity.

When Blackfish came to a theater in my town, I went alone. I knew it would likely be a highly emotional experience and I didn't want anyone with me to feel a need to take care of me; and  I knew I would probably not have the energy to take care of anyone else. So off I went by myself. I chose a seat far from others so that if I cried I wouldn't disturb them. Good thing I did, for I sobbed and sobbed though I managed to stifle the wailing screams of grief pushing against my chest until I got home. As the credits rolled, I stood up and clapped and clapped and clapped and cried. No one else clapped or stood, but I didn't care. Tilikum, the star of the film, all captive whales and the filmmaker deserved a standing ovation for the Truth- Telling this film provides.

So what is this movie about? What truth is told?  CNN describes Blackfish as:  ". . .tracing the 39-year history of killer whales in captivity leading up to a 2010 incident in which an experienced Sea World trainer was killed by the 12,000-pound orca, Tilikum. Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite chillingly demonstrates that this incident of violence is hardly isolated, while exploring the extraordinary nature of orcas, thought to be one of the most intelligent species in the animal kingdom. The film is a story about the consequences of captivity for these animals that have thrilled millions in performances, but lead a much darker existence when the show is over."

The expansive and soul stirring soundtrack by Jeff Beal is worthy of the spectacular stars of Blackfish-the Orca whales. My favorite piece is "Magnificent Creature." I play it often for Tilikum while connecting with him telepathically. I am playing it now as I write. The music is reminiscent of the Out of Africa soundtrack, a movie with sweeping, panoramic scenes of  exquisite nature. Wild orcas take in such exquisite scenery each and every day, both above and below the water. In captivity they see the bottom of a concrete pool and hundreds of disrespectful (even if unconsciously so) humans clapping when they perform stupid tricks.

I follow issues that impact whales very closely, and was stunned to learn about two atrocities that whales in captivity endure that I hadn't known before. It's when I heard these things that the wails inside me rumbled and the sobs burst through.

In an attempt to do my part, I began the Captive Whale Healing Initiative with Dixie Golins, an energy healer colleague. The Initiative involves telepathically communicating with individual captive whales to bring them loving companionship, empathic listening, understanding, emotional support, conversation, and energy healing to assist with both emotional and physical issues. Over time, we will be connecting and working on an ongoing basis with each of the 48 captive whales worldwide. The inspiration to do this came from Dixie's desire to offer energy healing to each captive whale, and from my conversations with Tilikum over the last few years, seeing  Blackfish, as well as from the deep pain and frustration I've felt reading the words and seeing the actions of spiritual healers who openly and unapologetically condone cetacean captivity, with hearts closed to the pain of captive whales and dolphins.