Souls in the Sea: Dolphins, Whales, and Human Destiny
by Scott Taylor
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Book Summary Information
Author: Scott TaylorEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-02-21
ISBN: 1583940715
Number of pages: 330
Publisher: Frog Books
Book Reviews of Souls in the Sea: Dolphins, Whales, and Human Destiny
Book Review: Reinventing the Cetaceans
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a book that made me wonder why it was not written earlier. It slaked my thirst for more information on these lines as I typed feverishly on the keyboard, for more material on the same lines. For this book opened up, at least for me, a portal to a world that cannot possibly coexist in the same world that we live in today. After having read this book, it became clearer for me that we are being cornered into a choice, i.e., if we truly wish to understand its message, to make a silent affirmation as to what we stand for, whether it is the small scale subsistence and ambitions of a bourgeois lifestyle, or the larger one of fruitful interaction in collective harmony with all of creation.
Many thousands of years ago, the cetaceans filled the seas and oceans of the earth. Today only a handful of them remain. Dolphins and whales, are in great danger today, not least because of getting enmeshed in the nets of fishing trawlers tracking tuna shoals, but also because of the sonar waves created by military submarines in the depths of the ocean, thus polluting their natural habitat with alien frequencies that can mislead them into unsafe areas. Not to mention the extensive pollution of the seas and the wanton slaughter of Cetaceans by humans.
There is, however, more to the Cetacean story than just the need for saving these magnificent and sensitive creatures from extinction by the depraved nature of the human race, just like any other endangered species. There is much, much more. Dolphins and whales form the stuff of legends; as sentient beings, they have communicated with and inspired mankind for times immemorial, starting with the aborigines of Australia, to the early civilizations of Sumeria, Egypt and India and going onto the present day where they have been known to have successfully helped autistic children make substantial improvement with their handicap, when all other conventional methods have not yielded results.
This is where this book comes in. It presents a concrete framework, seldom seen before, a golden thread through which one can 'see' the evolution of our human understanding of the cetacean soul over the last few thousand years, since man arrived on the scene. Scott Taylor presents concrete evidence, of the respect that the people from the ancient civilizations of Sumeria, India and ancient Egypt, felt for the Cetaceans. The same goes for the Australian aborigines and the Dogon tribes of East Africa, among others. According to the author, the Fall came with the advent of the Middle Ages and the rise of religious fundamentalism (e.g. the Inquisition), which militated against the Gnostic spirit of free enquiry and individual knowing, gleaned from accessing the wisdom within, from one's inner core as propounded by Jesus. Jesus' teachings were modified and rewritten so that all ultimate authority was invested in the Pope and/or the ruler of the country, in order to allow them to wield power over the masses. In this book, Scott Taylor discusses the role of the Dolphin in these times of transition, ranging over a thousand years.The narrative content, as I see it, is just enough to let the big picture emerge without going into too many specifics of detail.
The story of the Dolphin proceeds to modern times, with the extensive research of John C. Lilly, one of the author's main collaborators. In these and related chapters, the author talks about the brain structure of both whales and dolphins, making a clear case for their consciousness to be at least as advanced as humans and possibly more. This is where the main thrust of the book comes up, here the author makes a well argued case for the Cetacean as spiritual beings, waiting in the wings, to help us make a transition - to a world where beauty and harmony set the rules, instead of avarice, greed and conflict. This is an issue that is mined territory, there are plenty of scientists who have been instrumental in bunking just this particular myth of "the divine nature of the dolphin". Scott Taylor handles this issue with delicate and persuasive aplomb, illustrating the veracity of his facts, with incidents from his own life and his colleagues. This book is replete with quotes from people from all walks of life, some well-known, some less so. It is the handling of this particular subject, that makes this book the eye opener that it is. For me, personally, the decades long conditioning of bourgeois values, the need to go higher up in the hierarchy, appeared, at least for some golden moments, to be something unworthy to strive hard for. Scott Taylor's worldview is contagious, it is a picture where equal rights are granted to all, including our animal relatives.
An important question that is also discusses in this book, in some detail is that of the freedom enjoyed by wild dolphins, being compromised by humanity, when they are captured and either, made to perform tricks for the benefit of a paying audience, or being confined to a smaller sized tank where they are studied for purposes of research. Mention is also made of the animal's rights activists, who in the name of freedom, set captive dolphins free from their enclosures and force the bewildered creatures out to sea, to fend for themselves. Scott Taylor puts himself in the category of those who allow dolphins to interact with humans in a mutually beneficial and synergistic manner. Especially interesting to investigate is the sonar waves that dolphins send out, autistic children have shown remarkable improvement with dolphin sonar therapy. This issue is where the author seems to have taken a clear stand against die hard animal rights groups.
Personally, I guess that this particular change in worldview, is what the much talked about transition in Dec.2012, commemorating the end of the Mayan calendar, is all about. The end of the Mayan Calendar signifies the birth of a new kind of human being, a being who lives in harmony with all other sentient beings on this planet - as equal beings with equal rights. My own opinion, for what it is worth, is that this is where we are headed, if we allow our heart's wisdom to prevail. And this is where the Cetaceans, the dolphins and whales, are waiting to help us, waiting for us to re-member, so that we can forgive the past, forget and start living anew.
Read this book, it will go a long way to opening your heart.
Summary of Souls in the Sea: Dolphins, Whales, and Human Destiny
Dolphins have long been attributed with intelligence, but do they have souls? Self-awareness? Compassion? Scott Taylor, Director of the Cetacean Studies Institute, investigates the history, mythology, and science surrounding these creatures and emerges with a resounding yes. And not only do whales and dolphins merit our attention and respect in their own right: they are an index to what our future as a species can be.In this multi-faceted cetology compendium, Taylor surveys the portrayal of dolphins and whales in works of literature as disparate as Moby Dick and Sumerian legend, examines biologist John Lilly's research on interspecies communication, and explores the benefits of dolphin-assisted swimming therapy for disabled children and adults. Looking at the world from the perspective of one of these "souls in the sea," Taylor suggests that cetaceans are an ideal bridge between humanity and nature. Poetically written and thoughtfully illustrated with photos and drawings, Souls in the Sea is a comprehensive celebration of the biology, history, and mystique of dolphins and whales.
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