The Release of the Sea Turtles
On this chilly New York morning, I'm remembering the quiet embrace of Mexico's Pacific Coast. Under the warm hues of a setting sun, I witnessed an ancient ritual—the release of baby sea turtles into the ocean. These tiny, vulnerable creatures, no larger than my palm, carried with them the weight of ancestral wisdom and the boundless possibility of their futures. Watching them, I felt deeply connected to the timeless rhythms of nature and the lessons it offers to us, if only we pause to listen.
The mother sea turtle, having laid nearly 100 eggs in the sand almost two months before, embodies resilience and faith. Nature's harsh calculus dictates that only one or two of these hatchlings will survive the journey and return to this very shore a decade from now to continue the cycle. Yet, she lays her eggs with unwavering determination, trusting that her lineage will persevere. This profound act is a testament to the enduring power of legacy and the unseen forces that guide us toward our purpose.
As I knelt in the sand, releasing these hatchlings into the waves, I thought about the generations of wisdom carried within each of us. Like the sea turtle, we are born with the imprints of our ancestors’ triumphs and trials. Their experiences, sacrifices, and dreams form an invisible compass that steers us towards our legacies.
"An Ancestor dreamed you here
to end the cycle of overwork, exhaustion,
and depletion in your lineage.
Somebody prayed you were here
for healing on an individual and collective level.
Look up
It is written in the sky
This time you get to heal through joy."
~ Octavia F. Raheem, Rest Is Sacred: Reclaiming Our Brilliance through the Practice of Stillness
The sea turtles’ journey to survival mirrors our own paths through life. The odds may seem insurmountable, the waves too powerful, the predators too many. Yet, within each of us lies the strength to find a way to make a way. The hatchlings reminded me that the essence of ancestral wisdom is not only in the stories we inherit, but also in the stories we get to shed and write for ourselves, anchored by legacy, rest, healing, and joy.
Releasing the turtles into the sea was an act of trust—trust that the currents would guide them, that the moon would illuminate their path, and that their instincts, honed over millennia, would carry them home. It was also a reminder that our role as stewards of wisdom and possibility extends beyond our individual lives. Like the sea turtle, we must act with the faith that our efforts will ripple through time, shaping a future we may never see.
In those moments on the shore, I realized that ancestral wisdom is not a relic of the past but a living force, flowing through us and into the world. It teaches us to honor the cycles of life, to embrace both fragility and strength, and to trust in the enduring power of legacy. As the last hatchling disappeared into the waves, I whispered a prayer—for them, for us, and for the generations yet to come. May we all find our way back to the shores of our purpose, guided by the wisdom of those who came before and fueled by the possibilities we carry within.
Purchase Octavia’s latest legacy offering Rest Is Sacred here.
