The Transparent Hypnotist

Stronger than a Great White Shark

Faster than an eel

More powerful than a Humpback Whale

Able to backflip more than a trained seal

Look in the water

It’s a power boat

No, it’s a dolphin

It’s the Mesmerizing Manta Maiden

Its a quiet day at the hypnotist’s office. She drinks her tea, welcomes clients, and does her part to save the world - one mind, one change at a time. But just under the surface of this pleasant facade – the business attire, the heels, the soothing voice, and the red lipstick, this hypnotist has a secret. When roller-coasters call, all new and shiny, ready to be tamed, off comes the serious professional garb, and out comes The Mesmerizing Manta Maiden. But with this superhero depiction also comes great responsibility – the ability to embrace one’s inner child, the leaving behind of adult worries, and the necessary abandonment of a workaholic lifestyle are all part of MMM’s powers. No roller-coaster ride goes undesired.

Okay, maybe this is being a little cheese ball (okay quite a bit cheesy), but today the urge is strong to just put aside all the day to day normalness and routine and embrace my inner Manatee. As you may recall, I have been blogging about SeaWorld’s soon-to-open coaster Manta. Well, it just so happens that opening day is not so far away – May 22. I am so ready to be there.  

I have never been privy enough to be one of the first to ever try out a coaster, but SeaWorld is having a ”Front-of-the-line” contest to celebrate the opening of Manta. With this you can join my League of Extraordinary Roller-coaster Riders and embrace your own manta persona. There are a series of six tasks you must accomplish to be considered for a front-of-the-line spot. First, you must prove your extraordinary knowledge of the Manta coaster by taking a brief quiz about it (the answers are all found on the site). Then you must follow the mighty, @RealShamu on twitter.com (you also have to tweet about the contest). From there you choose three others to be your partners in fun, or at least be your seat mates (providing their email…would any of you like to be my seat mates?). Show your allegiance by creating a short youtube.com video thus proving your dedication and excitement of being among the first to experience the Manta power. Take this a step farther, using the words “I heart Manta” create a photo and upload it to flickr.com. But the biggest test, that which will make you worthy of the Manta, is to print out the manta mask and take a picture of yourself in it. Every superhero needs a disguise afterall.

The question is - are you worthy to go to-the-front-of-the-line of Manta?

*Quick note to the great powers of SeaWorld or Izea.com: the Mesmerizing Manta Maiden would love to come to your headquarters and do a stress-relief session to help your associates be super ready to open this attraction. She would even probably do so for coverage of her expenses (and a ride on the Manta)…email her at ellie.blunt@gmail.com.

He would sit for hours or at least what felt like hours to my wee bottom that experienced the cold, hard wooden bench. But he never seemed to notice any discomfort, his or mine. Instead, gazing into the aquarium at a local park, it would keep hold his fascination above all else.

“Look Ellie! See that fish, the one by the glass, looking at me? He is talking to me.” 

“What is he saying?” I would respond and my grandfather would weave the most fascinating stories about the life of the fish. 

Often the story would begin with, “Well, luv, he says I should come and join ‘im. He wants me to meet his wife and have a lovely meal of seaweed.”

Then there were the times my grandfather would remain silent, staring fixedly into the dimly lit water. If the current Ellie could go back to those moments, I feel quite sure she would see all the markings of a trance. But the younger Ellie had no idea about such things. All she knew was that when her grandfather appeared unaware of the word outside of the aquarium, he would loose all the tension and worry from his face. What she also discovered was that if she asked for certain things, like a bit of chocolate, when they left the aquarium, her grandfather seemingly would have a desire for something chocolaty, too. They would stop at the little store down the street and her grandfather would choose the confectionary that Ellie had mentioned earlier and share it with her. On days when they were just walking or doing other tasks and she would ask for such a treat, he would respond in the negative

“Ellie, you know your mum does not allow for such things before our next meal.”

Hmmm.

So whether I am just craving a bit of candy, the presence of my grandfather, or some form of nostalgia, I still find myself intrigued with those creatures who live in aquariums. Hence you will notice the ad in the right column of this blog for “Dolphins blowing bubbles.” Maybe you thought it was silly for a hypnotism blog to have such things on it - what is this nonsense about dolphins blowing bubbles? Now, maybe you will understand a little more why I would put such things here (do click on it). 

Maybe the phenomena of dolphins blowing bubbles seems meaningless, but I assure you, it is not. Here is the thing, the dolphins at Sea World have begun to do something quite unique. They have learned how to not just use their blow holes as biology dictates, but have to use them as a source of amusement. They create large bubble rings, much like a child who learns to blow soap bubbles through a special wand. Just like humans, the dolphins seem to find much enjoyment with playing with their water bubbles. 

What also makes the dolphin bubbles special is that this playful behavior has just been recognized (by us humans). Though I am not an animal behaviorist, I am all about human behavior, so I can see the appeal to studying this phenomena. Perhaps even more interesting is the human reaction to the dolphins. People are fascinated (recognizing a commonality in play?), so fascinated that Sea World has made it part of their marketing effort. Ingenious! Seriously. If you have not visited their website on dolphin bubbles, it is really interesting.

I can imagine myself young and small again with my grandfather larger than life. I can imagine us watching these dolphin bubbles and I can hear my grandfather concocting great tales of bubble Olympics. Or I can imagine him silently engrossed in the spectacle. Then I can take it a bit farther and hear my own self mentioning riding the Manta coaster. Eventually, my grandfather would take my hand, leading me away from the dolphins and suggest we try our hand with roller coaster  (something he was normally not so keen).

The prophecy read:

You will teach people how to have fun during a time when fun is a commodity. You are the voice of the people. You are connected.

There were no big words of cataclysmic proportion, nothing about worlds shattering, just the southern lilt in the voice of the astrologer. But before you go and think, “Ellie is about to get all New Agey on me,” not quite. Hang on for just a little while longer. First let me say that I have never been much for knowing the future. I would rather not. I would rather face it as it comes. But…alas…the astrology session was a gift from a friend, who, feeling the waves of stormy sea beneath my calm exterior, thought it might help. Who was I to refuse?

Trying to take the above words with a grain of salt, I have instead pondered them. They pop up in the middle of the night when least expected. Now as a hypnotist, it is not hard to make a connection - I have always been in this business to help people have a better sense of themselves, to find inner peace, achieve a goal, to find some sort of happiness. But fun? I never really looked at anything from a “fun” perspective.

But it is true - personally. If it is not fun, I want no part of it. I will go to great lengths, expending much energy to have fun myself. But what of others? What can I do to “teach” others how to have fun? I reel the idea in like a trout on a fishing line. Then I release it (how I wish there was no hook involved) back into the waters of the unconscious. And I wait. I wait for some sort of synchronistic event to happen that will provide guidance that resonates.

Just maybe something has resonated - a bit.

I saw a commercial (okay, I occasionally like commercials, I find them entertaining sometimes) the other day. It was a very tranquil, transpersonal, and a hopeful spot that featured children. The phrase that stuck out was “Fun as a Renewable Resource.” The synchronistic flow began. Was this an ad for a green campaign? No. It was a commercial for SeaWorld and now every time I see it, I find myself deeply touched by its message. It is not blatant advertising. It is just a nice thought.

Then I noticed Ted Murphy of Izea blogging about spending time at Orlando’s Sea World. Apparently a few select bloggers were able to get a hard hat tour of a new roller-coaster called Manta. The concept of Manta is that you are riding with a manta (laying down and attached to its belly). It involves aquariums and who knows what else. Gosh, I love a good coaster (my favorite is the Areosmith coaster at another theme park in Orlando). Yes, this says fun to me and I believe it says the same to many others. Now how can I spread, if not teach, the fun?

Well, I can begin with news of Izea’s and Seaworld’s contest. You can win a trip for four (that includes airfare, accommodations, park passes and priority access to the Manta. You can visit www.ted.me/manta to learn more about how you can win this trip.

I may not be able to “teach” you how to have fun, but I can let you know about this opportunity. In addition, here is the deal, if I win, I will have two extra tickets. I will invite two of my readers, two who are in terrible need of having fun, to accompany me. This would partially be a way of fulling the prophecy. Stay tuned.

Note: The contest has ended as of March 10, 2009.