SIRIUS INSTITUTE PROJECT SUMMARY
The Sirius Institute is a 501-C-3 under the Human/Dolphin Foundation and the World Dolphin Foundation. It was founded by Paradise Newland. Dr. Michael Hyson, Ph.D is a co-founder and research director. To provide background for you, we here summarize our various projects. A web version of this document is available at: with active links to the relevant files.
We are engaged in a long-term comprehensive program to partner with and integrate the Cetaceans (dolphins and whales) into our society for our mutual benefit.
The dolphins and whales have been our partners for thousands of years. Long ago, the dolphins were revered as the highest form of physical creation. The dolphins helped the ancient Greeks fish, guided their ships, and escorted some of their children to school, swimming with them across the water. Several peoples still have a similar relationship with the Cetacea.
Our society is now waking up to this again.
In modern times, with the research of Dr. John C. Lilly, M.D. and others, we appreciate that with their larger brain sizes, long evolutionary history, their demonstrated self-awareness, and capacity for use of language (with strong evidence that they already have their own languages), along with their longstanding global cultures, the dolphins and whales are likely more intelligent than humans. Their species have the largest brains on the planet. We feel this entitles them to rights as the conscious, sentient beings that they are.
To this end, the Sirius Institute is creating the Cetacean Commonwealth. This is an alliance of the 'People of the Sea' along with the 'People of the Land' who wish to act and speak on their
behalf. For the moment, humans can speak for them. When we have achieved full objective communication with Cetacea, they will speak for themselves. We see this as enabling them to gain their rights under human law as the Cetacean Nations.
To establish full communications, we are developing computerized interfaces based on music. Some Cetacean communication is musical and we have determined that their tunings corresponds to a system originally invented by John Harrison in the 1770’s and recreated by Charles Lucy - the Harrison/Lucy scale. So we now know how to tune our communications with the Cetacea. See:
We call the interface the SongSwimmer and have demonstrated its workings with the composition Dolphin Valentine. (seen as an MP3 file at
We also have recordings of Humpback whales triggering a prototype interface. An extension of this work will allow configuration of a sound operated computer interface and joint artworks with the Cetacea - one being the Interspecies Concert. This is a performance of human musicians and Cetacea playing MIDI instruments with their vocalizations. This will establish the Cetacea as artists and performers and gain them royalties to support their legal campaign to establish them in the United Nations, along with other projects.
See: Interspecies Concert Summary at
We also must communicate clearly. This is especially true when communicating with another species. Paradise Newland has therefore developed a technology called Language Sculpting that allows the creation of coherent realities through the conscious use of language. See: Language Sculpting at
We have learned that dolphins can improve the wellbeing of humans throu gh their sonar and other means still under study. Among the reports we find healings of necks, elbows, ankles, knees and joints. Children especially have shown improvement in depression, autism, Downs syndrome, cerebral palsy, microcephaly, and other conditions. Children have been shown to learn at 2-14 times their usual rates when around dolphins. We wish to complete studies in this area. As one example, see the Dolphin Assisted Brain Trauma Healing Study, a proposal to determine the effects of dolphins on brain trauma. See:Brain Trauma Study Proposal at
For the last 40 years, studies have been done on underwater birth of humans. Underwater birth is better for both mother and baby, especially in those cases where problems are anticipated. For the last 20 years, some human babies have been born underwater attended by dolphins. In some cases, the free dolphins in the Black Sea have escorted the newly born child to the surface for its first breath. We have direct experience of part of this because Paradise Newland birthed her second son on a beach here in Hawai’i with over 300 dolphins nearby. A dolphin was born at the same beach at about the same time. b
So far it has been established that children born in water and raised in and around water develop 6 months faster over their first two years of life and show an increase of perhaps some 150 grams of brain weight. The next step in this is to establish a facility for dolphin-attended underwater birth in Puna, Hawai’i. The children so born will be raised closely with dolphin children. We are excited by what we will learn in the process.
The birth project is one function of Human-Cetacean Co-creative Habitats to be established in Hawai'i and elsewhere. We are working with the USEA Project which is designing a structure like an underwater hotel, with rooms having a view into the sea. The Human-Cetacean Habitat where humans and Cetacea can interact is a principle part of the design.
See:
Our partner Roberta Goodman has just received approval to establish a dolphin release project in Bonaire where captive dolphins will be rehabilitated and released to the sea.
With these and other projects, our awareness of the Cetacea will be increased and encourage efforts to keep the oceans clean and productive. At the moment, with overfishing, pollution, and powerful sonars, Cetacea are dying. Some are literally starving. This must be reversed.
One overall benefit of our projects is that in partnering with the Cetacea we will learn our mutual history and with the help of their knowledge we can revitalize our oceans and the planet.
Sincerely, in the Spirit of Aloha,
For the Sirius Institute:
Michael Hyson, Ph.D. Paradise Newland
Research Director Founder
The Dolphin Attended Underwater Birth Project
Our research shows that we must have better birthing and rearing environments for our children. Out of our concern for children and their development we propose to create an optimal child environment. Optimal pre-natal, birth, and rearing conditions for children can improve their whole lives and the lives of those around them.
In Hawai'i, for example, $250,000 or more is spent on the treatment of each "crack" addicted baby. It will take far fewer resources to birth and raise the children correctly than it does ameliorating the results of brain damage, trauma, or abuse leading to dyslexia, depression, drug use, crime and the like in a continuing cycle.
We can stop this cycle.
The establishment of proper gestation and birth environments and the propagation of this knowledge will reduce and eliminate the social ills related to current birthing and rearing practices, improve our future generations and establish a tradition and heritage of love and care for our children.
Our current model is to have a supportive pre-natal environment for the mother, followed by a water birth, possibly attended by dolphins, with the children then raised around and in the water with the dolphins, with a rich curriculum based on play and liberty -- we call it the "pod" home.
We come to this design because underwater birthing is beneficial to mother and child and the dolphins can have therapeutic benefit in many cases, especially with children. Dolphin attended underwater births have already occurred in the Black Sea, Eliat, Israel and a few other places and the results have been positive. See:
Even with some 30 years of research, we have yet to fully assess the effects of dolphins on the birth and rearing process. We must establish Human-Cetacean Habitats for dolphin attended underwater birth to assess the true results and several people in the field are striving for this. In Hawai’i we have interest and encouragement from the County, at the State level, from the Reinstated Lawful Government of Hawai'i and approval by the Kupuna Council and a likely location. We have an opportunity to influence the design and curriculum of new charter schools and link them with a human-dolphin habitat. See:
We have been engaged with the Cetacea for some 12 years in Hawai'i as the Sirius Institute, founded by Paradise Newland. We have learned a lot, first hand. We are on the verge of full cooperation and communication with the Cetacea. This contact is very important to us all, especially our children and our babies to come.
We are part of a growing subculture now widely distributed who seek to contact, be with, learn from and understand the Cetacea. We have swum with the free dolphins for hours many times. Some of us have swum right up to the Humpbacks and their babies, within 40 feet of a Sperm whale, and near the Fins, and met other species. The Cetacea have always been gentle, aware, loving, kind, especially with babies and children. We are their friends and are establishing rapport with them around the planet.
A team is assembling for the birth project including:
Sirius Institute
See the Sirius Institute website at
and our domain at *PlanetPuna* at:
Paradise Newland Short Bio ;
Michael Hyson Short Bio
Delphys Foundation with Albert Stevens et alia
See:
World Dolphin Foundation – with Fred Truby et alia
USEA project (with a major goal of building a Human-Cetacean habitat.
See (some $5 million has been appropriated by the State of Hawai'i which has yet to be released)
Terrance Glassman – architect and colleague of Bucky Fuller, has done extensive study and design of environments that best support child development, including underwater birth and has agreed to participate in the design. See:
Binny Dansby is an expert in underwater birth in London where they have been working toward this for some time. Please see her website on Ecstatic Birth. See:
Wennifer Curry is completing a doctorate concerning birthing at UCLA. She feels a dolphin attended underwater birth would be best and is enthusiastic.
The concept is supported by other underwater birth experts, such as:
Gowri Motha, M.D.(See: ) who visited us in Hawai'i, has done many underwater births and accomplished one of the best documented dolphin attended births (Story here: )
Short introduction to Dr. Motha See:
Michel Odent, M.D. has investigated the aquatic ape theories and has written widely on birth, suckling and related topics. Among his books and papers are:
Birth Reborn,
at:
We are all Waterbabies
at: and
The Scientification of Love
at:
See: also a short article concerning our characteristics that suggest we are at least semi-aquatic creatures. Here is a recent site on the aquatic ape theory:
Estelle Myers, founder of the Rainbow Dolphin Center in New Zealand and pioneer in waterbirth. See her abstract about some of these issues here:
Igor Charkovsky is a pioneer of underwater birth. What little I could find on the net of him is here.
Igor Charkovsky - Dolphins & BirthSee:
Dolphin Assisted Therapy at:
In other experiences, Paradise Newland’s second son was born at the shore in Hawai'i with at least 300 dolphins just off-shore. We had planned to deliver him with the dolphins. However, he came foot first, a footling presentation, and was delivered on the beach. He took his first breath in my hands when a wave washed his back and head. A dolphin birth was observed from a range of a few feet in the sea about 15 minutes before Paradise's birth, so we had a "twin" birth and a joyous day, indeed.
We have met with many people, each with their own stories of the healing, joy and transformation they have experienced with the Cetacea.
I was recently in California with Albert Stevens, a swim coach who takes Olympic gold medal and other champion swimmers to see the dolphins and whales. Their experiences are remarkable and much of it is on film. For example, a dolphin Stubby met them and brought back 20 of his friends in 20 minutes and then brought 30 the next day. The dolphins came by choice and more came, showing their interest. The dolphins and humans "danced" in the water together.
It is this kind of respectful interaction, on the dolphins' own terms that must be preserved, allowed to continue and expanded. We are learning to be together, one on one, in the water with the free Cetacea. The interactions we are having with the dolphins and other Cetacea are of a high order, and I am convinced that they are inviting our cooperation. Grey whale mothers are bringing their babies to meet people in boats, various free dolphins come to interact with us on a regular basis.
Underwater Birth
There had been at least 70,000 underwater deliveries in Britain a decade ago. They are covered by national health insurance and recommended especially for those anticipating a difficult birth. The data we have so far shows that babies born underwater and raised around the water swimming develop 6 months faster over their first 2 years and may have some 150 grams more brain weight. (Igor Smirnoff, Igor Charkofsky's research director, personal comm.). There are now several centers where underwater deliveries are performed and we get a steady stream of messages from women who are looking for a place where they can have a dolphin attended birth.
Dolphin Assisted Therapy
There are valid reports and some studies on dolphin assisted therapy. This was originated by my colleague and friend Dr. Hank Truby, Ph.D. He was the first to take autistic children to see the dolphins, and he found that they improved greatly while with the dolphins. Two autistic children whose ordinary attention span was about ten minutes played with the dolphins for about an hour and a half and were cooperating feeding the dolphins and pouring water on their heads with a bucket. Based on these results, Dr.'s Betsy Smith and David Nathanson developed similar programs with Dolphins Plus and Dolphin Research Center, and they share some of their work on their websites (see links below).
In brief summary, I have found reported instances of improvement in depression (Horace Dobbs), autism (Truby, Smith, Nathanson), Down's syndrome (Aquathought Foundation), cerebral palsy (Nathanson), and an apparent acoustic "zap" of a tumor by the dolphin Dreamer (personal comm.), the same dolphin who who fixed my neck with her sonar. These and other reports seem valid to me.
A case was reported on NBC's program "The Other Side" in which a man had lost his peripheral vision from a head trauma and while he was being sonared by the Spinner dolphins off Kauai, his vision returned, and as his vision opened out, he could see some 20 around him. Again, done by a free dolphin's free choice.
On the same program was a child of 8 with cerebral palsy. She was from my home town of Winnebago, Illinois. She had been with the dolphins and Dr. Nathanson at Dolphin Research Center, in Florida. I arranged for her to be on the NBC show that was filmed in Hawai'i. The parents told me the functional mental age level of their daughter had improved from 3.5 months to about 3.5 years after about a week around the dolphins. Perhaps with permission of the parents, Dr. Nathanson could provide us with more details.
A Case of Microcephaly
I was told the following by Scott Taylor, Cetacean Studies Institute, who was at the 2nd International Conference on Dolphin Assisted Therapy. -- A baby with microcephaly, was attended by 4 dolphins who put their rostrums at the medulla, both sides of the neck, and at the base of the spine. They "ensonified" the child for about 20 minutes a few times a day for about a week. At the end of this period the skull plates were developing normally. Mr. Taylor heard this in the presentation and recalls that they said it was in the medical records. I recently confirmed with him that the above account is accurate. I expected this to be included with the written proceedings. The paper is more cautious and waffled on the development of the skull plates - so that is the state of this evidence. Scott Taylor said after the Dolphin Therapy conferences "This will change the face of medicine."
Dreamer Dolphin Heals My Neck
I have a personal experience of Dreamer dolphin improving the state of my neck. I had injured my neck when age 12 and compressed 6th and 7th cervical veterbrae. There was always a noticable "grinding" sound when I turned my neck after that. I was swimming with Dreamer at age 42 when we were both underwater, and Dreamer was about 3.5 feet from me, when I felt and heard some 20 very loud, short, sound pulses distributed rapidly, over my head and neck within perhaps a second. The sounds were louder than anything I have ever heard from a dolphin. At the time, I thought she was probably sonaring fish far away. I had been with dolphins many times before, and had swum with Dreamer the year before.