Shell Shell Fish Shells

Sometimes represents self or inner self. Or the shell we crawl into for protection against the world. See: Oyster; Clam.

There are tides and cycles in our lives, tides that are not a destructive force acting upon us. They are the energies of spring, bringing the possibility of new growth. The only destruction is of shells we have formed from last season’s growth that are now too small and must be left behind. And if you identify with the shell of the past, if you believe it is your home and your security in a changing world, then you have misunderstood who you are. For you are not the shell of your body, or even the decorations of the mind and its beliefs. You are the formless spirit of life that gave that shell its shape and beauty. Only in that spirit of life is there any security. And that spirit is like the wind, you can feel it and it moves you, yet you can never hold it in your hand and posses it.

Example: My friend asked me about this museum artifact and what to do because it had been broken. I looked at it and it was a long row of conch sea shells that were attached to one another in a line. One of the shells had been damaged.

I guess you know that Life began in the seas and at first was single celled creatures, but after immense passage of time and tremendous Earth changes became many celled creatures. The conch shell in Eastern cultures represents life as it has come out of life-giving waters. So it is an expression of Life itself, shaped with immense art and beauty, and as a shell is the imprint or beauty of a life that has left it ‘shell’ behind and travelled through many lives leaving its shells behind. So it may be a wonderful picture of the many lives that you, still living in a shell, has left as imprints on Life’s memory.

Example: I suppose you are familiar with the Camino de Santiago and the scallop shell:

“For those familiar with the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage, the scallop shell is a welcome sight. It is a symbol that guides pilgrims along the way towards their ultimate destination, and is frequently worn by those who embark on such a journey.”

My dream: I look at my bare feet and to my surprise I see that all the nails on my toes have transformed into beautiful, small scallop shells. There are shells that are still all white and there are shells that have turned darker; a kind of dark grey with small white spots in the form of a flower. I am so happy with my “scallop shell nails”; I think they look wonderful!

It feels to me that I have now truly embraced and integrated “the way of the pilgrim”.

I see the transformation from white scallop shells into dark grey ones with some white flowers as having found the middle way.

So off I go again and I will trust that my feet will guide me :-))

Shell as in armament: A possibly explosive situation; stored anger or violence that can be launched into an attack.