SEA SHELLS

There are numerous superstitions, myths, and tales on this topic. The beach, be it by the ocean, sea, or lake, is a liminal space where magic abounds. A place where the spirits meet willingly and unabashedly. A place where earth, sea, and sky meld in one glorious conjunction. Use the sea’s power to manifest abundance, healing, love, friendship, release, peace, solitude, and more. Learn about the sea and water magickal works rites below.

Similar to foraging in the woods, there is a multitude of different kinds of magical objects. We find plants, barks, berries, trees, leaves, wildlife, flowers, different forms of roots, and rocks. When I decide to go out to the beach and go for a stroll on the waterline, I always find lots of different seashells of different colors, shapes, and sizes. I also find coral, hag-stones, driftwood, feathers, and sea glass. Many witches collect these things and never use them to assist in their magickal rites. The ocean is full of magickal mysticism.

From a sea, lake, pond, river, or beach, seashells have various magical properties, including love, fertility, healing, emotions, intuition, and dreams. When you figure out what kind of shell or stone you have, it becomes that much more powerful. For example, the shell of an oyster draws love to a person’s life. Oysters are known as powerful aphrodisiacs, so why not use that as an example of having love properties. Spiral shells represent eternal life and a past life portal, thus this seashell is connected to past life work. The beach is full of a multitude of seashells that are known to hold magical properties due to the connections with different sea gods and goddesses. Seashells are also associated with the water element and the moon because the moon controls the tide of the ocean. So when setting up your Altar, set up should be done as the following: North-spirit-incense, East-sun-candles flame, South-earth-bowl of dirt, or a small plant, West-shell-bowl of water.

The seashells are often used as a symbol of femininity and fertility. Some shells have features that look like female breasts and vulva. If you work with Aphrodite, honor her with an offering of seashells.

Oyster shells represent a mysterious deep, hidden beauty of a woman and of course feminine divine. Our ancestors used to use the seashells for hair decoration and jewelry pieces. Centuries ago, shells were used as a form of currency in different cultures and hold prosperity and abundance properties. The ocean holds tons and tons of shells and they all have a magnetic attraction that grabs people’s attention. The bigger shells like a muscle shell are used for a trey to hold and tap the ashes off of the sage bundle when smudging or sagging and cleansing the home. Some use it to make a small Altar candle, such as a pink or white for purity and self-love, or matters of the heart.

The nautilus shell is a representation of growth and renewal. Nautilus does not shed their shells, instead, their shells expand as their bodies grow. The outward spiral shape of the Nautilus suggests that it can keep growing indefinitely. This shell is used for magical workings on spiritual growth and expansion.

Abalone, known also as sea ears, has a strong elemental bond with the healing properties of water and earth. They are typically found off the coasts of South America, Japan, and China. The native Northwest American Indians use it for offerings, cleansing, and prayers. This shell is known to heal the body from within the chakras points but resonates most with chakras of the third eye, heart, and solar plexus. Abalone greatly reduces anxiety and stress-related problems. Abalone provides relief from heart problems, arthritis, muscular and joint disorders, and pain.

The cowry’s shell is linked to femininity and it is used for spells on fertility, birth, sexuality, menstruation, and prosperity. The cowries are also used as a form of currency in some parts of Africa.

The auger’s shell has both masculine and feminine properties, thus, representing completeness. An auger has a venomous tooth and is known to be aggressive. Augers are linked to Mars and used for decorating headdresses, magickal wands, and dressing protective charms.

Oyster shells are great in spells for good fortune and banishment. They can generate pearls to protect them from irritating grains of sand. It is related to the moon and some cultures view its pearls as tears of the moon. Oysters are used for lunar magic, spells on passion, good fortune, virility, sexual love, and banishment. In particular, oysters shells represent the deep, hidden beauty of womanhood and the feminine divine.

Store-bought shells should be cleansed and recharged before using them. To do this, soak the shells for a day in a bowl of water mixed with sea salt. Recharge them by setting the bowl under the sun or full moon for some hours. This would charge it with the ability to grant your heart desires.

Starfish don’t possess a shell but the starfish is used to represent renewal, good luck, power, and heavenly creatures. When worn as an amulet, it works as an intuition that reminds a sensitive person to adapt and thrive within their surroundings. The starfish speaks to the mystic mind and it is associated with the number 5 which is also linked to the Pentagram. They are used in preparing charms on strength and recovery. It is said to have the capability to regrow a missing limb.

If you enjoy tarot cards and have a deep inner love for the ocean, here is an idea I came across a long while back that I thought I would incorporate into my article.

The Fool- whelk egg casing, Janita shell, The Magician- pear whelk, The High Priestess- crown conch, moonshell, The Empress- conch, cowrie and Junonia shell, The Emperor- auger, with shell, The Hierophant- spider conch, The Lovers- clam, cockles, tulip shell, The Chariot- helmet shell, cone shell, Strength- lion’s paw, bear’s paw shell, The Hermit- drupe shell, frog shell, carrier shell, Wheel of Fortune- whelk, spindle shell, left-handed whelk, Justice- slipper shell, conch, The Hanged Man- mussel, Death- worm snail shell, Temperance- angel/turkey wing shell, The Devil- oyster shell, The Tower- left-handed whelk, The Star- bubble shell, The Moon- moon shell, The Sun- sundial shell, Judgement- scallop shells, The World- worm snail shell, scallop shells

You can also design your special shells to fit you personally.

Gather sand when you are on a beach and put it in a jar. Sprinkle beach sand anywhere around the house to invoke powerful water magic. Set the jar on the west side of your Altar to represent water. Use the sand to draw a magical circle for a sea ceremony or sabbat. Put some sand and several herbs in a spell bag. Then charge it to manifest your goals and intent. Beach magic is calming. The tides remind you of the continuous, changing of life. The old is washed away, but new things are brought in, which include fresh starts and a second wind of energy. Beach sand is the perfect representation of the old going out and the renewed brought in. People consider the beach as a peaceful place. Use beach sand in relaxation, peace charms, helping you sleep, and sleep magic. Ocean water has splashed and drained on the sand over and over. This would likely imbue it with the element of water and the properties of salt. Use beach sand to help one achieve stability through change. It can help pair strength and emotion, and it can help keep one level headed through overwhelming and stressful events.

When collecting things from nature, keep in mind that if you are into asking nature, elements, or local spirits for permission make sure after you ask for the item that you always let the element know why you wish to obtain it and say thank you. If you are into just going off of feeling and collecting things that are safe the by all means do so. Always take into consideration that some places do not like people taking natural things from the area and they will get upset you remove something

Sand, shells, driftwood, and other items found at the beach are nice ideas for offerings to certain deities and spirits depending on what they enjoy.

It is always exciting to find the different colors of feathers on any beach. When they are found at the beach, they represent an abundance of seabirds, to list a few, they are the gull, heron, osprey, egret, sandpiper, pelican, etc. When you find the feather, go research the descriptions of the feather and what bird the feather came from for some extra excitement in your sea magick. Add the identifying information to your BOS. Place feathers on your Altar. They can be added to a dreamcatcher, worn as a charm, or if you find enough, they can be made into some kind of Native American Indian headdress. Feathers are reminders that someone from the spirit realms are watching, and they also represent a connection to the spirit world and divination. Use a large feather as an old-fashioned quill to write your wishes on a piece of parchment paper or crumble up a piece of paper from a grocery bag and write your rites on the paper. Use a hole punch and add it into your BOS or Grimoire book for an added appearance of antique. I f you find a good size feather, use it to waft the sage smoke throughout your home to cleanse the negativity out.