© uhmar
Seashell Divination / Conchomancy
Divining with sea shells is a mixture of divination and good 'ole mysticism put together. Just think of the ocean and all the amazing creatures it holds. The ocean and these creatures generate wonderful energies and vibrations. So in turn when these creatures leave their shells behind they have left great energy for you to discover and and they possibly hold messages for you as well. I have recently been having some amazing journeys with some Hag stones an Essex friend sent me.
Water is the element that represents our emotions. Seashells connect us to the ocean which in turn connects us to our emotions. Any one ever took a trip to the ocean that you did not smile at first sight. Or take a deep salty breath of ocean air. The little kid inside you jumped up and down. This opens our intuition. We then use our sense of sight, feeling, touch and smell. Add a healthy dose of imagination and we can get a wonderful divination process.
And we then heal others and ourselves with positve energies. Anytime we connect our energy to anothers and to the universal energies we heal the planet, ourselves and others. It is also amazing what we can learn about ourselves when we let all those energies collide together.
To read the shells you let the quarant/person select 3 to 12 shells. That is your choice of how many you tell them to choose. Three to five is really good.
Pay attention if they choose all the same type. Pay attention how they lay them out for you on the table. Did they go in a circle or a square. Did they stack them on top of each other. This in itself will tell you about the quarant. Square to me says they stay boxed into a little area, they don't take risks.. Chaos would send them screaming. Stacked says to me they like order all things compact and at times likes the thrill of will it fall.They will jump into the abyss to see if they can survive. In a circle says to me they like everything to go full circle or they are always chasing their tales. First this way then that way but never getting anywhere either.
Like all earth things the shells hold energy. Shells are as good a messenger as birds or any of the earth creatures. Remember each and every shell started as a baby and grew so each one has a story to tell.
Another way to divine with the seashells is to choose them out of a basket or container. Sight unseen. First gather some shells. As many and as many different kinds as you like. Store bought are okay but if you can collect them yourself off the beach and multiple beaches is fantastic. Mine came from Philluipines, Bahamas, and all over the eastern coast of USA.The pic above shows maybe 1/4 or less of my shells in my container.
Study each seashell to get a feeling regarding what the seashell means to you. Make a note so you can reference it describing the shells and how you felt.
Before doing readings with them of course like any divination tool smudge old energies out of them. Cleanse the shells with some sage and be sure to thank the ocean, the universe and of course the shells themselves for helping you.
Put the shells in a basket or bag. Close your eyes and allow your hands to hover just above the container, so that you are not touching the shells. Imagine the energy of the shells drawing upwards into your hands and mentally focus on your intent or question.
Turn the basket clockwise three times keeping your eyes closed.
You can also do this for an even more elaborate method, but it is not necessary, you can choose with the left hand for unconscious motivations. Choose with the right hand for conscious directions.
Reach into the basket and pull out as many or as few shells as you would like. Three shells might represent the past, present and future, one shell might represent a single specific answer, Keeping your eyes closed, hold each shell in your hand and meditate or at least think of who you are reading for and the question they have presented.
Carefully set each shell down in front of you . Write what you feel as you
pick them. What emotions come to you. What story is that shell telling you. Look at the overall meanings. Did it answer the original question?
You also can include the use of a seashell oracle deck of cards with this method. You can add to the reading with the cards or match the cards to the shell to get the meaning on the card added to your own feelings and intuition from the shell itself. I have a seashell decks of oracle cards I use for reference if I choose a shell that is part of the deck. Most of my shells were not in the deck. The deck seems to hold more African, Australian etc shells then anything I can get near me. and for additional meanings to add to my touch intuitive associations. So more often as not my shells are all intuitive read. I often will pull a few cards if I dont feel the shells are telling me the answers.
Please remember all you really need is the shells themselves and your mind , emotions, and hands. All the other stuff (basket, cards, sage,) is just extra helpers for what the shells themselves will tell you.
© Uhmar