[Wildspeak] Cone Shell as Totem

[moonvoice]

Cone Shell - Relief

Keywords:

Relief. Finding solutions to illness. Toxic situations. Toxic memories. Inability to escape the past. Confronting past issues to find relief. Numbness. Feeling flat or detached. Being forced to reconnect. Finding your way back to spirit. Pay attention. Don't forget. Don't ignore what hurts you. Feeling pain to relieve pain.






General Description:

The cone shell is a mollusk that has a very attractive shell that is often collected by shell collectors and occasionally used in ornaments and jewellery. The cone shell tends to live in coastal shallows. When threatened or attacked, they possess a harpoon which they use to inject venom into their attackers. Cone shells also use this neurotoxin to immobilise their prey which consists of fish, mollusks and worms depending on the species.

Cone shells can be quite aggressive, actively seeking something to sting. Their venom causes extreme agony and can be fatal if not treated immediately. However research into the venom is showing that cone shell venom might be able to provide a non-addictive, extremely effective pain killer. Painkillers derived from the cone shell venom have already been approved for use. The cone shell is now subject to a great deal of research and scientific / medical interest.

Lessons and Challenges:

Sometimes the only way to deal with something toxic, is to confront it. Cone shell teaches us that we absolutely must confront past issues in order to find some sense of relief. This is a very difficult lesson, and one that isn't pleasant to experience. The presence of cone shell suggests that we have toxic memories in our lives that we have not yet dealt with, examined, explored or even felt yet. If we do not confront those memories in safe situations, they will continue to haunt us, and cause pain and even harm.

Chances are, you have been trying to avoid or escape some aspects of your past for some time. It may be specific memories, specific people, or even specific knowledges or regrets that you may have that others may not even know about. Cone shell tells you firmly that your way is not working, so how about a new approach? If you have an inability to escape your past, despite trying, try to face it head on.

Cone shell reminds us that one of the consequences of trying to avoid painful memories or past situations is that it can affect the personality now and create current toxic situations. A person who has never learnt how to release regret, or envy for example, may find that they spread their own toxicity around to others and create situations that remind them that one day they will have to confront their problems with regret and envy. Likewise, if you have certain memories that you are running from, you may go to great lengths to avoid reminders of that memory, or spread the hurt you feel around to others in order to try and ameliorate your own hurt.

Another consequence of avoidance and not dealing with problematic situations internally or externally, is a feeling of numbness, flatness or detachment. Cone shell comes into your life to remind you to wake up! It is only through facing what you have been avoiding, will you find true relief and contentment; as opposed to numbness and a disconnection from life and emotion.

Cone shell, if you haven't gathered by now, teaches you to pay attention. Don't forget what has shaped you, even if you didn't enjoy it. Don't ignore what hurts you. Don't turn your back on your past, or unhealthy or dangerous situations in your present. Be aware and alert, although chances are that if cone shell has wandered into your life, you're not getting much of a choice at the moment! Cone shell suggests that one of the reasons you're feeling so uncomfortable is because you are trying to turn your back on something that will simply harm you the longer you ignore it.

Hard lessons are the domain of cone shell, but one of the profound lessons of cone shell is relief. Cone shell teaches us to go the hard yards in order to find actual relief, as opposed to numbness. By confronting what hurts and harms us that comes from within, we are able to be proactive and find solutions to illness (both mental and physical). We empower ourselves on our own journey, and on the way we learn how to bleach toxicity out of the very memories, emotions and situations we have been avoiding so that they no longer harm us and we no longer have to turn our back on them. Cone shell's forcible attempts to reconnect you to what you avoid are not enjoyable, but they put us in a greater position of power and pain relief than ever before.

When we avoid something for a long time, we lose parts of our connection (and sometimes all of our connection) to spirit, nature, or even to our inner selves. Cone shell shows us a clear path back to the way of spirit, and gently reminds us that sometimes we must feel pain, in order to relieve pain.

The Shadow Aspects:

The shadow aspect of cone shell speaks of a time where we are experiencing pain and toxic situations without any relief coming on the horizon. This will be for varying reasons, but one might be that we are refusing to remove ourselves from hurtful influence and self-harm through negative thoughts or actions. Cone shell will lend us the strength to get through this trying time as long as we promise not to simply ignore the hurt or write it off as 'the way it is.' Write down your feelings about physical pain and emotional pain, or whatever you experience as 'hurt.' Examine how you feel towards the hurt itself. Changing your attitudes about traumatic experiences or unhealthy circumstance will be the first step we can take towards relief of that pain and trauma.

Cone shell confronts those who are not honest with themselves. The greatest lies we can tell, are those we tell ourselves to hide from our own inner darkness and hurt. These lies and deceptions leave the hurt and darkness inside of us, which can fester into illness, long term mental depression and anxiety, and poor relationships with friends, partners and family. If you are not honest with yourself, cone shell will find more abrupt and noticeable ways to force you into confronting what you have been hiding from yourself.

Communion:

Like all animal helpers, this animal will only appear when right and appropriate, and cannot be forced to visit you, commune with you, or share messages with you. Cone shell does not tend to give people much of a choice. As an energy, it asks you to reconnect, and then will often force reconnection by bringing up internal toxic situations again and again. As a guide energy it can be relentless, but it is a great catalyst for change and does bring about extreme transformation. It is a difficult teacher, demanding great expenditure of energy in order to create change, but does get results.

Cone shell is a particularly valuable guide for those who have been avoiding phobias, who have budding irrational fears, or who are avoiding emotions and memories. Because cone shell can be quite a harsh teacher though, it is worth engaging with a gentle or nurturing animal guide alongside cone shell to make sure you have a soothing place to retreat to when confrontation gets to be too much. Cone shell can be quite communicative, and is generally quite straight-forward about what it wants from you. Offerings to it come more in the form of actually applying yourself to what it demands, but you can also offer cone shells, and other shells, as well as a vessel of sea water.

Comments

[lupabitch.livejournal.com]

Huh. I knew that Cone shell was venomous as hell; however, I'm kind of surprised that the "pretty shell" didn't come into more play in the lessons. Of course "brightly colored" in nature often translates to "dangerous", but most brightly colored animals don't go out of their way to attack the way Cone shell seems to.

(Incidentally, this isn't helping your attempts to convince me that Australia's animals aren't all out to get us ;) Sure, cone shells occur in reefs all over, but I bet it's just a conspiracy--you're really trying to see if you can infiltrate other parts of the world with your poisonous critters!)

[moonvoice.livejournal.com]

Huh. I knew that Cone shell was venomous as hell; however, I'm kind of surprised that the "pretty shell" didn't come into more play in the lessons.

Yeah me too actually, especially because the look of scorpionfish was really significant in that file. But in this one, cone shell seemed pretty straightforward about what it wanted to say; I go where I'm rolled. :)

I've left quite a few of the venomous or dangerous critter illustrations until last (because, frankly, drawing cone shell was damned challenging for a lot of reasons; what it looks like, represents, and the energy itself) so there's a few others coming; like funnelweb. Ugh. More shuddering. Lol.

[freyaw.livejournal.com]

Well, you do know that the proper response to the question "What's not dangerous in Australia?" is "Some of the sheep"...

[umbreons-shadow.livejournal.com]

sheep aren't native in Australia. :P

[sidheblessed.livejournal.com]

That's why they're not dangerous. :P

[umbreons-shadow.livejournal.com]

they can kick or feet on ya. XD
but, they are pretty dumb. :x

[sidheblessed.livejournal.com]

*giggle* The emphasis should be on the word some.

[halfapersona.livejournal.com]

I really like this picture, and the healing implied in the big white space (at least that's the way I read the picture) being surrounded by the black gunk (yep, that's a technical term).

The message of Cone Shell is also really interesting to me.

Overall, I really like it.

^_^

[moonvoice.livejournal.com]

I found coneshell interesting, though it doesn't really grab me at this stage in my life; i think it will one day.

[sidheblessed.livejournal.com]

I really like this one - the picture and the lessons.

[moonvoice.livejournal.com]

aw thanks! :)

[azhure.livejournal.com]

Something about this one really resonates with me.

[moonvoice.livejournal.com]

it's a pretty powerful card i think, or message; it doesn't resonate with me at this stage in my life but i think about 3 years ago it really would have, and i think it will again in the future...

[elvenstars.livejournal.com]

Ouch. The synchronicity of this post and the message of the cone shell for me right now is quite remarkable. Thank you. I think... :)

Btw, I wonder what the big white space is. It seems to bother me for some reason, as if it's representing an unfilled area of the map. The unknown isn't what the colour white usually means for me, but it does so now. Weird.

I really like your art.

[x-raeya-x.livejournal.com]

I see that white space as the absence of the toxicity - even though the cone shell is the source of the black ooze and the surrounding nastiness, it's also shielding that section from it's own toxicities, and is therefore ALSO the source of the relief or shelter from them. The teachings are about confronting the sources of negativity and toxicity in order to find relief or move past them, which mirrors the cone shell's double purpose (or the other way around I should say lol)

That's what I see anyway. *blush*

[moonvoice.livejournal.com]

I see that white space as the absence of the toxicity - even though the cone shell is the source of the black ooze and the surrounding nastiness, it's also shielding that section from it's own toxicities, and is therefore ALSO the source of the relief or shelter from them.

You're in my brain, seriously. That was exactly what I (or cone shell, I should say) was trying to convey. Awesome that someone else sees it, though I like all the other interpretations too.

[x-raeya-x.livejournal.com]

Aw really? *blush* I don't often get the symbolism so closely. Yay! :D lol

[moonvoice.livejournal.com]

Rae'ya has pretty much responded with how I feel about the symbolism of the card; but I like your interpretation too and I really think white can represent the 'unknown' just as much as black can.

It's weird how some of these posts tend to sync up with people and their lives. Heh. Nifty too.

[sagewhite.livejournal.com]

eeek! This is one of those pictures I have an obsession about not looking at! lol. It looks like the shell has ripped open flesh and is trying to get out - to me anyway - and I can't look at pix like those. I still wanna get the deck though :)

[moonvoice.livejournal.com]

You don't like ripped-open-flesh type stuff do you?

[tsukikokoro.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure I've really heard of the cone shell, although I have seen its shells. It sounds really interesting, and I really like your picture from an artistic sense.

From a subjective viewpoint, my reaction to your illustration is, "WAAH!! I'm scared!" I understand that the dark red swirls usually symbolize a toxic environment, but this time, I see cells, which reminds me of life. And that black toxin oozing from the shell and horn eradicate that life, leaving nothingness in its wake. If I pulled it up from the oracle, I would automatically associate it with the Thoth deck's the Tower (http://www.ritualmagick.org/The+Tower+-+Thoth) (pic) (http://www.bluecatsden.com/t16tower.html). (I've always been absurdly fond of that incarnation of the Tower.) Fear, as I understand it, is not necessarily bad... just scary. Heh.

[moonvoice.livejournal.com]

I hated the black and white of this picture, but colouring the background to look like 'cells' is actually something that I think brought an added dimension to the picture.

It is a pretty full on card, I like the comparison to The Tower; its energy also kind of reminds me of Hagalaz, or a basic 'watch out for impending hail storm of doom' kind of card. Or 'it's gonna hurt before it gets better.' Ick.

[tsukikokoro.livejournal.com]

I think coloring cells really was effective. I mean, the white-pinkish bubbles remind me of zits and sores.

In the illustration, I see Cone Shell coming straight to the source of infection and burning it all away. Meanwhile, you're in blinding pain and screaming and writhing, but having Cone Shell cauterize your infections one by one is the best way to ensure your health. You might not be able to take treatment all at once, especially if the infection is huge, or there are several, or there are complications. Scary.

Is Cone Shell really involved in relief or shelter? Or is that what other guides may help you with?

[moonvoice.livejournal.com]

Is Cone Shell really involved in relief or shelter? Or is that what other guides may help you with?

Oh absolutely, because unlike other guides who provide temporary solace or comfort, coneshell provides the real deal. If you go the miles that coneshell demands you get genuine relief from pain at the end.

For those people who have already done many of the hard yards in their life, coneshell represents a time of genuine respite and peace.

Most people; of course, have not - which is why they seek readings in the first place. So for many people it will be immediately challenging.

[greenforest-elf.livejournal.com]

OMG GM APPLES NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[x-raeya-x.livejournal.com]

I had to stare at this one for a bit to get a real feel for it, but the message was really quite obvious once I did that. I like it. It's more subtle than you expect, really, but no less powerful.

[moonvoice.livejournal.com]

Animals like this are harder to convey meanings, maybe that's just me though, but trying to convey multiple themes of pain, relief, toughness, with a creature that basically - let's face it - looks like a hack tourist piece of jewellery... was somewhat of a challenge.

Coneshell knew what it wanted, but even when I'd finished the black and white I hated the picture. It was only once I'd finished colouring it that I really 'got' it. Lol.

[aleia-kali.livejournal.com]

I looked at this for quite a while and I'm not sure what I thought. I know I felt a deep sadness within and yet hope in the white space...this probably makes no sense...I can't get my own mind around it.
A very interesting read. I liked it :D

[moonvoice.livejournal.com]

Your interpretation is really clever and emotive actually, and I really like it. To me the card is very much an 'overwhelming' sort of energy, but the white space is potential relief from that; though it may be a struggle to get there.

O.o

[perzephone.livejournal.com]

First impression: Ugh!

I expected to see something about ecology or the environment in this, lol.

Considering some of my recent experiences with a painkiller, I can appreciate the mollusc's potential usefulness. I like poisonous things - and I especially like this unassuming little sea creature because it goes out looking for things to poison! Damn the passivity, I want to go out & sting something!

Re: O.o

[moonvoice.livejournal.com]

First impression: Ugh!

Yay! It kind of wasn't supposed to be 'aw, pretty.' *grin*

As for their use as a painkiller, one painkiller synthesised from them is already FDA approved. Incidentally, some of the chemicals found in the coneshell are something like 4,000 times more effective than regular painkillers AND non-addictive. It's almost hard to imagine.

[greenforest-elf.livejournal.com]

*dreams of non addictive painkillers*

wow this one took a little getting use to but I couldnt stop looking at it!!

Like water all red with flashing warning - danger will robinson


>gently reminds us that sometimes we must feel pain, in order to relieve pain.

wonderful connection!!!!

*hugs*