Abalone or Ormer - The Sea's Ear

We were wandering around the local antique shops when I came across a nice old abalone shell. I've rather fancied an abalone shell for a while now, and when I stumbled across one, I figured it was meant to be! Abalones can be found along the coastal waters of every continent, except the Pacific coast of South America, the East Coast of the United States, the Arctic, and Antarctica. Abalone is the American name for this mollusc. The British name is ormer, and the meat of the ormer is considered a great delicacy. Overfishing in the Channel Islands has led to a dramatic depletion in numbers since the latter half of the 19th century. The gathering of ormers in the Channel Islands is now restricted to a number of "ormering tides", from January 1 to April 30, which occur on the full or new moon and two days following that. No ormers may be taken from the beach that are under 80 mm in shell length. Farming of Japanese and Chinese ormers, or awabi in Japanese, began in the late 1950s and early 1960s. West Cork in Ireland now has the biggest Japanese awabi farm in Europe. The Latin name for the abalone or ormer is Haliotis, meaning sea-ear. The name derives from the fact that the shells are shaped similar to a human ear.

Shells would have been among the first vessels used by primitive man, after all they were already shaped and fit for holding and carrying. It is little surprise that in some cultures they are still used in rituals and ceremonies. I've read that some Native American tribes used abalone shells in "smudging" ceremonies, when a bundle of sage is burned in the shell. I don't know much about Native American practices, so I can't verify the historical validity of this, but I know that a lot of modern people like to use abalone shells in this way. Shells are not very heat resistant though, so they may get very hot and scorched. Filling the shell with sand would create a good barrier to absorb the heat of burning herbs. When you want to extinguish the herbs, dip the smoldering end into the sand so that the fire is starved of oxygen. Many people like to use a feather to waft the smoke. This can be taken as a symbolic gesture, as the shell represents the Sea, the herbs represent Soil, and the feather represents Sky, which together form the three-dimensional world we experience.

The sea is symbolic of the deep unconscious realm of our emotions. We can ride the waves of joy and pleasure, or drown in the swirling wreckage of depression. We can float upon the surface of our emotions, without realising the hidden depths which lie beneath. We can dive deep into an ocean of love which surrounds us completely. What is important to remember is that the sea is fluid, it is ever changing. We must learn to let go of the old and flow into the new. The sea can invite us into a deep state of meditation. When we are always thinking, our thoughts are like a motor boat, constantly travelling, leaving a trail of thoughts in its wake. When we come to meditate, we turn off the engine and let the boat sit still in the water, with no need to go anywhere. We begin to notice the gentle motion of the sea, as the waves begin to calm, and we just float there, blissfully.

The surface of the sea is a boundary, a wild uninhabited place. When we measure how high something is, we often measure "from sea level". The surface of the sea is the spirit level of the world, it is a place of reflection, a place of balance. Below the surface, at the bottom of the sea, we find mysterious lands. They are the deepest places in the world, where we find the oldest forms of life on earth. The sea is where life began. The sea is like the waters which carry us in the womb. The sea is also like the cosmic ocean which carries our planet. It is a dreadful space, because we do not know what monsters may lurk therein, but it is also an awesome space full of priceless treasures. One must have great courage to take the plunge, to face one's demons, to wash away the past, and discover hidden pearls. To find a sea-ear reminds us to listen carefully to our intuition, our inner wisdom.