Wonders and meanings of shells

I have been dreaming about shells... gathering beautiful shells from dangerous beaches, during storms and hard to reach places. What is it about sea shells?
I've learned that sea shells symbolize the quality of life that purifies and sustains. They also symbolise the security and protection of the home.

Caracol or seashell
The carocol or seashell played an important part in the religious symbolism of the early inhabitants of Mexico, where it symbolized birth and life itself. Some baptismal fonts are carved in marble in imitation of a giant shell, symbolizing Christian rebirth. Its use as a trumpet since time immemorial also symbolizes power and authority.

A seashell is a symbol of many positive things in life. Seashells are thought to be gifts from the ocean. With its various shapes and forms, it is the symbol of uniqueness and beauty. One great symbolism of the seashell is created by Boticelli in one of his artistic creations. In his painting of "The Birth of Venus", the seashell is depicted as the vessel of beauty, rebirth, love, and godly attributes to the earth.

Seashells and baptism

The symbol of the seashell has been associated with baptism since the first centuries of the Christian church. We know this from paintings on the walls of the catacombs where early Christians worshiped which depict people being baptized with water poured from a seashell. That artistic theme has been carried down through the centuries, so that we now find seashells on church banners related to baptism, in stained glass windows, incorporated into the design of baptismal fonts and printed on baptism announcements. Sometimes the shell is pictured with three drops of water, an allusion to the Triune God in whose name we are baptized.

Like many ancient symbols, the origin is likely a practical matter: how to pour a generous amount of water in the rite of baptism? Since most fonts were not deep enough for total submersion, candidates for baptism would wade into the water, and a presider would pour water over their heads. You can scoop up a greater volume of water in a seashell or some other vessel than you can hold in your hand. A larger quantity of water speaks more fully of the gift of God's grace, poured out for us. Perhaps the use of the shell was preferred to other vessels because it is an item found in nature, from a creature that lives its life submerged in water — as those who are baptized live a new life, immersed in the Christian faith. Furthermore, the seashell reminds us that, in baptism, Christ calls us to discipleship, even as he called the first disciples by the seashore.

Shell: Original (1 of 3), originally uploaded by cobalt123.

Shells

To mathematicians the nautilus shell personifies the Golden ratio on the one, two, and three-dimensional planes. One-dimensionally, it is the linear spiral, which is based on the Golden ratio. Two-dimensionally, with area, the shell itself can be contained in a Golden proportioned rectangle; and three-dimensionally each chamber has approximately 1.618 times more volume than the chamber preceding it.

The Golden Ratio and Fibonacci's Spiral, originally uploaded by Andrew Prophet.

The golden ratio represents the golden spiral of Fibonacci. And we can see the spiral in all of God's creation including the nautilus and the spiral of the universe.

Seashells are also architectural wonders. Frank Lloyd Wright is said to have described seashells as greatness with simplicity. The mollusks that inhabit these seashells live in the depths of the sea, creating amazing and unique homes for themselves against incredible odds. The sea is a harsh and unforgiving environment, yet these lowly creatures build hard, protective homes for themselves that continue to inspire interest and amazement.

Nautilious shell

The Nautilus shell is one of the known shapes that represent the golden mean number. The golden mean number is also known as PHI - 1.6180339... The PHI is a number without an arithmetic solution, the digits simply continue for eternity without repeating themselves. The uniqueness of the golden mean is that it can be found in all living forms such as the human skeleton, the shell and the sunflowers seeds order. Plato called this value - "The key for the universe physics".

The Golden Mean number is widely used in art, architecture and religious symbols. Artists like Da Vinci and Kandinsky have used the golden mean in their paintings. The Guggenheim museum, planned by Frank Lloyd Wright, is shaped like the shell.


The curve of the seashell
Every beachcomber knows that sea shells are beautiful, yet few know they are so beautiful that once their shape inspired a style that spread across half of Europe. During the 18th century, painters, sculptors, even candlestick makers all followed the curve of the sea shell. The style was called rococo—itself an onomatopoeic image of the art —from the French word rocaille, meaning fancywork in rocks and shells.

Rococò, originally uploaded by anttushka.

Hotel de Soubise, interior, originally uploaded by dlge.