The Metaphysical Properties of Ammonites and Ammolite

Do fossils have metaphysical properties?

Fossils are neglected in modern stone books but they are a potent union of the mineral and animal kingdoms. Metaphysical properties can be drawn both from their geology and biology and many were used for spiritual reasons historically.

What is an ammonite?

The Ammonoidea or ammonites (“am-uh-nights”) are an extinct group of shelled cephalopods that lived ~400 to ~65 million years ago. The name may specifically refer to one branch of them, the Ammonitida, that lived ~200 to ~65 million years ago. Their living relatives include the octopus, squid, and nautilus.

Ammonites lived in an external chambered shell, usually in the shape of a coiled spiral. Depending on the species, it could also be straight, partially bent, or corkscrewed. Their body was in the last and largest chamber. As they grew they added progressively bigger compartments to the mouth of their shell, walling off the old ones.

This chambered shell is called a phragmacone (“frah-muh-cone”), from the Greek phragmo, “fence, enclosure, partition”, + konos, “cone”. A thin organ called a siphuncle (“sigh-fung-kuhl”) connected each segment to the body chamber like a strand of beads. The word comes from the Latin sīphunculus, meaning “a little siphon”. They used this tube to maintain their buoyancy, regulating the mixture of water and gas in each compartment through their blood.

Ammonites may be found with a small curved shell called an aptychus (“ap-tea-cus”) or a symmetrically mirrored pair of them. The word comes from the Greek aptychon, “a folding panel with two parts”. There is debate among scientists if they were part of their jaw, a protective cover like the hood of a nautilus, or both. While ammonite shells were grown from aragonite, the aptychus was made from calcite. Although they are chemically related, calcite is more durable so many were preserved on their own, washed away from their shells. They were misidentified historically as a species of clam.

Although an incredible number of shells are preserved, very little soft tissue was fossilized. Therefore no one knows what an ammonite looked like exactly. Although their shells resemble a nautilus, their teeth are similar to the octopus and squid. So a spiral shelled animal with eight to ten tentacles is the best deduction.

What symbolism did ammonites have in antiquity?

The word ammonite references a historic name for the fossil. The first century CE Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder called them hammonis cornu, meaning “the horns of Ammon”. Ammon is the Latinized version of the name Amun, the ancient Egyptian god of creation, later interpreted as a form of Zeus by the Greeks. Amun was depicted as a ram, a man with the head or horns of a ram, or a ram headed sphinx. Pliny states:

“The horns of Ammon [“ammonite”] is reckoned among the most sacred gems of Aethiopia [“the upper region of the Nile”]; it is of a golden color, like a ram's horn in shape, and ensures prophetic dreams, it is said.”

Do the historical lapidaries mention ammonites?

Many historical gem books include stones found in animals. Some actually come from living creatures like bezoars, mineral concretions produced in the digestive tract, while others have proven to be fossils. Most period “toadstones”, allegedly from the head of a toad, are instead teeth from the extinct fish species Lepidotes.

Likewise some scholars believe the legendary draconites, found in the head of a snake or dragon, could be an actual stone. Something with a resemblance, like the toadstone. Ammonites are a strong candidate since some draconites were described as displaying a serpent pattern. Depending on the text, it protected the wearer from poisons, venomous creatures, or adversaries.

Ammonites actually have a long association with serpents. According to English legend, the 7^th century Saint Hilda of Whitby turned an infestation of snakes to stone to allow for the construction of an abbey. These petrified “snakestones” are ammonites. Sometimes artists would carve or paint a head on them, to produce pious souvenirs. English fossil hunters during the early 19^th century called ammonites cornemonius, a corruption of their Latin name hammonis cornu.

Ammonites were used in folk medicine across Europe for snake bites, fertility, and birthing pains. In 18^th century Germany and England they were added to water as “drakestones” (“dragonstone”) or “crampstones” to treat livestock.

What do ammonites mean in some Native American traditions?

To the Niitsitapi nation (“Blackfoot”), portions of ammonites, baculites, and other fossils are iniskim, meaning “buffalo stone, buffalo calling stone”. Baculites are a variety of ammonite with only a slightly bent shell. Fossil ammonites often come apart, breaking down into their individual chambers. Those with sutures become lobed, roughly resembling an animal, traditionally a buffalo. According to legend the first iniskim revealed itself during a famine to a young woman. It taught her the songs and ceremonies required to call the buffalo to be hunted. They reveal their presence by chirping like a bird and are associated with abundance, good luck, and healing.

What do ammonites represent in Hinduism?

Stones can have a special relationship to the divine in Hinduism, like the egg shaped linga of Shiva and the rounded black shaligram shila or salagram shila of Vishnu. Shila/Sila means “stone” in Sanskrit, shaligram/saligram is a regional name of Vishnu, and shalagram/salagram refers to a location where they are found. In Hindu thought God takes on different forms for the benefit of humanity. Vishnu is the divine as preserver. He is typically depicted as blue skinned, carrying a mace, lotus, conch shell, and a discus like weapon called a chakra.

The shila or salagram is a fossil concretion from the Gandaki River in Nepal, often with prominent ammonites. They are typically black in color but pyrite inclusions may make them golden. The fossil patterns are believed to represent sacred symbols like the attributes of Vishnu, especially his chakra. In mythology Vishnu transformed into vajra kita, aquatic worms as hard as diamonds, to carve them. An interpretation of the snake like ammonites found inside. The stones are traditionally used for devotion.

What do they mean in Chinese culture?

Some feng shui practitioners recommend ammonite and ammolite, an iridescent ammonite shell used as a gemstone, as wealth cures. Ammolite may be known by the trade name “kirin stone”, after the mythical Chinese composite animal, more commonly spelled qilin or ch'i-lin. They symbolize non-violence, virtue, and longevity. The iridescence of ammolite is said to resemble their fiery scales.

19th century English texts say the Chinese call ammonites the "kosmos stone", for its resemblance to their symbol for the cosmos.  They mean its comma-like shape resembles the black and white sections of the taijitu (“yin and yang symbol”), especially as a pair.  The spiral of an ammonite is believed to draw in chi (“spiritual energy”) and radiate it out, promoting abundance, health, and well being.

The Hidden Virtues of Ammonite

The metaphysical properties of a fossil are revealed in its geology, cultural associations, and effect on the chakra system:

1. Fossil: Because of their literal connection to the past, fossils support longevity, memory, and past life recall. They are also used to contact spirit guides, honor ancestors, or connect to ancient sources of knowledge. Ammonites are especially well suited for past life work since they are used as an index fossil. They help date the rock layers in which they are found because of their wide distribution, large numbers, and specific time span.

Ammonites only lived in the last chamber of their shell, using their phragmacone to stay afloat. Sometimes we are so focused on the future or the past, including our past lives, we neglect today. Use ammonites to regain perspective on the present, to integrate information about the past or potential future, or reorient after altered states of consciousness like shamanic journeying.

2. Shell: Because they come from the ocean, shells are connected to the Moon, water, and qualities culturally associated with the feminine like intuition, emotions, and the unconscious. Because ammonites are fossilized shells, they help transform the emotional past, releasing dysfunctional family patterns, childhood trauma, or suppressed feelings. Lunar materials are also associated with sleep, dreams, and techniques like lucid dreaming. This is especially true for ammonites since they were used historically for prophetic dreams.

3. Home: Both shells and materials ruled by the Moon symbolize the home. A lot of ammonite terminology is domestic: their shell is a phragmacone, Greek, “a cone of fences”, each chamber is a camera, Latin “a vaulted room”, and the dividers between them are septa, Latin, “walls”. Because of this architectural connection, ammonites are used for the spiritual protection of a house. Since the animal moved from chamber to chamber as it grew, walling off the old ones, they support individuals selling a home, in the process of moving, or adjusting to a new location.

4. Spiral: Both ammonite and nautilus shells are commonly used to illustrate the golden spiral, a growth pattern based on the Fibonnaci sequence with a ratio of 1.618. Unfortunately research suggests this is only rarely true. The nautilus is a logarithmic spiral but its average ratio is 1.33. Because these numbers are close, the inner chambers resemble the golden spiral but the outer ones deviate from it. While an individual shell may be a golden spiral, it is not true for all of them.

The 17^th century Swiss mathematician Jakob Bernoulli called the logarithmic spiral the spira mirabilis (Latin, “miraculous spiral”) because of its importance for living things. It allows shells to grow larger, without having to change their shape. Bernoulli wrote:

“... since our spira mirabilis [“miraculous spiral”, ie. logarithmic spiral] remains, amid all changes, most persistently itself, and exactly the same as ever, it may be used as a symbol, either of fortitude and constancy in adversity, or, of the human body; which after all its changes, even after death, will be restored to its exact and perfect self...”

Ammonites are associated with change, resiliency, and overcoming obstacles. Like the labyrinth, the spiral represents the journey of life, death and rebirth, and repeated cycles like the seasons and movement of celestial bodies. The spiral shell of the ammonite literally represents their life, created as they added chambers to the open end of their shell. Cross sections of an ammonite are popular wedding gifts because they represent a journey and two parts coming together to make a whole.

5. Animal Totems: An octopus in a nautilus shell that looks like a ram, snake, dragon, or buffalo. Rarely does one fossil have so many animal relationships. Ammonites can be used to connect spiritually to any of these medicines or animal totems in general.

6. Abundance: Ammonites represent abundance in several cultures. The Zeus and horn connection even suggests the cornucopia (Latin, “horn of plenty”). One variety of ammonites is named after it. When he was an infant, Zeus was hidden in a cave from his tyrannical father Cronus. A goat named Amalthea nursed him. When he accidentally broke off one of her horns, it became a symbol of divine generosity, overflowing with food and drink.

7. Aligning the Chakras: Energy follows the structure of a material, producing a similar effect within us. An ammonite shell is a series of chambers, connected together by the siphuncle tube, which regulated the balance of water and gas in each section. The chakra system is very similar. In the original Hindu and Buddhist models, spiritual energy flows through the subtle body along channels called nadi (Sanskrit, “flow, river, conduit”). The body has three main nadi, one in the spinal column and two that wrap around it. The chakras occur where they intersect.

Because of this structural similarity, ammonite and nautilus fossils are used to adjust the flow of energy in the nadi, aligning the chakras. In most nautilus species the siphuncle tube is centrally located. In most ammonite species, it is found along the bottom of the chambers instead. This suggests that a nautilus is better suited for the central nadi and an ammonite the side channels, although either can be used. They can even be combined to balance the entire system. However the snake symbolism of ammonites associates them with kundalini, which is produced in the central channel by joining together the energies of the side ones.

8. Balancing the Chakras: In many spiritual traditions clockwise motion is used to open and counter clockwise is used to close. Clockwise vs. counterclockwise is always a matter of perspective. On one side of an ammonite, moving from the mouth to the center of the shell is clockwise, on the other side, counterclockwise. From the center to the mouth instead is reversed. A chakra that is too open or too closed is out of balance. Running energy through an ammonite in a specific direction can help regulate a chakra: out or clockwise to help open, in or counterclockwise to help close.

9. Healing Properties: Ammonites were used historically for fertility, pregnancy, and birth in both people and animals. Fossils in general are related to Saturn, astrologically oriented healers recommend them for parts of the body ruled by it like the legs, bones, joints, teeth, skin, and hair. Because they come from the ocean, ammonites are also linked to the Moon, which rules the breasts, stomach, digestive system, and womb.

Healers who use the modern chakra system instead associate fossils with the Root Chakra. Because most ammonites are brown, reddish orange, to golden yellow in color, they connect to the Root (brown and red), Second (orange), Third (yellow), and Crown (gold) Chakras. They support parts of the body below the heart and the top of the head.

This article is part of a series for Enter the Earth, located in Asheville, North Carolina.  To find some incredible ammonites, check out both their retail and online stores:

1 Page Avenue
Suite 125
Asheville, NC 28801
(828) 350-9222

Online Store: http://www.entertheearth.com/
On Ebay: http://stores.ebay.com/entertheearthinc
On Etsy:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/EnterTheEarth

The spiritual use of stones is one tool among many for helping us with our problems. This information is not intended to replace the care of your doctor or mental health professional.

© 2012, C. L. Matthews
www.houseofdaedalus.blogspot.com

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To recognize the difference between an ammonite and a fossilized nautilus shell, read Ammonite vs. Nautilus.

Ammonite vs. Fossilized Nautilus

How do you distinguish between an ammonite and a fossilized nautilus?

Both the ammonite and nautilus are members of the cephalopod family, whose living members include the octopus, squid, and cuttlefish. The ammonites are extinct, having lived from the Devonian to the Cretaceous eras (~400 to ~65 million years ago). The nautiluses first appeared during the late Cambrian era (~500 million years ago) and some species still remain today.

Examine the siphuncle tube in the shell:

Both ammonites and nautiluses lived in an external chambered shell, usually in the shape of a coiled spiral. Depending on the species, it could also be straight, partially bent, or corkscrewed. Their body was in the last and largest chamber. As they grew they added progressively bigger compartments to the open end of their shell, walling off the old ones.

This chambered shell is called a phragmacone (“frah-muh-cone”), from the Greek phragmo, “fence, enclosure, partition”, + konos, "cone".  A thin organ called a siphuncle (“sigh-fung-kuhl”) connected each segment to the body chamber like a strand of beads. The word comes from the Latin sīphunculus, meaning “a little siphon”. They used this tube to maintain their buoyancy, regulating the mixture of water and gas in each compartment through their blood.

A: Nautilus: In most nautilus species the siphuncle passes through the middle of each chamber. It may be visible when cut in a cross section.

B: Ammonite: In most ammonite species the siphuncle is found near the bottom of each chamber, along the inside surface of the outer edge of the shell. It may be visible when cut in a cross section and in polished but uncut specimens.

C: Nautilus vs. Ammonite: The siphuncle is in the middle of each chamber in a nautilus and the bottom in an ammonite. There are species exceptions for both animals. Early nautiluses had the siphuncle at the bottom of the chamber and one branch of ammonites, the Clymeniida, had them in the middle.

Examine the septa and sutures of the shell:

The chamber walls in both animals are called septa, pronounced “sep-tuh” from the Latin saeptus, meaning “enclosure, fence, wall”. If the shell has been broken, exposed to the elements, or polished, patterns may be visible on the surface where the septa connected to the outer shell. These are called sutures, pronounced “sue-tchers”, from the Latin sutura, meaning “a seam”.

A: Nautilus: A nautilus has a thicker shell and its septa are concave, curving away from the mouth of the shell when cut in a cross section. Its sutures are a simple rounded line.

B: Ammonite: An ammonite has a thinner shell and its septa are convex, curving towards the mouth of the shell when cut in a cross section. Some species had folded septa, producing intricate leaf like sutures. These distort their convex orientation.

C: Nautilus vs. Ammonite: Nautilus sutures are concave, ammonite sutures are convex. Complex sutures may not appear convex. Simple sutures are found in both nautiluses and ammonites, complex sutures are only found in ammonites.

This article is part of a series for Enter the Earth, located in Asheville, North Carolina.  To find both ammonites and fossilized nautiluses, check out their retail and online stores:

1 Page Avenue
Suite 125
Asheville, NC 28801
(828) 350-9222

Online Store: http://www.entertheearth.com/
On Ebay: http://stores.ebay.com/entertheearthinc
On Etsy:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/EnterTheEarth

© 2012, C. L. Matthews

www.houseofdaedalus.blogspot.com

To read about the metaphysical properties of ammonites, see: The Metaphysical Properties of Ammonites and Ammolite

Where Do the Metaphysical Properties of Minerals Come From?

[Many of amethyst's metaphysical properties are derived from its etymology, the origin of its name.] 

Where do the metaphysical properties of minerals come from?

Sources typically list the metaphysical properties of a mineral without explaining their origin. Knowing how to reverse engineer them is a useful skill, especially when looking for a specific need not listed.

How were they discovered historically?

Gemstones were once popular medicinal, spiritual, and symbolic tools in the West. People thought their metaphysical properties, known historically as virtues, powers, or true meanings, were encoded by God in their shape, color, or physical qualities like electromagnetism. This concept was known as the doctrine of signatures during the 16^th century, especially in herbalism. The 17^th century herbalist Robert Turner wrote:

“God hath imprinted upon the Plants, Herbs, and Flowers, as it were in Hieroglyphicks [hieroglyphs], the very Signature [“mark, sign”] of their Vertues [virtues, ie “properties”].”

The ability to read hieroglyphs was lost from late antiquity until the early 19^th century. During the Renaissance scholars thought each image was a symbol instead, used by Egyptian priests to conceal spiritual knowledge. The natural world was interpreted the same way. God had produced two important texts, the Bible and the book of nature. While the printing press made the Bible available to all, the wisdom in nature needed to be deciphered.

A: Resemblance: Because of ideas like the doctrine of signatures and the book of nature, metaphysical properties were often derived from resemblance. For example, the red color of minerals like carnelian, bloodstone, and ground hematite associated them with blood.

B: Astrology: The stars and planets were believed to transmit a spiritual force, giving gemstones their properties by infusing them with energy. Specific minerals were associated with each planet, taking on their qualities. For example, copper and green to blue gemstones were associated with Venus and used for abundance, love, and fertility. They healed parts of the body ruled by it.

C: The Bible: The Bible has two lists of precious stones: the breastplate of the High Priest in the Book of Exodus and the building materials of New Jerusalem in the Book of Revelation. Stones were associated with individual Jewish tribes and Christian apostles. For example, aquamarine was given the traits of Saint Thomas like public speaking, learning, and safe travel over water.

D: Etymology: Metaphysical properties often came from a mineral's name, including its trade names and equivalents in other languages. For example, amethyst comes from the Greek amethystos, “not intoxicating”. Cups carved from it were believed to prevent drunkenness in antiquity. The Hebrew name for amethyst is achlamah, from the root chalam, meaning “to sleep, dream”, “to be young, healthy, strong”, or “to recover”. Amethyst's associations with sobriety, dreams, and healing all come from its etymology, the origin of its name.

How are they discovered today?

Metaphysical properties are still determined using methods like resemblance, astrology, and etymology. Traditional Biblical meanings are rarely encountered. New techniques also exist, like finding meaning in the chemistry, shape, and color of a mineral.

F: Religion, Mythology, Folklore: Sacred texts, mythology, or gem folklore may be used as references. For example, Shiva lingas are sacred to the Hindu deity Shiva, who represents beneficial destruction. Their metaphysical properties of purification, healing, and spiritual development come from Hindu beliefs.

G: Chemical Composition: Metaphysical properties may be derived from the mineral's role in the human body, medicine, and industry. For example, fluorite comes from the Latin fluor, meaning “to flow”. It is used as a flux in smelting, to remove impurities in melted metals. Its associations with purification and restoring the flow of thoughts, feelings, and energy are derived from its industrial use. Because fluorite is related to fluoride, books often recommended it for healing the teeth.

H: Crystal Shape: Spiritual energy is believed to follow the crystal structure of a mineral. For example, “Herkimer Diamonds”, a variety of quartz from Herkimer County, New York, are associated with attunement, helping individuals acclimatize to new places, people, or states of consciousness. “Herkimer Diamonds” typically have points at both ends. Their metaphysical properties are derived from this double termination, suggesting a balance between two things.

I: Modern Chakra Colors: Most metaphysical properties have a surprisingly simple origin. They are qualities of the chakra that correspond to the mineral in color. The theory of the chakras comes from Hinduism and Buddhism. Spiritual energy flows through the subtle body along channels called nadi (Sanskrit, nāḍi,“flow, river, conduit”). The body has three main nadi, one in the spinal column and two that wrap around it. A crossroad of energy called a chakra (Sanskrit, cakra, “wheel, circle, turning”) is produced where they intersect, traditionally depicted as a spoked wheel or lotus flower.

Texts describing the chakras were first translated into English in the early 20^th century. Since then their exact number, location, and associations have varied between sources. A rainbow colored version has become fairly standard in the metaphysical community, with some variation:

Crown Chakra = White or purple.

Third Eye = Dark blue or purple.

Throat Chakra = Light or dark blue.

Heart Chakra = Green or green and pink.

Navel Chakra = Yellow

Second Chakra = Orange

Root Chakra – Red or black.

While the positions are traditional, the color scheme is contemporary. It only comes from the late 1960's/early 1970's in the writings of Christopher Hills. However almost all contemporary stone books are based on it. Minerals are given the qualities of their correspondingly colored chakra and they are believed to heal body parts near it. For example, kunzite is the pink variety of the mineral spodumene. It is used for love, emotional healing, and stress relief, all traits of the heart chakra.

© 2012, C. L. Matthews
www.houseofdaedalus.blogspot.com
[Image Source: Public domain, Wikipedia Commons]