please cure my insanity - ponderism about coral

[whiporwill-o]

ok, so i read in a book that coral is grouped with stones and is used for peace, protection and healing.

my ponderism is: first, coral is not a stone, it is an animal; second, if you have coral and are using it as a stone, you are using the dried corpse of an animal, which is just wrong on many levels, to me anyway; and third, since it is dead, what type of energy can it offer you? i understand that energy is neither created nor destroyed, but when something dies, where does it's energy go?

this has been bugging me all day, if anyone can answer these questions for me i would be very grateful. heart  

[Angelbaby In Love]

Merry Meet. I have to say that I've never heard of anyone using coral as a stone before. It doesn't sound right to me at all. I will have to ponder on that. Blessed Be.  

[Morgandria]

whiporwill-o

ok, so i read in a book that coral is grouped with stones and is used for peace, protection and healing.

my ponderism is: first, coral is not a stone, it is an animal; second, if you have coral and are using it as a stone, you are using the dried corpse of an animal, which is just wrong on many levels, to me anyway; and third, since it is dead, what type of energy can it offer you? i understand that energy is neither created nor destroyed, but when something dies, where does it's energy go?

this has been bugging me all day, if anyone can answer these questions for me i would be very grateful. heart

I've used different animal parts in my work before. So I'm not terribly worried about it being animal or dead. But I also think you can respectfully use animal parts.

And why is stone different from an animal in your mind? After all, some stones are harvested in a brutally destructive manner, under dangerous conditions. I'd never use or want a diamond for that reason. A stone has never been "alive" - yet you seem to believe that a stone has energy to be accessed. Why would a coral skeleton, or any other animal skeleton, not still possess the resonance and energy of the living animal?

You're correct that energy doesn't stop. Where does it go? Some of it will go into the decomposition of the animal and be carried away into the environment. Some of it will travel with the spirit of the animal. The remains themselves will retain a portion of the energy, if maintained, or until they're completely integrated into the environment.

The key here is respect, and sourcing materials acquired without exploiting others, or destroying animal populations or habitat.

If you don't feel comfortable using animal remains, then don't. You are free to make that choice.  

[Morgandria]

Fairy Queen Tatyana

Merry Meet. I have to say that I've never heard of anyone using coral as a stone before. It doesn't sound right to me at all. I will have to ponder on that. Blessed Be.

Please stop using "Merry Meet" and "Blessed Be" as greetings. They are ritual language, and should be used only in the proper context. This is not the proper context.  

[whiporwill-o]

Morgandria

whiporwill-o

ok, so i read in a book that coral is grouped with stones and is used for peace, protection and healing.

my ponderism is: first, coral is not a stone, it is an animal; second, if you have coral and are using it as a stone, you are using the dried corpse of an animal, which is just wrong on many levels, to me anyway; and third, since it is dead, what type of energy can it offer you? i understand that energy is neither created nor destroyed, but when something dies, where does it's energy go?

this has been bugging me all day, if anyone can answer these questions for me i would be very grateful. heart

I've used different animal parts in my work before. So I'm not terribly worried about it being animal or dead. But I also think you can respectfully use animal parts.

And why is stone different from an animal in your mind? After all, some stones are harvested in a brutally destructive manner, under dangerous conditions. I'd never use or want a diamond for that reason. A stone has never been "alive" - yet you seem to believe that a stone has energy to be accessed. Why would a coral skeleton, or any other animal skeleton, not still possess the resonance and energy of the living animal?

You're correct that energy doesn't stop. Where does it go? Some of it will go into the decomposition of the animal and be carried away into the environment. Some of it will travel with the spirit of the animal. The remains themselves will retain a portion of the energy, if maintained, or until they're completely integrated into the environment.

The key here is respect, and sourcing materials acquired without exploiting others, or destroying animal populations or habitat.

If you don't feel comfortable using animal remains, then don't. You are free to make that choice.

i have use animal parts in my spells, but they were not aquired in a brutal manner nor were they taken from a dead creature (example: freely shed deer antlers). the difference in my mind between using the energies of a non-living stone vs. a once-living animal is that the stone has a different type of vibration having never been alive, so it could never die or be killed, where as an animal would no longer have the same type of vibrations after having died (if that makes sense). using parts or the whole of a dead animal (particularly those who have been killed for material gain, like coral often is) seems a bit macabre to me, but to each his/her own.

i understand what you mean about the stones being harvested in such devastating ways, i always worry about that when i get anything new, be it stone or plant. sometimes the company will have assurances on the labels that they were harvested in a proper and dignified manner, but sometimes you just don't know, and it's saddens me that people have lost so much respect for the earth and each other for that matter.  

[doistu]

I work with marine fish and corals regularly and would say, in my professional opinion, it is unlikely that coral bought from shops has been "harvested" in a reasonable way.
It can take years to grow and, as said, is a living creature.
Coral is also a support system for other marine life.
It's definately not a stone.
It's your choice if you use is or not of course. I'd use it if it had been washed up on a beach but I'd not buy it for the purpose of using it in ritual. The idea just doesn't sit right with me.