This summer, we’re bringing you a powerful trio of symbols: the Sand Dollar, the Seahorse, and the Anchor. One encourages us to be at peace during times of change; one tells us to stay persistent no matter what; and one teaches us the values of remaining stable and grounded.

_____

Originally a kind of sea urchin, sand dollars have a mythic history. Some believe they symbolize God’s presence on creation; five doves are said to reside within their dusty white shell — the five angels that sang to the wise men on Christ’s birth. Others think they are coins, weathered over time, dropped by the people of Atlantis — or tokens forgotten by mermaids. Sand dollars flow with the ocean. We can learn a thing or two by watching them move. Carried whichever way the tide pleases, the sand dollar teaches us to welcome change, to accept shifting phases in life. We must trust the intricate process; drift through uncertainty, with faith that we’ll wash ashore. Thought to have been a sea dragon, seahorses were once revered as symbols of power and fortune–but their real message to us is about the virtue of patience. Mild and content, they drift through life with ease, accepting what floats their way; the shape of their body allows them to move in slow, graceful movements. The seahorse teaches us to be persistent in everything we do–and to accept ourselves. The anchor is a symbol as old as the very first ships. It has stood, over the ages, for security and strength — an iconic device that brings hope to seafarers adrift on the open sea. Binding the land to the ocean, the anchor also represents harmony: the peaceful existence of two elements, earth and water. Anchors ground us. Their unshakable construction is a reminder to hold fast, to stabilize ourselves among flux and choppy waters. They are the steady part of our being, the unwavering core at our center. Look to the anchor in times of strife; use it as an example of confidence, a reminder to live a life anchored in your truth.