Ironwing Ace of Coils ...> Water

Mi-Shell

For me the Ace of Coils will always be linked to the powerful vision I had ..> see Magician...
When I painted my cards it was hard not to paint the overflowing fluid blood- red.....


The fact that we are looking here at a Paper Nautilus shell to me is a reminder, as how paper thin = fragile our toe-hold = (the downward coil beneath the shell) is, to ordinary consciousness and how easy we can flow over into another world....
Also, how fragile feelings are, and how powerful turrents they can create, when they overflow their container.
 

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Satori

Paper Nautilus: Argonauta argo

In her book Ocean Oracle, Michelle Hanson writes this about Paper Nautilus:

"Two of her (Argonaut's) arms end in enlarged paddles. When she produces eggs, these paddles secrete the parchment-like material for this "shell", which serves as a buoyant cradle for mother and eggs. Since this shell represents a birthplace, it symbolizes spiritual birth or a great awakening."

When I look at the Ore of Coils it seems we are seeing the birthing chamber of the entire deck. Here we see water, infantile iron ore orbs or goethites and the lovely oceanic mother, the Paper Nautilus. She is being gently cradled by iron that has been worked and forged. Heat and stress have created the lovely coils, and the makings of more coils are available...the goethites.

It seems we see here the process the smith undergoes. She feels the need to create, to give birth to some kind of creation. Here are the most basic tools she uses, but not all of the tools are here. To me the fire is missing but can be represented by the finished coils who have undergone the firing process.

Life is a forge. Everyday we are heated (stressed) and cooled, but we as thinking individuals have a way to participate in the process. We can control our responses to stress, we decide how, when and if we will react, and those reactions carry consequences, which determine the impact of the forge or the event, on our lives. This is how I have been looking at the Ironwing, how my own forging process can be made meaningful when examining the cards.

When I see this card, the fragility of the mother or the Nautilus, and especially the photo of the beautiful nautilus clinging to her shell, to her egg casing, it really reminds me that there are times to let go and trust that we will be supported. The Ace of Coils sort of shows that we can grow ourselves to a point, that there is always a safe haven or a place of creation to return to, but it is a starting place, not a place to stay in forever.

My own mother died not long ago, and perhaps this is why this card has such special meaning to me. I look at the cavern where the nautilus and the coil and water is found and I think of the womb. I think of my mother's arms, of a beginning place. I know that to honor my mother I need to move forward and continue my journey. I do not serve her memory well, nor do I serve her well by living in a constant lamentative state. I know that continuing the journey and moving past the place of cocooning is what I need to do. To reach, to journey and explore. I can return to my memories of my mother, and savor them, but I cannot live there.
 

Eugenia Madora

I feel as if I have ventured into a sacred place ~ very beautiful. I will tread softly and take my leave.
:heart:
 

Satori

It seems that the fluid pouring out of the nautilus is molten ore....will rethink it in my vision of the card...more later.
 

Debra

I'm looking through the booklet that comes with the deck and it seems almost every liquid image is molten ore--guess that's the blacksmith theme. All the "aces" are "ores" in this deck, too! But molten ore doesn't evoke emotion to me so I keep seeing water.

I live near the ocean and I'm thinking now about water and liquid = feelings and emotions. Blood yes, and being immersed in water--a strong wave, a soothing bath--can replicate or evoke the feeling of particular emotions (panic, being "swept away," being supported and warm).

I also experience emotions sometimes as "pin-point" feelings--not big, watery, surrounding swells but little bits of love or annoyance or hatred or fear or whatever--confined, not "overflowing" as in this image. More spikey pangs than enveloping oceanic feeling.

The sea is big with its own logic, but the water in a shell is manageable and contained.

I like what she writes about how "small tight coils become loops and chain links, a powerful symbol of connection and interrelationship." Coils and ringlets are also "girly" symbols and this raises the question of gender in this deck.
 

Debra

PS Mi-Shell, I think the Rider-Waite-Smith cups overflow with blue water but it also symbolizes blood that saves---Christ's blood. I'm not Christian so I don't know the idea very well; maybe someone else can speak to it.
 

Satori

I wanted to add the pip page from Lorena's site for easy access to the images.
 

Mi-Shell

If you would put molten metal into a Paper Nautilus it would disintgrate...
I am sure we see water on the card. All the Coils cards have the water element or are water beings--> Madrone and shaman of coils....
Only a crucibel can hold molten orw wihout meltingor bursting itself.
And the ore, the raw metal is these small round pebls that are on the lower part of the card.....
I think, I have some ore like that here; from Satori!! :love:
As well as magnetic Hematite and raw Siena
 

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Satori

Yes Mi-Shell, after rereading the text I see that this is indeed water and not molten ore. The sentence in the text is misleading. It says, "Iron coils cradle the shell of a paper nautilus that holds a fountain splashing over bubbly-looking iron ore."

So the fountain is splashing water over the bubbly-looking iron ore, not molten ore! Yikes, this is like work. :)

They could be bojis or perhaps Kansas Pop Rocks.

boji stones