Lexicon of spirit animals: coral

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Mode of life:

Corals are sessile cnidarians dwelling the ocean floor particularly in tropical belt regions. In terms of growth form there needs to be differentiated between soft corals and hard corals. The latter have a hard calcium-based skeleton which forms the bulk of a coral reef-structure, hence they are also called stony corals or reef-building corals. Usually, the skeletons have plant-like branches at the tip of which colourful coral polyps like anemones or jellyfish attach themselves. Most often it is these polyps which lead people to falsely believe that corals are submarine flowering plants. Corals mainly feed on endosymbionts, i.e. symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae), whose photosynthesis metabolism is perfectly dovetailed with the coral nutrient balance, and they are the primary reason behind the intense colour in the vivid coral tissue. Partially, corals also filter microplancton, nutrients and trace elements from the marine water stream. Space and sunlight are vital needs for the coral growth so that all corals, whether within the same species or not, compete with each other for most rapid growth.

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Spiritually light aspects:

Corals demonstrate cooperation, support, beauty of diversification and the power of the subconscious. The corals' vivid colorplay is a result of symbiosis, hence the coral teaches us that complementing each other by means of unifying our strengths allows us to shine our unique essence the brightest. There is no need to be flawless. The coral teaches us that we are flawless with our flaws. Having deficites is not a weakness but a call to explore the potency of cooperation, and there is nothing wrong with that because ultimately we are all one. As stony corals serve as stable foundations for polyps, they also encourage us to ground ourselves so that we can provide emotional and spiritual support to those around us. By sustaining a steadfast fundament for everyone we will help them to traverse hardships and transits more harmoniously. As one of the oldest sea-dwellers appearing like submarine flower gardens to the Human eye, coral reefs remind us that quality and longevity of our desired manifestations are honed in our inner subconscious garden of emotions, which therefore requires our dedicated attention.

All images:Pixabay

Spiritually dark aspects:

With the coral as our spirit animal, we might be more easily prone to slipping into a no-holds barred survival instinct mode when we consider our territorial scope of expression to be jeopardised. Just like rapid growth of a coral allows it to shadow their conspecifics, which leads to their death, an obsession for expansion might entail envy when somebody else flourishes in a way we would like to experience it for ourselves. We become chronic begrudgers who principally don't grant others something we don't have. We always focus on what we don't have but never on what we have, creating an aura of lack instead of abundance. The fact that in extreme cases corals even develop stinging tentacles to kill off reachable tissue of competing corals is reflective of envy controlling us to such an extend that we act destructively against those thriving. Overly controlling others is always indicative of a loss of control over ourselves, and if we don't create balance in this respect we will inevitably end up doing things we might regret one day.

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Much Love and Light,

Alex