Article August 23, 1993 Issue

In the presence of seashells and divine intelligence

A visit to Sanibel Island uncovers perfect shells and new spiritual insights.

Jan Johnston

On Sanibel Island, Florida, countless seashells continually wash up on the beach. When my family visited the island for the first time, I promised to bring back some choice seashells to my friends in the Midwest. Yet, every tiny treasure that caught my eye turned out to be cracked or missing a part.

As I stood gazing down the shoreline, I remembered that God, the all-knowing Mind, is always present. Suddenly I felt drawn closer to the water's edge. A thick line of seaweed etched the shoreline, and while it did not appear attractive, the seaweed continued to draw my attention until I finally bent down and handled it with my fingers. Then I discovered that all along the shoreline, whole and perfect shells had been trapped in this natural barrier. From the beach, these trapped shells were hidden from view. Yet, standing in the waves with my back to the ocean and facing the seaweed barrier, I found all the unbroken shells I needed.

Finding perfect shells on a beach may not seem very important, but this experience pointed to something more significant. The shells had been there—trapped in the seaweed—all along. I had needed greater awareness of what was present; I didn't need to locate something that was missing. This incident helped me understand the spiritual fact that because of man's oneness with divine Mind as God's image, or idea, he can never truly be separated from anything in creation.

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