The Symbolism of the Nautilus Shell

The spiral shape of the Nautilus shell suggests that it can keep growing forever. There is no design for a "final" chamber. The creature must keep building new chambers as long as it lives. It cannot go back to the previous ones; they no longer fit. It cannot stay in its present space or it will die. It has no choice but to move on. And on.

The Nautilus has become a metaphor for growth, evolution, expansion and renewal - the stages each individual passes through life.

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