Shale, a fine-grained sedimentary rock formed over millions of years from compressed mud, clay, and silt, symbolizes human experience layered over time, echoing the subconscious. Its tendency to split into thin layers represents fragmentation and renewal, capturing the elemental forces shaping it. Shale reflects life's impermanence and transformation, with fragments carried by wind and weather, settling unpredictably. In alchemical thought, shale parallels the prima materia, the raw substance essential for spiritual transformation, encouraging an embrace of life’s evolving journey.
