This detailed and deep blue anchor is symbolic of Yemayá, the oricha Yemayá, the majestic and maternal Lucumí divinity of the sea, motherhood, and sometimes the moon is usually imagined as a dark-skinned woman with children and a strong temper, and is sometimes called the first oricha to come to the defense of humanity. Yemayá is often considered the most important of the orichas in Santería because of her responsibility as the mother of all things.  Her relationship to the sea stems from the idea that all life started in the sea and it is often understood that without her, humanity would not continue to grow and evolve.

The ship anchor bears a direct connection to the sea and is therefore symbolically connected to Yemayá.

Furthermore, the cowrie shells are not necessarily directly related to Yemayá because they don’t have them in multiples of 7.