  We give a complete geometrical description of the effective Hamiltonians
common in nuclear shell model calculations. By recasting the theory in a
manifestly geometric form, we reinterpret and clarify several points. Some of
these results are hitherto unknown or unpublished. In particular, commuting
observables and symmetries are discussed in detail. Simple and explicit proofs
are given, and numerical algorithms are proposed, that improve and stabilize
common methods used today.
