Reliquaries

Reliquaries provide a way to set something apart, to honor it, generally with the intention of remembering a person or some extraordinary event, either favorable or unfavorable. Adi Da Samraj indicates that moment-to-moment remembrance is required to realize truth. That being the case it seems that it is useful to have “touchstones” around oneself to help to keep attention where you choose.

Sanctuaries and churches are examples of places that have been set apart for formal occasions of remembrance and honoring of the great ones. There you can find holy sites, altars, and sacred art, all of which are to serve as touchstones of religion. Of course, a lot of people just go through the “ritual” of worship. But those who make the most use of these sacred spaces allow themselves to be interrupted. The habitual patterns of the mind and life are interfered with, if only for a moment. That’s why retreat is useful in these places that are set apart for contemplation and worship. There are sacred articles and elements everywhere you turn. And the entire point is to make use of them, not through self-generated feelings of exaltation, but simple remembrance and gratitude. And if one makes use of the reminders of the sacred that surrounds them, then surely one’s habits of attention and energy will be interfered with.

A sacred article isn’t a talisman. It’s not a magical object that replaces the requirement for self-discipline, the disciplining of not just the mind, but the “whole body”. The only magic involved is the magic that occurs when the discipline of practice is truly embraced. That’s where transformation occurs. That’s what I’ve been told. That takes a lot more than routine and ritual. That takes moment-to-moment. That’s why articles of remembrance are useful.

All of the images on this page are of reliquaries. They all contain some sacred element(s) or object(s). It can be as simple as a shadowbox frame as is shown here.