The Power Of Symbolism

Earlier this morning, when I was getting ready for work, I found a jewelry box in my computer room that had a bunch of scrap jewelry that had been put aside for special occasions (such as rings and old necklaces). In it, I happened to find my necklace charm, a silver Templar cross. I could refer to it as a Gnostic cross, because that's its symbolism for me.

The original reason I put it away was because the loop that holds it on my necklace kept breaking, but this time, I stuck it in my pocket and carried it with me to work. Later in the day, I took the time to put it back together, and strap it on my neck. It made me feel good.

It's not the cross itself that has magical powers to change my mood. It's the representation of what the cross means to me. When I wear it, it makes me remember who I am, where I have gone, where I'm going, and what I'm hear for. In short, I've attached a memory of my core person onto this symbol - making it special to me.

This is what we do when we carry charms, crosses, pendants, and all sorts of religious-type items. It is through this method we remind ourselves that there are other things going on in our life besides the traffic, the dog chewing up the furniture, the jerk at work, and the war in Iraq. It's through this method that we remember what we believe, and what we feel when we seek the Divine.

Some confuse the idea of carrying a symbol as meaning we substitute the object for the truth. Couldn't be further from the truth. You don't pray to your cross, nor do you expect it to turn into an incarnation of an angel. Rather, we focus our strength on the object, which gives us a pendulum to harness our thoughts - it channels our emotive process to make our thoughts and words reach the destination: Divine attention.

Never be ashamed of such a noble intention. Rather, make aware the usefulness of such a tool.