This amulet is made of forged brass. Brass is a metal that possesses a high degree of resonance and has been primarily considered a voice, such as the voice of a canon or a bell, both of which are powerful. Brass was a sacred metal that was used to make instruments of worship from antiquity to Buddhism and Christianity. This strong metal was the symbol of incorruptibility and immortality as well as unswerving justice.

Along the side of the reliquary there are 17 points representing the graduation year. In numerology 17 represents perception, responsibility, self-discipline, strength, compassion, spiritual conscience, knowledge and a desire for peace and love among humanity. It is considered the star of love and peace and it carries the promise to elevate the spirit beyond the trials and difficulties of earlier life.

The amulet’s cap is made of oak. In many traditions, oak is a sacred tree to which the privileges of the supreme sky-god are attributed because it attracts lightening. The oak represents strength, power, longevity and height in both the spiritual and material sense. It has been the emblem of hospitality and the equivalent of a temple. Primarily, in all ages the oak has been synonymous with wisdom as well as moral, spiritual, and physical strength. Among the Greeks, the Celts and many other cultures, the oak represented the World Axis or Tree. Hercules’ club was made of oak. In the Christian bible, Abraham received the divine revelation in an oak grove. With its strength, dignity, and capacity to attract energy, the oak plays the axial role that channels communication between heaven and earth.

Each amulet holds a glass capsule. The capsules can be considered empty or, in honor of Marcel Duchamp, they can also be considered filled with Chavón air. Metaphysically, glass symbolizes the passing of light, transformation, the fusion of elements, rebirth, focus and communication. For many quantum physicists the notion of emptiness or nothingness is difficult to accept because of the proposition that in our universe, empty space is ‘something’. In the void or nothingness there always exists the potential for something. Contained within these ‘empty’ capsules is Chavón air and all that it implies.