Luxury Item as New Ecclesiastical Relic

In pilgrimages to retail cathedrals and luxury galleries, one seems to expect to find secular salvation. Undoubtedly, much of this is due to the marketing and advertising of the brands. However, it can also be argued that the ecclesiastical relic actually set the groundwork for this materialism, though it is normally thought of as the opposing notion to spiritualism. The relic supposes that attributed values to an object trumps all original intrinsic values. In this sense, qualities of things deemed holy are of the same vein as things deemed luxurious. For example, the motifs of myth, sacrifice, ritual, ecstasy, and community all ring true for both. The sense of the ineffable must be present in order for a certain sacrifice to be of full worth. The rules of engagement are well known by those who participate. The sense of belonging and inclusion create a sense of identity. And the ultimate goal is to, even if only momentarily, transcend the here and now, to appreciate the incredible, to cross a boundary to able to associate the self with a higher purpose.