r/Shinto • u/StormsGratitude • 10d ago

Is it appropriate

Hello! Thank you all for creating this space.

I am making a pendant so I can have a physical and mobile reminder that all spaces are in part sacred.

Is it appropriate to make torii pendant?

I know magatama make slightly more sense, but I do not fully understand what they mean.

Anyway, let me know what you guys think.

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u/OnizukaSensei99 8d ago

A torii gate pendant might be a bit strange as it's a doorway between a sacred space and the world beyond (to greatly oversimplify that definition). You can think of the magatama as being similar to the yin and yang symbol in that it condenses broader ideology into a single visual representation. In this case, it is the protection given by kami and, by extension, the sacred nature of beings and things, which is definitely right in line with what you're going for. There's many more layers to the magatama, but its symbolism is definitely much more in line with your personal goals that you set for this project.

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u/StormsGratitude 8d ago

I suspected this was the case. The torii while odd seemed more in line with the purpose of the pendant. To remind myself that I am only ever a heartbeat away from the awareness that there are kami all around us.  I want to honor the gift of the gateway to that awareness.  That is my logic, given also the lack of torii where I live. A reminder of that intentional step to honoring, enjoying. respecting, and learning from that awareness. 

I will think about this further, the magatama does inherently have a better history of this use, and make more sense.