Material things, object d'art, gazing devices... not sure what to call them, but sometimes when I am in a nostalgic mood, or my mind is reeling (any father of girls will know what I mean), or just deep in thought, sometimes I like to open the sacred drawer and pull out that Former horn and just gaze upon it... and think... I have gemstones like this too. I have a honker of a ruby, over 300 carats, that I mined out of the Blueridge, and I had it cut by an expert gemologist, that is way too big for jewelry, but it gives my mind respite at times. I have no idea what other people who have pipes they don't smoke do, but this is how I use mine. Gazing objects. Fuel for the imagination...
Days when my daughters have come to me with their problems, sales are down, or some legal action has me worried, some turn to yoga, deep breathing, or drinking for their anxieties, but I can grab one of my objects d'art and wrap my worried mind around it. Or, just when my mind needs something to get it to spinning, same thing. It's just a phenomena of materialism to take comfort in a thing. Hey, it beats getting drunk and wrecking my truck, ha ha.