Altars

Altars have been created from the beginning of time – not only to ask for blessing and connect to the divine, but also to give thanks, make personal magic and to honor those who have come before. Creating an altar CONNECTS the physical world with the spiritual world. It is a physical place for dreams to live and a direct telephone line to the invisible forces that weave through one’s life. An altar grows and changes responding to your life. An altar reminds us to honor and give attention to our inner lives as we develop inner-authority.

  • • ask for guidance and strength
  • • offer gratitude, send out blessings
  • • pray for yourself and others
  • • meditate

CREATING AN ALTAR

Intention

First, set an intention. To set the energy of your altar, simply declare or write down your intention – “Abundance Altar” or “Healing Altar” etc. Your home altar is a personal power spot for you where you can continue to grow and deepen your relationship with the divine and yourself. Create Sacred Space or simply declare your space, this is MY SACRED SPACE. Ask yourself, “if this altar could be about anything, what would it be about?”

Location

Once you have declared your intention, ask yourself, where does your altar want to be? Where is the physical location of your altar in your house? It might not always be where you think or would like it to be. You might have to try a few places until you find a place that feels and stays alive for you.

  • • on a shelf, in a cupboard, in the closet, on the dresser top or nightstand, on a table, in the bathroom, on your desk, along a window sill, on a book shelf

Altar Items

You don’t need a Buddha to have an altar. Having an altar is about YOU connecting to your own life experience, spirit and sense of the divine. So let yourself be drawn to whatever objects, photos, images, etc. that want to be placed on your altar – and don’t be surprised at what shows up. Perhaps your wallet wants to be placed on your altar at night if you are bringing prosperity, or your appointment book if you are asking for more clients, or your passport if you are longing to travel, or a home-made “certificate of health” for healing.

  • • photos of self, family, friends, pets, ancestors, etc
  • • images of the goddess, the divine, artwork, postcards of travel
  • • money, symbols of abundance, sparkling things
  • • written intentions, divinitory tools

Connecting to Nature – The Elements?

Because an altar is representative of our connection to nature as well as the divine, there will be representations of the elements – air, fire, water, earth and spirit. You can represent all the elements (Incense – Air, Candle – Fire, Vase or Bowl – water, Flower, Rocks, Dirt = Earth, and Images or Objects that represent Spirit for you) or just a few depending on the natural of your altar. View Elements - Calling in the Directions.

Keeping the Magic Alive?

Cleaning your altar is like recharging the battery on your cell phone. Nobody can make a call from a dead cell phone…and it’s the same for an altar! Letting your altar come into the present tense makes it ALIVE and that is what it is all about.

  • • dust and wipe down the area around your altar (and yes, under your altar!)
  • • change the fabric, pick something fresh and present tense
  • • pick fresh flowers for your altar (and clean water for the vase)
  • • maybe a new candle, in a different color than you normally choose

Place objects and images that feel current. Start with the question: “What wants to be on my altar?”

ITEMS FOR ALTAR BUILDING

Money/Abundance – gold/chocolate coins, 100 dollar bills, symbols/images of abundance, sparkling things, people you admire, mini representations of what you desire (car, house, etc.)

Love/Relationship – images of what your man/woman feels like, pairs of things (two figures together, two candles, two flowers), a list of what you Love about this person

Family/Child – create a nest, images of families & abundance. If you have a family, let everyone contribute something to the altar.

Career – What do you want your job to feel like? What “tools of the trade” need to be represented? How much money will you make? What kind of time commitment?

Self – creating a space for JUST YOU with symbols that reflect who you are and how you want to feel.

TIPS

  • • Stay in the Present Moment – try not to “think ahead”, keep your mind & body together in the present.
  • • You have everything that you need to make this altar – right in your own home, hotel room, car!
  • • Believe what you are telling yourself – ask, “what wants to be on this altar?”
  • • Start with the first thing that pops into your head – no judgment, you don’t have to understand why.
  • • Let go of expectations – Magic is a process not a product!
  • • Let it be easy – if you are lacking energy, stop.
  • • Break the rules – there is no right way to build an altar. If you bump into a rule, break it.
  • • Let the altar shift and change as you move through the creative process – it’s alive!
  • • Have fun – let yourself be playful and spontaneous, no matter what the theme is.