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 God/dess, the Divine, artwork, postcards of travel
- money, symbols of abundance, sparkling things
- written intentions, divination tools
Connecting to Nature – The Elements/Calling in the Directions
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 or just a few depending on the natural of your altar.
- Air: Incense
- Fire: Candle
- Water: Vase, Bowl
- Earth: Flower, Rocks, Dirt
- Spirit: Images or Objects that represent Spirit for you
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?”
