What is an Altar?
Creating an altar space within your home is a powerful tool to support you in living your most nourished & full filled life. It is a focal point of spiritual energy, a sacred space holding the energetics of one’s deepest heartfelt prayers. It serves as physical representation reminding you of your true essence & connection to the creator. An altar space is a cocoon of beauty you can visit daily to inspire strength & clarity in walking a path in alignment with your life’s purpose. Each item added to the altar holds personal meaning & significance to you & your life. The altar weaves a story of your healing, your study, your dreams, goals & highest intentions for this life. It is a spiritual offering, giving thanks to the creator, honoring the elements of nature, spirits guides, angels, masters and teachers protecting & guiding you on your earthly journey. It is a weaving prayer of manifestation.
Creating a Personal Altar
Setting Intention
Take some time to journal & reflect on where you find yourself in this moment of time & phase of your life. Allow yourself to dream the grandest vision of your life.
If you need some inspiration, here are some journal prompts.
Gratitude.
What do you have to be grateful for? What are your many blessings? What is going well? What brings you joy, happiness and pleasure?
What areas of your life need elevating & improvement.
How are you doing? Physically how is your health? Mentally how well are you? Emotionally, how stable are you? How harmonious are your relationships? Spiritually, how connected are you? What are your current struggles? What situations & relationships are you experiencing disharmony?
Dream Big.
What are your biggest dreams goals and desires?
Envision the person you are, living the life of your deepest heartfelt wants, needs & desires. Dare to dream big. Consider the different aspects of your life, personal, relationships, family, work, purpose, home, study, etc.
Create the Space
Find a peaceful private place in your home to create your safe haven. This may be in your bedroom, living space, office, garden, etc. You can also create multiple altars throughout your home embodying different aspects of you & your families prayer. Clean & organize the space you have chosen so you can have a comfortable place to sit in-front of your altar. Perhaps on a carpet with some pillows. Choose a table, cabinet, bookshelf or surface of some sort to hold the prayer of your altar. I like to sit on the floor & have my altar table at eye level, however with young children this has become completely impractical. Work with what is available to you.
Depending which cardinal direction your altar space sits & therefore you face in prayer, carries its own energies that reverberate into your life. Generally speaking, the East, the masculine, the fire, the sun represents new beginnings, the north is the direction of the ancestors, teachers & spirit realms, the west, the feminine, the waters is the direction of the woman warrior, and the South is the direction of the children, the earth & plant kingdoms. Experiment on your own with the options your space offers, with which direction your altar faces, allowing it to change from time to time & evolve with you.
The most perfect tranquil altar space is set up in a way that flows harmoniously with your life & daily rhythm. It is one that you feel pulled to be nourished by its presence daily.
What to put on your Altar
Gather your sacred artifacts; totems, crystals, artwork, fabrics, jewelry, plants, feathers & other elements from nature, keepsakes, heirlooms & special momento. To the outside eye, these items do not need to look like anything special. They are physical representations embodying different elements of your personal prayer. Therefore they must hold significance to you, only. I recommend including one item to represent each of the elements of nature. For example to invite the strength of the fire, you might have a candle or salt lamp, to bring the element of air, the breath of life, you may include feathers that have come to you along your journey, to signify the element of earth, you may include crystals or fresh flowers & I always include a vessel holding the sacred waters of life on my altar.
Before you begin to create your altar, take a moment to refer back to your specific intention & prayer. Holding this close in your heart begin to weave a beautiful manifestation of the vision for your life.
You may choose to start with giving an offering of gratitude by burning sacred plant medicines. Some options include; copal, sage, palo santo, cedar, sweetgrass, tobacco or other plant medicines which you feel connected. This is a way to offer gratitude to the Creator and ask permission to open this sacred space, that it may serve as as personal container for deep healing connection & prayer. You can continue to burn plant medicines while adding the elements to your altar, cleansing, purifying & reflecting on its significance to each aspect of your personal prayer. Allow this to be a slow, self-guided process. Enjoy yourself & allow the divine to flow, creating a beautiful space of high vibration & peace.
How to Use
Your altar is ever evolving. It is changing & transforming as you & the vision of your life moves forward. Your alter is charged & nourished through its tending, presence attention & care. Keep your altar & surrounding space clean, fresh & reflective of the life you most desire. Visit your sacred space daily in reflection, meditation and prayer. I suggest routinely first thing in the morning, before bedtime & at any point throughout the day you feel disoriented & disconnected from your heart’s essence. Your personal altar space will likely inspire personal healing rituals as well as deeply nourishing self care regimes. Allow it to support the journey unveiling the highest version of you.
Honoring the Altar Within
Your altar space is simply an extension & embodied manifestation of your heart & soul. A silent whisper reminding you of what lies within your being. It is important to know & understand you carry your altar, your prayer in the way you walk through daily life. We are a walking prayer.
Just as each souls path is unique, as is your altar & how you work with this spiritual tool. Enjoy the journey & may god bless your path.
