Altar Cards

Personal Sacred Spaces Home Altars and Shrines

COMING IN
2007

Personal Sacred Spaces
Home Altars
A home altar can be a space for prayer, meditation, reflection, or it can simply be - it's presence a source of protection and blessing. The creation of a home altar connects us to an ancient tradition of worship, acknowledging our ancestors and their connection to the divine. In creating an altar in your home you invite the divine into your daily life.

A tradition in ancient cultures, altars have been traced back to Neanderthal people. Wherever archeologists have discovered evidence of human habitation, the remains of altars have been found. Such altars were often a gathering place when communal living was the norm. Nowadays, living more separately as we do, a home or family altar can serve as a place of reconnection, to the divine, our families, ourselves. An altar in one's home reminds us to pause, reflect, offer prayers of gratitude or ask for guidance. It is a sanctuary from the world's troubles.

Whether an ornate cabinet designed specifically for worship, or just a shelf in a corner of a room, home altars have flourished in recent years in American homes. Some are designed and maintained in accordance with formal religious guidelines, others are a humble collection of favorite objects. However it is composed, a home altar reflects one's personal sacred space.

Creating a home altar offers you an opportunity to express your spirituality. You might want to pray or meditate for guidance in the creation of your altar, or you may just begin and let the spirit move you, so to speak. You can designate a bookshelf or a small table or set up a large corner of your home for your altar space. Often the altar's surface is covered with a white cloth or a special fabric. To "ground" your sacred space, you can use representations of the four elements, fire, water, earth, and air. Candles for fire, a cup or bowl for water, a rock to symbolize earth, and incense to represent air. Once your altar is "grounded" you may add items that are meaningful to you such as icons, photographs, found objects, tokens of affection. Feel free to rearrange or change the items as you are so moved.

Visit your altar often, preferably daily, more often as you feel the need to be calmed and renewed spiritually. Make offerings of fresh water, flowers and/or fruit. Light candles, sage, or incense, offer chants, songs, or ring bells as you send your prayers heavenward. Rituals are good as a spiritual discipline, yet most likely you'll find that the mere presence of an altar in your home will be a constant source of sanctification.

(Thank You Daily Om)

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